Founding Patron of Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation
Afilm artist, director and producer, agriculturist, political and social worker, and fighter against religious fanaticism, Sunil Dutt was born in 1929 in Jhelum (now in Pakistan). Mr. Dutt acted in nearly 84 movies, produced eight movies and directed six movies and won Filmfare Best Actor award twice for the films, Mujhe Jeene Do and Khandan. Important international film landmarks include entry of Mujhe Jeene Do at Cannes Film Festival, 1964; Yaadein at Frankfurt International Film Festival, 1967 (Won Grand Prix Award); and Reshma Aur Shera at Tashkent Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival, 1972. After serving as the Sheriff of Bombay, Mr. Dutt was elected to the eighth Lok Sabha in 1984, re-elected for a second term in 1989, and a third term in 1991.

He organized and led Mahashanti Padyatra from Mumbai to Amritsar in 1987, traveling 2,000 kilometers with daughter Priya and 80 other individuals for peace and harmony in Punjab; undertook a peace march with 14 persons and Priya in 1988, from Nagasaki to Hiroshima (Japan) covering 500 Kilometers for world peace and nuclear disarmament. After the 1992-93 Hindu-Muslim riots he resigned as a Member of Parliament in protest aginst the riots. In 1999, he was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha. In May, 2004, he was once again elected to the 14th Lok Sabha and served as the union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports. In 1958, he married Nargis Dutt. They have three children, two daughters, and a son, the actor Sanjay Dutt. Mr. Dutt was a Patron of the Spastic Society of India. Following his wife’s death, he made a film, Dard Ka Rishta on cancer and its cure and donated its profits to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital and offered the film free to Bangladesh for raising funds for cancer treatment; brought drugs from U.S.A for India’s first bone marrow transplant operation at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital; established the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation in U.S.A., U.K., Canada, Germany and Holland and with the help of this fund, supplied medical equipments worth 5 million U.S. dollars to different charitable hospitals in the country for treatment of cancer.

He received numerous awards and honors including the Padma Shri in 1968; ” The Shiromani Award ” by the Institute of Sikh Studies; ” The Order of the Peoples ” National Award by the All India Artiste Association, Simla, 1984 for work in the field of cancer treatment and aid for physically handicapped; ‘ The Man Of The Year ‘ Award for 1987 for contribution to the field of cinema, social arts and politics by Marine Lines Jaycees, Mumbai; ” The Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Award ” for International Peace & Communal Harmony, Unity and National Integration., by Alaami Urdu Conference, New Delhi, 1988; ” The National Integration Award ” from Priyadarshini Academy, Mumbai in July 1989 for outstanding contribution to the cause of National Integration; ” The Maulana Abul Kamal Azad Award ” for National Integration and Communal Harmony in 1997; ” The Great Son of the Soil Award ” by All India Conference of Intellectuals, 1997; ” The Rajiv Ganghi National Sadbhavana Award ” in 1998, by the late Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, former President of India for promoting peace, harmony, fought against violence and terrorism; and ” The Lifetime Achievement Award ” by Screen Videocon for services to the Film Industry, 1999. And, after Sunil Dutt died in 2005, the illustrious daughter of illustrious parents, Priya Dutt, the present Member of Parliament took upon herself to carry forward her late mother’s vision. She has given to the Foundation all her attention and time, with the result that the Foundation could achieve splendid goals. Here are some of her thoughts.