People

Jo Chopra

Executive Director, Latika Roy Foundation

Jo Chopra

Executive Director, Latika Roy Foundation

Jo Chopra McGowan is the Executive Director of Latika Roy Foundation, a voluntary organization in Dehradun for children with disability. She is also a prolific writer who champions the inclusion of all children. Jo’s journey with disability began in 1989 when she and her husband Ravi adopted Moy Moy, a beautiful baby with cerebral palsy. We were all saddened to hear of Moy Moy's unexpected death this July. Moy Moy has left behind a legacy and she continues to give hope to children with disabilities around India and the world who struggle to gain acceptance.

Hari Subramanian

Head India operations, Colruyt Group

Hari Subramanian

Head India operations, Colruyt Group

Hari Subramanian is the Head India Operations of Colruyt Group.

He has more than 18 years of experience in different management functions and in his current role his primary focus is on organizational vision & strategies, people development & partnerships, operational excellence & business development for the Colruyt Group. He is also heading the strategy for business expansion for the group in India.

Hari lives with his wife and two children in Hyderabad.

Kashyap Mody

Senior Vice President, Reliance Treasury

Kashyap Mody

Senior Vice President, Reliance Treasury

Kashyap Mody, Senior Vice President Treasury at Reliance Industries, is the Head of Investments for RIL managing a Fixed Income & Equity Portfolio of USD 12 bn. leading a team of fixed income analysts and equity analysts. Under his leadership of the last four years, Fixed Income and Equities Portfolios returns have consistently outperformed Mutual Fund Portfolios, produced above target returns for Reliance Treasury. He Joined Reliance Industries in December 2011. Prior to Reliance, Kashyap worked with Citibank for nine years in different roles in Treasury.

He holds a degree from University of Mumbai in Commerce and is a 2001 Chartered Accountant graduate, rank holder in CA Foundation and CA Intermediate examinations.

Kashyap is also a passionate long distance runner and its likely that you will bump into him on Mumbai roads early in the morning

Kashyap is a total Mumbaikar and stays in Sion, Mumbai along with his wife and two lovely kids.

Reema Gupta

CLMP Head, Indian School of Business & Co-founder, Nayi Disha

Reema Gupta

CLMP Head, Indian School of Business & Co-founder, Nayi Disha

Reema Gupta heads the Centre for Learning and Management Practice and Corporate Relations at ISB and a mother to a beautiful teenager with special needs.

Prior to joining ISB, Reema worked for EMC Corporation in Massachusetts as Senior Director and led many companywide strategic initiatives. She has over 13 years of experience working in the IT related field and was recognised as the “Top 10 women to watch” in Massachusetts, for her work in Science and Technology. Reema has also worked as Managing Director for Anokhi Aasha Society, which is an NGO working with children with various disabilities.

She has an MBA from Babson College, US and an undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering from Northeastern University.

Prachi Deo

Founder & Executive Director, Nayi Disha

Prachi Deo

Founder & Executive Director, Nayi Disha

Prachi has 13 years of technical and project management experience in the software industry in India and the US. She has led the IT team for a strategic marketing firm in Chicago. More recently she worked as a Project Manager with Microsoft Global Delivery in Hyderabad, which she quit to to pursue her passion for working on the issue Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Prachi's brother, who has Downs Syndrome, is her inspiration for setting up Nayi Disha.

Sudarsana Kundu

Executive Director, Gender at work & Co-founder, Nayi Disha

Sudarsana Kundu

Executive Director, Gender at work & Co-founder, Nayi Disha

Sudarsana is an expert on gender equality and development with more than 15 years of experience in the private and public sector. She is currently the Country Director for Gender at Work – a non-profit organization that works on issues of social justice. In the past she has worked with UN Women where she led the organization’s work on gender responsive governance with a focus on improved service delivery to women.

Sudarsana has an MBA from XLRI and a graduate degree in public administration from Columbia University

Vivek Subramanian

Executive Director. Fourth Partner Energy

Vivek Subramanian

Executive Director. Fourth Partner Energy

VIVEK SUBRAMANIAN has vast experience across strategy, fund raising, business development, operations and financial management. Prior to founding Fourth Partner Energy, a renewable energy company focusing upon delivering distributed solar solutions to commercial and industrial clients; he was the Founding Partner at Avigo Capital, an Indian SME focused PE fund (AUM $375 million). Vivek holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering.

Vivek brings his in-depth experience of strategy, operations and financial management to the Nayi Disha Board.

Dr Ajay Sharma

Neuro-developmental Paediatrician,London, UK

Dr Ajay Sharma

Neuro-developmental Paediatrician,London, UK

Dr. Ajay Sharma is a consultant neurodevelopmental pediatrician and the ex-Clinical Director at Evelina London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK. He has extensive clinical and teaching experience of child development and developmental disorders. He has written articles and book chapters and has co-authored and edited books on child development. He also provides training to practitioners and is passionate about creating accessible learning material for practitioners and parents.

Dr Lokesh Lingappa

Paediatric and Adolescent Neurologist, Rainbow Children's Hospital

Dr Lokesh Lingappa

Paediatric and Adolescent Neurologist, Rainbow Children's Hospital

Post his graduation from Hubli, Karnataka.Dr Lingappa went on to pursue post-graduation in Pediatric training ( PGIPMER,Chandigarh) and DM( neurology) in NIMHANS, Bengaluru. He went on to further complete MRCPCH in UK and trained as a fellow in various prestigious pediatric hospitals in the United Kingdom.

Dr Lingappa’s vision is to develop high quality pediatric neurology services in India and he continues to work @Rainbow hospitals in Hyderabad with an able team of doctors supporting him. With multiple national and international publications to his credit, Dr Lingappa has also authored a few chapters in books released by the Indian academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Ram Kairam

Neurologist at Developmental Neurology Associates PC, NY

Dr. Ram Kairam

Neurologist at Developmental Neurology Associates PC, NY

Dr. Ram Kairam is a pediatric neurologist with over 40 years of experience in the field of developmental disorders, Autism in particular. He is one of the founding members of the Autism Treatment and Advocacy Center at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, New York, USA. His current focus is patient/caregiver education and advocacy.

Abhijeet

Social Media Outreach Specialist

Abhijeet

Social Media Outreach Specialist

Abhijeet Panda is a triple major in Communication and Media, English and Psychology from Christ

Deemed to be University, Bangalore. He aspires to pursue international studies for higher education

and is presently enrolled at the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin. Abhijeet believes in the true

potential of good leadership and aims to frame policy at an international level. He is an avid debater,

a graduate in fine arts, a theater lover and a passionate Model United Nations enthusiast. Abhijeet

uses his varied skill set and passion for social work at Nayi Disha Resource Centre as a social media

outreach specialist.

Amala

Outreach Specialist

Amala

Outreach Specialist

Amala is a proud social work professional skilled in clinical and community practices,

dedicated to work for the needy in the society through advocacy and empowerment. She

also focuses on the health and well-being of people and communities across the country

by facilitating all the supportive and counselling services.

Ambika Srinivasan

Content Manager

Ambika Srinivasan

Content Manager

Ambika Srinivasan is a Molecular Neuroscience doctorate from McGill University, Canada. She has experience in teaching graduate courses, including a stint conducting science outreach programs for a Biotechnology startup company at Hyderabad. She has keen interest in exploring and advancing the current teaching methodologies in the life sciences space. Prior to pursuing her PhD, she gained research experience by working at CSIR labs such as Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology. With a Masters in Biomedical Genetics from Vellore Institute of Technology, she has acquired academic training that allows her to better understand the risks and causes of developmental disorders.

Aparna

Technology Support Engineer

Aparna

Technology Support Engineer

Aparna has more than 1 year of experience in Functional Testing. She has worked for Broadridge

Financial Solutions in Hyderabad. She is an engineering graduate from G.Narayanamma Institute of

technology and sciences in Hyderabad. She is a dedicated team person and a good team player. She

is optimistic, enthusiastic, adaptable and a quick learner.

Babita Bante

Graphic Designer

Babita Bante

Graphic Designer

Babita has done her graduation in fine arts. She brings her experience in designing and developing user-centered digital/print marketing material from initial concept to final, polished deliverable. Her Creativity and Innovation can be seen in Nayi-Disha Resource Centre’s videos, Infographics, Website, Newsletter etc. Apart from this she also finds time to do painting, portrait, clay modelling and photography. She has two beautiful daughters.

Jagdish Jalanila

Accounts & Admin

Jagdish Jalanila

Accounts & Admin

An Osmania University and XLRI Jamshedpur alumni, Jagdish has 6+ years of experience in finance & accounting. His experience involves GL Accounting, including preparation of monthly MIS, Financial reporting including P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash flow on monthly basis and has managed payrolls. Jagdish ensures that accounts of Nayi Disha are accurate and all the legal compliance are met. Jagdish loves crunching number and Jagdish loves to crunch numbers ,a keen learner and is equally enthusiastic to contribute to other aspects of Nayi Disha.

Otherwise, Jagdish is a chilled out guy, loves to socialise in his spare time, binge watches television and reads a book or two.

Keshav

Counsellor

Keshav

Counsellor

Keshav is a post-graduate in social work (community development) and Psychology. He is a trained

rehabilitation psychology professional. He is a nature lover and believes that the best way to unwind

is to be in nature. Learning by living in grassroots and community has always been his passion. One

value that is engrained in him is "Humanity First".

Nidhi Srivastava

Program Outreach Manager

Nidhi Srivastava

Program Outreach Manager

Nidhi is an English graduate from Delhi University and a Post-graduate in Information Technology. She has been working in the field of learning and development for over a decade, during which she was associated with large corporates, startups, NGOs and leading international Schools. One of her assignments, which she cherishes and believes helped her define her calling, was with a renowned International School in Hyderabad, where she was tasked with developing content in the areas of Compassion, Bravery and Empathy for students (young girls). While researching for the content, she was exposed to the hardships and other challenges that people go through in the society. And this left Nidhi thinking that she needs to use her acquired skills and knowledge to give back to the community and make a difference in people’s life. She found her calling at Nayi Disha Resource Center. She leads the Service Directory effort at Nayi Disha and wants to create a largest service directory for the parents with kids/adults with Intellectual and Developmental difficulty so they do not have to run from pillar to post for information related to Therapists, Special Schools etc. She also leads Social Media outreach at Nayi Disha to spread awareness about this initiative. Apart from her work she enjoys long drives and different cuisines.

Poornima Adim

Outreach Specialist

Poornima Adim

Outreach Specialist

Poornima Adim is a mental health social worker from TISS, Mumbai and a Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) Practitioner. She has worked for an year at grassroots level to implement mental health programs, including conducting trainings and psychoeducating frontline workers as part of the project under Tata Trusts. She loves working with children of all ages and settings. As she has also gained experience of interning with disability during her field work at TISS, and the interest led her back to working for Nayi Disha.

Prachi Deo

Founder & Executive Director, Nayi Disha

Prachi Deo

Founder & Executive Director, Nayi Disha

Smita

Marketing & Outreach Officer

Smita

Marketing & Outreach Officer

Smita Kadam is an MBA in marketing from Mumbai & a mother of 2 lovely daughters. She

gained immense knowledge of Marketing and Sales while working with companies like

Hiranandani Developers, Lokhanwala Constructions and Naukri.com. She is a versatile

leader who understands different cultures & knows how to strategize under different

market conditions. She has also been a successful entrepreneur, but decided not to

peruse it further to spend time with family. She has also volunteered with Nayi Disha

Resource Centre before taking up a full-time opportunity. On the personal front -she has

keen interest in Music, Dance, Cooking and conducting live events.

Visalakshi M

Technology Lead

Visalakshi M

Technology Lead

Visalakshi has more than 6 years of experience in IT industry with good experience in Web Application Development, Testing, Data migration with in-depth analytical experience. She has worked with TCS and CTS in India and Belgium. She is an engineering graduate from University of Madras. She is an ardent learner, enjoys problem-solving, hands on by nature, loves to share knowledge and a good team player. She is very happy to be associated with Nayi Disha. She is keen in creating a great web & app experience for the users and to harness the data to bring more insights.

Volunteer

Tehnaz Ragi

Pune directory lead

Tehnaz Ragi

Pune directory lead

Tehnaz Ragi Tehnaz is the Clinic Director of LIFEAsia (Learning Integration for Excellence). She is an Individual and Special Education Needs Consultant, Instructor and Facilitator, offering various programmes for Learning Integration Foundation and Empowerment, such as Sensory Integration, Brain Gym, OBO, RMT, EFT. She is also involved with LIFEPetals for Parent/Professional Empowerment, Training and Leadership Support. She loved the idea of building a directory to help families of children with special needs and is garnering momentum to do a similar directory for Pune. We thank her for helping us connect with pyschology students at St. Mira's who are currently gathering data through school surveys in Pune.

Anitha Shankar

Bangalore Directory Lead (Volunteer)

Anitha Shankar

Bangalore Directory Lead (Volunteer)

Anitha Shankar had similar plans to create service directory to help parents based in Bangalore. Instead of duplicating the effort, she decided to join hands and is leading the directory effort for Bangalore. She has single-handedly managed to expand Bangalore directory with a bunch of student interns and volunteers.

An adventure sports lover, an avid trekker, and an alumni of NOLS, she has always loved being close to nature. Her earlier ventures were related to outdoor education, nature, sustainability and survival in the wild.

Consultants

LOGOS Transformation

Translation Partner

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LOGOS Transformation

Translation Partner

LOGOS Transformation is working in the space of knowledge offerings and content offerings for organisations to enable and deliver high-value Customer Engagement and Experience through delightful conversations and content.

We take pride to be inclusive and equal opportunity workspace by providing meaningful livelihood options to People with Disabilities. 90% of our team includes individuals with varied impairments working across different locations of India.

Prerana Tushar Chouk

Translation Partner

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Prerana Tushar Chouk

Translation Partner

Prerana Tushar Chouk did her Masters in computer science(M.Sc - Csc). She has worked as software developer as well as computer science lecturer for few years. Her love towards reading and writing made her explore the world of languages and she started blogging with few social media platforms. She learnt Japanese and chose her passion as her career. She is currently working with "Applied Materials" as Japanese language associate and Marathi content developer with "Chimple Learning". Some of her Marathi and Hindi poems have got published in few Marathi magzines and her journey is ongoing.

Abhivyakti Mom

Acknowledgements

Ms. Afshan Jabeen, Dr. Usha Naik and Dr. Kanakalatha, Ms. Hima Bindu, Ms. Suruchi Bharagava, Ms. V. Sindhu
Mrs. Jayashree Ramesh of ASHA School, Bangalore, Ms. Vasanthalakshmi Pendlijeevi and Sumita Shastry of IRC, Bangalore
Rinny Naik, Aneesha Sharma, Anvita Mathur, Prasad Khose & Rahul Mohan, Satyanarayana Nagula for helping us on various design aspects
Ankita Agrawal, Archana Voleti, Bhooma Venkatesan, Devashish Chandra, Jayashree Vasudevan, Juhi Choudhury, Kavita Pereira, Kripa Krishnan, Maitree Mishra, Parvathy Ramakrishnan, Rasika Venkataraman, Susmita Sinha, and Usha Ramachandran for volunteering for surveys in early days
Arun Pillai, Sivakumar Vondivillu and P.R. Ranjith, for guiding us on various aspects of the website.
The students and faculty, Dr. Sonia Sawhney of the M.A.Education Program at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad for conducting surveys on inclusive schools in Hyderabad.
Our student volunteers: Simran Chhabria from Indore, Sudheendra Herkal of IITM, Chonbeni Shitiri, Roseleen Aind , Souptik Garai from UoH Mass communication,
Ms. Sharmeen and her students of Psychology from St. Mira’s College for Girls.
Anil Kumar (fourth Partner energy) for helping us with financials.
Youth For Seva Volunteers for providing support during Abhivyakti 2017, 2018
Mr. Anil Joshi, Deepa Garwa, Savithri Selvaraja and Rahul & Parul Vipparthi for their valuable feedback

About Nayi Disha

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People

Jo Chopra

Hari Subramanian

Kashyap Mody

Reema Gupta

Prachi Deo

Sudarsana Kundu

Vivek Subramanian

Dr Ajay Sharma

Dr Lokesh Lingappa

Dr. Ram Kairam

Abhijeet

Amala

Ambika Srinivasan

Aparna

Babita Bante

Jagdish Jalanila

Keshav

Nidhi Srivastava

Poornima Adim

Prachi Deo

Smita

Visalakshi M

Volunteer

Tehnaz Ragi

Anitha Shankar

Consultants

LOGOS Transformation

Prerana Tushar Chouk

Abhivyakti Mom

Acknowledgements

Special Child Assistance Network (SCAN)

Latika Roy Memorial Foundation

Ummeed Child Development Center

Avaz

Toothbudies

Jai Vakeel Foundation

Fragile X Society