Imdad Khan Nohiry is in the field of social service and feels that one should be socially enlightened and should care for those around them.

Imdad Khan Nohiry was born in a small village in Rohila Gram Panchayat, Gadra Road Tehsil in Barmer district. He did his schooling till 12th and could not pursue it further due to financial problems of the family.

In search of a future path, he went to Nehru Yuva Kendra and met Bhuvnesh Jain who guided him and suggested Imdad to join the field of social service. He referred Imdad to join ‘SURE- Society to Uplift Rural Economy’ which was working under the guidance of Padma Shri Magraj Ji Jain.

Imdad joined SURE in 1998 and worked there for twelve years. After gaining much experience of the field, he decided to start his own NGO and with the help of Peeru Khan, Roshni Sansthan came into being and was registered in 2009. Today they have four centers of their NGO.

Imdad says that they started working in 2011 in the field of handicraft and arts. Today, they have 600 women working on works like embroidery, Kantha work, Mukka work and other traditional art forms.

Imdad says that they are in collaboration with ‘RangSutra’ and are also getting work from them.

In 2013, they got associated with Cairn India for skill training initiatives and have trained about 3000 men and women in masonry work and are still training many more.

Imdad shares that through Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) of the State Bank of India (SBI), they have trained 550 women and created employment opportunities for them.

Roshni Sansthan has also trained women from three villages in the field of making soaps and washing powder, which are being marketed and sold by these women in their own and nearby villages.

In four other villages, they are providing computer training to people aged between 18 to 35 for improving their employability.

Imdad says that they are working in association with the Minority Affairs Ministry to train people in the field of handicrafts and creating self-employment opportunities for rural and deprived populations.

Imdad shares that they have acquired 1500 artisan cards from the District Industries Center and the process for more such cards is under progress.

Talking about COVID, Imdad says that it was a tough time for everyone and they took the task to help others even in those crucial times. In 2020, they made 45,000 face masks with the help of women in their stitching training centers and distributed them to villages, Bhamashas, sarpanchs and even schools and colleges. They also made 40,000 face masks for Cairn-Vedanta who appreciated the quality of their masks. With the help of Azim Premji foundation, they distributed 600 food packets to the needy. They also worked hard to get essentials like oxygen cylinders for individuals and hospitals.

Imdad believes that education is the most important thing in life. It is through education only that we can get all the luxuries in life and also be able to help others. For the very same reason, SURE, through Balika Shivir, educated girls so that they could clear their 5th and 8th standard and start their education once again.

When asked about his role models, Imdad says that his father and grandfather are his role models. His father, despite having financial limitations, tried his level best to educate his children. His grandfather used to emphasize the importance of education.

Imdad feels that running a social service organization is a work that requires dedication and is full of struggles. One should not enter it only for financial gains as the salary in this field is not lucrative as in other fields. Also, one should be compassionate about the problems of others and have a sense of connection to them to work in this sector.

In his free time, he likes to play with his grandchildren and read stories to them.