When someone sees a problem and decides to fix it — not for fame, but because it simply must be done — that’s the kind of change India needs. This September, in Delhi, Optum Presents The Better India Showcase 2025, supported by the M3M Foundation, will honour the people who build those changes. It spotlights everyday courage, compassion in action, and solutions born of love and conviction.

This is not a glamorous affair. It’s a heartfelt salute to those who turned challenges into hope, often without waiting for an invitation. It shines a light on lives transformed through quiet resolve and persistent, caring action.

To celebrate the faces of change, the Showcase recognises heroes across nine meaningful categories:

Guiding the selection of these stories are 10 individuals whose own journeys speak of conviction and compassion. They will lend their judgement to stories that carry the strength of heartfelt action and deserve to reach a wider audience.

1. Dr Prakash Amte

Padma Shri (2002) | Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2008) | Medical Director, Lok Biradari Prakalp

Dr Prakash Amte followed a clear yet brave compass: trading comfort for service in the forest. In 1973, with his wife Dr Mandakini, he chose to build ‘Lok Biradari Prakalp’ — a remote sanctuary in Hemalkasa that now embraces a free 40‑bed hospital, a residential school for over 600 Madia Gond children, and a wildlife refuge nestled in the trees.

Their story started with healing beneath open skies, tending wounds without light, and listening long before they could be heard. Together, they planted roots that grow stronger with each passing year.

2. Dr Mandakini Amte

MBBS, PG Diploma in Anaesthesia |........

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