Bhim Singh Bhavesh

The Musahar community is among the poorest in Bihar. For more than twenty years, Bhim Singh Bhavesh has worked alongside Musahar families in Bhojpur to change that. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of social work, from Bihar ^[1].

A journalist from Bhojpur

Bhim Singh Bhavesh was born on 18 January 1964 and comes from Lakshanpur village in Bhojpur district ^[2]. He holds a PhD and a law degree, and has worked as a journalist for more than three decades ^[2]. His books include Hashiye Par Hasrat, about the lives of people on society’s margins ^[2].

Two hundred settlements

His work began in 2003 in a Musahar settlement in Ara town and grew to more than 200 settlements across 13 blocks of Bhojpur ^[2]. When he began, literacy in the community was only around 4 to 5 per cent ^[2]. Since then, more than 300 children have passed their matriculation exams, and 142 students have won National Means-cum-Merit scholarships ^[2].

He has helped bring community buildings, drainage and clean drinking water to settlements, supported health care for pregnant women and helped thousands of people get identity documents for welfare schemes ^[2]. More than 3,500 people in Bhojpur have received social security pensions with his help ^[2].

Young people carry it on

To keep the work going, he brought together educated young people from Musahar settlements. Their “Parvarish Yojna” now supports 87 orphaned children with monthly help ^[2].

In February 2024, his work with Musahar children was highlighted in episode 110 of Mann Ki Baat ^[3].