Panelists



Comment Author

Ashraf Patel

Ashraf has played a key role in shaping the youth work field over two decades as co founder of Pravah and ComMutiny - The Youth Collective. She is a passionate advocate of inside-out youth leadership and committed to strengthening youth-centric development and societal well-being based on values of justice, equality, liberty and fraternity. Towards this aim she is currently part of co-creating vartaLeap Coalition, a cross-sectoral community with 180 leading organisations, policymakers and key stakeholders who intend to scale the mission ‘Every youth a Jagrik, Every space nurturing Jagriks’ (Jagrik means a self-awakened, active citizen) while keeping alive its soul.

Comment Author

Alina Alam

Alina believes that compassion & courage are the two weapons that could eradicate most problems that our world faces today. Development is inclusive and can only happen by embracing and empowering people from the most vulnerable factions of the society,and an efficient way to do it is through enabling them with a means to livelihood which is both sustainable and allows them to lead a life with dignity.
With this thought,she started Mitti Café while at University with an aim to create platforms for adults with physical, intellectual and psychiatric disabilities to showcase their abundant potential for productive activity and create awareness for the cause of equal opportunities in employment . The organisation’s outreach initiative helps create awareness about inclusion and disability rights.

Comment Author

Divanshu Kumar

Devanshu Kumar is a visionary leader and social entrepreneur, serving as the Co-founder and CEO of Solinas Integrity, a deep-tech startup developing robotic solutions for the pipeline and sanitation industry. With a focus on addressing critical challenges such as water leakages and manual scavenging, Devanshu's innovative products, including ENDOBOT and HOMOSEP, are revolutionizing infrastructure maintenance and improving societal well-being. As a Co-founder and Director of Involve - Empowering Students, Devanshu is also dedicated to empowering students through peer-based learning models, fostering their agency and enabling informed decision-making. With a strong commitment to creating positive change, Devanshu Kumar is driving transformative impact and shaping a better future for communities and young minds alike.

Comment Author

Anupama Muhuri

She holds a Post Graduate degree in Sociology from Calcutta University and has worked in the Development Sector for over 19 years. Her areas of expertise include Child Rights, Education, Public Campaigns, Volunteer Management Strategies, Policy Advocacy, Disaster Risk Reduction, Consultations and Workshops, and Programme Monitoring & Evaluation.

Anupama is passionate about understanding people and the issues that affect them, which led her to work in this field. Through her work, she focuses on listening to voices, capturing unspoken concerns, and continuously learning and un-learning to make a positive impact on people's lives. She believes that diverse ideas and actions can bring about meaningful change and acknowledges that there is always more work to be done. Her core areas of focus include strategy development, facilitating diverse teams, implementing virtual volunteering and employee volunteering programs, leading public campaigns, content creation and documentation, and nurturing partnerships

Comment Author

Anoj Viswanathan

An alumnus of the National University of Singapore, Anoj is the Co-founder and President of Milaap. He largely oversees all operations (campaigns, business development, digital marketing and technology) at Milaap.
Anoj has been associated with the world of microfinance and business development through his professional roles with the Microfinance Society of Singapore, SKS Microfinance, ReEx Capital Asia, D. light design, Frost & Sullivan and Microappli.
It is this experience of Anoj that led him to fully utilize the power of microfinancing for projects across the country through Milaap

Comment Author

Ajay Kashyap

Mr Ajay Kashyap, Convenor of #Y20India Secretariat, is the Representative of India to the Commonwealth Youth Council, the official youth body of the Commonwealth Nations, appointed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.A lawyer by education, Ajay worked in the sphere of Public Policy for three years, including in the office of President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. His interests also include Indian History, Foreign Policy & Security Studies. He aims to work towards poverty alleviation & access to healthcare & education in India. Ajay Kashyap is a student in the 2021-22 cohort of UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)'s Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Comment Author

Aashu Calapa

Aashu Calapa is a Daan Utsav Volunteer. Aashu has over 21 years of experience in the human resources function. Aashu has worked with Firstsource, Wipro Technologies, one of India's leading IT companies, where he was HR lead for the BFSI vertical, ERP horizontal & the Corporate vertical. Aashu holds a Master's degree in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).