Late Shri. Puran Chand
Mentor
(Fr. General Secretary, Council of Boards of School Education in India – COBSE):
Puran Chand began his career as a Physics teacher in schools in 1966. He was soon promoted to the position of Assistant Education Officer in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. He later joined the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) as an Assistant Commissioner. He retired as the Joint Commissioner (Academics) of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) in 2002. His final responsibility was as General Secretary of COBSE (Council of Boards of School Education in India). He was a friend, a guide, and a guru to Project CACA and many others like us.
Smt. Stuti Narain Kacker
Stuti Narain Kacker, an IAS officer (1978 batch), retired in September 2018 as Chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). With a career spanning almost forty years, she has worked extensively in social justice and empowerment, information and broadcasting, and industrial development, both in the State and Central Government. She is well known for her contribution to the social sectors, including the protection of child rights and the empowerment of persons with disabilities. As Secretary to the Government of India, she established the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. She served as Joint and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and as the Director of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). She was a key driver in formulating and implementing several policy measures to strengthen the print media industry and IIMC. She holds a Master’s degree in Botany from the University of Allahabad. She is also an M. Phil (Social Sciences) with distinction from the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi.
Dr. Kiran Aggarwal
(Co-Chair, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – Committee on Children Under Difficult Circumstances | Fr. President, Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), Delhi – EB Member CIAP | Ex-member Child Welfare Committee, Delhi.)
Besides being in a noble profession, Dr. Kiran Aggarwal’s perseverance, desire, and dedication to working in the field of child rights and child health have made her a valuable and integral part of many organisations. She has rich experience covering many facets of child health and child rights. Some of her past and present associations include: Member of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) since 2002; Co-Chair of the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) Committee on “Call for Proposals on Social Indicators of Children Under Difficult Circumstances”; Member of the Editorial Team of “Indian Pediatrics,” the official journal of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics; Core Research Committee Member of the Child Abuse Study 2007, Government of India (MWCD); Former President of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), Delhi/EB Member of CIAP 2015; Senior Consultant/Unit Head, Department of Pediatrics, Hindu Rao Medical College, Delhi; Member of the Child Welfare Committee, Delhi (2005-2007); Nodal Officer for Child Rights, Rescue/Rehabilitation of Child Labour in North District, NCT of Delhi; National Convener of the IAP Child Rights Protection Program 2007 in collaboration with RCPCH UK & UNICEF (IAP President Action Plan); North Zone Coordinator of the IAP Poor Scholastic Performance Program 2011.
Dr. Rajesh Sagar
(MD, FAMS, FIMSA, CCST (UK), FRCP (Edin.)
Currently, Dr. Rajesh Sagar is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). He holds an MD from NIMHANS, Bangalore. He is also an Honorary Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and the University of Leicester, UK. He is the Chair of the Mental Health Group of the Global Burden of Disease-India, IHME, USA. In addition, he is a member of the Central Mental Health Authority (CMHA), Government of India, and served as its Secretary from 2005 to 2018. He is also the Honorary Advisor for Mental Health in DGHS/MoHFW. He has been an expert/advisory member for several organisations, including expert member of various National Task Forces by ICMR and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. He has published over 700 research papers, chapters, and books. He has received several awards and honours, including the ICMR Award and the Outstanding Researcher Award as the country’s topmost researcher in psychology/mental health based on research output in SCOPUS. He has an active interest in activities and research related to child abuse.
Dr. Amit Sen
(Director, Children First, Safdarjung; Senior Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. MD, MRCPsych, CCST in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry):
Dr. Amit Sen has been practicing child psychiatry for 15 years. After finishing medicine from AFMC Pune, he went to NIMHANS Bangalore for an MD in Psychiatry. Completed child and adolescent psychiatry from Newcastle UK. Through the myriads of magical and fulfilling experiences, Dr. Sen feels that he has developed empathy over the years and can connect with children and their families. In doing so, he hopes to make a difference, however little, in their lives.
Dr. Dinesh Kumar
(Professor – Dean (Research), National Council of Educational Research and Training – NCERT):
Dr. Dinesh Kumar is the Former Head of Publications at NCERT. Previously, he was a Professor of Geology at NCERT and was involved in the areas of genetics research, science education, and biology education. He worked with the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) for four years and has around ten years of teaching experience in schools and colleges.
Yashpal Singh Kalsi
Yashpal Singh Kalsi is one of the senior-most self-defence trainers in India, with more than 20 years of experience conducting hundreds of workshops. An internationally accredited Karate and Mixed Martial Arts trainer, he holds a 6th Dan black belt (one of the highest distinctions in the martial arts world) in Karate from the World Karate Federation. He has provided high-level training to India’s elite force – the Black Cat Commandos – and has trained the Haryana Police Rapid Action Force. He continues to work with and train the Haryana Police. He has trained children and students not only from India but also from Greece, the U.S.A, Chile, Malaysia, South Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, the U.K., and many other places. Several of his students continue to represent India in national tournaments and official world championships.
Kala Anjan Dutta
Kala Anjan Dutta holds a Master’s in Library & Information Science and Business Economics from Delhi University. She has been trained in information services in the United States and Austria under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of State. With over 35 years of professional experience, she has made significant contributions to education through library and information science. She is an experienced former Library Director of the American Library, with a demonstrated history of working in information services. She is skilled in library administration, managing lifelong learning, digital library services, and public speaking. She is currently working as the Principal of the School of Library Science at the Delhi Library Association, New Delhi.
Dr. Geeta Chopra
(Professor in Delhi University, Activist and Author in the field of Child Rights and Childhood Disability) :
Dr. Geeta Chopra is a keen researcher and academician at the Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi, where she has been teaching Child Development for more than 28 years and regularly guiding Ph.D. students. Her major areas of interest include Childhood Disabilities, ECCE, Child Survival, Child Rights, and Inclusive Education. She has received funding for research from national and international agencies to undertake studies in the areas of disability, child survival, and maternal health. She has authored a book, Child Rights in India: Challenges and Social Action, published by Springer India, and co-authored Child Development: A Practical Manual. She is the founding Secretary of the NGO Manzil, which works for preschool children, youth, and women from the slums of South Delhi. She works closely with other NGOs offering services to marginalised children.
(Counselling Psychologist/School counsellor, The Indian School Muscat, Oman) :
Tanuja Sharma has more than 18 years of enriched experience in the field of education and training, and a deep interest in child welfare and environmental education and related activities, she is actively involved in training and development, strategic planning and analysis, and workshops/seminars/orientation programmes for students, teachers, and parents. She promotes a conducive, safe, and constructive environment in which the abilities and skills of children can be effectively and efficiently developed for their holistic well-being. She has been empanelled by some of the reputed educational and management organisations and is providing services in various capacities, such as Consultant, Counselling Psychologist, Adviser, Panelist, and Trainer, to NGOs, educational institutes, and training and management organisations.
(Special educator and school counsellor (Rtd.), Loreto Convent School, Delhi)
Poonam Gautam retired from Loreto Convent as a counsellor, having worked there from August 1992 to March 2016. She also taught Psychology to Class 12 students. During her tenure, she played a pivotal role in setting up the NIOS and Learning Centre for children with learning disabilities. She has also been involved with several learning programmes, including conducting workshops on the identification of children with learning disabilities in the classroom. Her life’s philosophy is: “No child is a failure, and every child can be an achiever.
Hemlata Suri
(Counselling Psychologist and a Special Educator; Counsellor, Carmel Convent School, Chanakyapuri, Delhi)
She is a RCI (Rehabilitation Council of India) registered practitioner. She has been associated with CBSE as a Counsellor for last few years. Her forte has been to work within an eclectic frame for the treatment of mental wellbeing and other related problems in children, adolescents, and adults. She has a particular interest in Children with special needs, Behavioural issues with pre-teenage children, Adolescents, issues of various kinds of abuse in children and the impact of various parenting styles on children. With an experience of over seven years in the field of mental health, she has been working extensively with schools as well as the Economically Weaker Sections of the society.
Dr. Jayanti Banerjee
(Faculty Psychology, The Mother’s International School, Delhi)
Dr. Jayanti Banerjee, Counsellor, Psychologist, and Life Skills Trainer, has been associated with CBSE and the National Institute of Open Schooling for the past 15 years. She is currently working as a faculty member in Psychology at Mother’s International School and is passionate about issues related to children and adolescents. She has conducted workshops and presented research papers at various national and international forums.
Michelle Mendonca
Michelle has an LLB from Mumbai University and a Master’s in Organisational Leadership from Eastern University, Pennsylvania. She serves as Project Director for Counsel to Secure Justice, an agency that works with survivors of child sexual abuse. A High Court-appointed trainer, Michelle trains at Judicial Academies in four states and has also trained at the National Judicial Academy. She sensitises the judiciary and law enforcement on anti-trafficking and child sexual abuse. Michelle also teaches Advocacy, Human Rights, and Public Policy at Eastern University. Leading journals have published her articles on anti-trafficking and child sexual abuse.
Rupa Chandra
(Advocate, Jharkhand High Court)
Rupa Chandra (BA, LLB) is an active member of the Jharkhand High Court Bar Council. She has been practising since 2013. In addition to her expertise in Public Interest Litigation, Criminal, Civil, and Taxation-related issues, she is actively involved in child rights and gender equality initiatives. “One can spend a lifetime trying to forget a few moments of one’s childhood.” She is a strong supporter of the POCSO Act 2012 and helps the foundation from time to time in advocating the POCSO Act to teachers and parents in schools through workshops.
Ashok Thakur
Ashok Thakur is the founder of Muni International School. An alumnus of Delhi University and an ex-serviceman, Ashok established the budget private school to pursue his dream. He is passionate about the education sector, and, therefore, left his comfortable business to start a school through modest means. Muni International School, a budget private school in West Delhi, is demonstrating a system by which every child reaches their full potential by taking on shared responsibility for learning, school improvement, and community action. Through the Eklavya System, children practise their learning by teaching each other, thereby building an ‘everyone can’ sensibility towards themselves and their worlds. Children at Muni International learn not just from the teacher but are also equipped to seek knowledge from both usual and unusual spaces: themselves, their peers, their juniors, and the world outside.
Harsh Juneja
(Fr. Vice President, Tata Teleservices Limited)
Harsh Juneja is a seasoned and self-made professional with over 34 years of total experience in various business environments, the major part of his career has been in planning and business operations in the manufacturing, automobile, office automation, and telecommunication industries. He is an Associate Member of ASCI (Administrative Staff College of India) Hyderabad, a visiting faculty member at IMI, LBSIM, NIS, Delhi School of Business, Rawal Institutions, and GLA University. He is also an Executive Member of the ‘Sangam Kala Group,’ a national-level social organisation. He is an active participant in conferences organised by CII, NASSCOM, Voice & Data, ASSOCHAM, among others. He has worked with Escorts Ltd for 10 years, Modi Xerox Ltd for 11 years, and for the past 12+ years, he has been working as Vice President & National Head – Strategic Alliances (Enterprise Business Services) at Tata Teleservices Limited.
Rajesh Kumar Kathuria
(Chartered Accountant)
Rajesh Kumar Kathuria is a full-time practising Fellow Chartered Accountant. He is actively involved in various social causes and is associated with NGOs such as SAF and Social Axiom Foundation, which works in the field of the prevention of child sexual abuse, and AADI – Action for Ability Development and Inclusion, which has a vision of “a world in which people with disabilities are an integral part of society, participating in the community and living life to the fullest, with equitable access to opportunity and services.” He graduated with a B.Com (Hons) from the University of Delhi in 1987 and completed his Chartered Accountancy in 1988 from ICAI, Delhi. Rajesh has extensive professional experience in the areas of finance, auditing, direct and indirect taxation, corporate advisory services, and system development for the past twenty-nine years.