The Swatantra Talim team consists of both adults as well as children. Anyone and everyone who contributes in whatever way is a part of the team such as the shopkeeper who sold material to us, a friend who drove miles to introduce us to the villagers, a neighbor who waited for long to give us our keys when we got late from our learning center, to a mother who cooks everyday and waits to eat till we come home and so on and so forth. The list is endless and so are our team members. We are happy to have people around us who become a part of this effort in whatever way they can. They are Swatantrites as we like to call them, and all of them bring in new colors and ideologies into our work. Be it through their time, efforts, stories, experiments our passion, our team truly is what makes us who we are.
Here is a sneak-peak into who we're lucky to call 'team':
Here is a sneak-peak into who we're lucky to call 'team':
Vinod ji was born and brought up in Uttar Pradesh. He currently resides in a village near Mahmudabad, Sitapur. Post his schooling and graduation, he knew he wanted to do something different, not something that most of the people in his village were doing, especially farming. The education sector always intrigued him and with so much youth in the village, he knew there was a lot of scope of growth always.
With experience in organizations like Eklavya and Manzil, and workshops like the Teacher Author workshop by Sheetal Paul. Vinod ji has only and only grown over the years is a rock-solid support system for us!
With experience in organizations like Eklavya and Manzil, and workshops like the Teacher Author workshop by Sheetal Paul. Vinod ji has only and only grown over the years is a rock-solid support system for us!
Ridhi’s focus points are strategy, curriculum, and training. A graduate from Lady Shri Ram College (Delhi University), Ridhi is a post-graduate in education and commerce from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and Delhi School of Economics.
Passionate about working with children and devise engagement tools that co-create a learning environment for their joyful experience, Ridhi is also an avid storyteller and origami lover. She has been instrumental in co-creating maker-spaces in public, private schools and non-formal learning centres. She worked for six years in corporates, NGOs, and schools like Times of India, Edelweiss Capital, Naland (Lucknow), and Sahyadri School (Krishnamurthi Foundation India). She has been a Wipro Seeding Fellow since 2017. Recently, she has been awarded with ‘FabLearn Fellowship’ from Columbia University, New York. Under the fellowship, she is working in a cohort of numerius other academicians, educators, researchers.
Passionate about working with children and devise engagement tools that co-create a learning environment for their joyful experience, Ridhi is also an avid storyteller and origami lover. She has been instrumental in co-creating maker-spaces in public, private schools and non-formal learning centres. She worked for six years in corporates, NGOs, and schools like Times of India, Edelweiss Capital, Naland (Lucknow), and Sahyadri School (Krishnamurthi Foundation India). She has been a Wipro Seeding Fellow since 2017. Recently, she has been awarded with ‘FabLearn Fellowship’ from Columbia University, New York. Under the fellowship, she is working in a cohort of numerius other academicians, educators, researchers.
Rahul, at Swatantra Talim, has been instrumental in and dedicated to devising the organization’s strategy, curriculum, implementation, and performance monitoring. A qualified Chartered Accountant, Rahul holds a Bachelor’s degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University. Before devoting himself wholeheartedly to Swatantra Talim, he did a stint in Sahyadri School, Pune (KFI India) as a bursar-cum-teacher.
He has worked as a Financial Analyst in Airtel and PepsiCo in his corporate career for ten years. Overall, these years, Rahul has grown closer to the education system, sometimes intending to make education more accessible to the rural children, and sometimes for them to develop a scientific temper and become more open and curious individuals. Rahul is now pursuing his MA in Elementary Education from TISS, Mumbai.
He has worked as a Financial Analyst in Airtel and PepsiCo in his corporate career for ten years. Overall, these years, Rahul has grown closer to the education system, sometimes intending to make education more accessible to the rural children, and sometimes for them to develop a scientific temper and become more open and curious individuals. Rahul is now pursuing his MA in Elementary Education from TISS, Mumbai.
A mechanical engineer(2014), Abhishek has worked with Padmashri Dr. H C Verma sir (Concept of physics author), IIT Kanpur and is currently volunteering in some of his projects. He has travelled all over the country, had stints at various schools, colleges and organizations to conduct science workshops over the past three years.
Abhishek is also in a partnership with Borosil (Asia's leading chemistry glassware company) to make chemistry experiment tutorials on YouTube. He also creates science experiment videos on YouTube channel Study Labs. If ‘scientific temper’ had a face in our team, it would be Abhishek’s.
Abhishek is also in a partnership with Borosil (Asia's leading chemistry glassware company) to make chemistry experiment tutorials on YouTube. He also creates science experiment videos on YouTube channel Study Labs. If ‘scientific temper’ had a face in our team, it would be Abhishek’s.
Having written and conceptualised many plays in Lucknow, Apurva is very experienced and keen to work in theatre and films. She has worked as an Assistant Director, Continuity Script Supervisor and Casting Director on films, series, short films and advertisements across Mumbai and Lucknow. Some of those are the recently released Gulaabo Sitaabo on Amazon Prime and A Suitable Boy on Netflix.
Children Theatre is something that is extremely close to her heart and she has been working in the sector for over ten years now. Apurva has also worked with different schools and NGOs and for different villages for conducting theatre workshops for children across the county. Her aim is to integrate theatre and storytelling with education for the greater good of art and society.
Children Theatre is something that is extremely close to her heart and she has been working in the sector for over ten years now. Apurva has also worked with different schools and NGOs and for different villages for conducting theatre workshops for children across the county. Her aim is to integrate theatre and storytelling with education for the greater good of art and society.
After being a journalist for two years, Alisha made a sly switch in her career in 2015 and got into the social sector, with an interest in Youth, Mental Health, and Gender. She has been working with women, youth, and children across UP, Bihar, and Haryana over the years, in various capacities (sometimes as a life skills facilitator, marketing manager and sometimes for non-profits in their communication team as a writer).
With a Bachelor's in Journalism and a Master’s in Social Work, she has worked as a freelancer, taking writing projects on social and developmental issues. Coming from brave, Punjabi-Muslim parentage, she is a hoarder of free speech, love, and human rights and doesn’t see her identity independent of those, ever, personally or professionally.
With a Bachelor's in Journalism and a Master’s in Social Work, she has worked as a freelancer, taking writing projects on social and developmental issues. Coming from brave, Punjabi-Muslim parentage, she is a hoarder of free speech, love, and human rights and doesn’t see her identity independent of those, ever, personally or professionally.