GF Profiles

Gandhi Fellowship, Batch I

Toiba Sultana, Miranda House, University of Delhi

Toiba ventured out of the green valleys of Assam she calls home to pursue higher studies in Political Science from Delhi University. In college she was actively engaged with organisations dealing with issues of social change.

Toiba still remembers the day she saw the Gandhi Fellowship poster. The Fellowship required motivated young people to work with enthusiasm and rigour to orchestrate a revolution in the education sector.  “8 schools, 1,000 children and YOU” seemed like a perfect recipe.

At the Fellowship, Toiba imbibed the culture of “Action and Reflection”. She now firmly believes the dictum: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”. Toiba wishes to return to Assam one day and work for the youth of the state. In the interim, she is honing her youth mentoring skills as a Programme Leader with Kaivalya.  

Sugandha Munshi, Miranda House, University of Delhi

Going by her purpose, rigour and achievements, Sugandha, 23, can be called the antithesis of modern Bihar. Her insistent passions have taken her to national and international levels in matters relating to development. With a background in Political Science and Journalism from Miranda House College Sugandha joined the Fellowship “to be where the action is” and to go beyond sloganeering and rhetoric.

Taking one step ahead is the mantra of her life. For Sugandha, the Fellowship has been a journey from India to Bharat. Learning from failures and understanding from the plausible successes, she doesn’t hesitate to say, ‘I experiment, therefore I am’.

Sugandha has gone back to Bihar and is working as the head of the gender cell in UNICEF, Bihar. In the long term she has set her eyes on a career in politics in her home state.

 Gandhi Fellowship, Batch II

 Nibedita Parajuli, Miranda House, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi

Nibedita, with her remarkably variegated personality, is best compared to a beautiful river making its way to meet the vast all encompassing sea. Navigating through the rocky terrain of the Fellowship she displayed an impetuousness that is her most endearing trait. She burrowed deep into the earth, preferring to unravel mysteries through her experiences rather than the leaves of dusty old text-books.

Her musings on her “Slum Immersion” experiences are a joy to listen to. A voracious reader, compulsive traveller and self-confessed sleep addict, she (on much coaxing and cajoling) displays an enviable grace in her dance moves.

Nibedita dreams of going back to her home state of Assam and work for its development. She intends to use the Gandhi Fellowship experience to bring real and lasting change. Given a choice, she would run a special Fellowship for the students from the North-East because she says, “it was one of the finest experiences I collected over my entire educational career.”

She is now a Programme leader at Gandhi Fellowship Programme.

Divya Jain, Miranda House, University of Delhi

Aptly christened “pocket-size powerhouse” by her college juniors, Divya is a gifted painter. She has an engaging and unpretentious approach to conversation. Divya is at once patient, passionate, deeply reflective and fiercely protective of her friends and ideals. She adores little children and it never ceases to amaze her just how much she can learn from them.

The Fellowship, she claims, gave her the space to experiment, observe and interpret things in her own way. She has blossomed in a culture that dispenses with direct monitoring and encourages each Fellow to design his personal parameters of achievement and success.

Though unclear of what the future holds, Divya is certain that her Private Dream will be a manifestation of her love for children.

Gandhi Fellowship, Batch III

 Abhishek Choudhary, BA English Hons, University of Delhi
Abhishek is courageous, confident and committed. Student politics and theatre activism have defined a large part of this young adult’s life. He is a keen student of psychology. Abhishek’s dream is to spark a cultural revolution in his home state of Bihar.

Arpita Roy Karmakar, MSc Economics, University Of Calcutta
Emotional, intense and something of a dreamer, Arpita enjoys reading, travelling, trekking, art and music. She joined the Fellowship to do something out of the box and to broaden her perspectives. Not entirely certain of how and where, Arpita is looking for a career in development sector.

Hemant Kumar, BA Life Sciences, Hansraj College, University of Delhi
Hemant is an athlete and he loves reading as well. A quiet, reserved Fellow, Hemant is intensely curious about how the world works. His time at the Fellowship has been one of personal reflection. Hemant continues to love sports and is looking for a way he can use the playing field as a learning ground for life.

Ishrat Jahan, Miranda House, Delhi University
Inherently experimental and curious, Ishrat is a small-town girl, who's not afraid to show her confusions. Known for carving earrings out of broken branches, Ishrat is an open, creative and talented youngster. Ishrat is sure about one thing: she wants to work with and for young people.

Janardhan Sale, MA Geography, MEd, MPhil
Energetic and gregarious, Janardhan wanted to work with youngsters and tribals in the field of education. For him the Fellowship is a dream come true. He enjoyed almost all aspects of it. He feels that he has developed some core strengths like patience and ability to make decisions and solve problems, 

Kumar Abhishek, University of Delhi
Kumar Abhishek has a zest for living that is fully manifest in his exuberant personality. He enjoys people and working as a team has been a source of rich learning for him. Abhishek likes to explore and reflect on various dimensions of human engagement. He says he has a better understanding of himself and others now.

Mansi Babar, MSW, Sardar Patel University
Mansi describes herself as neither outgoing nor introverted. She doesn’t like labels. Her most valuable lesson from the Fellowship was the awareness she gained of herself, her working style, her strengths and weaknesses. She hopes to put all of this to good use in development sector.

Munshi Ismotara, Mass Communication, Visva-Bharati University
Starting out on a journey of self discovery, Munshi chose the platform of the Gandhi Fellowship to find her own motivations. She wanted to know what path she should take to become an agent of change. Energetic and intense, Munshi finds it easier to express herself through art.

Pallavi, Mumbai University
From Chemistry labs to communication media, and from grass root work with NGOs to interning with ISRO, Pallavi has followed her dreams. Wherever they have taken her. She is passionate, daring and adventurous. Pallavi likes challenges and wants to use her energies and experiences for the betterment of society.

Paulomee Roy Chowdhury, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan
Paulomee says the Gandhi Fellowship has worked for her as a mirror. It helped her to see herself and her actions more clearly. Assertive and confident by nature, Paulomee came to appreciate the value of acceptance. She plans to continue in development sector, possibly child development.

Princee Chaudhary, BA Elementary Education, Delhi
Born and brought up in Delhi, Princee follows many creative pursuits. Cooking is one of them. As a Gandhi Fellow she has learnt to look at the same situation in many different ways. It has taught her flexibility, empathy and sensitivity. Princee would like to continue working in the field of education and with children.

Rashmi , BBA, Calcutta University
For Rashmi learning is a continuous process. She has an amazing capacity to convert every challenge into an opportunity for learning. She loves children and has a passion for education.  Her ability to be deeply self reflective has been of use to her on her journey as a Gandhi Fellow.
 
Ritwik Chatterjee, PGD, Marketing Communication, NSHM Institute of Media and Communication
Ritwik describes himself as a storyteller. He wants to make films and tell his stories. The Gandhi Fellowship has given him a chance to reflect on what role he wants to play in some of these stories. He believes his greatest strength is honesty. Ritwik says he would like to explore and understand all that’s around and inside him.

Rovin Pushp, BCom, Hons, University of Delhi
Rovin’s range of interests is long. Sports, travelling, reading, writing poetry, drawing, playing the flute – he wants to try his hand at everything. His soft-spoken demeanour hides a passionate need to understand the ways of the world .  The Fellowship taught him the importance of planning, reflection and teamwork. Rovin wants to work for a better world.

Sambita Mondal, MSW, Shantiniketan
Sambita believes in enjoying every moment to the full. She says she enjoys social interaction and solitude equally. Sambita has gained in confidence in the last year as a Gandhi Fellow. Sambita is not yet sure how, but she would like to work for the empowerment of women.

Sandeep Mathpati, MSW, Pune
Sandeep is shy by nature. He prefers to see the world through his camera. He says the Fellowship has been a journey of self discovery. Sandeep might return to his village to do some meaningful social work. But filmmaking still allures him. Perhaps, he will find a way to marry the two!
 
Shital Lad, BSW, Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai
A people’s person, Shital enjoys the human side of all that she does. She has a robust response to life and tries not to let it get her down. Shital says she was energised by working with the children she met through the Gandhi Fellowship. Therein might lie her long-term commitment.

Shweta Vyas, Philosophy Hons, University of Delhi
A person of few words, Shweta feels she can speak her mind when necessary. She believes perseverance is an important attribute. Shweta describes her Fellowship experience as full of highs and lows. She says she has learnt two vital lessons from her first year: to be non-judgmental and to be creative in problem solving.

Sumedha Kandpal, BA, Miranda House, University of Delhi
Sumedha is a shy person with a range of interests. She likes travelling, photography, writing, craftwork and reading. She used her time at the Fellowship to understand how attitudes are so critical to everything we do. She hopes her journey with the Fellowship will help her find what drives her the most.

Vivek Kumar, BTech, SRM University, Chennai
An outgoing person, Vivek claims to have a ‘strange’ sense of humour. The Fellowship has honed his critical thinking skills and his need for personal reflection. Vivek feels he is now more self aware and better equipped to make decisions. He is interested in theatre and filmmaking. Vivek hopes to merge these passions with his newfound interest in education.