Team Ahvaan

Founder

Indrajit has been involved with education in India for several decades. He is the longest-serving Life Member of the Delhi Public School Society and is Chairman of several Delhi Public Schools.

In his professional career, he was Director of the world’s leading quality control company, Societe Generale de Surveillance India, retiring as its Chairman. A graduate in Economics from St Stephen's College, Delhi, Indrajit read Law at the University of Cambridge and is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Accountants, England and Wales.

Co-Founder & Trustee

Sarvjeet graduated with distinction from the Central Institute of Education, Delhi University and taught English at Modern School, Delhi. An idealist at heart, with an abundant concern about the welfare of others, she has always worked towards a cause.

It was this motivation and a passion for education that inspired her to help conceive of Ahvaan. She has also been working with the Women’s Relief & Rehabilitation Trust since 1990. Her interests are wide-ranging and she enjoys literature, theatre, travel, gardening and her dogs!

Chairman & Trustee

After his education at Delhi and Cambridge Universities, Probir worked in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), retiring as Secretary to the Govt. of India and Secretary-General of the National Human Rights Commission.

During the course of his career in the IAS, Probir headed Indian Airlines and Air India, among other organisations. After retirement, he was appointed Director, India International Centre and served on the Boards of a number of Trusts and NGOs, which included Eklavya, the National Foundation for India, the Ramakrishna Ashram, Gwalior and presently, Sitaram Bhartia Hospital.

Vice Chairperson & Trustee

An innovative educationist, Abha has spent 40 years in Education, Media (BBC), Arts Management (Arts Council of England) both in India and the UK. She taught at her alma mater, Lady Shri Ram College and completed a second Masters in Theatre Arts at the University of Leeds, UK.

As former Director of the Shri Ram Schools and Adviser Education to Step by Step School Noida, she has been instrumental in founding and developing two major educational institutions in the country. Presently, she is an educational consultant working on Policy and Strategy to upgrade Government schools and teachers’ skills and proficiencies.

Trustee, Chairperson Finance Committee

Rakesh Jinsi is by education an Electrical Engineer. He brings 44 years of varied experience in the Corporate and the Not-for-Profit sector with expertise in the areas of Change/Turnaround Management, Business Operations and Organisation & People development.

He has held leadership positions with organisations such as Eicher, Hero Motors, Chase Manhattan, Force Motors, Tata Trucks, New Holland Fiat Tractors, SOS Children’s Villages and the School Of Inspired Leadership (SOIL).

He has been a member of a number of national-level bodies such as the National Human Rights Commission, Voluntary Action Network of India (VANI) - the apex body of the NGO sector; and the Proposal Approval Committee of the National Skill Development Corporation. He continues to be closely associated with the Not-for-Profit sector, serving as the Chairperson of the Board of SOS Children’s Villages of India, and the Khushboo Welfare Society.

He is also a Member International Senate (Governing Body) of SOS Children’s Villages International, Austria, and Member Advisory Board, Leadership et Humanities, a Chicago based Leadership development organization.

Trustee

Mandavi has been the Manager of Stokes Memorial School, Shimla, since 2011, where she also teaches Social Studies and English to classes 6 to 10. She has previously worked at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies – a foreign policy think tank in Washington, DC – working on Indo-US relations.

Mandavi studied at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi, and Rishi Valley School, Andhra Pradesh. She did her BA in Central Asian Studies at Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, her MA in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Massachusetts, and her PhD in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Trustee

Kanishka was educated at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University and graduated from the Huntsman Program of International Studies & Business at the School of Arts and Sciences; and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies.

He also has an LL.B. from Campus Law Centre at the University of Delhi and is licensed to practice law in India. His first job was as an investment banker in the Media Mergers & Acquisitions practice of Lazard Frères & Co. in New York.

He has spent the past decade and a half focused on doing political and social work in India. His social work is principally in the fields of rural development, healthcare and financial inclusion in Uttar Pradesh. He serves as a Trustee of the largest charitable hospital in Uttar Pradesh.

Trustee

Mitakshara Kumari is an education policy specialist with over 15 years of experience at the national and state levels. She has worked on strengthening public education systems, including leading the $300M World Bank–supported CHALK Project in Chhattisgarh and co-designing the Mor Balwadi initiative. Formerly with the National Knowledge Commission and National Innovation Council, she has advised on education, skills, and innovation policy. Mitakshara holds master’s degrees from Harvard and Sussex, and a BA from St. Stephen’s College.

Trustee

Priya is Senior Vice President, English Helper, was the Country Head, India, of Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Managing Director, Dāna Asia, Consultant /Advisor for Give2Asia and United Way International in India.

Priya also served as a Board Member of Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium, was an Advisory Board Member on Give2Asia’s Asian Philanthropy Advisory Network. She is a Trustee of All Creatures Great and Small – a shelter for animals in distress. A Senior Fellow of the Synergos Institute, a published author on global and Indian philanthropy, Priya graduated from the University of Madras with an M Phil in History.

Trustee

Preeti brings over 15 years of experience in broadcast media, having worked with prominent networks such as Network18, CNBC-TV18, Times Now, and the UTV Group.

In 2011, she transitioned to the social sector, where she has since dedicated herself to education and child welfare. Preeti completed her schooling at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Delhi, holds a B.Com (Hons) from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University, and earned a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) from the British Council.

She served as the Founding Director of Ahvaan for six years, after which she took a sabbatical to pursue a Master’s in Education from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. She later served as the Chief Operating Officer at Catalysts for Social Action, an organisation focused on alternative care for vulnerable children.

A firm believer in the power of creative teaching methods, Preeti is currently pursuing a Diploma in Creative Pedagogies from Leeds Beckett University.

Trustee and Legal Adviser

Prashanto has a Bachelor’s Degree in History (Hons) from St. Stephens College. He has completed his LLB from the University of Delhi, and a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from the University of Oxford, UK.

He commenced practice in the litigation department of the leading corporate law firm, Amarchand Mangaldas before joining the Chambers of Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Senior Advocate and Parliamentarian and former Additional Solicitor General of India. He established his independent practice in 2004 and was designated Senior Advocate in 2017.

Prashanto's principal practice area is commercial litigation and arbitration. He appears in both the Supreme Court as well as the High Court of India as well as a number of law Tribunals.

He is involved in public law matters and his larger engagement with civil society involves pro bono public interest work. He was part of the drafting committee of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006. He is one of the founder Editors of the Quarterly Bar Review of the Delhi High Court Bar Association. He is on the board of Charkha Development Communication Network, a non-profit organization that works towards inclusion of marginalized communities through the creative use of Media.

Chief Executive Officer

Rohan brings nearly two decades of experience spanning mission-driven organizations, public policy think tanks, start-ups, and government institutions in Asia and Europe. He has led governance reforms, large-scale interventions, and policy research across education, skilling, and financial inclusion. His work on public finance, governance, and inclusion has been published and presented internationally. Passionate about institution-building and strategy, Rohan is committed to human-centric growth grounded in the belief that meaningful change must honor human dignity.

Head of Programs

He works closely with SCERT and Samagra Shiksha to build system capacity towards strengthening the Balwadis and pre-schools via comprehensive teacher professional development programs and training a state cadre of master trainers.

Before joining Ahvaan, Manish played a pivotal role at Pratham, where he helped mainstream underprivileged children in Uttar Pradesh into government schools. As a Master Trainer with the Bharti Foundation, he contributed to establishing over 260 schools across multiple states, focusing on teacher capacity building.

Manish holds a degree from the Indian Institute of Rural Management and brings over 15 years of experience in the NGO and corporate social responsibility sectors. His expertise spans program development, pedagogy, and classroom practices.

Head, Curriculum Development

Sakshee brings over 10 years of experience in school education. Her work spans curriculum development, teacher capacity building, and program implementation. She has worked in Delhi and Tripura on early childhood education and foundational learning, collaborating with SCERTs and government partners. At Ahvaan, she has also deepened her expertise through professional development in instructional leadership and facilitation. Sakshee holds a B.El.Ed from Miranda House, a Master’s in Sociology from Jamia Millia Islamia, and a B.Ed from Maharishi Dayanand University.

Program Coordinator, Curriculum Development

Harpreet works as Program Coordinator - Curriculum at Ahvaan Trust and is passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences for learners in the foundational and primary years. With over nine years of experience in early education, she develops engaging, contextualized content, including poems, stories, interactive worksheets, and assessment materials. Drawing on her experience as an early years’ educator and coordinator at Prakriti School, Harpreet integrates proven pedagogical strategies to design impactful, learner-centered educational resources.

Continuous Professional Development

Babita has 11 years of experience in teacher training and curriculum development, with a focus on foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN). She has contributed to curriculum design for government schools and supported teacher capacity building across diverse settings. Her expertise lies in mentoring, coaching, and developing practical teaching resources that improve classroom outcomes. Babita holds Master’s degrees in English and Elementary Education, and has attained certificates in teacher mentoring and professional development from recognized institutions in India.

Fundraising and Partnerships

Astha is an impact-driven development professional with over eight years of experience in fundraising, partnerships, and program design. At Ahvaan, she heads the fundraising and partnerships vertical. Her career spans core team roles in organizations such as Saarthi Education and Nourishing Schools Foundation, where she built sustainable programs and forged meaningful partnerships. Astha holds an M.A. in Development from Azim Premji University.

Education MentorHead

Venita is Professor Emerita at Ambedkar University Delhi, where she has headed the School of Education Studies and Centre for Early Childhood Education and Development since its inception.

Venita, a Senior Education Specialist in the World Bank from 1998 to 2008, was Professor and Head of Department of Preschool and Elementary Education at the NCERT where she worked for more than 20 years.

She has a Master’s degree in Psychology from Allahabad University, for which she was awarded the Chancellor’s gold medal. Her doctorate is from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Education Mentor

Vijaya is a Distinguished Professor at Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD), having worked as Dean Planning since 2005. Following his retirement, he was awarded a Fellowship at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla.

He taught for almost 40 years at the Department of Physics and Astrophysics of the University of Delhi. Since 1972, he has also worked with the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme for rural government schoolteachers of Madhya Pradesh. He was the President and is still a member of the Governing Body of the Eklavya Foundation.

Vijaya was awarded an ICI fellowship to study theoretical physics at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, from where he obtained a DIC and a PhD.

Institutional Mentor

Mr. Ashok Dayal has had a long and illustrious career in the Financial Services sector and has headed several leading banking institutions. He was Managing Director, Grindlays Bank and Regional Director of Deutsche Bank for the Asia Pacific region. Presently he serves as a Director on several national and international companies.

An alumna of Sherwood College, Nainital, he graduated from St. Stephens College, University of Delhi. He is deeply committed to education reform and is passionate about Cricket!