Dr. Geetanjali Chopra l Founder & President l Wishes and Blessings NGO
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Dr. Geetanjali Chopra is an academician, researcher, columnist, and philanthropist with over a decade of experience in research and academics. Geetanjali left her prestigious job at the Centre for Policy Research to work for the welfare of the underprivileged, destitute and marginalized communities.
Although her story of charity and social work officially started when she established her NGO, Wishes and Blessings in 2014, the roots of selfless care were imbibed in her family since childhood. Geetanjali would often visit a school for the visually impaired with her grandfather to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions with them. On one such occasion, a little girl tugged her arm and asked, “Mera birthday kab Hota hai”? (When is my birthday?). These soft, subtle, yet intriguing words seeped down into her soul and made a permanent impression on her curious mind. That question soon turned into the mission of Geetanjali’s life and she decided to serve the underprivileged and people in need.
About Wishes and Blessings NGO
Established in 2014, Wishes and Blessings is a unique platform for helping the underprivileged with the aim to spread happiness and meet their needs by linking beneficiaries with donors. Today, the NGO has more than 20 centres across Delhi-NCR, a presence in 7 states across India, and works on 6 causes, among which are education, nutrition, care for elders, relief, customizable charity and the overall cause of happiness. But the journey to set up and successfully run the organization has not been easy for Geetanjali. In the last seven years, she came across a myriad of challenges such as winning people’s trust, changing society’s perception towards NGOs amongst others. It was Geetanjali’s determination to bring happiness in others’ lives and a firm belief that everyone can make a difference if given a chance that helped her overcome every challenge with great elan and aplomb. Presently, Geetanjali oversees the entire functioning of Wishes and Blessings and strives to make a meaningful difference in the lives of all beneficiaries, donors as well as other individuals associated with the organization.
Awards and Recognitions
Her efforts have been recognized and awarded by the government as well as private and media institutions. Some of her recent achievements include receiving the honour of Women Social Entrepreneur of the Year by TIE Sustainability Summit 2021, and Dettol India’s recognition under their “Our Protectors” segment, for her efforts to provide essential aid to the destitute amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. She was also recognized as “Second Wave Covid Superhero” by NewsX for the efforts of her organization in the same year. Dr. Chopra has also received the Global W.O.W Achievers award by World Women Leadership Congress, 40 Over 40 Award by She The People, Best Indian Social Enterprise Award by Action for India, awarded best NGO in Childcare in the regional category by Spirit of Humanity and Americares, Womennovator 100 Women Faces 2018 Award, recognition by NITI Aayog (Government of India). She has also been the recipient of the Highest Fundraiser Award in Airtel Delhi Half Marathon three times in a row- 2019, 2018 and 2017. She has also delivered several TEDx talks, sharing her journey and experiences as a social activist.
Education
Dr. Geetanjali Chopra attended the country’s most prestigious universities in pursuit of quality education in Journalism and International Relations. Geetanjali is a graduate of Journalism from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University, and she acquired a Master’s degree in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. The insatiable desire for learning motivated her to get admission in the M.Phil programme at JNU, and later she completed PhD in International Studies from the same institute. While ‘International Relations’ was her area of specialization in both Master’s and Doctorate programmes, she also attended the Utrecht University (Netherlands) for a PGDP in International Human Rights Law. To further enhance her academic foundation, Geetanjali pursued another diploma programme, but this time from the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (Italy) where she studied Refugee Law and Human Rights Law. While acquiring knowledge at all these educational centres of international repute, she never left any opportunity to express her views and opinions in various international conferences, round-table talks, seminars all over the world including India, the United States, Europe and Thailand.
Career
Just like her immense and diverse educational qualifications, Geetanjali’s professional career is also loaded with enormous depth and plurality. She has been a journalist, acted in a TV show, tried her hand at radio jockeying, had an impressive stint in the teaching profession, and received laurels for her books and other publications.
