Dr. Vinod Tare is an Emeritus Fellow in Environmental Engineering and Management at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He superannuated as a Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and also held Sir M Visvesaraya Chair Professor established by the Ministry of Water Resources, GoI. He is a Civil Engineer, obtained his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Environmental Engineering from IIT Kanpur, and subsequently did post-doctoral research at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago. Dr Tare began his professional career with a short tenure at Engineers India Ltd and subsequently chose to serve the academic world and engage in research and development activities. He has guided numerous master’s and doctoral dissertations and published many reports and papers in conference proceedings and journals of international repute. He was the Chairman of the International Conference on Water – Harvesting, Storage, and Conservation (WHSC-2009) and the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and the Seventh India Water Impact Summit held in 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2121 and 2022 respectively jointly organized by Ministry of Jal Shakti and IIT Kanpur led Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga). Dr. Tare has served on numerous National and International Panels and Committees on various issues and is a consultant/advisor to many government organizations, NGOs, Industries, and Institutions. He has developed nature-friendly toilet systems that have been successfully piloted for passenger trains in Indian Railways, for communities, houseboats, and large congregations such as Kumbh Mela, etc. And has a huge potential for deployment for public use. Dr Tare was the leader of the consortia of seven IITs for the preparation of the Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP). He is the Founding Head of cGanga led by IIT Kanpur and supported by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India which serves as a knowledge partner to the Namami Gange Programme and supports the implementation and dynamic evolution of GRBMP.
Sri M
Sri M, the founder of The Satsang Foundation, is a member of the Steering Committee of the C20 India 2023. Sri M is a spiritual guide, social reformer, and educationist. He was born into a Muslim family on November 6, 1949, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. His transformational journey, from a young boy to a living yogi, is a fascinating story symbolized by single-minded discipline and dedication.