Shri Gian Parkash Chopra, President, DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi, leads a 123 years old Non-Governmental Organization, with 700 institutions across India – urban and rural. He has been a tireless crusader for holistic education advocating a fine balance between scholastic and non-scholastic talent. He believes that education should empower students not only intellectually but also socially and spiritually. The DAV institutions, synonymous with Shri Chopra, precisely nurture these values.

Shri Chopra is recognized for his extraordinary humane style. He is also an excellent motivator and energizer of people, singular and collective. He believes in a democratic approach to management.

Shri Chopra knows the pulse of children in India. For institutions in urban India, the accent is on state-of-the-art education-technology. These institutions encourage innovative thinking, as well as nurture students in the performing arts and sports. DAV students have won accolades in national competitions, and their teachers have earned honors at the state and national levels.

Shri Chopra has encouraged DAV institutions to improve the quality of life of the rural populace. They are encouraged to adopt projects that leverage the resources and strengths of rural India. Further, Shri Chopra has succeeded in establishing several DAV institutions in remote tribal belts in order to make education accessible to first generation learners. These institutions are located in Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Orissa. They are manned by motivated office-bearers.

Professor Amitabh Mattoo is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jammu. A catalyst for positive transformation in turbulent environments, Professor Mattoo is driven by the ideals of humanism, tolerance and truth.

Under the stewardship of Professor Mattoo, the University of Jammu has emerged as a center of academic and extra-curricular excellence. As the youngest Vice Chancellor of the University he turbo-charged a fresh approach to university management and governance. This has resulted in several unprecedented initiatives such as, construction of state-of-the-art infrastructure; engagement with the region's civil society; showcasing the pluralistic heritage of the state through the museum and art gallery; and empowering rural women and marginal groups. The metamorphosis of the University of Jammu is a benchmark.

In recent years, Professor Mattoo has facilitated several academic collaborations with international institutions. Consequently, the quality of research and teaching has spiraled upward. The University now also attracts students from neighbouring countries.

In addition, Professor Mattoo is one of India's leading thinkers and writers on international relations. He has been a member of India's National Security Council's Advisory Board. He has actively contributed to promoting peace and stability in South Asia, and has earned several national and international accolades for his tireless zeal.

Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, Principal of Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, and Founder and Honorary Director, Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP), New Delhi, is committed to linking formal education, and work at the grass roots, on human rights and environmental issues. In particular, with a focus on Asian women.

Dr Gopinath, apart from leading Lady Shri Ram College and WISCOMP is the Co-chair of the International Academic Council, University for Peace, Costa Rica; and Member, Senate, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

As Principal of Lady Shri Ram College, Dr Gopinath is responsible for academic and curricular planning; administering continuing education and outreach programs for young women; and organizing personal counseling and career guidance for students. She has led Lady Shri Ram College to be rated the best women's college in India.

A person of many 'avatars', Dr Gopinath has interests in human rights and gender issues, conflict resolution and peace, innovative pedagogy, yoga, Buddhist philosophy, documentary films and Indian classical dance. An inspiration for women in Asia. An international benchmark.

Dr Gopinath has several publications to her credit. These include, amongst others, Transcending Conflict - A Resource Book on Conflict Transformation; Women and Peace Building: Securitizing Gender; Broadening Bases: Gender and Peacekeeping; and Gandhi and Martin Luther King. She is an authority on political theory, comparative politics, politics of Pakistan, and Indian government and politics.

Currently, Dr Gopinath is coordinating an initiative on women, conflict and peace-building in Kashmir. She creates 'time', anytime.

We salute Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, Qimpro Platinum Standard 2007. A statesperson for Quality in Education.

Dr Kanti Prasad Bajpai, Headmaster, The Doon School, Dehra Dun is an eminent educationalist, author and commentator. A distinguished scholar on international relations.

As an educationalist, for a decade, Dr Bajpai contributed his intellectual prowess as Professor of International Politics in the Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, School of International Studies, Jawahar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi. He brought a world-class standard of pedagogy to the school and under his tutelage, the school produced some extraordinary students.

Dr Bajpai has also been a Visiting Fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace, Notre Dame University; the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C.; and the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra. Characteristic of his intense beliefs, he had been at the forefront of international academic groups in taking umbrage at India's nuclear tests in 1998. He spoke and wrote about it with clarity and reason.

As an author, Dr Bajpai has several books to his credit. These include: South Asia After the Cold War; Securing India - Strategic Thought and Practice; The Peacock and the Dragon - India/China Relations in the 21st Century; and Engaged Democracies - India/US Relations in the 21st Century. His most recent book is Roots of Terrorism.

Dr Bajpai is a regular commentator in the Indian press, radio and television where he specializes on international affairs and Indian foreign and security policy. He is also on the advisory board of the journals Asian Security and
The Indian Review.

For the past three years, Dr Bajpai has been with Doon School, his alma mater, facilitating a metamorphosis.

We salute Dr Kanti Prasad Bajpai, Qimpro Platinum Standard 2006. A statesman for Quality in Education.

Professor Ashok Misra, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay is an eminent educationalist specializing in polymer science and engineering. Professor Misra has served the field of education as a teacher and researcher, as well as a consultant and leader, for over thirty years. With much distinction.

The metamorphosis of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, over the past five years, into a globally respected temple of education, research and entrepreneurship is significantly traceable to Professor Misra’s vision and strategy for the institution.

As a senior statesman for education, he has inspired several other Indian academic institutions to pursue excellence through not only quality of education, but also the quality of management of education.

Professor Misra has also shouldered external academic responsibilities. He is currently a member of the International Academic Advisory Panel, Ministry of Education, Government of Singapore. He is also a member of the National Advisory Board, College of Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara. Making India proud.

Professor Misra spent over twenty years at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. These years were invested in a diverse mix of teaching, research, and consulting, in India and overseas, in the field of polymer science and engineering. As a consequence, Professor Misra has over seventy papers in international journals and six patents to his credit. A best practice.

We salute Professor Ashok Misra, Qimpro Platinum Standard 2005. The first statesman for Quality in Education.