Monica Purohit is a social worker, special educator and rehabilitation specialist, and co-founder and director of Anand Service Society, an organization in India that works for people with disabilities.
Wiki/Biography
Monica Purohit was born as Monica Sharma on Saturday, February 14, 1976 (44 years old in 2020) in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Her zodiac sign is Aquarius. She is also known as Monica Sharma Purohit and Monica Gyanendra Purohit. She studied at the Indore School of Social Work for her Masters in Social Work. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology, a Diploma in Fashion Design and Marketing, a Bachelor’s degree in Deaf Education, and a Master’s degree in Teacher and Special Education.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 4″
Eye color: Black
Hair color: Black
Family and caste
Parents and siblings
Her mother Pushpa Sharma works at Anand Service Society. Her father PD Sharma is the manager of State Bank of India (SBI) Indore branch.
Monica Purohit and her parents
Husband and children
She married lawyer and social activist Gyanendra Purohit on May 18, 2001. Monica and Gyanendra met in college and were in love with each other since their college days.
Monica Purohit and her husband
She has two sons named Sarthak and Chinmay Purohit.
Monica Purohit and family
Profession
In 1997, Monica and her husband Gyanendra Purohit founded Anand Service, an organization for the deaf and mute. The organization was inspired by her brother-in-law Anand (Gyanendra’s brother), who was deaf and mute and died in a train accident in 1997.
Gyanendra Purohit with his brothers as a child
The organization plays a major role in helping physically challenged and disabled children and women get education, training and employment assistance. The organization is based in Indore and operates in tribal and rural areas of Madhya Pradesh such as Dhar and Alirajpur (districts with the highest illiteracy rate in India).
Anand Service Society logo
Through this organization, Monica teaches deaf and dumb children and trains them to live like normal people. With her husband’s organization and advocacy, Monica succeeded in providing deaf and dumb children with admission to regular schools, the state government reserved teaching posts for deaf and dumb people, reserved seats for deaf and dumb people in government ITI colleges and allowed them to enroll, made BERA test mandatory for government jobs, etc. Monica is also the state level women coordinator for the MP Deaf Police Helpline, which is run by the Indore Police in association with the Anand Service Society.
Awards and Honors
- 2012 Alex Memorial Award
Monica and Gyanendra Purohit receive Alex Memorial Award
- Awarded Rashtriya Swayam Siddh Samman by Jindal Steel Foundation in 2016
Gyanendra and Monica Purohit receive the Rashtriya Swayam Siddh Samman from Jindal Steel Foundation
- In 2016, she was selected as one of the 100 Outstanding Women in India by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of India and Facebook.
- Zee Women Achievers Award 2016 for her contribution to helping deaf children and empowering women
- Swaraj Women’s Excellence Award in 2016 for promoting development of deaf children and empowering women
- Gurjar Goud 1st Ratna Samman 2016
- 2016 Rotary Award for Outstanding Service to Deaf Children and Women
- 2017 Rotary Nation Builder Award for outstanding services to deaf and speech-impaired children and women
- 2015-2016 Innerwheel Club Award for outstanding service to deaf children and women
- The FICCI Women in Mobility Awards 2018 were presented by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, MP and Minister of Steel, India, Ms. Aruna Sharma
Monica Purohit receives FICCI Flow Women of Achievement Award
- Rotary International District 3040 – 2020 Teacher Excellence Award
Monica Purohit – Rotary District 3040 Teacher Excellence Award
- Won the title of Best Teacher in Special Education Category, Indore Naganigam
- Indian Traffic Police honours deaf women and children for their creative contribution to society
Facts/Trivia
- While pursuing a degree in fashion design, she sketched and performed in addition to her studies.
- From 1998 to 2000, she served as a member of the college’s Student Affairs Committee.
- Prior to her career as a social activist, she worked for the Teacher Training Department of Mahesh Drishtiheen Kalyan Sangh, an NGO in Indore, and Tata International Limited, a trading and distribution company, in Dewas, Indore.
- She also founded a CODA club, which is composed of hearing children of deaf adults who share common issues and difficulties.
- In 2005, Monica and her husband performed Bollywood blockbusters Sholey (1975), Gandhi (1982), My Brother (2003) and Earthling (2007) in sign language.
- India’s first deaf and speech-impaired friendly police station, located at Tukoganj police station in Indore, was started by Monica and her husband in collaboration with MP police.
- In 2015, Monica and Gyanendra appeared in the BBC produced talk show “Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi”, a talk show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan and aired on Star Plus.
Gyanendra and Monica Purohit in Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi
- In 2017, Monica and her husband appeared on the talk show ‘DSC Show’ aired on Zee Entertainment, hosted by Dr. Subhash Chandra.
- During the nationwide lockdown during the 2019 coronavirus pandemic, the Gyanendras and Anand Service Society helped more than 500 deaf people through a sign language video call helpline that was launched nationwide.
- Monica and her husband also taught sign language to employees of the Narmada Jhabua Rural Bank, making it the first deaf-friendly bank in India.
- Monica and her husband help Sudeep Shukla, a deaf man, deliver campaign speeches. In 2018, Sudeep Shukla contested the state assembly elections from Satna in Madhya Pradesh, becoming the first deaf candidate for parliament.
Sudeep Shukla
- In 2020, Monica appeared along with her husband in the Karamveer Special of the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
Gyanendra and Monica Purohit in Kaun Banega Crorepati
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education