Our Team

Rahul Joshi

Accountant

Accounts

Rahul Joshi is a Bachelor of Commerce Graduate from Delhi University, Professional Knowledge comfortable in Tally ERP 9, Tally Prime, MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc and currently works at CFP as an accountant.

Syed Kashif Raza

Associate

Accounts

Syed Kashif Raza is a postgraduate from Aligarh Muslim University and has over 10 years of experience in accounting, auditing, taxation and payroll both in India and places abroad. He has worked with manufacturing companies, trading companies and NGOs and has currently joined CfP as an Accountant.

Mohammad Shahid

Assistant Administrator

Administration

Mohammad Shahid studied Commerce and graduated from Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. He has over 30 years of experience in accounting, auditing, and payroll in India. He has worked with educational institutions, and trading companies and has recently joined CfP as an Assistant Administrator.

Vasant Saberwal

Director

Administration

Vasant Saberwal did a master’s degree in wildlife biology from the Wildlife Institute of India and his PhD on the politics of shepherd access to grazing resources in the Himalaya from Yale University. Between 1999 and 2004 he was part of Moving Images, where he co-directed a series of films on a range of environmental issues. Between 2004 and 2014 he worked at the Ford Foundation where he oversaw work on rainfed agriculture, pastoralism and the Forest Rights Act. He was the founding editor of the journal Conservation and Society. His publications include Pastoral Politics; People, Parks and Wildlife; Battles over Nature; and Democratizing Nature.

Aischaryalaxmi Sahu

UI/UX Intern, Communications

Communications

Aischaryalaxmi is currently completing her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Design at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. She has joined the team as a UI/UX and Web Design Intern, working on the Atlas project as part of her graduation project. Previously, she worked with Sahjeevan on the Panchal Dairy project, where she contributed to developing a new visual language and logo for the community and its shop. Through her studies at NID, along with the experience and exposure gained during her exchange at ENSAV La Cambre in Brussels, she has developed experience across web design, UI/UX design, graphic design, print design, and illustration. Her practice explores visual communication across both digital and physical mediums, with an interest in creating clear, engaging, and thoughtful design experiences.

Anushka Verma

Communications Coordinator

Communications

Anushka Verma holds an MSc in Conservation Practice from ATREE and an MSc in Marine Biology and Oceanography from Annamalai University. She has worked across diverse ecosystems in India, including seagrass meadows, mangroves, artificial reefs, grasslands, and forests. Her work has ranged from marine herbivory and fish taxonomy to pastoralist livelihoods and traditional ecological knowledge, combining ecological research with community-based approaches. She has also worked on outreach and environmental education with government schools in the Andaman Islands. Her interests lie in understanding how ecosystems and people shape each other, and in bringing together ecological research and community perspectives to explore conservation challenges. She has qualified GATE (Ecology and Evolution) and is a PADI-certified Rescue Diver. Outside of work, she enjoys reading and engaging in the performing arts. She currently works as the Communications Coordinator at the Centre for Pastoralism, where she contributes to writing, communication, social media, publications, and data collation.

Pranavi Arora

Communications Designer

Communications

Pranavi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Knitwear Design, with a minor in Textile Design, from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai. Her design language is rooted in storytelling, drawing inspiration from everyday observations and exploring them through diverse artistic and aesthetic approaches. She views design through a holistic lens, allowing her to build thoughtful narratives across disciplines. She has worked with a range of textile and craft techniques, including knitting, crochet, weaving, embroidery as well as block printing and holds experience in documenting Banjara embroidery in Beed, Maharashtra and collaborating closely with artisans practising Warli, Aari, Zardozi, and Block Printing. Volunteering at the Desi Oon exhibition further sparked her interest in pastoralism and pastoral craft traditions. As a Communications Designer at CfP, Pranavi brings these varied experiences together to communicate and amplify CfP’s work in pastoralism, along with helping share stories, knowledge, and craftsmanship of desi oon communities with a wider audience.

Sarita Sundar

Communications & Brand Strategy Consultant

Communications

For the past 30 years, Sarita Sundar has worked as a graphic artist and design historian, primarily in the fields of archives and heritage interpretation and runs a consultancy called www.hanno.in. She oversees, guides and supports CfP - Sahjeevan’s communications team to develop and implement an effective communications strategy that aims to add clarity on target audiences and messaging. Sarita also works with the Living Lightly team to integrate CfP’s long term vision and goals.

Yashika Bhutani

Communications designer

Communications

Yashika is a Visual Design graduate from Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, and a Graphic Designer at the Centre for Pastoralism (CfP). Having previously interned with CfP, she brings experience across print and digital design, including publications, branding, marketing collaterals, and UI design. Passionate about visual storytelling, she enjoys turning ideas into thoughtful, engaging designs that communicate with clarity. She is curious and always open to learning, collaboration, and exploring new creative possibilities.

Amanat Ali

Fellow

FRA

Amanat Ali is a member of the Van Gujjar community and has been actively involved in Haridwar to expedite the FRA process & is also involved in the work with the Animal Husbandry Department, Uttarakhand.

Amiya Walia

FRA - Research Associate

FRA

Amiya Walia has a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a Minor in Environmental Studies from Ashoka University. She is passionate about environmental justice and her research experience includes topics such as forest rights, manual scavenging and waste management. Previously, she worked for two years in the research and knowledge department of a social sector consultancy working on impact assessments and landscaping studies.

Meer Hamja

Fellow

FRA

Meer Hamja is a member of the Van Gujjar community. He has an interest in pastoralists' rights and the FRA. Hamja has been actively involved in Uttarakhand for many years to expedite the FRA process, and works on issues of the Van Gujjar community, assisting them with legal processes. He is the state president of Van Gujjar Yuva Tribal Sangathan. He has a BA in History, Political Science and Sociology from Dev Suman University, Tehri Garhwal, and is now pursuing a Masters in Social Work in Uttarakhand Open University, Haldwani.

Mohammad Shamshad

Fellow

FRA

Mohammad Shamshad is a member of the Van Gujjar community and has been involved in Dehradun, Tehri & Pauri to expedite the FRA process.

Nausheen Akhtar

National Co-Ordinator

FRA

Nausheen Akhtar holds an LL.M. in Access to Justice from TISS, Mumbai. Her work focuses on Indigenous land rights, forest governance, and the intersection of law, policy, and grassroots action. She has worked with TISS and Vasundhara Odisha, supporting Adivasi communities and collaborating with the Tribal Welfare Department of Madhya Pradesh on Forest Rights Act implementation. She currently coordinates the Forest Rights Program at the Center for Pastoralism. Her research interests span ecological justice, legal institutions, and the lived experiences of marginalized communities in South Asia.

Ramesh Bhatti

Advisor

FRA

Ramesh Bhatti studied Sociology and Rural Development. He has been a part of Sahjeevan since 2000. Over this time, he has led the organization’s work on pastoralism, including the revival of a livestock-based livelihood in Kutch, institution-building among pastoralist communities in the region, and facilitating the submission of a community’s claim to manage the Banni Grasslands, under the Forest Rights Act. Ramesh anchors CfP’s work on breeds.

Srishti Saxena

FRA Coordinator

FRA

Srishti Saxena has an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London. She is a socio-legal practitioner and researcher whose work has focused on environmental, forest, and tribal law, and is currently working towards the implementation of the Forest Rights Act for pastoral communities at the Centre for Pastoralism. Previously, she has worked on research projects about the impact of large infrastructure projects on communities and ecology at IIT-Bombay and about the rights of people living in and around Tiger Reserves at TISS, Mumbai. She currently works as a FRA Co-ordinator at CfP.

Baani Singh

Programme Lead - Desi Oon

Livelihoods

Baani leads the Desi Oon programme at CfP, an initiative working to build a thriving future for India’s indigenous wool. Her work brings together communities, artisans, industry and government to strengthen wool value chains and create new possibilities for the fibre. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Trained as a rehabilitation social worker, she has found her way into rural livelihoods and has a strong commitment to community-led development. She is curious about history, culture and the art hidden in everyday life, and is happiest where people, ideas and stories meet. Outside work, you’ll usually find her at a theatre or a music performance.

Emmanuel Theophilus

Project Anchor - Kumaon

Livelihoods

Emmanuel Theophilus is an ecologist based in the high Himalaya of Pithoragarh, Kumaon. He has worked at the National Dairy Development Board, the Tree Growers Cooperatives Federation and the Foundation for Ecological Security. He has been a visiting professor at Williams College, Massachusetts and at Acadia University, Nova Scotia. His research interests include alpine and river ecosystems, as well as snow leopard conservation, yak breeding (he co-owns a herd of sheep and horses that undertake the annual migration from the terai to the high pastures in our valley) pastoralist livelihoods, and the Commons. Theo is leading this work in the Kumaon Himalaya.

Junaid Ahmed Sofi

Project Coordinator

Livelihoods

Junaid is from Bandipora in Kashmir and has over 7 years’ experience working with rural livelihoods, craft-based enterprise development, and project coordination. He has led and supported the World Bank and government-funded projects, worked on project management, stakeholder engagement, and impact reporting. With deep grassroots exposure - particularly in wool, crafts, and pastoralist economies, Junaid blends strategic oversight, hands-on execution and personal interest in wool and pastoralism. Junaid is also a certified Data/BI Analyst and leverages tools such as PostgreSQL, Oracle Analytics, and Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse to develop and manage databases and real-time monitoring.

Mahendar Singh

Field Staff (Kumaon)

Livelihoods

Mahendar Singh has worked as an agro-pastoralist, a woodsman and a herbs collector. He is deeply observant and knowledgeable about high altitude plants and animals.

Munna Nitwal

Field Staff (Kumaon)

Livelihoods

Munna Nitwal has worked across the Himalaya on infrastructure projects, but brings to the team his application and hard work on all matters.

Narain Nitwal

Field Staff (Kumaon)

Livelihoods

Narain Nitwal, known amongst us as Nabbu, has worked as a herb collector at high altitudes. His experience, familiarity and knowledge of the high-altitude terrain is unmatched in the region.

Prem Rana

Field Staff (Kumaon)

Livelihoods

Prem Rana has worked as a shepherd in the past, and is also an agro-pastoralist. He is the backstop on all matters related to food and logistics.

Prithvisree

Project Associate

Livelihoods

Prithvisree holds a M.A. in Society and Culture from IIT Gandhinagar, after an undergraduate degree in Journalism. She has worked with People’s Archive of Rural India as a student reporter and has done research in coastal systems. Her work sits at the intersection of research and creative practice with a particular interest in how communities, stories, and spaces can be engaged through multimodal forms, from writing and photography to performance and conversation.

Trilok Rana

Field Staff (Kumaon)

Livelihoods

Trilok Rana comes from an agricultural family, and has built his knowledge about the bird flora that makes him the most sought-after birding guide in the region. He assists in paperwork for the team.

Gauri Subbaramu

Associate Curator

Living Lightly

Gauri Subbaramu is a designer with a bachelor’s in industrial arts and design Practices from Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology. At Living Lightly, she contributes towards documentation and storytelling for Deccan pastoralism. She assists the Living Lightly team to develop exhibition content, design, and production.

Khyati Vinod

Designer

Living Lightly

Khyati Vinod is an artist and architect. As a member of the Living Lightly team, she leads the visual design work, holds the archives and supports the documentation team. She designed the Living Lightly website with the LL team and designers.

Sushma Iyengar

Lead Curator

Living Lightly

Sushma Iyengar is a social worker and educator. In the past three decades she has led transformative action with marginalised communities in the area of gender justice, indigenous cultures, cultural livelihoods, local governance, and post-disaster rehabilitation. Based in Kutch, she is also the lead curator of the exhibition ‘Living Lightly - Journeys with Pastoralists’ - an outcome of her long-standing interest in and experience with indigenous communities, including nomadic pastoralists.

Nandini Jaiswal

Junior Policy Analyst

Policy

Nandini holds a master’s degree in development from Azim Premji University. For her research project, she worked with Koli fishers in Mumbai and documented their current fishing and allied practices along with the subsequent changes they can envision for themselves and their livelihoods as the construction of Coastal Road Project commences in the area where they reside and fish from. Nandini’s research interest lies in political ecology, migration and human - environment interactions. Currently, she is a part of CfP’s Policy and Research team.

Soumya Banerjee

Senior Policy Analyst

Policy

Soumya Banerjee is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Centre for Pastoralism, working on tenure security and livelihood rights for pastoral and other forest-dependent communities across India. Soumya’s policy and research work focuses on strengthening access to land and natural resources for populations whose lives and livelihoods are intricately tied to natural ecosystems, including forests, grazing commons, and rangelands. He is passionate about sustainable resource governance and community-led stewardship of commons. Prior to this role, Soumya worked in the domain of policy and research with a focus on land tenure security, tribal welfare, and livelihood security for forest-dependent communities. Some of his previous organisations include the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business (ISB); the Centre for Good Governance, Government of Odisha; and Landesa–Rural Development Institute, across the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Soumya holds an M.Phil. in Social Work (Research) from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. Outside of work, Soumya has a keen interest in environmental history and is a student of Indian classical music, playing the sitar.

Adith Gopala Krishna

Associate Cartographer

Research

Adith Gopala Krishna holds a master’s degree in Development from Azim Premji University. Most recently, he was working as program facilitator for 17000ft Foundation in Kargil, Ladakh. As part of his postgraduate field study, he worked in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, exploring the grassroots implementation of solid waste management policies at high altitude ecosites. He believes in interdisciplinary research that bridges grassroot outcomes and policy design. He is skilled in spatial and quantitative analysis. His research interests are Himalayan ecology and rural livelihoods, infrastructure frontiers and material culture.

Ajinkya Ukey

Project Coordinator - Maharashtra

Research

Ajinkya Ukey has a Master's in Social Work, and 10 years of experience working with tribal communities across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh for the implementation of community forest rights for ST and PVTGs. He has also worked around the themes of conservation and environmental education across different tiger reserves and protected areas in Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra with organisations such as Oxfam India, Wildlife Conservation Trust, Aide-et-action, etc. In addition to this, he has worked on the implementation of community forest rights for the pastoral communities of Vidarbha, Maharashtra.

Aniruddh Sheth

Thematic Anchor

Research

Aniruddh Sheth has a master’s degree in Environment and Development from Ambedkar University Delhi. He has previously worked with WWF-India on human-elephant conflict in South Asia. For his graduate project at AUD, Aniruddh walked with Fakirani Jat pastoralists in the Banni grasslands, in Kutch, Gujarat. His thesis focused on the history and political economy of Fakirani pastoralism amidst the rise of specialty milk markets. Aniruddh is interested in research that brings together development, state policy and human-environment relations in South Asia. Currently, he coordinates CfP’s research agenda.

Chamba Tsetan

Project Coordinator

Research

Chamba was born and brought up in a nomadic village called Kargyam in the Changthang Plateau of Ladakh. He graduated with a degree in Science from Government Degree College, Leh and later studied at SECMOL. He was part of fellowships like the Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University and the Mother Teresa Fellowship. For the last 3 years, Chamba has worked at the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh as an Academic Coordinator. He currently works with the Changpa community in Ladakh as a Project coordinator in collaboration with CfP and WWF in reimagining Changthang as a landscape.

Iravatee Majgaonkar

Senior Researcher

Research

Iravatee Majgaonkar is a researcher trained in interdisciplinary environmental sciences, first through the Masters program in Wildlife biology at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru and then at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru where she is currently enrolled as a PhD scholar. Her interests are in studying socio ecological changes in pastoral landscapes in the Deccan peninsula. She has led research projects which studied carnivore distribution in agropastoral landscapes and participated in socio-economic surveys of pastoral economies in western Maharashtra and northern Karnataka in the past 8 years. For her PhD, she is studying how land use change and pastoralism-biodiversity relations are linked to each other in the semi-arid savannas of Pune district in Maharashtra.

Jobin Varughese

Postdoctoral Researcher

Research

Jobin holds a PhD in Ecology from the Indian Institute for Science Education and Research Tirupati. His research spans vegetation ecology, invasion ecology, soil carbon and bird ecology. He practised Architecture and Landscape Architecture a decade back and still believes he can return to design if scientific research takes an unexpected turn. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, working on a collaborative project between NCBS and CfP. The project looks at soil carbon between grazed land and afforested grasslands across arid and semi-arid parts of the country.

Lakshit Sharma

Geo-spatial Data Analyst

Research

Lakshit is a postgraduate from the School of Human Ecology, Ambedkar University Delhi, exploring the intersections of political ecology, climate governance, and social- ecological systems. His dissertation critically examined Compensatory Afforestation and the Green Credit Programme, interrogating carbon centric conservation, commons governance, and the commodification of nature. Combining qualitative fieldwork, spatial analysis, and interdisciplinary research, he has worked on CAMPA plantations, sacred ecologies and climate adaptation. His interests lie in climate policy, land politics, ecological restoration, and community-led environmental governance.

Priya Rajput

Postdoctoral Fellow

Research

Priya Rajput recently earned her doctorate in Social Work from the Central University of Rajasthan, sponsored by the ICSSR, New Delhi. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from the Central University of Jammu. Priya has published extensively in esteemed journals, focusing on the intersections of scheduled tribes, climate change, and sustainable livelihoods. Her field research in Jammu and Kashmir, including her doctoral work on the Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes, explores livelihood vulnerability and adaptation strategies in response to climate change. This work emphasizes interdisciplinary connections and intersectional perspectives grounded in real-world phenomena. She is a Postdoctoral Fellow at CfP, collaborating on a joint project titled "Grasslands and Pastoralism in Alpine and Savannah Landscapes of India" with the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore.

Ravindra Singh Rathore

State Project Coordinator, Rajasthan

Research

Ravindra Singh Rathore, has worked on nomadic, semi-nomadic, and renotified communities for the Anthropological Survey of India and NITI Aayog. He has served as a Research and Communication Assistant at Lokhit Pashu Palak Sanstha, where he supported camel conservation and biocultural heritage initiatives.

Shital Sangewar

Associate Cartographer

Research

Shital Sangewar has a Bachelor of Science degree. She has completed the Urban Fellows Program at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in Bangalore. She has worked as a Junior Project Associate at Jhatkaa.org and gained experience with organizations like Hasiru Dala in Bangalore and the Eklavya India Foundation in Yavatmal. Her background includes work in urban and rural settings, climate change research, and community engagement. At CFP, she wants to explore different ways to represent maps and visualize spatial data for pastoralist communities.

Yash Ketkar

Lead Cartographer

Research

Yash Ketkar is a Geographer with a Master's degree in GeoInformation Technology and Cartography from the University of Glasgow. In the past 5 years of his experience, he has worked on several government, institutional and freelance projects related to surveying, mapping, capacity building, planning and decision-making at micro and macro levels. He also has experience in datasets, website and mobile application design, management and development. Some of his projects included working with international organizations like UNICEF, Doctors for You and government organizations like Pune Municipal Corporation, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka State Governments. He is interested in exploring the applications of GIS in rural India and contributing to reforms through the medium of informed maps and statistics.

Yashita Bajaj

Associate Cartographer

Research

Yashita Bajaj holds a Master’s degree in Geoinformatics and brings a strong foundation in spatial analysis, data visualization, and environmental mapping. She first joined CfP as an intern, working on data cleaning and mapping tasks that deepened her interest in the intersection of geospatial technology and community knowledge. She later interned at the CSIR–National Institute of Oceanography, where she explored marine geospatial data and coastal systems. Now returning to CfP as an Associate Cartographer, Yashita is excited to use mapping as a tool to explore and represent the movements, landscapes, and lived experiences of pastoralist communities.