Professional Experience:
I am a Research and Advocacy Specialist with over three years of experience working at the intersection of gender justice, education, and community development, particularly with Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) in India. At Samvedna, I currently lead two large-scale national studies supported by the National Commission for Women (NCW) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), covering more than 4,500 respondents across Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. These studies examine the socio-cultural factors perpetuating intergenerational prostitution and the barriers faced by children of women in accessing education. My role involves end-to-end research management: from designing tools, supervising data collection, and building codebooks to conducting mixed-methods analysis using ATLAS.ti, NVivo, SPSS, and Excel.
Beyond research, I contribute to program design and strategy for Samvedna’s grassroots interventions such as Pankh, Udaan, Lakshya, and Setu, which focus on education, livelihood, and youth leadership. I work closely with field teams to ensure that community narratives inform policy advocacy, and I support documentation, training, and dissemination of findings through reports, symposiums, and donor engagements.
My experience also extends to grant writing, donor relations, and compliance. I have drafted and managed proposals for foundations such as the SBI Foundation, Azim Premji Foundation, J-PAL South Asia, Breakthrough, and PwC India, aligning budgets, procurement policies, and programmatic strategies with donor requirements. I am well-versed in preparing utilization certificates, statements of expenditure, and policy briefs, ensuring both accountability and impact.
Academically, I bring a strong foundation in journalism and law to my work. My training in International Journalism at Cardiff University sharpened my research, writing, and editorial skills, while my Postgraduate Diploma in Human Rights Law from NLSIU strengthened my legal and rights-based analysis. This blend allows me to translate complex field insights into accessible knowledge products, ranging from thematic research chapters and policy briefs to public-facing articles and presentations.
I have also engaged actively in public speaking and knowledge dissemination. Recently, I presented at the “kNOw Fear” symposium at TISS Mumbai on the exclusion of Bedia women from rural public spaces. I am scheduled to deliver guest lectures and talks at institutions such as FLAME University, reflecting my commitment to bridging grassroots realities with academic and policy spaces.
In addition to research and advocacy, I have hands-on experience in community mobilization and direct support, including facilitating access to social security schemes, supporting wage recovery cases, and building awareness on education and gender rights among marginalized families. These experiences ground my work in the lived realities of the communities I serve.
Overall, I bring a unique blend of research rigor, policy engagement, and community-rooted practice. I am passionate about creating evidence-based, scalable solutions that address structural inequities and empower marginalized communities, particularly women and children from Denotified and Nomadic Tribes.