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OUR TEAM

Our well-trained, engaged, and dedicated team of 2534 professionals – 19 in HQ office in Delhi, and 2515 in the field in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh along with 3389 volunteers ensures that all children receive a high-quality school education that prepares them for future success.

Dayaram

Executive Director
Dayaram was the Education Head of the Aga Khan Foundation, New Delhi, for six years. He served as the Chief Consultant for 7 years in the Alternative Schooling Unit of the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA),

a flagship programme of the Government of India for Universalisation of Elementary Education. He was also the Deputy Director and Coordinator at Lok Jumbish, Jaipur.

Dayaram has a MA in Sociology and a M.Phil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His areas of interest are enhancing the quality of school education, including decentralised planning and management of school, innovative classroom practices, community participation and ownership, education of marginalised children and evolving sustainable and replicable model of school improvement.

Dayanand Thakur

Finance Director
Dayanand Thakur is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant. He is a Commerce graduate from L.N.M.U. He has 6+ years of experience handling finance, taxation, and accounting with key focus on tax administration, statutory compliance,
FCRA, auditing, accounting, financial reporting, and budgeting for various organisations. He has experience handling the complete process of statutory, internal & tax audits, audit reports drafting and reconciliation of accounts. His technical strengths are good knowledge of MS office, Computax, and Tally ERP 9.

Dr. Kartika Bhatia

Research and Evaluation Advisor
Kartika is a development economist with research interests encompassing education, governance, gender, conflict, violence, and migration. She is an assistant research professor at the Centre for Global Learning (GLEA) at Coventry University in the United Kingdom.
She spent four years as the Research Director at Aspire, leading impactful data-driven research on key education challenges. These efforts addressed post-COVID learning recovery, augmented public education spending, and ensured universal access for marginalized children. Previously, as an Economist at the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa Vice-President Office in Washington DC, Kartika co-authored research on violent extremism, refugee dynamics, inclusive growth, and post-conflict reconstruction. Kartika earned her MA in Economics from Delhi School of Economics, India, and her Ph.D. in Economics from Toulouse School of Economics, France.

Prabodh Bhambal

Senior Advisor
Prabodh has over 25 years of experience in the development sector and spent 14 years at the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Finance Officer. Working in both international
and national level organisations, he managed over 200 projects across almost 100 countries, established legal entities in various countries, developed strategic plans, and mentored and hired senior staff from multicultural settings across several countries. Prabodh managed the budget development for India’s National TB program from 2001-2004, which included applications to the World Bank’s 5-year program for $100 million as well as applications to Global Fund. He has led budget development with USAID, Bloomberg Philanthropies, AFD, Global Fund and others during his time at The Union. He is on the board of several organisations as well as on the Finance Committee of the STOP TB Partnership and is a senior advisor to APCAT – an alliance of Mayors from 78 cities working in health. Currently, as Chief Executive Officer of 360 Dialogues Social Impact Private Limited, he is building sustainable projects in health and education.

Prabodh has a MBA in Finance from the Maastricht School of Management, Netherlands and has worked at Danida (Danish International Development Assistance) (5 years), World Health Organization (3 years), and Aga Khan Foundation (3 years).

Vinod Dhyani

HR Manager
Vinod Dhyani joined ASPIRE as HR Manager in October 2017. Previously, he worked as the Finance and Administration Coordinator at Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, New Delhi for 22 years.

Ravi Kumar

State Program Head, Odisha
Ravi Kumar has decades long experience working with national and international development organisations. He joined Aspire in 2015 as block in-charge and quickly
grew to become the coordinator of Keonjhar district and now serves as the Odisha State Program Head. He is the lifeline of our field operations in Odisha and leads field teams in 19 blocks in Odisha.

Ganthulawar Naresh

State Program Head, Jharkhand
Ganthulawar Naresh sees it as his life’s mission to work towards ensuring the rights of children. He has been part of various movements
towards this cause since 2001. Before joining Aspire, he worked with the MV foundation in his home state of Telengana, where he started as a community volunteer and worked up to the level of District Education Person. Naresh joined Aspire in March 2015 as a block coordinator and quickly grew to become the State Program Head for Jharkhand. Under his leadership, we have established teams in 16 blocks of West Singhbhum district.

Dr. Maheswata Das

Research and Documentation Officer
Maheswata Das joined ASPIRE in November, 2020. She oversees data collection for household surveys to
assess the status of out of school children in our work areas. She also oversees the ICDS operations in Odisha. She is based in Keonjhar, Odisha. Maheswata has a Ph.D. from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Her research interests are development, displacement, and livelihood issues.

Pratikshya Borthakur

program Manager
Pratikshya joined the Aspire program team in January 2024. She currently focuses on supporting gender-related interventions and also oversees the implementation of their project in Odapada, Odisha. Pratikshya is an engineering graduate with a B.tech in Electronics and communication engineering from Manipal institute of Technology.
Before joining Aspire, Pratikshya gained valuable experience as an Assistant Manager at Indian Bank, where she spent 3 years and 9 months working in semi-urban and rural areas of upper Assam. It was during this time, particularly through her engagement with rural communities in financial literacy camps, that her interest in the social sector intensified. Driven by her passion for addressing gender issues and effecting positive change in society, she joined the social sector. She embarked on her journey in the sector with a Post Graduate Degree in Development Management (PGP-DM) from ISDM, Noida, which she attained in 2023. This professional degree not only deepened her understanding of the sector but also equipped her with leadership and managerial skills. Beyond her professional pursuits, Pratikshya enjoys playing lawn tennis, a passion she cultivated during her school days, where she competed at the state level. Additionally, she is an avid movie enthusiast, finding joy in regular trips to the cinema.

Sandipa Sinha

Communications and Partnerships Officer
Sandipa joined Aspire in March 2022 and has been the force behind Aspire’s very first crowdfunding initiative, the Foundational Learning Campaign that was launched in August 2022 on Give India platform. Since joining, she has been working consistently
to increase the reach of Aspire’s name and explore new streams of funding. At the heart of all her efforts is a passion for improving education for children in our country. She works to raise awareness of the wonderful work Aspire is doing by reaching out to people and organisations through our social media platforms, events, emails etc. highlighting our current programs, initiatives, and also building more partnerships for funding.

Sandipa is a Science graduate with a MBA and has experience in media marketing with companies like India Today, Business Standard, and ABP. A lover of long walks and drives, she spends her time out of work with her family, travelling, reading and listening to music.

Vishal

MIS Officer
Vishal joined Aspire in October 2021 and has worked on household surveys, budgeting, HR management, data collection, and interpretation. He supports the Executive Director in planning and implementation of new projects. As someone interested in working with data,
Vishal enjoys working with Aspire and helping the organisation make data-driven decisions. He values his time working at the grassroots level and getting to know rural India better. Before joining Aspire, Vishal worked as an Associate Software Engineer for NIIT for 2 years and has done a MCA from IGNOU. Outside work, Vishal strives to stay updated on current world affairs and plays table tennis.

Satish

Monitoring and Learning Officer
Satish monitors the overall project progress for Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh at the Delhi office and provides analytical and supervisory support to the field teams as needed. He recently helped to revive libraries in government schools in our program areas
and is currently gearing up to support a social audit of childrens’ learning levels. He also provides analytical and planning support to our Foundational Learning intervention. Previously, he worked with two organisations in Lucknow and Bihar to improve the learning levels of government primary school children. He used locally available resources to teach concepts in Math, Language, and Science through practical activities and experiments. During Covid-19 lockdown, he worked with a collective in Bihar to maintain continuity of learning for children from rural and marginalised communities.

With a strong belief in education changing the lives of the marginalised, Satish aims to continue contributing to primary school education. He has a M.A. in Education from Azim Premji University, Bangalore. In his spare time, Satish loves to travel off the beaten path in India, and plays cricket and basketball.

Dr. Dipita Bhattacharya

Monitoring and Learning Officer
Dipita joined Aspire in 2022. She monitors the overall project progress for Odisha at the Delhi office and provides analytical and supervisory support to the field teams as needed. She has 4 years of experience working as a Project Consultant
in a national project “School Standards and Evaluation” at National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA). She has prior experience in teacher education and school education. She had assisted research teams in conducting case studies for a UNESCO research project titled “Situational Analysis on the Uses of Frontier Technologies in Teaching and Learning in Primary and Secondary Education”.

Dipita has a Masters in Science (M.Sc.) and Masters in Education (M.Ed.) from University of Lucknow. She completed her doctoral thesis from Faculty of Education, Banaras Hindu University. She has interest in early childhood, learning, assessment, science education, teacher professional development, and school governance.

Sunil Kumar

Communication Officer
Sunil is a documentary filmmaker and a political activist. His first film “Rice Bowl to Ashtray” investigates the impact of unbridled industrialization, privatisation of water, and acquisition of agricultural land on the life and livelihood of
indigenous population in Chhattisgarh. It won the 2015 C. Sarathchandran Documentary Film Award at Vibgyor film festival in Kerala. His second film “Ammi” is the story of Fatima Nafees’s quest to find her son, who mysteriously disappeared one night and has never been found. “Ammi ” has received coverage in Indian media and was recently showcased at Kathmandu film festival.

Prior to film-making, Sunil was an active movement builder. He has spearheaded and built several movements against state repression and police brutality. He has also assisted Anil Chamadia, a noted Hindi media journalist in making a RSTV documentary film. He has toured India extensively with Jean Dreze, an avant-garde activist-researcher and done surveys on localised power structure, conflict, and poverty in rural India. He also designed and implemented surveys with Prof. Anirban Kar at Delhi School of Economics on the nature of political landed class in rural India. Sunil holds a Master and M.Phil. in Dramatics & Film Studies from Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi University, Wardha.

Haldhar

State Learning Head, Odisha
A government school teacher before joining the development sector, Haladhar believes that his work at Aspire can help develop the next generation of change-makers. He joined Aspire in 2015 as block learning coordinator and worked his way to become
the State Learning Head for Odisha. He has completed graduation and DCA and has been part of many pedagogical training programs with both the government and various NGOs.

Upendra

State Learning Head, Jharkhand
An artist at heart, hailing from Odisha’s Nuapada district, Upendra obtained bachelor and masters degrees from Sambalpur University. His work at Aspire is driven by his strong passion towards social causes and helping children become self-directed learners.
Since joining Aspire in 2015, Upendra has worked as a block learning coordinator in Harichandanpur and Sukinda blocks before assuming the responsibility of State Learning Head of Jharkhand. His interests include innovative pedagogy, learning through arts, theatre, and community empowerment.

Dhruba Charan Rout

State MIS Head, Odisha
Dhruba joined Aspire in June 2016 and is from Nuapada district in Odisha. Before joining Aspire, he worked as a RTE coordinator at the American India Foundation and Lokadrusti Odisha.
At Aspire, he oversees data collection, management, and storage for Odisha blocks. He has completed his BCA and is in his final year of MCA.

Deepak Kumar

State MIS Head, Jharkhand
Deepak completed his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Application from IGNOU, Delhi in 2015 and joined Aspire in March 2018 . He is from Ranchi, Jharkhand. Prior to Aspire, he worked
in a High School in West Singhbhum, Jharkhand as a school coordinator under an ICT Project. He currently oversees data collection, management, and storage for Jharkhand blocks.

K.Narayana

Program Coordinator, west bengal
Kardhar became a part of Aspire in March 2015, serving as the Block Coordinator for Kharagpur 1, West Bengal. He has a passion for working with children, which he has demonstrated through
his involvement with various organizations prior to joining Aspire.Kardhar is known for his honesty, hard work, and leadership skills, and he takes pride in leading his team with integrity.

Uttam

Program Coordinator, Chattissgarh
Uttam, our Block Coordinator in Chattisgarh, joined Aspire in Jan’23 .He holds double Masters degrees and an MSW from Indore.With nearly two decades of experience in human rights, Uttam has helped marginalized
communities in Madhya Pradesh access their rights and government benefits. Currently, he is overseeing our Jan Pahal Project in Korba District, in Chattisgarh, bringing his expertise to our new intervention area.

Priti Singh

Finance Officer
Priti Singh joined ASPIRE in February 2018 as a Finance Officer. She has a Masters in Commerce and handles budget and accounts for 2 Jharkhand blocks of
the Education Signature Program, Delhi Project, and FCRA projects. Prior to joining Aspire, she worked at the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) for two years.

Debjyoti Ghosh

Research and Documentation Officer
Debjyoti Ghosh is the Research and Documentation Officer at ASPIRE, overseeing the Documentation department. He joined the organization in March 2024. Additionally, he serves as the Program Manager for the School Improvement Project in Jharkhand, aiming to provide teachers with better educational support for children’s development
Debjyoti holds an M.Phil. in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, focusing on social history, identity, education, and related movements. Prior to his current role, he worked as a teaching assistant at IIT-BHU for a year. Outside of work, he enjoys painting, fishing, and cooking.

Sachin Mathur

Finance Officer
Sachin Mathur is a Finance Officer since 2021, prior to that he was working as an HR Associate at ASPIRE Head Office in Delhi. He holds a master’s degree in commerce.
Prior to joining Aspire in 2018, he has worked for Magic Bus India Foundation.
Apart from his professional career he is an aspiring actor and he acted in a web series and a feature film.

Dr. Saba Arzoo

Communications Officer
Dr. Saba Arzoo graduated as a Dental Surgeon and later pursued a Master’s in Hospital Management. As a NABH trainee, she gained hands-on experience in hospital
operations, planning, and quality management. She is a postgraduate of the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) and has worked with IPE Global Ltd on various research studies and communication plans. The project involved providing technical assistance to the Rajasthan Government in reducing total fertility rate in high-burden districts which led her to work with adolescent girls and young women, gaining a fair understanding of grassroots issues. She has volunteered with Transformation in Community Foundation (TCF), developing proposals for managing COVID-19 in public health facilities of Bhopal. As DGM – Strategy and Partnerships at CanKids KidsCan, she was responsible for building new projects and strengthening partnerships to improve childhood cancer survival outcomes in India. At Aspire, she’s involved with identifying and building strategic partnerships and is supporting the implementation of a digital infrastructure program with Merieux Fondation, which connects rural communities to the outside world.

Vishnu Prasad Barthwal

Delhi Office Support
Vishnu has been working with Aspire as an office support staff since 2018. He is from Pauri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand. He is an integral part of Aspire’s HQ team,
helping keep the Delhi office in an excellent shape. He is the father of two teenagers and enjoys good food and cooking. He loves driving and is a fabulous storyteller.

Pradip Kumar

Senior Accountant
Pradip Kumar serves as our Senior Accountant, and he holds a postgraduate degree in Finance & Accounting. He has invaluable experience from his previous positions as Senior Finance Executive at CPRPL
(Mc Donald’s) and Senior Accountant at Vani Prakashan. At Aspire,Pradip provides our clients with financial and analytical review services, ensuring that all reports are accurate and accountable. He has been with us since 2018 and is committed to delivering the highest quality of service to our clients.

Dr. Pintu Paul

Research and data officer
Dr. Pintu Paul is a social geographer and demographer with research interests in gender and education issues. He currently works as a Research and Data Officer at Aspire,
conducting evidence-based research to revitalize public schools and promote children’s learning outcomes and well-being. Pintu has previous experience as a research consultant at Aspire, working on a school governance project funded by the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He has also worked as a data analyst at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and as a research officer at the International Institute for Population Sciences. Pintu holds an MPhil and PhD in Geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University, where his research focused on child marriages in India. He is skilled in using statistical softwares for data analysis, research proposal development, report preparation, and policy outreach. Pintu has presented at national and international conferences and has published research articles in peer-reviewed journals and media outlets.

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