Society For Education, Action and Research In Community Health
Encyclopedia
Abhay Bang (Born 1950), and Rani Bang (Born 1951) are Indian social activists working on community health in Gadchiroli district
of Maharashtra
. They have founded SEARCH (Society For Education, Action and Research In Community Health) - a non-profit organization in Gadchiroli
.
to Thakurdas and Suman Bang who are followers of the Sarvodaya movement inspired by Gandhian thoughts.
He spent his childhood in Gandhi’s Sevagram Ashram at Wardha with Mahatama Gandhi’s foremost disciple Acharya Vinoba Bhave.
Rani Bang (formerly Rani Chari) was born in Chandrapur
. Abhay and Rani completed their graduation and post graduation in medical studies from Nagpur University. Abhay and Rani married in 1977.
Both have them have done MPH from Johns Hopkins University
.
.
After returning to India they started working in Gadchiroli District
. They founded SEARCH in December 1985 and started working on community health problems in the tribal region. They identified & established the main causes for infant mortality in the region as pneumonia and devised a strategy of home-based neonatal care to combat it. The success of their efforts was published in 3 papers in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet
. Together, they have 5 papers published in The Lancet.
In 1990, the couple raised a movement for liquor ban in Gadchiroli district. The movement resulted in liquor ban in the district in year 1992, being the first example in India of liquor ban due to public demand.
Rani Bang also works on health and gynecological problems of rural women. She conducts sessions on sex education for adolescent and teenagers.
In 2006, they started an initiative - NIRMAN, for identifying and nurturing social change-makers in Maharashtra.
Marathi books
English Book
Gadchiroli District
Gadchiroli district is an administrative district in Maharashtra, India. The town of Gadchiroli is the administrative headquarters of the district....
of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. They have founded SEARCH (Society For Education, Action and Research In Community Health) - a non-profit organization in Gadchiroli
Gadchiroli
Gadchiroli is a town and a municipal council in Gadchiroli district in the state of Maharashtra, central India. It is the administrative headquarters of the district.It is very lush in Monsoon season but also prone to flooding....
.
Personal life and Background
Dr. Abhay Bang was born at WardhaWardha
Wardha is a city and a municipal council in Wardha district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Wardha district. Wardha gets its name from the Wardha River which flows at the North, West and South boundaries of district. Founded in 1866, the town is now an...
to Thakurdas and Suman Bang who are followers of the Sarvodaya movement inspired by Gandhian thoughts.
He spent his childhood in Gandhi’s Sevagram Ashram at Wardha with Mahatama Gandhi’s foremost disciple Acharya Vinoba Bhave.
Rani Bang (formerly Rani Chari) was born in Chandrapur
Chandrapur
Chandrapur is city and a municipal council in Chandrapur district in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is also the headquarters of Chandrapur district....
. Abhay and Rani completed their graduation and post graduation in medical studies from Nagpur University. Abhay and Rani married in 1977.
Both have them have done MPH from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
.
Work
After their medical studies, the couple moved to Wardha and co-founded Chetna Vikas - a non-profit organization. While working in villages of Wardha district they realized the need for further studies in public health to address larger health-care issues. Both of them completed Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
.
After returning to India they started working in Gadchiroli District
Gadchiroli District
Gadchiroli district is an administrative district in Maharashtra, India. The town of Gadchiroli is the administrative headquarters of the district....
. They founded SEARCH in December 1985 and started working on community health problems in the tribal region. They identified & established the main causes for infant mortality in the region as pneumonia and devised a strategy of home-based neonatal care to combat it. The success of their efforts was published in 3 papers in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
. Together, they have 5 papers published in The Lancet.
In 1990, the couple raised a movement for liquor ban in Gadchiroli district. The movement resulted in liquor ban in the district in year 1992, being the first example in India of liquor ban due to public demand.
Rani Bang also works on health and gynecological problems of rural women. She conducts sessions on sex education for adolescent and teenagers.
In 2006, they started an initiative - NIRMAN, for identifying and nurturing social change-makers in Maharashtra.
Authored books
The couple also have written books in Marathi.Marathi books
- Majha Sakshtakari Hrudayrog - Abhay Bang
- Goin - Rani Bang
- Kanosa - Rani Bang
English Book
- Putting Woman first - Dr. Rani Bang (It is published in 2010)
Awards and honors
Dr Abhay and Dr Rani Bang have been felicitated with a number of awards, a few of them as follows:- Maharashtra Bhushan AwardMaharashtra Bhushan AwardThe Maharashtra Bhushan is a highest and prestigious award presented annually by the government of Maharashtra state in India.When the Shivsena- BJP alliance came to power in 1995, it proposed to institute this award.The Mahrashtra Bhushan was first awarded in 1996. It was initially conferred in...
- Time magazine couple of the year 2005
- MacArthur award
- Lifetime achievement award from CNN-IBN