About Us

Founded by the late Shri Durga Das, a dedicated grassroots social worker of Gandhian Organization Association of Sarva Seva Farms (ASSEFA), 4S India was inspired and guided by Shri Vijay Mahajan, who is the founder of PRADAN and the BASIX Social Enterprise Group and currently serving as the CEO of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies.

The organization began its work in the challenging terrains of Gaya, focusing on the red corridor regions that were largely untouched. The primary aim was to uplift marginalized and excluded communities living in these remote areas.

Our story

Founding Members

Late Shri Durga Das was a dedicated Gandhian social worker and a grassroots leader whose journey in community development began with ASSEFA, where he worked tirelessly for 25 years in the Gaya region. Inspired by Vijay Mahajan’s vision, Shri Durga Das founded 4S India in 2003, focusing on empowering the most vulnerable and marginalized communities in some of the country’s most underserved areas. His work emphasized a community-driven approach to development, reflecting his unwavering commitment to social justice and upliftment. Shri Durga Das’ leadership laid the foundation for 4S India’s mission to create lasting change in rural India.

Vijay Mahajan is a visionary leader and one of India’s most influential figures in rural development, social entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion. He co-founded 4S India in 2003, inspiring volunteers from ASSEFA to join hands in addressing the needs of marginalized communities. He served as the Honourable President of 4S India from 2007 to 2018, guiding the organization toward impactful initiatives in rural empowerment and women’s development. Vijay Mahajan is also the founder of PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action) and the BASIX Social Enterprise Group (BASIX SEG), institutions that have transformed livelihoods and financial inclusion for millions across India.

An alumnus of IIT Delhi (B. Tech), IIM Ahmedabad (MBA), and a Mid-Career Fellow from Princeton University, Mahajan has over 35 years of experience in social work, financial inclusion, and policy-making. Recognized as an “Outstanding Social Entrepreneur of the World” by the World Economic Forum, he has left an indelible mark on the development sector. Currently, he serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and the Director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing innovative solutions for sustainable development and influencing policies that uplift the underprivileged.

Meet Our Board Members

Prof. Somnath Ghosh

He recently retired as Professor & Founding Dean (Academics) at Indian Institute of Management Kashipur. He is an Industrial Relations, HR, Organization Design and Institutional Development specialist and established the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Development of which he was the Chair.

A Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University, he was Visiting Fellow, Cornell University (USA) where he worked with Professor William Foote Whyte, the legendary researcher, scholar and author in Cornell’s Program for Employment and Workplace System (PEWS).

He has held regular faculty positions at three other IIMs: at Lucknow, Bangalore and Indore. He was also Professor at International Management Institute, New Delhi and Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad. Before joining IIM Kashipur, he was Professor and Chair of doctoral program at Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. For ten years (2006-16), he was also Visiting Faculty at IIM Ahmedabad, where he taught Organizational Diagnosis & Performance. Post retirement, for a brief period, he was Adjunct Faculty at IIM Sirmaur. His consulting and institutional development experiences are wide and many. Among his over twenty assignments, he has consulted in the areas of compensation management, performance management, organization design and work practice changes with such organizations as NTPC, Coal India, Ester Industries, Union Carbide, Kriti Industries among others. He was World Bank consultant for assignments on institutional strengthening with respect to resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) of project affected people and cadre management to improve their R&R delivery system. He was also Lead Consultant to Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Government of India, for “Improving Delivery System for Artisans’ Livelihoods”. For British Government’s Department of International Development (DFID) and Public Health Foundation of India, he did separate studies with respect to the design and delivery of public health system in (undivided) Andhra Pradesh. He was again World Bank consultant for “Strengthening & Transfojydrming Institutions for Management of R&R” for government of Andhra Pradesh. While he was at IIM Kashipur, he was involved in a multi-year World Bank funded and monitored assignment related to Uttar Pradesh Health Systems Strengthening Project.

Currently, he has been engaged by Johns Hopkins University to advise the restructuring of the Directorate of Medical Health of Govt. of Uttar Pradesh. He has authored over 75 articles, chapters, reports and cases. As a reflection of his consulting and institution building roles, he has served on the boards of half a dozen organizations, including Institute of Livelihood Research and Training (ILRT) and Krishna Bhima Samruddhi Local Area Bank Limited.

Mr. Mihir Sahana, secretary cum ED of 4S India, with a basic background of agriculture, has worked for more than 15 years in NGO, INGO, Corporate and Government. He completed his bachelor degree in Agricultural Sciences, MBA in Rural Management from IRMA, MA in development study from University of Manchester. His initial career with PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action) exposed him to the grassroots realities of rural poor. His stint with the Bihar State Dairy (a state government enterprise) and then in Dabur has helped him pick up necessary skills of achieving steep targets, sales and marketing. He finally shifted to the livelihood sector with a mission to promote livelihoods of small and marginal farmers by identifying, developing and promoting appropriate technologies using principles of marketing to achieve scale and sustainability. He is involved in developing a host of innovative products and processes by provisioning of financial services both in the farm and non-farm sector, provisioning of innovative business development services and developing linkage with corporate and technology provider like Pepsico, ITC, ICAR institutions etc and institutional development services in collaboration with various Government Department.