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.

 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.  

A. Suneetha is a researcher at Yugantar. Her research straddles minority politics, gendered migration; and sexuality and violence. She is currently completing a manuscript on Muslim politics in the Telugu region. She is a member of the editorial collective of Maidaanam, a blog that explores the history, culture and politics from Deccan and Southern India. She is a regular contributor to Telugu newspapers and small magazines on the themes of gender and caste discrimination, sexuality and harassment, minority, religious difference and human rights. 

Tashi Choedup ( Navadeep Pannala) (They/She)  is Programme Manager of Queer Trans Wellness Center and a trans feminine person who has been working in human rights and social justice movement spaces for 15-plus years and has been a Buddhist monastic (nunk) in Tibetan tradition for over 7 years. Tashi is a founding member of Telangana Hijra Intersex Transgender Samiti, and Queer Swabhimana Yatra. They were also a member of the Telangana State Government's Welfare Board for Transgender Persons.

 Tashi also closely worked with Telangana Police Women Safety Wing in the conceptualization and creation of 'Pride Place: Transgender (LGBQIA+) Persons Protection cell and continues to closely work with it in sensitizing and training Police Officers. They work at the Queer-Trans Wellness and Support Center (QT Center), Yugantar, Hyderabad. They also serve as the National Coordinator (India) for the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) and are a former executive committee member at the Anveshi Research Center for Women's Studies. They are a core group member of the National Ecumenical Forum for Gender and Sexual Minorities (NEFGSM) at the National Council of Churches of India (NCCI). Tashi engages as a peer counselor with LGBTQIA+ folks. They are a student of Buddhist philosophy and psychology and their primary areas of interest are community building, queer rights, mental health, religion, and faith and their interconnectedness. In their work, they also engaged with work related to palliative care, farmer suicides, and domestic workers, among others. Rooted in the firm belief that no spiritual practice can be apolitical, they actively seek ways to integrate Buddhist philosophy and its contemplative practices with social justice activism.

 Since 2005, Pournami has been working in Yugantar and she is currently the project coordinator for Digital Budget Rani. She is also a member of the Parent Committee at Andhra Balananda Sangam. 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.

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.