Governing Council
Dr. Bindu Prasad: Clinical psychologist and special educator, Dr. Prasad is a consultant to Sardar Patel Vidhyalay and a board member of the Indian Association for Family Therapy in India. She has been a planner and trainer of orientation courses in family therapy. Dr. Prasad has also been the founder-director, Child Guidance Centre, Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Welfare Society, Jamia Millia Islamia. She has presented academic papers and conducted workshops on learning disabilities and family therapy in India, USA, Norway, Finland and Israel.
Audio visuals by her include Special Children, a film illustrating cases of autism, dyslexia and sensory neural hearing loss and School Ka Ek Din, made in collaboration with Jamia Millia Islamia.
Isar: Supports people as a Health Coach. He also volunteers at meditation centers and retreats. Isar previously coached football in Valencia, Spain and South Carolina, USA. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, New York, where he was a student-athlete and focused on philosophy, psychology, Spanish, and sport. Isar completed the Nalanda Diploma Course in Buddhist Philosophy from Tibet House, New Delhi and is certified in Compassionate Integrity Training with UNESCO MGIEP. Isar attended Mirambika - A Free Progress School and received the International Baccalaureate Diploma from British School, New Delhi. His hobbies include exploring different cities and spending time with his two legged and four-legged family.
Dr. Kamala Menon: She has been actively involved in curriculum coordination and research in elementary and secondary pedagogy in a Free Progress system. A practitioner of Integral education she is closely associated with Mirambika Free Progress School.
Currently involved with evolving a curriculum for skill training of teachers, she passionately pursues her interest in teacher education in the school and with the SCERT Delhi.
She works with the Delhi Science Forum, for popularising astronomy and scientific temper.
Madhu Sahi: Different influences and motivations lead us to act, volunteer or advocate for something. For Madhu, this motivation comes from her experience of growing up in a large philanthropic family and her love for working with children whose hearts are untainted and whose thoughts are unbridled. She believes education and vocational training is a basic human right and she serves to usher our youth to attain this right.
Madhu has been a pioneer in the catering industry and was responsible for introducing Delhi to its first Chinese food truck. When most people her age were ready to retire, she again showed ingenuity by bringing together capable educators and social workers to establish NavAbhiyan that has now become a lifeline for the less fortunate children and youth of the Jangpura area.
When she is not jumping off planes while skydiving (60th B’day celebration) or deep-sea diving in Dubai, Madhu passionately spoils her grandchildren. She is an ardent traveller. Madhu is also an innovative cook and is currently developing a line of vegan delicacies. She loves creating handmade products that can be duplicated by the students of Navya.
Meeta Mastani: An internationally renowned print/natural dye artist and community development advocate, Meeta works at the intersection of sustainable development, culture, craft, design, arts and retail, expressing herself through different media and helping to generate livelihoods for marginalized communities. She has done collaborative work in different parts of the world, and has taught as an artist in residence at UW Madison in the U.S. Her work has individually or collectively been part of many prestigious shows like: The fabric of India, Victoria – Albert Museum, London – Madison Children’s Museum, Madison – Wisconsin Fermentation Fest, Reedsburg, Wisconsin…
She has co-founded and set up offline and online retail outfits for craft and design and consults in the area of retail merchandising and craft marketing. Inspired by Indian folk traditions, she has been teaching in the last few years. She enjoys collaborating with other artists and has done projects with several artists in India & overseas.
Paro Anand: Best known for her writings for young adults, she has always challenged preconceived notions of the limits of writings for young people. She has used literature as a creative outlet for young people in difficult circumstances, especially with orphans of separatist violence in Kashmir. Notable amongst her writings are No Guns At My Son’s Funeral, Weed, Wild Child, Wingless and The Little Bird Who Held The Sky Up With His Feet.
The Russian Centre for Science and Culture awarded her for her contribution to children’s literature. Paro Anand has headed the National Centre for Children’s Literature, the apex body for children’s literature in India. She is a renowned performance storyteller and has performed her stories all over India and in UK, Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore.
Sohail Hashmi: B.A. (Hons) in Geography and M.A. and M.Phil. in Regional Development, Sohail has worked extensively among slum dwellers, unorganised workers and shop hands of old Delhi. He began working as a script writer at PTI TV, in 1991, and continues to work as writer and film maker. He was media consultant to the national literacy mission. He is founding trustee of SAHMAT, writes about Delhi and on issues of communalism, culture and identity. He conducts heritage walks, loves to listen to music and to cook.
Usha Srinivasan: B.Sc. (Hons) and M.Ed., she is the founder member of The Civil Services Society, Sanskriti School and a member of the Commission on Education and Communication (IUCN).
As a member of the senior management team of Development Alternatives, Ms. Usha Srinivasan has managed the Nationwide CLEAN-India network and coordinated the Earth Charter programme and ZERI Education programme. With over 30 years of experience, she has authored papers, training manuals and books on Science, Astronomy and Environment. She is the recipient of National Science talent scholarship and National award for Innovative Science teaching. With a diploma in fine arts, she has interests in pottery, sculpture, painting, classical and Carnatic music, classical dance, films, reading, travelling and gardening.
Dr Vidya Gupta: After graduating from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Dr Gupta trained in Paediatrics and Neonatology in UK. She was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. She is currently working as a Senior Consultant Neonatologist in Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.
Vijay Bharti: An educationist at heart, she started her formal Journey in Integral Education in 1982 with Mirambika, a Free Progress School, run by Sri Aurobindo Educational Society, at the premises of Sri Aurobindo Ashram-Delhi Branch, where she was trained as a teacher educator in Integral Education. Since then, she has facilitated understanding and deepening the process of education and self-development in the light of Integral Education. At present she is living and working in Sri Aurobindo Ashram-Delhi branch and is passionately involved in the Vocational Training Programme where she is practicing her understanding of Integral Education and Integral yoga with young adults who come for vocational training in the Ashram.