On the 22^nd of February, 2025, LEPRA Society celebrated recipients of the 2^nd K.V. Desikan Memorial Award. This year, the award was jointly given to Mrs. Nandita Venkatesan and Dr. Pawan Agarwal, for their outstanding and inspiring work on tuberculosis and leprosy, respectively.

The K.V. Desikan Memorial Award recognizes individuals and/or organisations who have made significant contributions in the field of infectious diseases, in community health/ development/rehabilitation and/or the laboratory sciences.

Mrs. Nandita Venkatesan received the 2025 award for her distinctive work in tuberculosis and has emerged as one of the world’s most formidable voices in the fight against inequities in access to tuberculosis treatment, especially drug-resistant tuberculosis. A recent graduate from Oxford University, Nandita has leveraged her personal battle with TB to champion the rights of patients worldwide. She has raised awareness about stigma, inequity, and drug accessibility, advocating for patient-centred policies on global platforms, including the 2018 United Nations High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis. Nandita played a pivotal role in a patent challenge against drug manufacturers, to end monopolies on the critical anti TB drug Bedaquiline, thereby ensuring greater access to the drug. Her commitment to the community empowerment initiative, Bolo Didi (Say Sister), has resulted in providing much needed guidance and support to TB patients. The initiative has helped TB patients in getting accurate diagnoses, as well as informal counselling to help cope with side effects of anti TB drugs.