Dr. Raj Chand BMedSci MBChB MRCGP MBA
(General Secretary, ACDA)
Raj has practised as a GP in Hertfordshire for over 20 years. He has experience of working in the hospital environment as part of his GP training in the Midlands. He has worked as a Forensic Medical Examiner for Hertfordshire Constabulary for several years, and in the private sector for five years as a Senior Medical Adviser. Raj liaises on a regular basis with local doctors and prescribing groups, as well as the local NHS Trust. For two decades he has been involved in chairing and training local GPs in North Hertfordshire in various specialities of medicine from Paediatrics to Stroke management. These meetings are well attended by GPs, hospital consultants, nurses, pharmacists and practice managers. He is a volunteer in a number of charities including the Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance.
Santosh Dass MBE (Chair, ACDA)
Santosh is a former civil servant who held a number of senior roles including leading on Better Regulation, Governance and Risk Management at the Department of Health in Whitehall before leaving to concentrate on charity work. Santosh has been involved with the campaign to outlaw caste-based discrimination in the UK for nearly 20 years. She is one of the founding members of CasteWatchUK in 2003, the ACDA in 2008. She has been the President of the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddhist Organisations UK since 2014. In 2015 she successfully secured the Government of Maharashtra’s purchase of the £3.1 million house in London in which the great social reformer, Dr B R Ambedkar lived in 1921–22 in order to turn it into a memorial. In April 2020, the house was given approval to be turned into a museum. Her biography of Lubbock, Eric Reginald, fourth Baron Avebury, politician, social reformer and human rights activist appeared in the January 2020 tranche of new biographies in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Santosh’s co-edited book ‘Ambedkar in London’ (Hurst Publishers) was published in December 2022. Santosh was appointed MBE for services to better legislation in the 2007 Queen’s Birthday Honors’ list.
Ram Dhariwal (Trustee ACDA)
Ram is an experienced Digital Workplace Architect with SC Clearance, with over three decades primarily involved with End User Services related infrastructure assignments, and with a large majority of the roles being the Lead Architect to define the strategy and Roadmap for the End User Services. Over the last 20 years Ram has worked for three of the major outsourcing companies, spending 10 years with IBM as a Customer Solution Manager, over 8 years with Fujitsu Services as a Lead EUC Architect, and over 2 years with Atos UK&I as a Digital Workplace Solution Architect. Ram has also done a number of Contract roles with organisations such as Microsoft. Ram is currently enjoying working a full-time role as a senior Digital Workplace Solution Architect with DXC Technology since November 2019.
Tarsem Kalayan (Sam) (Treasurer, ACDA)
Sam has worked passionately to serve the Valmiki community in many ways for decades. He joined the ACDA in 2009 to fight the evil of caste system which has been a constant source of suffering, pain, grief and distress for the Valmiki and other so called low caste communities. Sam has served as president of the Bhagwan Valmik Temple Bedford for a number of years. He is connected to many organisations and currently is a trustee for Agency for Culture and Change Management UK, the British Ravidassia Heritage Foundation, the ACDA, and Bedford Indian Community. Sam has a wealth of community based work experience.
Sat Paul (Assistant General Secretary, ACDA)
Sat has worked in many organisations promoting community cohesion and equality for over five decades. In the mid 1970’s he founded (POBAR) People of Bedford Against Racism. He has been an active committee member of the Race Relations Board which later became The Bedford Race Equality Council. He has served the Bedfordshire Courts as magistrate (JP) for many years. In 1988 he was elected as general secretary to Sri Guru Ravidass Sabha Bedford and he led the initiative to secure the purchase of the large premises where the organisation is currently based. Sat has served for many years on the Bedfordshire Police (IAG) Independent Advisory Group and at the same time plays a vital role as project coordinator at ACCM(UK) Agency for Culture and Change Management. His combined work in both organisations has earned him many prestigious awards. He founded and coordinated (BAO) Bedford As One project which was recognised as one of the best community cohesion projects in the county in 2016. As founder trustee of (BRHF) British Ravidassia Heritage Foundation, he is steering a project to undertake an in-depth historical research study to establish the Life and Time of Guru Ravidass.