Hate and polarization are fracturing our society and wounding our souls.
We work towards building bridges across divides, enabling meaningful dialogue, and celebrating India’s ‘Unity in Diversity’.
Our Initiatives ✨
Hate and polarization are fracturing our society and wounding our souls.
Our Initiatives ✨
Srilakshmi has worked in the development sector as a health researcher, process facilitator, mentor, planner. She has strived to understand the healthy interdependence that the systems and individuals share. This has led her to work through nature and food systems, collective governance and listening to strengthen connections and relationships.
Devanshu Panwar holds an experience of over three years in All India Radio (Akashvani) as a presenter and scriptwriter. He is pursuing his Master’s in English Literature. Presently, he is working as a research associate in the Secure Himalaya Project, a project of UNDP, India in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) which augments Government of India’s efforts in conservation of the snow leopard and its habitat in the Himalayan ranges wherein he is majorly documenting the ongoing efforts of the mentioned project in the Himalayan ecosystems. He has worked in theatre for a year and loves to read novels and write things.
Hello, I’m Divya Santosh. I am excited and honored to start contributing toward’s Zariya’s mission, and working with participants to facilitate meaningful conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion.” I hope to bring my diverse range of experiences from various work I have done, including running a business, teaching at an alternative school, teaching at a Montessori school to designing software solutions for a bio-medical technology startup. As someone who values diversity and inclusivity, I am passionate about promoting social justice and creating inclusive environments where all individuals feel valued and heard. I believe that promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential for building a stronger and more connected community.
Dr. Hema Swaminathan is Professor in Public Policy at IIM Bangalore. Her broad interests are in the areas of poverty and inequality using a gender perspective. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Agricultural Economics from the Pennsylvania State University. Prior to IIMB, Hema worked at the International Center for Research for Women, Washington DC. She has field-work experience both in India and Sub-Saharan Africa and has published widely in international peer reviewed journals. She is a part of team Zariya.
Dr. Sonali Sathaye holds a PhD in Anthropology from Syracuse University. Engaged in the theater for many years, she brings her work in theater and Sociology to her most recent project: framing courses that cut across disciplines in order to understand and work on the climate crisis in new ways, aimed at high school students. Apart from working as an educator and scriptwriter, she is currently an honorary lecturer at Queen Mary University of London on the M.Sc. Global Public Health course where she tutors a course on “Planetary Health”. She is a part of team Zariya.
Divya is an advertising and marketing professional with 3+ years’ work experience. She is now making a shift to the social sector and seeking ways to create an impact through her skillset. Currently she is on a learning journey to scale education-centric development and explore indigenous knowledge systems and how they can help us address the most complex challenges that we face today. By doing so, she hopes to ultimately help create a sustainable future for generations to come.
Anshu works as an Intern at Sadbhavna.in. She is a final- year law student at Law College Dehradun. She has a penchant for Public Administration Law and fascination towards Public Policy. She envisions her work can bring a positive impact on society. In her free time, she likes to read about current events of social importance.
Sushmita is the co-founder of Sadbhavana.in. Passionate about re-storing authentic human connections, she works as a dialogue facilitator, trainer, mediator and coach supporting individuals and groups to transform differences and conflicts into opportunities for learning and growth. She has worked with grass-roots and government organisations, educational institutions, non-profits and corporations. Currently she designs trainings, trains and mentors trainers and dialogue facilitators for Soliya.net, a New York based NGO that is in the field of peace building and dialogue. She is also the co-program director for ‘work-place conflict’ course at IIM- Bangalore, as well as a guest faculty there.
Pratyush is the co-founder of Sadbhavna.in. Prior to this, he worked at India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS) where he was a founding member and oversaw strategy, program management, outreach, and research. Belonging to a family that migrated to India during the Partition of 1947, Pratyush is passionate about peacebuilding and ‘dialogue across differences’. Pratyush is a graduate of BITS Pilani (MSc. Tech. Finance, 2013) and Ashoka University (Young India Fellowship, 2017). He is currently pursuing Masters in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School.
