Trustees and Facilitators

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has"
-MARGARET MEAD

People Trustees and Facilitators

PARMINDER SINGH

Founder and Trustee

Parminder has led several whole school transformation projects with varying challenges and complexities, including one at The Heritage School, Gurgaon. In his work with schools, he has played the role of a learning designer, teacher mentor and a change leader. Almost a decade ago, inspired by Gandhian principles of workcentered education i.e. how we can use productive works from the local context of the child as medium of teaching and learning, he founded Disha India Education Foundation. He believes that true education is one that liberates the learner. Parminder is also a long distance runner and a farmer.

PARMINDER SINGH

SHARAD BEHAR

Trustee

With social transformation as his mission, education as his passion and the civil service (IAS, 1961-1997) as his source of livelihood, Sharad C. Behar has been simultaneously engaged in administration, activism and academics. He held important positions in the educational hierarchy in the government before retiring as chief secretary of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Believing in the need for state-civil society collaboration, he facilitated the establishment of and became founder director of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Madhya Pradesh and Eklavya. He is also the founder vice chancellor of Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur, now a Central University. He was vice chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism, Bhopal. The three converging domains of his life have enabled him to play the role of an activist and academic within government administration. Also, a civil society ativist, he has been intimately involved with several social and people’s movements in India.

SHARAD BEHAR

HEMA BISWAS

FACILITATOR

Hema is an educator by choice. With more than 25 years of mentoring, English Language Teaching has been her main domain. In her journey through various educational institutions and a two year stint in the corporate sector, she has seen how skewed the approach to English as a language is - at levels of sentiments, mind-sets, and, policies and their implementation. Beyond her work Hema loves the outdoors – high altitude trekking being one of her fondest memories. Simply walking or spending time in the hills of her home states of Meghalaya and now Uttarakhand, is what she naturally gravitates to. At present Hema works with Disha India on designing a curriculum for language development through learning expeditions and is playing an important role in designing Disha India’s community school.

HEMA BISWAS

SAMEER GAUTAM

Expedition Facilitator

Sameer has done his Masters in Environmental Studies from University of Delhi with specialization in Nature Education and Wildlife studies. As part of CEMDE, University of Delhi, he worked as a Nature Education Officer for four years at Yamuna Biodiversity Park. His work involved conducting environment awareness program for teachers and students, surveying and monitoring biodiversity, monitoring nesting ecology of different birds’ species, managing the butterfly conservatory and grasslands, etc. He has also worked as a field research at Narsinghgarh wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. His areas of expertise are Environmental Education & Awareness, Conservation & Research, Biodiversity Assessment & Basic Data Analysis. Currently he is pursuing PhD from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. His area of field research is the valuation of ecosystem services at Harike Wildlife Sanctuary, Punjab

SAMEER GAUTAM

ABHISHEK

Outbound Expedition Facilitator

Having worked as a freelancer for the last five years in the field of adventure tourism, team building and personality development programs with different companies, Abhishek is now with Disha India education Foundation as an Outbound Learning Coordinator. Abhishek has a National Cadet Corps ‘C’ certificate with an A grade and was adjudged the best junior officer in 2014-2015 and the best training officer in 2015. Good at sports Abhishek is also an experienced trekker and organiser of adventure sports. Curiosity to know new things, he has a never ending zeal to explore new horizons with a dedicated sportsmanship spirit. Abhishek is a quick learner, is an extremely dogged worker, and has a very positive attitude. His ability to adapt to new and challenging situations quickly is his asset as is also his forthrightness. Abhishek has a strong sensitivity towards environmental concerns of the present world. He sees himself as channelizing his energy, knowledge and expertise toward the betterment of Self and Society

ABHISHEK CHOUDHARY