I am yet to absorb and assimilate the news,’’ says an overwhelmed Prof Shantha Sinha, recipient of the Magsaysay award for community leadership. Reacting to the announcement, Dr Sinha says, ‘‘I feel nervous when my name is taken along with eminent personalities. The award is a recognition to my argument that poverty doesn’t lead to child labour. An honour of this sort gives support and confidence to thousands of volunteers across the country who are working to give every child it’s due.’’ A political science professor at the University of Hyderabad, Sinha says she has taken up the issue of child labour ‘‘basically to enrich my inner hunger to learn and discover myself.’’ She started her work in 1991 through Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation (MVF) set up by her father and former MP M. Anandam to streamline the activities of the unorganised labour sector. The programme then shifted its focus to the twin objectives of child labour and illiteracy. A scholar from JNU, Delhi, she was married to late Ajoy Kumar Sinha, also a political scientist. Her daughters Sudha, a doctor and Deepa, working for an NGO Save The Child, are her constant inspiration.
