Charter Members

Atul Deulgaonkar is an independent environmental journalist and the author of 15 books. For the past 25 years, he has written extensively on the environment, agriculture, and development for leading newspapers. He served as a member of the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority for 13 years. Deulgaonkar has received the Statesman Rural Reporting Award and the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust Award for his work in environmental journalism.

Sachin Mane, an automobile engineer by profession, has experience in the supply of liquid nitrogen, argon, and oxygen. He is also involved in milk collection and supply to the dairies. Recently, he has ventured into the collection and export of organic vegetables and fruits.

Ganpatrao Dhumal holds a bachelor's degree in agriculture. He is a partner at Govind Dairy and Vyankatesh Agro, Phaltan.

Vishwas Jagadale is a math and science teacher at Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan, where he has been teaching since 1993. Immensely respected and beloved by his students, he served as the headmaster of the secondary division from 2012 to 2024. Currently, he holds the position of honorary advisor to the school while continuing to teach grades 9 and 10.

Prakash Anbhule was among the first batch of students at Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan, where he studied from pre-primary through tenth standard. He now has over 24 years of experience with Pragat Shikshan Sanstha (PSS), serving in various roles such as ICT teacher, website designer, and administrator. He has also worked as a Project Director and Project Coordinator on various PSS outreach programs. Currently, he is a charter member and serves as the Executive Officer of PSS.

Sominath Ghorpade has been with Pragat Shikshan Sanstha since 2000, working in the organization’s Outreach Program. He has taken on roles such as Project Coordinator and Project Officer in various PSS initiatives, including language improvement projects and capacity building for government teachers. He is currently the Project Liaison Officer for the Anganwadi project in Latur district. He has also been on the editorial board of various magazines and has written extensively on social issues in numerous newspapers and magazines.

Sameera Qureshi was one of the first students at Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan. She began her teaching career in the PSS Balwadis in 2004 and has been leading the Early Childhood Education wing since 2017. She holds a BA in Psychology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education from SNDT College of Home Science, Pune. She has authored four children’s books.

Dr. Vrushali Dehadray holds an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from SNDT Women’s University. She served as a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Education for 22 years. She has worked as a consultant with prestigious organisations such as Ambedkar University, Delhi, and several NGOs on early childhood education projects. She was a member of the committee constituted by the Education Department, Government of Maharashtra, to prepare the State Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage. She has undertaken research projects, organised workshops on Early Childhood Education (ECE), and led national seminars. She is also the Secretary of Maharashtra Balshikshan Parishad, a statewide body working in the field of early childhood education.