Swami Chidanand Saraswati has joined the Gandhi Mandela Foundation as the Vice-Chairman. Mr Nandan Jha, Secretary General of the Gandhi Mandela Foundation announced him appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the organization.

Swami Chidanand Ji, who is the president and spiritual head of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram, a spiritual institution based in Rishikesh has previously been the part of various initiatives taken by the organization including the Global Prayer meeting to commemorate the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi on 73rd death anniversary of Bapu organized by GMF on 30 January 2021. Swami ji is also the founder and spiritual head of the Hindu Jain Temple in Pittsburgh.

Swami Chidanand ji is the Co-Founder of Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA), the world’s first-ever international interfaith initiative which brings together the world’s faiths as allies in ensuring every child around the world has access to safe, life-giving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

He is also the founder of India Heritage Research Foundation (IHRF), an international, non-profit, humanitarian foundation and Ganga Action Parivar (GAP), a global family dedicated to the preservation of the River Ganga and her tributaries in their free-flowing and pristine state.

The Gandhi Mandela Foundation is a Government of India registered trust that promotes individual freedom, civil liberties and human rights across the globe with its headquarters in New Delhi and has its presence in America, Africa, Russia, Great Britain, Switzerland, China, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The Foundation instituted the Gandhi Mandela Awards during the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhiji to celebrate those who have carried forward that the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.

The Chairman of the Foundation is India’s hindu spiritual leader Swami Avdheshanand Giri Ji Maharaj (President of Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, a Board Member of World Council of Religious Leaders) and the Patron is Swami Ramdev. The Jury committee includes former Chief justices of three countries (India, Nepal & Bangladesh).

The Gandhi Mandela award is given annually in seven categories, and usually presented by the Head of the States that includes President, Vice-President, Prime Minister of Asian and African countries or a leading figure. The award ceremony takes place every year on 18th July (Nelson Mandela’s Birth Day) or 2nd October (Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday).