Current team

 M. Sashi Kumar has been a resource person with organisations working on micro-finance, Dalit rights, communal harmony, food security and dryland agriculture. He has worked as a consultant on government programmes in Urban Services for the Poor, Tribal Welfare, Forestry, and Irrigation & Water Management. 

Sashi’s particular interest is Local Area Development and Cluster-Based approaches to Economic Growth. He was also Director of Satyam Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Satyam Computers.

Tejaswini Madabhushi is the CEO of Yugantar. 

From 2011-2014, she worked as a coordinator of Samatha Swaraj Mitra Mandal, attempting peace-building in Central India between the government and Maoists. 

 In July 2016, Tejaswini represented Yugantar as part of the secretariat of the All India Thematic Social Forum.  

 She has a Masters in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University and a Masters in Sociology from University of Hyderabad.   

  Kareem Ansari joined Yugantar as a youth researcher in an action based research project focusing on Muslim youth in Hyderabad. 

A skilled community activist, Kareem also worked as a placement coordinator at smart centers funded by Tech Mahindra Foundation. 

He also worked as a programme manager on a project aimed at helping Muslim women in the old city in collaboration with Mahila Sanatkar, a co-operative society of craftswomen, located in Charminar.

 Kareem is the project manager for the YouRTI initiative and has filed over 4000 RTI applications at a pan-India level.

  Akram completed his M.Com in 2011 and joined Yugantar as a youth researcher. He worked as a field coordinator in a migration project and was actively involved in the Do Raahein project, working with youth in the Old City. 

He is currently the social media manager of Yugantar.

Alongside his work with Yugantar, he runs a web channel called Deccan Today News which has 6 lakh followers on facebook page. He has been working extensively on Covid-19-related efforts such as distribution of medical equipment and rations and is currently the project manager for the vaccination project.

He is a cricket enthusiast.

  Navika is a consultant at Yugantar. She is an independent researcher who works on issues related to health, policy, state financing, and governance. She has expertise in impact evaluation, policy research and programme management across these areas. An economic expert, she has a decade of experience working in policy with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, the Lok Sabha (Parliament of India), and the Planning Commission of India. Navika was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Chicago, where she received her Master’s in Public Policy. She also holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Hyderabad. 

 Since 2005, Pournami has been working in Yugantar  and she is currently the office manager. She contributed to all the projects since 2005 and is the backbone of Yugantar. 

She manages records and archives data, provides technological assistance, and handles expenses at Yugantar.

She writes and composes her own songs and enjoys photography and art.

  Kameswara Rao has been working as an administrator in Yugantar since July 2012. He has been actively involved in the YouRTI.in project since its inception.  Kameswara Rao is a retired Assistant General Manager at the regional office of Syndicate Bank in Hyderabad City, after 37 years of exceptional service. Even after his retirement, he continued an active association with Syndicate Bank as an inquiring authority and interview panelist. He is currently a Guest Faculty who regularly takes classes at the Staff Training College of Syndicate Bank.

Vimala is a project manager at Yugantar. She is a feminist activist and poet with over 35 years of experience in various fields of Law, Research, Editing, Writing, Administration & Social Reformation. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Law, a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, and a Master’s degree in Political Science from Osmania University. She has also completed a certificate course in Multi-Disciplinary South Asian Women’s Studies from the Institute of Women’s Studies in Lahore, Pakistan. She has extensive research experience working for organisations such as the Centre for Economic & Social Studies (CESS), Osmania University, Hyderabad and “Save the Children” (UK) India.

The youngest member of Yugantar, Paramesh is an active and enthusiastic part of the YouRTI.in team. He is responsible for drafting RTIs and uploading the responses to the site. He has been associated with Yugantar since December 2018. He is currently pursuing his Polytechnic Diploma in the Siddhartha Institution of Technology and Sciences. 

In his spare time, he listens to music and plays caroms. 

  Maheswari has been part of Yugantar since 2014. Her delicious cooking sustains the entire team, and at times even ensures office attendance. Her timely teas keep work flowing when energy in the office is flagging.

Maheswari’s quiet and conscientious efforts keep the office clean and functional. She is also a trained beautician and works partime at a beauty parlour. She enjoys music and art.  

 Zoe is the Chief Research and Development Officer at Yugantar. Zoe has vast experience working with grassroots organisations in health, education, sport and development and gender based issues. Zoe has a BA in Geography and Development Studies from the University of Sussex and an MSc. in Management from the University of Bristol.