Nobel laureate and child rights crusader Kailash Satyarthi won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize along with Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai. Despite saving almost 80,000 children from child labour, and now adding the world’s most famous award to his name, Kailash Satyarthi has always restlessly sought to do more.


Here are 10 things that you must know about him:


  1. Born on January 11, 1954, in Vidisha, located near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Kailash Satyarthi, showing great personal courage and maintaining Gandhi's tradition, has headed various forms of protests and demonstrations, all peaceful, focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain.
  2. For his work, Satyarthi has endured death threats and attempts at incarceration, and two of his colleagues were even murdered on the job. But he continues with his campaign because, he says, "somebody has to accept the challenge whatever dangers are there.”
  3. He gave up his career as an electrical engineer more than 30 years ago to start `Bachpan Bachao Andolan`.
  4. The organisation (Bachpan Bachao Andolan) launched a historic Nathdwara temple entry march in 1988 where Dalits (untouchables non-Hindus) were strictly prohibited for 400 years. Kailash Satyarthi and 5 Dalit bonded labourers were brutally beaten up by orthodox priest.
  5. As a student, Satyarthi used to study under the lamp post on a met at night as there was no power supply in his hometown Vidisha.
  6. He is the first India-born person to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the seventh Indian Nobel laureate. Mother Teresa, who was born in Albania, was the first Indian Nobel peace prize winner. She was honoured in 1979.
  7. Several prestigious awards have been conferred on him, including Defenders of Democracy Award (2009-US), Medal of the Italian Senate (2007-Italy), Robert F Kennedy International Human Rights Award (USA) and Fredric Ebert International Human Rights Award (Germany) etc.
  8. He created the Global March Against Child Labour, a movement that is active in many countries.
  9. He is also credited with establishing Rugmark, now known as Good Weave, in 1994. It is a kind of social certification for child labour free carpets in South Asia.
  10. Satyarthi has contributed to the development of important international conventions on children’s rights.