‘Stork Sister’ Purnima Devi Wins Changemaker of the Year Award; Border Roads Organization and MR Rajagopal crowned the iconic Changemakers

Purnima Devi Barman receiving the Changemaker of the Year 2026 award from Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister, in the presence of Raghuvir Srinivasan, Editor, businessline; Nirmala Lakshman, Director and Publisher, The Hindu Group and R. Vijay Anandh, MD and CEO, City Union Bank, during the Businessline Changemaker Awards 2026, in New Delhi on September 22, 2026. | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

In an inspiring ceremony filled with emotion, stirring stories of human success and a delicious feat of classical fusion, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Business Changemaker of the Year award to local conservationist Purnima Devi Barman for saving the endangered greater stork’s helper and empowering village women to become self-reliant wild bird protectors.

The Border Roads Organization (BRO), which builds and maintains critical infrastructure in India’s remote border areas, was crowned Iconic Changemaker as was ‘pain doctor’ MR Rajagopal, founder and chairman emeritus of Pallium India, who integrated palliative care into mainstream healthcare services.

Purnima Devi, while accepting the award, said, “When women stand up, magic happens and the hargila (stork) runs away.”

At the eighth edition of the event, awards were presented in six categories — Digital Transformation, Social Transformation, Financial Transformation, Young Changemaker, Iconic Changemaker and Changemaker of the Year. The Digital Transformation winner was Aparna Hegde, founder of ARMMAN (Advancing Reduction In Mortality and Morbidity of Mother, Children and Newborns), a non-profit organization that uses technology to reach and guide expectant mothers.

In the Social Transformation category, there were two winners – Project Sambandh, founded by Colonel Vembu Shankar (retd), which helps families of armed forces personnel who die in service but not in combat, and Sankara Eye Foundation for extending free eye care. The Financial Transformation winner was awarded to Gourmet Popcornica for building a fully integrated farm-to-consumer value chain in several states and reviving the popcorn economy. The Young Changemaker award went to Ariana Agarwal, a 16-year-old girl from Jaipur for making invisible workers visible at concerts.

Acknowledging the role of business in highlighting the work of change makers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “India is a vast country. While the states and the center do so much, it is those who put heart and soul into their efforts who make a difference.”

Ahead of the event, Nirmala Lakshman, director of THG Publishing, said: “Every year this evening gives us a chance to recognize the power of an idea to create change…and the perseverance to see it through.”

Raghuvir Srinivasan, editor, businessline, described how the 1,600 nominations were received from which the winners were selected – it was really hard work for the judges. “It was like samudra manthan (churning of the ocean),” he said.

The 2026 awards function was presented by Sastra Deemed University and operated by City Union Bank. Associate partners were State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, Citizen Watches, Government of Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, NABARD, NTPC, Indian Bank, SAIL, GAIL (India) Limited, Essar Group, ICFAI Group, NMDC, UCO Bank. Kia Sorento was the mobility partner.

Published – 22 Sep 2026 22:51 IST