The Peoples' Institute for Re-thinking Education and Development
#LSUC 2023 - MEET SOME OF THE AMAZING CO-CREATORS WHO WILL BE COMING THIS YEAR… (note this is only a partial list, there are many many more inspiring friends coming)
ORGANIZING TEAM: Manish Jain, Vidhi Jain, Manish Freeman, Harsh Wardhan, Himanshu Dugar, Osama Manzar, Ashish Tiwari
Tripura Kashyap, Creative Movement Therapy Association of India (CMTAI)
I pioneered CMT in India in 1990. I studied Movement therapy at Hancock Centre for Dance/movement therapy in Wisconsin, USA and obtained an M.A. in Psychology. I also received a 1st class diploma in Bharatanatyam at Kalakshetra, Chennai. I have worked as a Movement therapist at Half-way homes, Special schools, Treatment / Rehabilitation centres, Senior citizens facilities and with individual clients for the next 10 years. I was also trained in Jazz, Ballet, Modern dance, Choreography and Dance theater at the International Choreographers Residency in the American Dance Festival USA. I received fellowships from the Ashoka International Foundation and Indian Ministry of Culture for her innovations in dance therapy and contemporary dance. I authored ‘My Body, My Wisdom’ a handbook on Creative dance therapy.
Dolly Rateshwar, Dharavi Dream Project
With 8+ years of work experience at some of the best MNC's - Google, LinkedIn, and MySpace as one of the early team members in India. I was also a founding team member at Qyuki - a media startup by Shekhar Kapur, AR Rahman and Samir Bangara. I led the "New Avenues and Operations" at the MIT Media Lab India Initiative where interdisciplinary efforts lead to futuristic innovation. Also, a Co-founder at Tesseract Imaging - a spin-off from MIT Media Lab India Initiative. Although I was always working towards giving back to the community in the form of teaching students on the street since I was in college, I have finally focused my career on delivering social impact through "The Dharavi Dream Project's #AfterSchoolofHiphop" - an initiative to give hip-hop artists (under-served talent) of Asia's biggest slum a platform:
to have free and easy access to share one's thoughts and expressions through music, dance, and other art form
to give a voice to celebrate and a stage to showcase their talent not only in Dharavi of Mumbai but Dharavi's of the world.
Kiran Gulrajani, Co-Evolve
My work has been about the rare art of learning together and Inspiring I develop coaches facilitators leaders and enable people.who want to discover their heartsong .. GFT - God's Freedom Technique workshop brought the most radical shift in my life and brought ease and freedom.
Azarudeen A, Saaroolai Kuzhu (Palm Leaf products)
My career started as an IT support guy, but in the middle of my IT journey I realised that this wasn't the life I wanted to lead. I have missed most of my time in front of the laptop which I will never get back. I had no time to spend with my family. So I quit the job and then I started learning natural farming. And I loved it because I am able to produce my own food. Also I have learnt palm leaf crafting which I am interested in most. Also I am so passionate about the green earth becoming plastic free. I have volunteered for lake cleaning once where I have faced the plastic garbage problem as a serious issue. That's the reason I chose this as my career because I am able to produce new models and craft ideas in this palm leaf. Whenever I work on this palm leaf crafting job I feel like I am in great meditative consciousness.
Anand Pendharkar
I am a social entrepreneur, mentor, ecologist, author, trekker, motivational speaker, CEO of SPROUTS and founder of SPROUTS Environment Trust. As an environmental activist, I have been at the forefront of Save Aarey and Save Western Ghats movements, besides campaigning for civil rights and disenfranchised communities. I have published over 650 popular and scientific articles till date. SPROUTS is a Mumbai-based environmental consulting and eco-tourism company. SPROUTS Environment Trust has been working towards documenting and protecting South Asia’s immense biodiversity and creating awareness and action about environmental issues. Most recently, I launched the School of Western Ghats, a 3 month train-the-trainer course.
Lakshmi Gunasekar, Holy Interbeings
I am a healer. I offer eclectic healing sessions, gap year facilitatio, and am a psychotherapist in training. My work is trauma-informed and divine guided. I have been practicing tarot for 4 years now, since 2019. I am queer, a survivor, and I identify as androgenous. My pronouns are she/they.
I have been a self-designed learner since I took charge of education after my schooling in 2012 in Swaraj University. I spent the first 7 years of my adult life trying out many different paths like social entrepreneurship, business development for startups, culture consultancy for startups, anti-corruption and nonprofit leadership and helped organize and facilitate a few conferences that bring alternatives together. I deeply care about mama earth and do what I can to lead a sustainable lifestyle.
I genuinely believe that everyone has a unique gift that can make earth a more beautiful place and I see my work as a way to help people discover and get good at that. Before getting to that, a lot of us need healing; I hope to support that process too.
Krupa
I have been involved with research and mainstream academia for the last ten years and have recently finished a long, heavy PhD! Over the last 4-5 years, I have often struggled to find meaning in the work I do and have been looking for creative learning spaces outside of universities and formal institutions. In the last 4 years, I have been seeking new teachers, groups, peers and conversations, and have been fortunate to explore body-based learning, dance and movement, yoga, non violent communication and mindful listening. At this point in life, I am exploring ways to formally move out of mainstream research and academia and find new communities where my creativity, curiosity and desire to learn can be nourished in deeper, meaningful ways. I am also looking to bring together all my learnings and unlearnings from the last 10 years and offer it to a larger community of like-minded people who may see value in it.
Over the last few years, I have been exploring mindfulness-based counselling and training myself to hold therapeutic spaces for others. I have also been a part of nonviolent communication groups and find deep resonance with some of the values espoused by these communities. I have also been training myself in somatics, dance and movement based approaches as I have gradually come to value the principles of holistic perception and integration of the mind, body and soul in any transformational experience. The acknowledgement of the material and spiritual body as a creative and intellectually vibrant aspect of our being, has allowed me to explore new depths in my own consciousness, and I want to take this exploration forward. I also wonder how the wholeness of our individual being can be expanded to understand the wholeness of our planetary existence, what could be the possible ways to touch into the wholeness and integration that exists on a planetary level and what are the alternative models of higher education/adult learning that we can collectively generate to explore these questions.
May Srithaworn
I’m from Thailand. I define myself as a earth pilgrimage, student of the world and global citizen to learn and embrace the wisdom from the earth. I used to work in a social advertising agency. Now I'm a photographer, Art director and Astrologist. I have my own project about online learning space called “Indigo Space” and Collaborative projects which focus on transformative education, self awareness, spirituality,inner work, indigenous wisdom and social development project
Manas Arvind, Gurgaon Organic Farmers Market
I enjoy being in the moment. Each of which can be a deep immersive journey. I enjoy being creative, inventive, improvising, empathetic, and compassionate. My work-life experiences include being an entrepreneure, permaculture designer, farmer, writer, photographer, baker, and cyclist. Currently I am engaged in creating a Local Clean Food Ecosystem, and curating a marketplace for organic farmers in Gurgaon.
Yash Joshi, Geet Govind
I am a person who has asked a question "why" from childhood, and that has made me the person I am now, exploring life, Self, music, and communities. I started my journey as a khoji at Swaraj University and I am currently co-creating a community space and a permaculture farm named Geet Govind in Gir forest, Gujarat. I also co-created Ganga Vaani, a transformational travelling mystic music festival, and am learning music - Kabir and other mystics songs to sing and absorb. My current need (question) is to be in a relationship with someone I resonate and feel that with. To experience the growth, beauty and highs and lows of being in a relationship.
Girish Bedge, Traana
I am an ex Fauji (Infantry soldier, 20 Sikh Regt.), ex Corporate (Pharma, SIIPL, Pune) & now Ecology & Wildlife Conservation (Traana'). I’m setting up a learning sharing space for children (& anyone willing to slow down to learn and touch & feel the divinity of all creation) on the fringes of the Periyar Reserve Forest, Wayanad, Kerala.
Saravanan, Tugill
After my studies, I worked in the E-Publishing field for 5 Years. After that, in the search for sustainable life, I did organic farming for 4.5 years and for the last 3 years I've been doing handloom weaving. Right now I'm living in an upcoming Eco-village where the land was bought by 103 people and they are planning to settle here in future. Here we are doing organic farming. There are chickens, cows and ducks. We are doing handloom weaving in the brand name Tugill. We would like to do whatever things we need for sustainable life.
Maxi Schütze, Utopia Sustainable Society
At the age of 21 I decided to leave everything I know, sell and donate most of my belongings and take off onto a learning journey through the world. Since then I have been in Thailand, Laos, Israel, Egypt and India. I took my time in each country and found places where I could stay, embrace and (un)learn. Until today I am on the road and have gained a variety of skills, countless unforgettable experiences, friends and positive and hopeful outlook of life, learning and living. To leave and let life be my teacher has been the best decision I have made. Until today every day has been a treasure, an opportunity to learn something new and to take a step closer to myself and this self is a jack of many traits: it is a gardener, a dancer, a flow artist, a painter, a cook, a researcher, an adventurer, a teacher, a student, a spiritual being, an animal lover, a healer, a friend and so much more.
Frederic Labarthe, House of the Rainbow
Walking the path of holistic, integral/integrity living, personal growth, spiritual practice, self awareness and service for personal/social change and world transformation since 2018 - 20 years of core Raja Yoga spiritual life, practice, surrender, seva and brahmacharya, in community at Brahma Kumaris Global Retreat Centre in Oxfordshire - developed a meditation + holistic living centre in Vietnam - Offering workshops, coaching in India and developing small retreat in Mount abu since 2010. Core belief: social change starts with individual change; leadership for the New starts with self leadership. The consciousness of mankind is expanding and transforming as we are undergoing a planetary shift of such amplitude that it leaves no area of our personal, social, economical etc life untouched. All of us are midwives for birthing a new reality and my job is to facilitate the birth and nurture the growth of those agents of change.
Gautami, Teach for India
I am now a lost person. After completing my UG in math, I realised that I didn’t know anything about the subject. I gave up and started doing different things- gardening, workshop, movement, cycling, volunteering ... somewhere i got to know about aavishkaar - an organisation that works on math and science education. Something about them just made me curious, so I joined a one-year fellowship program, during which I learned a lot about myself and found my passion. I understand I love math so much and I want to show the beauty of the subject to everyone. I have wanted to teach math since I discovered that teaching math is the best way to learn more math and to be forever connected to the subject. Once I realised that, I discovered I needed to have pedagogy skills to do that so I applied for TFI and got accepted. I will be joining TFI in June, but somewhere inside I am afraid of making children forcefully sit in a classroom as I teach them. I am now confused as to whether this is the skill I need? Do I need skill to teach in a closed classroom like that or should I look for spaces where I can learn to teach in a way that the child is free to be themself? I don't want to lock or restrict any child, but I also want to teach math. I don’t yet know how to do that. I am exploring, thinking, and talking to people. I am confused, but trying to discover.
Aditya Singh
I was born and raised in the Himalayas. I moved away from home to “earn and provide”, but realised much later in life that what I really wanted was just an easy life close to nature in the hills that I grew up in. Today I am still “earning and providing,” struggling to break that cycle and get out of my fears & insecurities that cloud my thoughts to move back HOME.
What I love: Outdoor life, nature, creating things myself- from paintings to furniture to any ‘Jugaadbaazi’
What I am learning: Vedic knowledge, spiritual elevation, unlearning the “societal norms”
What I want to learn: farming practices, experiences from people who quit corporate jobs and are living freely, playing flute, inclusivity of people in my life/routines and vice versa
My current obsession: not letting my experiences hold my unschooled kid and allow him to create his own experiences
My Dream- to build a self sustainable home that doesn’t need anything from the outside world (materials wise) in the mountains, where like minded people/communities can live and interact
Amena, GEN/GENOA
I am a Global Ecovillage Network Trustee, GENOA Council Member, Earth Leader at Kai Farms- a permaculture project. As part of the ESG leadership at Transnational Diversified Group in the Philippines, I have catalysed growth of regenerative communities and sustainable urban corporations. A member of the Green Educator community of Green School Bali and Co-convenor of ‘The Green Unconference,’ my actions are directed towards healing, wholeness, wellness, spiritual and systemic transformation. As a member of CoFSA ( conscious food system alliance) I am very committed to local food communities working towards fair and clean food systems that preserve tradition and indigenous knowledge.
Through the Bangalore Birth Network, I help to promote safe, respectful, evidence based birth and friendly care of mother, child and families. Women and youth empowerment and wellbeing is very close to my heart. As part of the GEN network, I envision scaling the Ecovillage movement, weaving together and mapping all traditional and intentional eco communities, projects and networks.
My life is guided by living simply, sweetly , treading slowly and sacredly, loving purely and sharing abundantly. I believe - " first we all must be firmly established and rooted in our inner ecovillage, as inner work is a central prerequisite to regeneration." It takes a village to regenerate land and soul, so creating global collaborations for our world as one ecovillage-living as one family of humanity should be the focus of the species.
I am a certified healer initiated as a Reiki Master, Quantum Karma Quotient healer and My Supreme Golden Cloud healer from the Lineage of Renooji from India. I am also a yoga and mindfulness teacher with diverse experience in holistic wellbeing of mind, body and soul. My healer name is Anantishi, which means eternal, limitless, immortal and unending. Most of my life till 2010 was intuitively guided by the search for Anantishi - my Eternal Self- changeless and timeless. I was initiated into this name by Master Renooji in 2011 through KQ Healing. Anantishi’s vibration reminds me to bring joyful strength to all, helping humanity remember that we all have the capacity to Be and Do from our cosmic nature, and that our essence is eternal, peaceful and divine, and this should reflect in our relationships, interactions, our work and our presence on this planet.
As a healer my purpose is to harmonise, serve and empower individuals, systems and society with unconditional life force by giving energies of the universe. Spiritual dimension is at the core of my regenerative work, and I truly believe that this is the foundation for transforming the social, cultural, ecological and economic dimensions of life.
“Healing and regenerating ourselves, our communities and our Mother Earth is the most important work of our times.”
Tarun Choubisa, Seed2Sapling Education, Purnapramati School
I am a social entrepreneur and co-founded Seed2Sapling Education, www.S2SEducation.com. S2S works on a constructivist approach where students and teachers become constructor of knowledge rather than mere consumers of knowledge. I completed my M. Tech. from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati. I also completed his PhD in Electrical Communication Engineering (ECE) from IISc, bangalore. For the last 4 years, he has been with his company, S2S. I am working with Purnapramati schools, https://purnapramati.in/, as a part of S2S work for about a year. The focus of purnapramati is to be a center for integrated learning where learning is not compartmentalized in areas and also to integrate Indian Knowledge System (IKS). The further goal of Purnapramati is to set up a higher education space where self-learning and co-learning is promoted and to re-build the guru-shishya parampara. During this journey, I started using the tools of science like curiosity, observations, questions, etc which are generally used for the outerworld to also use for the inner world. The self-observation is helping in identifying areas of work like anger. Root cause analysis is also helping in finding out the root cause for these kinds of emotions. Self-questioning is helping in questioning the assumptions, beliefs, etc which are helping in unlearning. I have been trying to explore the learning communities which are focusing on
1. Unlearning
2. Understanding the self and finding the purpose (Swadharma)
3. Which are working on the ground to understand the local knowledge and use it for the betterment of the society
I have been trying to explore the following life questions
1. How can I liberate myself and manifest my perfection within?
2. What is the purpose of my life?
3. What are the gifts I have? and what are the gifts I can give?
4. What stops us from giving/gifting?
5. How can I work together to find liberation for all who wish to?
I have been trying to explore the following un/learning experiments to expand consciousness
1. Trying to give time to my “self”
2. Going slow rather than rushing according to the world and the society. Pausing and reflecting
Harish Srinivasan, Altr Community
After 18 years of traditional schooling and college, I was part of an education startup along with my friends from college. I’m still part of it and it gave me a different perspective of the world and made me question different systems. For the past few years I’m realising the damage school had on me and I figured out that my life purpose was to build a world fit for children. I started a community called Altr where I talk about unschooling and what we as adults can do. I really wish to move out of city at this point in time and want to be a child again. I am always looking forward to learning. I have been trying to explore Maker-based learning. I always feel learning cannot happen without experience. So how could we naturally learn so much living together in a community, living with nature and reflecting deeply within us. What is the hurry or need to earn money and keep buying things which we don’t even need ?
Poorva, Sadhana Learning Centre
I am a parent to 2 daughters, co-founder and facilitator at Sadhana LC Mumbai. Learning process has always intrigued me. I was teaching in a medical college and observing students, trying to understand their motivations and learnings. Around 4 years ago, with a like-minded friend, I decided to withdraw my daughters from the conventional school and started a self-directed Learning Centre. Since then, I am glad I am re-learning with kids. I started and am running Sadhana Learning centre which is based on values like democracy, self-directed learning and community. That is my laboratory, I would say, to conduct life-experiments.
Pooja, Being Conscious
My journey to expand my consciousness is happening through meditation and raising my daughter! My self exploration inwards has made me realize how parenting, school, and society create a disconnect in a child. This realization prompted us as parents to unschool our daughter! We run a meditation space (Being Conscious) to share our gift of meditation and help people to raise their level of awareness and connect with their true, authentic self! We host meet-ups for parents who are interested in homeschooling or unschooling, creating space to reimagine the process of learning for children and parents.
Roy Jacob
I left the IT world and the West some 20 years ago, looking for alternatives to the modern capitalist/'civilized' way. I've been exploring alternative living on the land, and facilitating spaces for deep reflection and transformation. Currently I am focused on evolving Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and also facilitating YES! Jams.
Rajesh Ranjit
I am an ex army officer. Served the Indian Army for 06 years as a short service commissioned officer. For the past 20 years I've been an educationist and have served in the K-12 private school Education space as educator, head of boarding houses, Principal of schools, director and CEO of some schools. I've been in psychological counselling, teacher's training and career counseling in the education space. I've also explored sustainable living and eco communities. I've also been in freelance whole school and school audit projects and helped set up many new schools. I've explored nature cure, non violent communication, sri aurobindo and mothers readings and healthy cooking.
Gurjeet Singh
Our journeys started long before we became aware of them, one thing that was sure to us was that we are not just here to eat, sleep, make money, procreate and die! This drove us to find out what we are here on Earth for, that fueled our question of who we are and what is our purpose of life. These questions emerged in us as kids and lingered in our consciousness and became loud as we reached college and university.
Meditation became the way to answer the questions of why are we here, what is our purpose! Once we discovered who we are and our life's purpose became clear to us, which is to share the gift of meditation to the world, we choose to pursue it with passion! We are exploring our learning, unlearning journey as parents and mediators! Our consciousness has expanded through application of meditation into our everyday life and raising our daughter! The clarity to unschool our daughter came through meditation, as in our journey as mediators we had to undo all the damage schooling, society and parenting had done to us as children. We are still in the process of deconstruction of the old mindset and healing from the traumas of the past! We are actively trying to facilitate unlearning in Chandigarh by hosting meets for parents who are curious about unschooling and homeschooling. We take the help of meditation in guiding parents to become more conscious and aware about their lives and choices.
Nikhil Thard, Lahe Lahe
I am a recovering Entrepreneur. I have been looking for meaning in whatever I am doing and slowly but surely moving to a place where I just do and leave the rest to the universe. Apart from businesses that I have setup, run, failed, succeeded, we run a very interesting community space in the heart of Urban Bangalore . My wife Mansee and I have been driving the same for the last 7 years plus. I have a 8 year old son who is pursuing alternative education at Beme Bangalore. We live in Bangalore with our mother.
Lahe Lahe is about the wellbeing of urban folks through creative expressions. Unlearn the act of jumping into anything which is looking synchronous. Give things time. Build a 10 year plan for how to handle urban loneliness and wellbeing.
Eldho Pachilakkadan, Utopia Sustainable Society
I’m an architect by profession. Presently part of an NGO named utopia sustainable society. We work in four areas: sustainable Education, sustainable architecture, sustainable food production and art-cultural activities.We are trying to understand evolutionary principles of everything and follow the same. We believe community is the fundamental unit of any pack animal. So utopia is trying to build geographically divided, small and sustainable communities in existing villages. We conduct workshops and classes for children to transfer local traditional knowledge to kids and it’s effective to reduce the generation gap. Also we teach different languages. In sustainable architecture, we find local materials and resources to build homes and inspire and train youngsters to do the same. We make food forests to make the community self-sufficient in food. Art-cultural programs conducted regularly in villages.
Anand Patil, Dr Anand Amrut Patil Foundation, Sahaara De-addiction and Rehabilitation Program
My life started with a good childhood, decent education. I would observe that people get stressed out over small and big things. I was sensitive as a child and had a desire to learn emotional regulation, hence started reading self help books. This interest in the working of the mind encouraged me to take up Psychiatry as a career. Soon I realised the shortfalls in the training system which focused more on the medical line of treatment for Psychiatric disorders. Hence I started doing various courses to develop skills in counselling.
Later in clinical practice, I started Sahaara De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre for treatment of people with addictions and psychiatric disorders. Over the years, I have realised that most of the work happening in the field of Psychiatry is quite superficial, and deeper and holistic work needs to be done to help people. Hence the enquiry and self work is going on to find approaches and ways to do better and deeper work to help the community at large.
Kumar Neeraj, Khetee
I am an agroforester. My story started a few years ago when I started Khetee with just a vision to make farming ecologically feasible and economically viable for the farmers in my region. I started taking every opportunity to understand regenerative agricultural practices by visiting and working with farmers across the country. In 2017, I started working in my village, developing the very first demo-agroforestry farm to best showcase the practice, method, and regenerative, multi-functional services it provides to the ecology and the farmer.
To take it to more and more farmer communities, I founded Khetee, a non-governmental organization in 2019 based out of Lakhisarai, Bihar. The organization now works for Community Development through regenerative Agroforestry.
Harshavardhan Patil, School of Creativity
Born 1981. Interests: Forests, books, films, and tribals. Professional experience of Journalism, Graphic Designing and Photography. Teamed up with a friend to found 'School of Creativity' (SoC) in the year my daughter was born. SoC strives to maintain the innate creativity and originality in children. And them to be independent thinkers with empathy at their core. SoC worked with around 1400 students in schools before the pandemic. Now SoC has debuted 'UnBox' to reach more and more children. Our daughter Shalmali does not go to school and accompanies us everywhere.
Natasha Gill
My life has had few roots and I don’t belong to any lands – my family was Russian/Ukrainian and French, I grew up partly in New York City and spent many of my school years on the top of a Swiss mountain, an experience which bound me irrevocably with nature and beauty. Despite lots of movement, learning, educating, exploring and creating alternative spaces for learning – these have been the constants that have accompanied me on my journey.
I was a high school teacher, taught in universities for many years, and then escaped academia to create an alternative educational space. There, I run conflict and negotiation simulation modules for students, people in conflict, mediators, and anyone who wants to wanted to engage in an experiential form of learning, delve deeply into a multiplicity of sometimes challenging perspectives, have a full on life/work apprenticeship while having raucous fun: a space where there were no artificial boundaries between thinking and feeling, theory and practice, intuition and analysis, learning about something outside oneself and learning about oneself.
I had a child late in life and for the past 8 years have been an unschooling parent and involved with the movement for self-designed learning. It aligns with everything I learned and experienced about education for over 30 years, and it’s a great passion for me.
My greatest challenge is finding a community of people with whom my family and I can live this life and co-create spaces where we can interact and learn in ways that offer an alternative to the sad, isolated, denatured, competitive, and pressured life that seems to have sucked everyone in its tornado-like grip. And where my stupendous 8-year-old girl Mina can find and create deep connections.
I’ve been exploring everything and anything about learning for as long as I can remember. Recently I’ve tried to become involved with unschooling communities in the UK (where I have lived for 16 years) and the US. I’ve found it to be very challenging: for the most part I’ve met families for whom unschooling is about the freedom of their children rather than the expanding of their and their children’s beings to create new communities and consciousnesses. I’ve found lots of micro-managing on questions of individual consent and freedom in a way that attempts to break free from, but often mirror, the hyper individualism of the West: and not much about how a child’s freedom can be nurtured by and experience of multi-generational togetherness, beyond their individual needs.
I am a member of an online BIPOC unschooling village that offers beautiful sense of community and dialogue about how Black and Brown families to unschool in the USA; I’ve helped found an SDE center in Oxford call Roots: it was a lovely experience but I did not send my child there as I found it to be overly focused on “theories” of how we are with children: I sent my daughter to a lovely outdoor learning space in Oxford called Peer Project but there was zero sense of community other than having fun for a few hours a day: we spent 5 months working at Mumbet’s, a black and brown owned farm in the USA which was a beautiful experience for us all and with which we are and will continue to be involved.
I’ve read, explored, imagined dozens of people, spaces and ideas around the world that bring learning outside buildings and cages, all of which have expanded my mind and heart immeasurably. I have 30 years of visions in me to create a learning space that reflects what I think is possible, but have not yet found partners with whom to co-create.
Ganga Dileep C, Recycle Bin
I did my undergraduate degree in architecture and masters in urban design. As I was exploring life through jobs the industry offered me, I realised something quite important which the universities did not give me. What I wanted to do went beyond the boundaries of any system. So I started a small design practice to explore further. It’s called Recycle Bin Studio. My journey is all about exploring a wider recyclebin in the society which lies as an externality to the mainstream but yet in which very genuine non exploited aspiration lies.
I have been exploring certain phenomena like public toilets and slum settlements. The toilets have exhibited humanity's honest expression in the most intimate spaces available while trying to figure out the so-called solutions seeked by the system to solve the “problem” statements defined. The process has been unlearning what a system teaches about an infrastructure. Slum parliament is a model that is being experimented on ground to explore how the system also can unlearn from a settlement.
Raghuveersingh Rathore
I have traveled in and outside India in exchange for work. While traveling I have learned a bit about natural building and filmmaking. I recently built an earthbag home in my village in Rajasthan. Now I am trying to build one earthbag dome so that I can introduce a sustainable and affordable housing option in and around my village.
Ahmad Khalidi
I am a Palestinian who has lived in the UK for the past 45 years. I have been engaged in the Palestinian struggle for freedom as an activist and peace negotiator. I have written and lectured widely on the Middle East region, but I am now seeking to expand my horizons so as to better understand my region and the manner it is connected to the broader world. I am also interested in constantly educating myself and what it means to be both teacher and learner.
Rahul Rahangale, Seekers Community
I like to call myself a seeker - a seeker of varied learning and life experiences. I was born in a small village of Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh. After schooling, I volunteered in different spaces like Agrini, Shikshalaya, Gyan Mela, Uddan, Shiksha Satyagraha, Value Creation, and many more. I also participated in Jagriti Yatra and a facilitator workshop named Training of Trainers at Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development.
My passion for education and exposure developed from then. Later, I joined a teaching fellowship program called Learning Companions in Nagpur which made me realise what is quality education, what are effective pedagogical practices, how exposure actually makes children better learners and the challenges in learning mechanisms.
Growing up in a rural background made me realize the lack of awareness and opportunities that the youth belonging to these communities face. This makes it difficult for them to survive in the fast-paced modern world. The issues here range from language, learning, skill sets, and many more of which I have been a victim myself. This stark realization made me commit myself to work with these problem areas. Over the last 3 years, I have been building his capacity to work for this cause. The fellowship that I recently pursued with Traveller’s University, a nonprofit organization has helped me to understand alternative approaches to enrich youth with the knowledge and experiences necessary for transformation, where I traveled across India and explored the domain of Youth development.
I believe every youth should have access and opportunities to explore their aspirations and broader their worldviews to bring out positive change in society.
Akanksha Modi
In the prime of my professional career when I was the HoD of my Department I left my job and all other positions attached as I wanted some mental space for myself to be able to explore what I wanted to do! I also dropped out of my PhD program as I wasn’t motivated enough and the system too didn’t do much for motivation! Instead I acted upon my gut feeling and took up a project for myself to explore unexplored places of Jaipur and landed myself in some exploratory heritage walk with some tourists. I am happy and satisfied more than that. I am able to put in time for my parents, pay more attention to the kids and I am happy and not tired!
Unparenting my kids for starters is something I have been doing for many years now. Remained in a formal design educational institute and experimented with a lot of self learning for students.
Sunil Natraj
I am a Policy Nerd, Researcher, Mentor, Absentee Farmer, Student of Vedanta and Cynical Optimist. A social scientist by education, career spanning more than three decades of engagement in the health and development sector, working with civil society, government and the UN. Advisor to the Ministry of Health, Rural Development, Govt. of India, Department of Health, Govt. of Kerala, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, various other state governments and organizations. Served with WHO, as cluster head for Health Systems Development in the India Country Office. Served as a technical expert in various national committees on issues of health systems development and published more than 50 articles and reports in national and international journals. In 2012 I quit working for formal organisations to pursue interests and passions. Presently I spend my time playing at the intersection of enjoying life, travelling, reading, writing, teaching, delving into spirituality, mysticism and getting involved in initiatives that make a difference to the lives of people. I had attended the Unconference at the same venue a few years back– believe me it was a mind blowing experience to meet so many beautiful and wonderful people with diverse passions, interests and ways of life. I realized that there was something more to life than doing a job. It was one of the reasons that I quit my job and followed my passions. I made such wonderful lasting friends, someone who teaches science and maths (avishakar), someone who makes personal care products (dhanak), and many others. It is very exciting to meet learners from different walks of life, not the usual. It is one of the most important spaces to get exposed to new things that are happening in a small and significant way. After Covid I started travelling and sharing my experiences, thanks to Unconference where I met people who were the traveling kind. I am exploring research into unexplored areas, making short videos on issues of concern (e.g. frauds in hospitals.)
Garima, Arghya School
Having worked in the field of Education and Training life has provided me many opportunities to learn and grow with different people under varied circumstances. The difficult times have made me humble as I am now. It makes me the most suitable person to motivate teachers, entrepreneurs, parents and everyone around. I believe that each child is born with the inside power responsible for its own progress but a sleeping parent turns the switch off and wants the child to peep out. With the vision to work with infants, moms and kids, I founded Arghya Educational Welfare Society. Now Arghya is a place where each parent is brought to the level of witnessing, experiencing and then understanding the correct way of life turning out.
I did a double Post Graduation in Nutrition Science and in English Literature. Diploma in Yogaic science, MNTT, Official Jolly Phonic Trainer UK Accredited, International CIMI accredited to IAIM and Mindful Meditation Master Trainer.
I have trained more than 3000 thousand teachers till January 2022 in Online and Offline mode. I have been associated with many schools, social and educational groups and have conducted workshops and consultation programmes.
My efforts have been recognized in Global Teachers Meet 2019 and 2020 and since then I am the core committee member for the same. I am a member of Advisory committee Sica Montessori Teachers Training Programme and under my guidance the curriculum has been designed. The changes in social structure inspire me to keep learning, reading and teaching. My home town is in Indore MP.
Ridhi
I have been exploring myself in the last few years, coming from a childhood of mandatory studying and then a professional study for a few years in medicine from 1999 to 2005, and was doing a regular professional career and life. My pregnancy in 2011 and motherhood started questioning my conditioning and connected me to my natural instincts and understanding of my past of questioning the medical College education system and I started following the flow. With this urge, connection happened with Midwives, childbirth educators, exploring natural childbirth conferences. I started realising my connection with nature, with the body, and started taking deeper steps towards it. I started meeting people for health and lifestyle changes. After resigning from my government job as a gynaecologist in 2018, I started working on myself, my body, my parenting, family, and home. I have dissected cadavers (dead bodies), done surgeries in medical College journey and experienced normal/ natural and cesarean assisted birthing. It is very recent that I am experiencing my own body. I am just getting aware of the movements, the connection with food and digestion, the elements we are made of yoga and what changes it brings in the hormones, integrity of all organs and body parts, unity of health and disease! It has been a deeper journey and I am exploring everyday. As I was aware of the school and colleges academic agendas, we decided to go for an integral education school for my son, Maahir who is 11 years old.
I am exploring Nature cure, natural lifestyle communities, and unlearning my professional conditioning to understand, connect and become one with nature. It is fun to educate people about the connections between food, health, and medicine, and to help them become their own doctor! It empowers me as an individual! Also I explore conscious parenting workshops, unlearning and unschooling communities. I also like going to self help workshops.
Ramesh, Tribe Permaculture
After my graduation in engineering, I chose a completely different path. I have chosen myself over my family and societal expectations. I lived with tribes in the forest for 6 months. I always thought the forest needed conservation and people had to change. While I was living in the forest, I realised it was actually I who needed to change myself and my perspective. Here in India we have more agricultural land than forest lands and it is increasing everyday so I decided to work with agricultural lands for conservation of life. In that process I found many useful tools and helpful communities. I am still exploring new ideas and thoughts.
Vatsala
I am an architect by profession, but I have been exploring alternative ways of being for some time now. After I left my Job at Gurgaon where I was working in a luxury boutique interior firm, I wanted to travel and explore. I did a permaculture course and then volunteered at different farms to learn more about plants and soils. From there I got interested to explore and improve my health so I explored Nature cures and Ayurveda by doing different workshops and meeting different people living such lives. That got me interested in exploring more into the realm of energy medicine. I learned Yoga and pranayam for my own practice and also meditation, inner child etc.
I also designed free workshops for kids in pandemic times in my hometown, so that I can share with them my learnings. I also learned sewing and crochet, so I started making small Handicrafts items for gifting purpose and for my own personal use. I am interested in space design and organisation techniques that I am exploring for myself and others. My life journey has presently got me into a space where I am doing arts and crafts as a medium of exploring my inner world.
Nidhi Goyal
For me my life journey started after I became a mother. My older daughter Avishi is 14 years old and my younger son Kabir is 8 years old. Kabir is differently abled and was born with neurodevelopmental issues. Life seemed effortless before that but after Kabir entered into my life it took a different turn. To provide the best for our son, my husband and I did a lot of research and went to various doctors and therapists to provide him with the best treatment possible. With time, we adapted the struggle that came along with all the new problems of Kabir but all these problems taught me how to fight back and how to always have an optimistic view for life. In 2020, I made the decision to home-school my kid and go against all the odds. The more I searched about home-schooling, the more I came across concepts like Shikshantar and Auroville. My life journey for me has been awakening in the past 8 years, with me learning everything new at every stage of my life.
Nikhil Gehlot, Ideaforage Innovations Private Limited
I started my leadership journey at the age of 20 when I got the opportunity to serve as a Secretary of Indian Concrete Institute - Student chapter in Civil Engineering Department, SRM University. I got this opportunity based on prior engagement in various activities and events in the Department. During the Two year tenure, we had registered five-hundred members and organized multiple workshops and Industrial visits for the students. In 2013, I got to know about the Human Rights Issue and started volunteering to raise awareness about human rights. I was volunteering for the “Anubhuti Club" through which we have organized the "Run for Unity" Marathon to promote peace and unity. We were able to gather a crowd of one thousand students. Our message reached the various District officers of Government agencies. In 2014, I got selected to delegate for the Youth for Human Rights International Summit held in Brussels. This summit has inspired me more to contribute to the community. I, with some of my friends, founded - The Royal Hawks United Club to engage youth in social activities. We had organized 10 Blood Donation camps in the last five years. Around One Thousand people have donated Blood.
In 2016, I got to know about Youth Citizen Service Fellowship by Development Alternatives and VSO India. The organization selected around Twenty-Three Fellows from Ten-thousand applications. During the fellowship, I lived in a small village - Pipra, situated near Jhansi City. The challenge was to establish a Community Information Centre, a one-stop center for all IT related services. During the Forty-Five days tenure, We researched the geography, built local networks, and understood the problems. It was challenging as we have to deal with the local Geo Politics of the region. We created an awareness campaign among the Village Councillors to unite and launch this center. During the last week of the fellowship, we successfully inaugurated the center, which gathered two thousand people. They also donated money as a fund for the one-year operation and maintenance.
These experiences have helped me explore more about the United Nations Sustainable Goals. Issues like climate change had caught my attention. Being a resident of a city that suffers from extremes of temperature variation, I was looking for an idea to work. In 2018, I started Soulcraft with two of my friends, a Textile Upcycling Initiative. The organization provided training and employment to men and women from and fashion designers to recycle the waste garments to produce Innovative products and accessories across Multiple Range. We were able to upcycle one thousand tons of waste and create School kits that were donated to the Under-privileged children. All these packets of leadership experiences have helped me to increase my Intellectual and Social Courage to take new initiatives to solve the real-world problems in the communities.
Limangi Kubadia, Sadhana Learning Centre
I come from a small town in MP. I studied in The Lovedale school, an alternative school based on the ideology of knowledge, courage, and excellence. I have been learning classical music since I was in 4th grade. I started doing CA but left it after I got married in Mumbai to pursue singing full time. Now I teach Indian classical music to all age groups, can sing mostly all forms of music, do playback singing, am learning keyboard since 4 years, am a mother of two wonderful kids, homemaker and wife of a supportive husband. Life and god have been really kind. Just wish to give back to society in whatever way I can. I want to remain a learner my whole life. My daughter goes to an open school where I teach music to kids, where I am exploring alternative learning communities.
I have been exploring the connection between god and nature, about how religions work by the very philosophy of force, coercion and fear, and how it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to accept them in the form they are preached today. I am a firm believer in god and infinity but in a different sense. I am yet to reach a stage where I grasp it completely but I am in the process. I’m trying to read, watch and ponder over such information as much as possible. And lastly trying to do the internal thinking and see what answer comes from within.
Prakash V Gudnavar, BeMe
Seventeen years ago, I accidentally got introduced to alternative education when we were looking around for preschool for my daughter. I had worked in the software industry for 15 years prior to starting BeMe. I got introduced to Sudbury valley school (USA) and Summerhill literature in 2013 when I attended Learning Societies unConference (LSuC) in Pune. Since then, I have been exploring child-led learning methodologies in general and democratic schooling specifically. We started BeMe 8 years ago. We have about 65 children in the age range of 3 years to 16 years.
I love adventure and maths. I have been leading adventure projects for children: 1) long cycling trip with 8 children (10 - 14 years) covering 440km over a week 2) Kumara Parvatha trekking with 8 children 3) Triathlon (swimming, cycling and running) in the sprint and Olympic categories (two times - 14 children and 18 children). I have tried self-directed learning in swimming - letting children figure out swimming on their own. I also facilitate children preparing for NIOS/IGCSE for maths.
Apart from BeMe, I look after the finances of two companies run by my wife catering to semiconductor design services, staffing, quality certifications and VLSI training. I am also serving as treasurer of the association of the apartment I live in. I take that as an opportunity to build a conscious community in the city.
Shikha Thakur
The First 27 years of my Life, it was about a Numbing Experience within the body as being around Narcissists can really break down your self identity, which came as a reflection only 5 years back. So i fely like I was experiencing life and it's magic from 5 years now. I am now a professional Belly Dancer, Musement Artist, Illustrator, Graphic Designer, and Painter. I have been teaching and practicing these skills for the past 10 years.
Nimmisha B Devang, Nroutes - Nature based Trips, Events & Retreats
I am a curious soul, always looking for new learnings in life. I am a SLOW traveller (Solo), unschooling mother, unlearning and learning in the journey of parenting, nature enthusiast, ex-advertiser, graphic designer (now I only design for myself) and better half to a photographer husband. I started a travel project called Nroutes in 2020. The project is dedicated to showcasing the beauty of nature and promoting the idea of taking nature's route. We curate slow and holistic experiences for like-minded individuals, and organize and manage retreats and holistic events. Our focus is on sustainable and immersive travel, allowing visitors to truly connect with the natural world and gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for it. Nroutes is a unique and inspiring project that allows people to explore the world in a new and meaningful way.
Ankit
As a global citizen and Activist, I have experiences and growing with the idea of advocacy at various levels. I have worked on Values of Democracy, sociocracy in regard to Human rights, Legal Rights, Child Rights, Women Rights and Earth Rights (Justice). As a youth I worked with several NGOs to train them and learn from them about inclusion + Contribution of Children, Adults Youth, Women, LGBTQ+ communities in Democracy, Politics and in System to make it more fair for every single citizen and for the last person of the society.
I have always wanted to contribute my knowledge and share experiences and learning. I wish to meet more people around the world with diverse knowledge. Currently I am interning with Delhi Govt for implementation of various projects running by them in Delhi. As a youth learner and explorer, I want to engage with various people's ideas on various aspects related to social empowerment and learn from them to use their ideas and learnings to implement them in my life Journey. My friends and I are starting a small venture to empower women by giving them employment and skills to be independent in society.
Danilo Costa Lima
I'm a recently started traveller from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Growing up in a public school that is very politically engaged made me very conscious of the complex arrangement of lives that compose the delicate balance of my city. It made me aware of not only inequality itself, but also how it's the driving force of the current economic system. I'm in search of the knowledge and skills to build my own permaculture and educational project. I turn mainly to original forms of occupation of lands for inspiration on how to deal with them and better manage my own impact on my surroundings. Philosophically I'm on a quest to find an escape from the chains of money, for I think it's the embodiment of segregation and individualism and that it distances the individual from both experiences and community. On a personal and social level, I study psychology and philosophy to learn of kinder and more respectful ways to build bonds with those around me.
Tarun Seem
I have graduate degrees in Medicine, Law, and in Management. Presently researching Information Systems for Health Care. The learning continues. As a child, I wanted to write or be a filmmaker. In medical college, we were revered and denigrated every day by patients and faculty respectively. I recall being denigrated permanently by a patient who committed suicide in the ward on my watch. He could not wait.
Work-life started at an NGO where the community revered me. I was frustrated at the small scale but felt immensely proud of my choice of work. I was self-revering and self-denigrating myself in that remote jungle in the hills, between cooking meals and smoking weed. Then I took the civil service exam and joined the Indian Revenue Service. Now I was highly revered and many people wanted to pay me to avoid paying taxes. I believe, mostly they denigrated me outside my room at the ITO.
I got deputed to the rural health division in the Government of India and wrote long notes on community empowerment. My next posting was a Delhi-based public health think tank where foreign-educated experts wrote wonderful papers on rural health.
Later, I joined a state government. It was a dream job, using public money to innovate for public health. The 20 hours work days lasted two years before it all crashed. I got accused of corruption of the non-bribery kind (yes there is something like that) and had criminal cases against me. Missed jail by a whisker, but lost promotion and got denigrated, once again on a permanent basis. Learning continues.
During my college years, I did some theatre in Delhi where I met my soulmate. She is more comfortable in Hindi and has not studied science. She is more me than me. She says, होइहि सोइ जो राम रचि राखा। को करि तर्क बढ़ावै साखा.
Education has raised more questions for me than answers. It is so incomplete. The more I walk the shorter I seem to have covered. The more I answer, the more doubts appear. While I believe in science and its methods, I cannot write away my belief in God, methods of religion, and even the occult. I am confident that we are products of evolution but I do believe that the Universe is too unlikely, nay impossible to have come about on its own. I have been seeking to unlearn and enjoy the process of finding out all over again. Perhaps that journey would be better than this end. But there is so little time and so much to cover. Need help in planning and prioritizing.
Sunita, Mindfulness
I come from the pristine hills of Darjeeling and grew up cherishing simplicity. I was fortunate to grow in the lap of nature, learning from the trees and hills and then I had to leave. As life would have it, I moved to Dubai to join my husband and suffered the first few years from culture shock. Life was fast paced and your worth was measured by the car you drove and the phone you carried. It took me a long time to find balance not losing the simplicity that was my true nature.
However, I must also mention that it was Dubai that gave me the opportunity to grow both spiritually. I was able to explore , experiment and finally find what aligned with my calling.
Today I'm a mindfulness and wellness coach because the disbalance and shock I felt when moving to a city is because I lacked this knowledge. I had to unlearn to find my stability. Today we hear of mental health issues, disorders of all kinds, depression and loneliness though life is relatively easy. Connecting with the core is what I believe in.
I've been trying to help mainly young adults find peace with themselves. I've been trying to get into schools, colleges and universities to tell them how important it is to educate young minds to uncover the innate qualities of resilience, patience, compassion, kindness, and belonging.
Richa Shubangi
I have been exploring vernacular techniques of architecture for the last 2 years. I am documenting the traditional architectural techniques that exist across India as I travel. I have come to understand that sustainability is not limited to the houses we live in or the spaces we create. It is a way of life and reflects in our day to day activities.
I am also learning to open my senses to the biodiversity that surrounds us. Recently I began noticing grasses and butterflies and I was fascinated by the level of detailing that exists in nature. Of course we all know this. Yet it never fails to surprise me! In my latest project I have been trying to ensure a healthy work environment for myself in a conventional institutional setup where ageism, hierarchy and patriarchy is still deeply embedded. I am pondering upon various solutions and how to fix a threshold point. Apart from that I am motivated to work on the ground, to get better at understanding needs and become a good designer. I believe in creating a healthy work environment that allows personal growth and creates space to learn from trial and error.
Sonal Sheth, Samvad Culture
Driven by passion to make a difference, I shifted to Social Sciences after a bachelor’s in commerce and built about a decade long career in Public Policy. I had the opportunity to work with academic institutions, NGOs and Think Tanks as well as the United Nations (UN). Along this journey, I got introduced to the process of Nonviolent Communication which became a turning point in my life as
it offered a sensitive and effective way of building peace through enabling empathy and dialogue. Leaving behind association with UN and ongoing Ph.D, I took a break to rediscover and redesign my life and work. This break has been the most fulfilling stage of my life which opened a plethora of time and space to do nothing, unlearn, relearn, articulate my own life questions and find answers in my way. I took all the time I felt was needed to allow my understanding of these new areas to mature to a point of my satisfaction. I started my project ‘Samvad culture’ which literally means a culture of dialogue where I offer training and facilitations creating experiential learnings into deep listening, empathy, and dialoguing. The project is a growing inquisitive child right now trying to create its space in the world.
Dilip Danmal Jain, dJED Foundation
Entrepreneurship, Education, and Environment are the 3E's of my work ethic and dJED Foundation also works at grass root level on the same 3E’s.
I am a CA and have a PGDM (MBA) from SPJIMR. I spent 7 years in senior management roles with Marico & Voltas (Tata Group) in corporate strategy & planning, finance & procurement, mergers & acquisitions, etc. Following that, I joined a family business and played an instrumental role in its development to the industry's number one position. Parallel to that, I co-founded an industrial park development company (Aventus Estate) in a joint venture with a PE fund, and as its CEO, I completed 150 acres of projects. I have been a key support in a few startups like Agriforetell, etc.
I was named a founding member of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh, at the age of 37. I took a pro-bono volunteering sabbatical from my firm for almost two years to be a part of Sonam Wangchuk's core team that founded the alternative university and its ventures. I have been a volunteer with SECMOL Ladakh since 2004 and have been especially involved since the start of the renowned Ice Stupa project, which won the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2016. Currently I am involved in #ClimateFast initiative.
I am a public speaker and have spoken on a variety of topics. I am continually learning, doing, and sharing, and I recently completed a Leadership course in Biodiversity Conservation after learning the fundamentals of Natural Farming and Sustainable Construction. I am also a member of the New Acropolis International Organisation, Indian Multiversities Alliance, and Ascent Foundation.
I have also been operating the Me2 Kids Club for children, with over 100 families as members. Here, we organize monthly activities to bring children closer to NAV, i.e. nature (the ultimate teacher), adventure (to push them out of comfort zones), and volunteering (to develop a spirit of service). I also consult & coach business owners, entrepreneurs, educationists & top management on topics ranging from purpose & philosophy, to thought leadership & innovation, to inorganic growth & CSR, to personal growth & transformation.
In 2020, I founded the dJED Foundation which works in 3 villages. The main aim is to move the world's attention from Economy (part) to Ecology (whole). The existing western belief system, which underpins the economy and all of its systems, has been destructive for species, societies, and spirituality. We need a model that allows people to learn, be, and do everything in harmony with nature and life. I run initiatives like Aadi Maanav Academy, RevAranya, Save Jawai Wildlife, Germinator, etc.
Afsal Mohammed B, Captains Social Foundation
I am a social volunteer and activist hailing from Kerala, India. Volunteering is my ever-time passion and life. For the past 15 years, I have engaged with 1,00,000+ youth all over India and have undertaken 250+ initiatives in the field of Education, Health and Environment Conservation focusing on Volunteer Management & Program Coordination. I aim to create a network of socially committed volunteers who can be the change and change makers in our society.
I am the Founder & CEO of Captains Social Foundation. I was the Co-founder of The Gulmohar Foundation and Institute of Social Volunteering. I was also the VForce Coordinator of United Nations Volunteers India and the Global Ambassador of Peace First in Asia & Oceania.
Bhargava
Hailing from the safest city in India, Sagar (MP), I am an engineering dropout who turned into a full-time writer. I have been writing for the past 7 years with 3 years of industry experience. 'Right time, right thing' theory is something I was taught since childhood and I somehow made continuous wrong decisions for myself, say stepping into the science stream with no insignificant interest. Further, I went to Kota, Rajasthan to prepare for JEE (another wrong decision with a load of financial investment) and finally got into engineering, although I always wanted to pursue something in the arts stream. In the year 2020, when the pandemic drastically shook the whole of humankind, I took it as a golden opportunity to train myself as a writer and an individual. I read 4-5 books in a month and simultaneously searched for writing opportunities. I got lucky to get some paid writing internships through Internshala which boosted my confidence. It was the time when I decided to drop out of engineering and search for job opportunities in writing. I scored a full-time job in writing at an IT company and later in a consultancy based in Bhopal. I worked as a full-time writer for a year and then resigned, due to a lack of creative leverage. Currently, I am a full-time freelance writer, working with Pocket FM and MPL Sports remotely. Freelancing is something that allows me to travel, explore, work, and earn. At this point in life, I am looking forward to filmmaking and screenwriting. One of the best parts of my journey is my family and friends. They supported me at each step that I took and encouraged me to pursue my dream career. I want to give my family a luxurious life and prove that this time I made the right decision.
Yash Walter, Weekends with Walter Podcast
My name is Yash Walter, a 26-year-old small-town boy whose passion has always been to be a radio jockey. I grew up in a district called Sitapur, 90 Kms away from the Capital City of Uttar Pradesh-Lucknow. Sitapur is a simple, peaceful place but lacks opportunities and exposure to dream big in life. So, I moved to Lucknow in 2017 and started pursuing a Sales Job to become financially independent.
After spending one year in a showroom as a Sales Executive, Ekdum se Waqt Badal Gaya Jazbaat Badal Gaye Zindagi Badal Gayi, I entered the social sector and joined Medha in 2018. Medha is a not-for-profit organisation working towards better preparing youth for life after school. In my new role, I traveled and interacted with young people studying in government/aided colleges of UP, Bihar and Haryana. During my visits, I have realised that so many of them are hustling to connect their passions to their profession and find themselves stuck in conventional careers, resonating greatly with my journey.
This further motivated me to invest my creative energies into building a platform to connect the youth to share, learn, collaborate, and grow from each other’s journeys and build sustainable communities. In doing so, I chose to be fresh and ground-breaking by starting a Podcast Talk Show called “Weekends with Walter,” the closest I could get to living my childhood dream and encouraging youth to do the same.
“Weekends with Walter” is a trending podcast that celebrates stories of youth from semi-urban areas pursuing unconventional career paths and taking the roads less travelled. So far, our guest list has included 50 inspiring individuals who have made a mark in diverse fields like music, creative writing, small businesses, fashion, vlogging, etc. #TheW3Show provides an open platform for youth who have created significant impact in their personal lives and communities to reach out to a larger audience and inspire one & all to live a life one truly values.
I have always believed that we all have a story, and we learn from it a lot. Through this podcast, I have a vision to provide a platform to communities of youth pursuing unconventional careers where they can share their stories and network with other people with similar interests. I feel youth struggle to find such safe spaces to express themselves and find role models around them who have taken the road less travelled. What also worries me is the societal barriers and constraints that limit individuals from imagining and innovating new ideas & initiatives. I am keen to explore ways of connecting people's passion with their profession and make them part of a revolution where they can BE HEARD, SPEAK UP & INSPIRE.
Parul Sheth, Shaishav
I am the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Shaishav, a Voluntary Organization based in Gujarat, India. Shaishav works with underprivileged children such as Child Labour, non-school going children, children living in slums, tribal children and girls. We believe that children are “Change Makers.” For details please visit www.shaishavchildrights.org
I have worked as a trainer and facilitator at national and international levels on issues related to child rights. I have worked to reduce child labour, child marriage, child abuse and exploitation through education and empowerment of children. I network with other NGOs and governing bodies and serve in the Executive Committee of various National Networks. I have also worked as a Consultant in the Tata Education and Development Trusts. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Law, and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Bombay. I am a Rippon Kapoor CRY Fellow, and an Ashoka Fellow which is a global network of social entrepreneurs. I am also a Fulbright Humphrey Fellow and studied in Law School at University of Minnesota.
Sarat Chandra, Sahyadri School KFI
I grew up in Visakhapatnam, which is on the east coast of India. For most of my childhood, I was rearing pigeons, and life back then was simple and joyful. Slowly I became passionate about nature and started thinking about a career in wildlife conservation. During my Master's, I was actively volunteering in an NGO called Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society. Everytime we went into the field, it was an adventure doing camera trapping, doing field surveys, community work, and snake bite awareness programs. This was a new experience for me and I had a lot of fun. After exploring other areas, I also worked with fishermen communities on climate change awareness and marine litter management. After spending a couple of years doing this, I finally wanted to settle as an organic farmer. I experimented with it on a piece of land near Visakhapatnam for sometime. Personally, farming was never a profession, but a lifestyle, which I always cherish and think of going back to. We never know where life takes us, and I have now moved to Sahyadri School KFI as an educator. Education, I realized, is a very vast ocean and one has to spend a lot of time exploring it deeply. I have been trying to work on a UNESCO program - Education for Sustainable Development at the school level over the last year or so. Looking forward to meeting like-minded people and developing deep connections.
Monali Lodha, Radiance Foundation
I am a mother of a 5-year old, living in Nashik. As far as I remember, I was always confused about what I wanted to do in life. I dabbled in multiple things, including architecture, coding, finance, management, business management, finally settling on education, which was a long held dream. I started off studying about different pedagogies and starting a Montessori environment. However, once I came to Swaraj, things changed forever. Now, it was no longer education alone. Now it was education, ecology and economy. I am currently working on forming a community of people interested in joining hands on how we can re-establish our connection to nature and our roots, and work on education, ecology and economy.
