Kiran Pankajakshan -

If you ask Kiran what drives them, the answer rarely revolves around metrics or accolades. Instead, it’s about impact.

Every year, Vellur held the , a night when every household released a lantern onto the river, letting wishes rise with the smoke. This year, Kiran was given the honor of lighting the Grand Lantern —the very lantern his ancestors had tended for centuries.