This Former IIT Prof Once Taught RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan. Today He’s Helping Tribals in MP.

• If you happen to be in the densely vegetated area of Betul and Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh, you are likely to stumble upon an unassuming old man with a scraggly white beard, quietly making his way through the wilderness on his cycle.
• He goes by the name Alok Sagar and was once a resident of New Delhi. For the last 34 years however, this man has been working untiringly for the betterment of tribals in Madhya Pradesh.
• Sagar has singlehandedly planted more than 50,000 trees in Betul district. The eco- conscious citizen also spreads his message of a greener world by collecting and distributing seeds among tribals, at a reasonable rate.
• His work with the Shramik Adiwasi Sangathan has also seen him take on the role of an activist who works towards securing the rights of tribals in the area.
• Yet, what makes his selfless efforts more noteworthy is the fact that Sagar left a lucrative career as an IIT Delhi professor to serve the people.
• Sagar is an alumnus of IIT Delhi himself, with a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering as well as a Masters from the reputed institute. He then went on to pursue his PhD at Houston University in Texas, US.
• Upon returning to India, Sagar joined his alma mater as a professor and even went on to teach current RBI Governor, Raghuram Rajan.
• By 1982 however, Sagar felt that he could contribute more to the development of the country by working with people on the ground. He resigned from his well-paying job and took off towards Betul and Hoshangabad.
• For 34 years, his neighbours and the tribals he worked with had been completely in the dark about Sagar’s past as a renowned academic at a prestigious institution. It was only during the assembly elections in the district when, unable to verify his background, the Betul district administration asked him to leave.
• This was when Sagar revealed his true identity.
• Anurag Modi, who works with Sagar, told The Hindustan Times, “Unlike the baseless fight over degrees of politicians, Sagar has set an example of being a true social worker.”
• “In India, people are facing so many problems, but people are busy proving their intelligence by showing their degrees rather than serving people,” Sagar added.
• True social work, they say, is done quietly and away from the spotlight. Sagar is the epitome of this sentiment.