Adhik Kadam

Adhik Kadam is an Indian social entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is on a peacebuilding and peacekeeping mission, working in the conflict zones of Jammu and Kashmir.[1] Kadam has completed a master's degree in political science. He is a co-founder and the chairman of Borderless World Foundation, which is an NGO that works for the deprived and victimized people of the border areas of India.[2][3] The NGO runs four orphanage homes for girls in four districts of Jammu and Kashmir.[4][5]

Adhik Kadam
Adhik Kadam at village, Sulkoot Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir
Born
Adhik Sadashiv Kadam

(1977-08-23) 23 August 1977
Pune, Maharashtra
NationalityIndian
EducationMaster of Arts in Political science
Alma materBharati Vidyapeeth, Sir Parashurambhau College, Savitribai Phule Pune University
OccupationSocial entrepreneur, social activist, peace maker
Years active1996–present
Known forBorderless World Foundation,
Basera E Tabassum
Parent(s)Vimal Kadam, Sadashiv Kadam

Career

Early in his career, Kadam worked for many non-profit organizations as a Volunteer.[6] He started visiting Kashmir on an educational tour in 1997.[7] At the age of 19, he visited a Kashmiri Pandit refugee camp in Jammu to observe their conditions.[8] During the Kargil War, he worked on the forefront, especially for the refugees who were displaced in Kargil, Batalik and Drass Sectors.[9] Later he worked with Balraj Puri[10] and the Institute of J & K Affairs on the project of "Children affected by armed conflict in Jammu & Kashmir" which was sponsored by UNICEF.[11][12]

He founded the Borderless World Foundation (BWF) in 2002 with another activist from Pune, Bharati Mamani and a local resident, Mohiuddin Mir who had been active in the region since 1998. The primary objective of the NGO was to assist orphans and provide for their basic necessities with a focus on education. They worked extensively under the project of "Basera-e-Tabassum" (Abode of Smiles) to establish orphanages for girls in the Kupwara district and later in Budgam district. Mohiuddin Mir was killed in 2005 by militants.[13] From only 2 girls in 2002, the foundation has grown to accommodate more than 220 girls falling in the age group of 18 months to 20 years at four centers and can support at least 1000+ girls in the state of Jammu & Kashmir.[4][14] The first center was established in the Sulkoot village of Kupwara.[15]

Kadam has opened several group homes for orphans of the war, particularly females who according to him are the most vulnerable in conflict situations. He was kidnapped by militants who suspected him of working for intelligence agencies but was released on the intervention of locals. He was later detained by security forces who had grown suspicious of him as he was released by the militants unharmed.[8] Kadam is said to lead an ascetic lifestyle having dedicated his life to service and lives as described by an article in India Currents magazine as a "penniless vagabond".[16] He considers his work to be a spiritual journey.[17]

Borderless World Foundation

Kadam started Borderless World Foundation (BWF) in 2002 with the objective of creating a more humanitarian world.[18][19] While conducting a children-centric socio-economic survey of the region, he gained insight into the challenges of the people living in these areas. He has worked on various ad-hoc programs for local communities with am emphasis on those who had been widowed in the conflict before founding the organisation.[20]

Currently, the BWF houses around 230 girls. More than 110 girls have been re-integrated into their communities and 40 are pursuing higher education.[21] Kadam hopes to restore a "culture of faith" to the communities of Kashmir. The BWF currently has various ongoing projects and programs for humanitarian purposes.[22]

Basera-e-Tabassum

Kadam initiated Basera-e-Tabassum (BeT), a shelter program established in 2002 for girls who lost their parents as a result of the armed conflict or terrorism during the ongoing Kashmir conflict.[23] The four centers (group-homes) in Kashmir region are called Basera-e-Tabassum (abode of smiles) and the one in Jammu is called Fah (Facilitate and accomplish with humility).[24][16] The BeT centers also assist mothers who have lost their husbands in the conflict in providing financial and material aid to their children.[25][26][27] The BeT is supported by a few prominent philanthropists and well-wishers like the Holkar Family, Syed Ata Hasnain, Balraj Puri and Dr. S.Natarajan. The BeT also maintains facilities which allow children to travel to various cities for educational and exposure tours, and for higher education in professional courses.[28]

Kashmir Life Line

Kashmir Life Line is an ambulance service launched in 2015 with the aid of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.[29] Kadam, during his time, working in Kashmir had witnessed many deaths because of lack of emergency services for medical emergencies.[30][31] He initiated the Kashmir Life Line medical services in the Kashmir valley to help remedy the issue.[32][33] Border Security Force and J&K, Directorate of Health Services are also partnering in this project and run ambulances in border areas under this project.[34][35][30]

Helping pellet victims

In the 2016–17 Kashmir unrest, due to use of pellet guns by security forces, many children and youths aged between 10 and 30 got completely or partially blinded, during protests and curfews.[36][37] More than 1200 cases were registered in hospitals. who were in need of treatment from specialists; otherwise they could lose their vision permanently.[38][39] Kadam assisted in humanitarian efforts with the help of the BWF by organizing doctors from across India, and asking them to come to Kashmir to perform eye surgeries for free.[40][41] Dr. S N Natarajan[42] at Aditya Jyot Hospital,[43] and, Dr. Mahesh P Shanmugam and Sankara Eye Foundation[44] at L V Prasad Hospital helped with recommending experts and provided free surgeries.[45][46] Kadam had brought more than a dozen doctors[47] to Kashmir to perform some of the most critical surgeries in SMHS Hospital[48][49] in Srinagar.[50][51]

Rah-e-Niswan

Rah-e-Niswan (women's way), is a social entrepreneurship campaign in Kupwara. Initiated by Kadam, it is a project for women entrepreneurs in Jammu and Kashmir. The project trains girls in making sanitary napkins,[52] computerized embroidery,[53] stitching, knitting, fabric painting, and tailoring.[54] The aim of the project is to assist them in being self-sufficient and financially independent. Kadam has also helped young girls and boys to find jobs in various cities.[55]

Jammu Life Line

Jammu Life Line was launched in 2017 by Kadam.[56] It is an ambulance service started for the people on the border districts of the Jammu region.[57] Kadam started the project after documenting the lives of people living on the Line of Control (LoC). The Indo-Pakistan border at LoC is considered perilous where skirmishes occur occasionally and sometimes result in civilian casualties.[58] The Jammu Life Line project is also partnered with the Border Security Force.[59]

Kadam has given inspirational talks at various platforms. He was a speaker at a TED (conference) at Rajarampur Institute of Technology.[60][61] He has also been a speaker at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Princeton University and at various Rotary International clubs.[62][63][64]

Kadam was a finalist and speaker for National Conference on Social Innovation (NCSI) in 2018 organised by Pune International Centre, headed by Raghunath Anant Mashelkar, National Innovation Foundation and Tata Institute of Social Sciences.[65][66] He was named an INK Fellow at the 2016 INK Conferences.[67]

Awards and recognition

See also

References
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  2. "Pune duo bring cheer to Kashmiri kids – Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
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  5. "A safe haven for war torn girls – ThinkChange India". Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
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  20. "Why a Man From Maharashtra is Educating the Daughters of Militants Killed in Encounters in Kashmir". The Better India. 20 November 2016.
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