Current Facilitation and On-campus Team
Sonika Gupta – Sonika loves to create spaces where people can meet themselves more fully. She loves connecting with heart's dreams and working with them to watch them take shape in the world. Being a facilitator at Swaraj University allows an abundant flow to this passion of hers. She has done this for 14 years now in different setups, right from starting work with a corporate to then working with a large scale NGO to bring in rural community ownership in education. She also designed and ran a youth fellowship, starting it from scratch.
An explorer of middle path, mindfulness practice has played a huge role in her life through Vipassana, Shamanism, immersion in Nature, art, Qi-Gong, journaling, movement and exploring the mind-body-soul connection. This practice is currently deeply supported by a course in Presence Oriented Psychotherapy that she is pursuing at the Just Being center, Pune. She also hosts circles around death and our relationship with death. She seeks to live a simpler and simpler, a more and more harmonious life with Nature.
An explorer of middle path, mindfulness practice has played a huge role in her life through Vipassana, Shamanism, immersion in Nature, art, Qi-Gong, journaling, movement and exploring the mind-body-soul connection. This practice is currently deeply supported by a course in Presence Oriented Psychotherapy that she is pursuing at the Just Being center, Pune. She also hosts circles around death and our relationship with death. She seeks to live a simpler and simpler, a more and more harmonious life with Nature.
Rahul Hasija – Rahul is a writer, story-teller, and an enthusiast nature observer. He has worked with many schools, organizations and companies on ‘alternative learning methodologies, expressions and communication, nature conservation. Part of his work at Swaraj Uni. is to create safe spaces for the learners to share, shift to self-designed learning, dive deeper into their own stories, roots, perspectives and grey and dark zones. He also hosts workshops and modules of ecological sustainability, re-thinking development, nature connect, team-building, listening, gender circles, cooperative games & dances, reconnecting with the ancestral roots, and decoding beliefs’. He has been practicing farming and gift culture in his efforts to live a simple and less consumption-oriented life.
He has written short stories and plays and has also acted in them. He has translated and sub-edited ‘The Original Forest’ by Evelyn Sasamoto’ and ‘Narmada – the river of Joy by Amrutlal Vegad’. His work can be accessed at his blog: https://thefreedomwalker.wordpress.com/.
He has written short stories and plays and has also acted in them. He has translated and sub-edited ‘The Original Forest’ by Evelyn Sasamoto’ and ‘Narmada – the river of Joy by Amrutlal Vegad’. His work can be accessed at his blog: https://thefreedomwalker.wordpress.com/.
Ravi Gaikwad - Ravi comes from the holy town of Shirdi, Maharashtra and he has been passionate about working with kids and to facilitate them to recognize and enhance their talents and also become self-dependent. In this quest, he has been part of many organizations – Butterflies, New Delhi, Don Bosco Snehalaya, Baroda, Yuva, Mumbai and Karm Marg, Faridabad to name a few. He started a creative learning center for kids of rag-pickers’ community in Udaipur called Udaan and involves them in variety of co-learning activities. For more (https://www.facebook.com/udaancommunitycenter)
From last 4 years, he has been handling Kitchen and campus administration at Swaraj University and has taken his interest in food to many other locations like - Rethinking food workshop in Kandhbaari, Himachal Pradesh and Self-Healing Meet, Chatarpur, M.P.
From last 4 years, he has been handling Kitchen and campus administration at Swaraj University and has taken his interest in food to many other locations like - Rethinking food workshop in Kandhbaari, Himachal Pradesh and Self-Healing Meet, Chatarpur, M.P.
Chetan Kanungo - Chetan is currently working as a facilitator with Swaraj University.
He has experience of working with youth from age groups 7 to 60 and facilitating leadership retreats and learning projects with them. He has facilitated teacher education programs for private and government schools. He has also co-hosted LSUCs and other open retreats in different parts of the country.
He is an engineering graduate from BITS-Pilani and had a stint with Deloitte Consulting for 2 years. In 2012 summers, he worked as a Consultant to Member of Parliament, Hamirpur on a project based on education and employment. In 2013, he co-founded a learning space named Aarohan which works at the intersection of education, skill training and livelihoods.
He did a course on Indian psychology in 2014, and integrates its elements in his workshop along with aspects of practical philosophy, wisdom from daily living, health and well-being, inquiry, games, activities, music, writing, movement and nature time.
He has experience of working with youth from age groups 7 to 60 and facilitating leadership retreats and learning projects with them. He has facilitated teacher education programs for private and government schools. He has also co-hosted LSUCs and other open retreats in different parts of the country.
He is an engineering graduate from BITS-Pilani and had a stint with Deloitte Consulting for 2 years. In 2012 summers, he worked as a Consultant to Member of Parliament, Hamirpur on a project based on education and employment. In 2013, he co-founded a learning space named Aarohan which works at the intersection of education, skill training and livelihoods.
He did a course on Indian psychology in 2014, and integrates its elements in his workshop along with aspects of practical philosophy, wisdom from daily living, health and well-being, inquiry, games, activities, music, writing, movement and nature time.
Mohit Trivedi - Mohit worked as a professor and taught psychology and mental health in Nursing colleges for almost 10 years. He is the co-founder of a Nursing education college, and a hospital.
He also co-founded Cafe Satori in Udaipur. Passionate about re-imagining Education, he has worked on processes and people to introduce disruption in the current non-functional system of education and thus also birthed an alternative learning space called Mukt-Dhara in Banswada.
He also co-founded Cafe Satori in Udaipur. Passionate about re-imagining Education, he has worked on processes and people to introduce disruption in the current non-functional system of education and thus also birthed an alternative learning space called Mukt-Dhara in Banswada.
Bhawna Trivedi - Bhawna has taught medicine in nursing colleges for 15 years. She co-founded Cafe Satori, the only cafe in South Asia that practices suspended coffee tradition. She loves gardening, feeding people, and connecting with both humans and plants. Bhawna has been raising three beautiful unschooled daughters - Ihanvi, Yahvi, Kashvi.
Guest Facilitators and Team members
Reva Dandage - Reva has been passionately involved with Democratic Education since 2002. Her interest in understanding the pedagogy of self-directed learning has taken her to several alternative and free schools around the world. She also experienced being a self-directed student during her graduate studies at Goddard College.
Shivendra Vaiyapuri
Deepankar Raina
Manish Jain - Manish is the founder-coordinator of Shikshantar Andolan which has been significant in shaping the larger unschooling movement in South Asia. His passion is in the areas of organic farming, healthy cooking, zero waste living and community media. He was one of the visionaries behind UNESCO’s Learning Without Frontiers programme for the 21st century.
Nitin Paranjape - Nitin is one of the founder-members of Abhivyakti. For more than 25 years, his passion has been around supporting community media for deeper personal reflection and social dialogue in local communities. Most recently, Nitin has co-founded EarthCare Designs, a green enterprise which designs and prototypes eco-friendly products and technology
Guardians and Care-takers of Swaraj University and Tapovan Ashram
Mr. & Mrs.Mehta - the trustees of Tapovan Ashram, they have transformed a barren land into a rich bio-diversity in last 28 years. With immense knowledge of medicinal plants and organic farming, Mr. Mehta is a curious learner one definitely needs to meet.
Aas Bai, Choti ji, and Amri - From Nayakheda Gaon, the adjacent village to the Ashram, they hold an important element of the campus - Kitchen - bringing love, care and nourishment to everyone on the campus.
Nana ji, Rafeeq ji, Dittu Didi, Hudi didi, and Berki - a group of locals from Nayakheda Village who have been associated with Tapovan Ashram and contribute in farming, up-keep and maintaining the campus.
Reva Dandage - Reva has been passionately involved with Democratic Education since 2002. Her interest in understanding the pedagogy of self-directed learning has taken her to several alternative and free schools around the world. She also experienced being a self-directed student during her graduate studies at Goddard College.
Shivendra Vaiyapuri
Deepankar Raina
Manish Jain - Manish is the founder-coordinator of Shikshantar Andolan which has been significant in shaping the larger unschooling movement in South Asia. His passion is in the areas of organic farming, healthy cooking, zero waste living and community media. He was one of the visionaries behind UNESCO’s Learning Without Frontiers programme for the 21st century.
Nitin Paranjape - Nitin is one of the founder-members of Abhivyakti. For more than 25 years, his passion has been around supporting community media for deeper personal reflection and social dialogue in local communities. Most recently, Nitin has co-founded EarthCare Designs, a green enterprise which designs and prototypes eco-friendly products and technology
Guardians and Care-takers of Swaraj University and Tapovan Ashram
Mr. & Mrs.Mehta - the trustees of Tapovan Ashram, they have transformed a barren land into a rich bio-diversity in last 28 years. With immense knowledge of medicinal plants and organic farming, Mr. Mehta is a curious learner one definitely needs to meet.
Aas Bai, Choti ji, and Amri - From Nayakheda Gaon, the adjacent village to the Ashram, they hold an important element of the campus - Kitchen - bringing love, care and nourishment to everyone on the campus.
Nana ji, Rafeeq ji, Dittu Didi, Hudi didi, and Berki - a group of locals from Nayakheda Village who have been associated with Tapovan Ashram and contribute in farming, up-keep and maintaining the campus.
Former Team members
(People who have been part of Swaraj University Team in past)
Shruti Thrayil
Kaushiek Pranoo
Suyash Saboo
Dhaval Shukla
Asawari Mathur
Sumi – From the city of Ahmedabad, Sumi has been a backbone of Swaraj handling khojis as well as the food part of Swaraj. She has been raising her kids – Kudrat and Ajanmaya – and unschooling them. Sumi has a huge interest in creativity, cooking and management. Sumi for the last three years has also been involved in administration work of Swaraj Uni.
Ankur Roychowdhary – From Kolkata, Ankur is passionate about activism-theatre and works with community youth at Swabhav Learning Center, Kolkata. With his powerful voice, Ankur is known for his singing, his takes on social justice and his love for food.
Vartika Poddar – From Kolkata, Vartika initiated a creative learning center called Swabhav in Kolkata for the community youth. Vartika completed her masters from U.K. and then worked with World Wildlife Fund (WWF). She has also been a part of Commutiny, a youth collective.
Sameer Khadilkar - From Pune, Sameer comes from mainstream I.T. corporate background. Apart from unschooling his kid Tejas, Sameer for the last two years has taken a break from corporate life and is exploring organic farming and Ayurvedic way of healing.
Pradnya Khadilkar - Pradnya has been an announcer with All India Radio once and is interested into music. She also has a good knowledge about Puppet and creative instruments-making.
Sameer Dandage - From Udaipur, Sameer lives at Swaraj Uni. campus and has been an immense support to the khojis by questioning them on every occassion. Sameer completed his education from I.I.T. and taught at IRMA institute, Anand. He takes up sessions on research, unlearning and Rethinking development.
Mihir Bhardwaj -
Amit Deshwal -
