Home › Legacies of Impact › Shri Vikram Dutt
Shri Vikram Dutt
Born 5 March · passed away 20 January 2024
President, Manovikas Charitable Society, 2001–2015 · Mentor to thousands
Vikram Dutt ji led Manovikas for 15 years.
He believed that disability is not inability.
He guided many young people.
Every year on 5 March we hold a lecture in his name.
“The true measure of a life well-lived is in the lives you uplift.”— Vikram Dutt
A life of service
For about five decades Vikram Dutt served the development sector, especially children and persons with disabilities. He chaired many government and non-government committees and brought ideas that served society at large.
His talents were many — motivational speaker, disability expert, documentary filmmaker, education consultant, journalist, feature writer and sports coach — and he gave all of them to mentoring thousands of young people.
He was a deeply spiritual person who lived by the principle of “Naam Japo” and selfless seva, and often took part in interfaith dialogue. He believed that true devotion lies in helping those in need.
He passed away on 20 January 2024.
Their place in the Manovikas family
Vikram Dutt was President of the Manovikas Charitable Society from 20 August 2001 to 19 September 2015, and remained a mentor as Former President. He believed that disability is not inability, and championed inclusive education and self-advocacy — notably through the Manbhavan Mitra Mandali self-advocacy group.
In 1999, when Manovikas faced severe financial hardship, he suggested that the whole family chant the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra together — a moment of faith and resilience the Manovikas family still remembers.
For twenty-five years he gave Dr Alok one guiding line — “पूत कपूत तो क्या धन संचे, पूत सपूत तो क्या धन संचे” — which opened the philosophical and intellectual dimension of Manovikas’s work, and the path that has since led students with IDD into colleges and universities.
The work that continues in their name
Vikram Dutt Memorial Lecture — “Inspiring Developmental Stories”
Held every year on his birthday, 5 March, at Manovikas, Delhi (in person and online). Each year the lecture showcases development stories that carry his mission forward.
| Edition | Date | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 5 March 2024 | Three development stories: Manbhavan Mitra Mandali (self-advocacy), Help 4 Special, and the Aaryaman Center for Dental Excellence. Memorial speeches by Mrs Stuti Kacker, IAS (Retd.) and Shri T. D. Dhariyal. |
| 2nd | 5 March 2025 | Tributes from Dr Kiran Modi (Udayan Care), Dr Nilima Sabharwal (Home of Hope), friends, mentees and the Manovikas family. |
| 3rd | 5 March 2026 | “Ability Beyond Disability: Inspiring Developmental Stories”. |
Moments with the Manovikas family
4th Vikram Dutt Memorial Lecture
5 March 2027
Details will be announced on our Events page.
More about Shri Vikram Dutt
Share a memory of Shri Vikram Dutt
Did you know Shri Vikram Dutt? Share a memory or a few words. Tributes are reviewed by the Manovikas team and are never published automatically.
Did you know them? Write your memory here. We read it first.
