The PRAkruti Community
Core Implementation Team
The people who hold the rhythm of everyday learning.
They are facilitators, planners, and doers who ensure that ideas translate into lived experiences.
Prajakta tai
Prajakta has spent the last ten years working with children, parents, teachers, and education systems across Maharashtra. Her work bridges learning and life; from designing meaningful learning experiences to improving teaching practices and school leadership.
At Prakruti, she leads curriculum and learning processes while also supporting other organisations as an educational consultant. She brings both structure and creativity; the balance that defines Prakruti’s approach.
Nivedita tai
With over a decade of experience in primary education across rural Maharashtra and urban Pune, Nivedita brings depth and heart to learning. She designs concept- and competency-based Language and Math content and helps teachers connect ideas to real life.
Empathetic and perceptive, she builds trust across classrooms, homes, and communities. Starting her journey with parents and children, she grounded Prakruti’s early work in care and clarity. A doer by nature, Nivedita embodies Prakruti - steady, reflective, and hands-on.
Mentors and Guides
The people who keep us thinking - asking deeper questions, helping us stay aligned to our values, and bringing perspective when we drift into routine.
Ashok Pingale
With over 25 years of dedicated experience in development and humanitarian sectors, Ashok Pingle serves as an advisor to Prakruti. His expertise spans livelihoods enhancement, health and nutrition programs, child rights advocacy, disaster response initiatives, and transformative education strategies—bridging grassroots implementation with systemic impact. Ashok's career trajectory includes impactful collaborations with national NGOs, state-level government programs, and international agencies. This multifaceted background equips him with a deep, systems-level understanding of community dynamics: how marginalized groups learn, recover from crises, and foster sustainable growth. His work emphasizes inclusive education models that empower rural learners in Maharashtra, aligning with Prakruti's mission to elevate teaching quality through teacher training, parent engagement, and innovative pedagogy. With his experience in partnership building, impact design, and on-the-ground field collaboration, Ashok ensures Prakruti's initiatives remain rooted in practicality while aspiring to visionary ideals. As advisor, he guides the team in weaving everyday learning experiences with broader principles of inclusion, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility—cultivating resilient educational ecosystems that prepare children for a equitable future. Ashok holds advanced qualifications in natural resource management and development studies, underscoring his commitment to evidence-based, context-sensitive solutions.
Gauri Janvekar
With over 20 years of experience at her own Samvid Center for Psychological Services, Gauri Tai brings deep insight into child and family psychology. Her grounding in evolutionary and social psychology has helped Prakruti shape an emotionally aware, empathetic approach to learning. Her guidance informs how we understand children’s emotions, relationships, and motivation—shaping facilitation and our work with parents. This perspective weaves social-emotional learning into daily practice and parenting, creating safe, nurturing spaces at home and in the center.
As Prakruti grows, Gauri Tai’s insight continues to link learning with wellbeing for children, families, and facilitators alike.
Collaborators
Friends of Prakruti who add colour, craft, and curiosity - artists, naturalists, educators, and people from various walks of life who share their time and skill. Collaboration at Prakruti means learning from each other, not just working together.
Namrata
After over a decade in the corporate world, Namrata is now in the “Unlearning” chapter of her life. Volunteering with diverse NGOs and communities showed her that lasting environmental change needs collective shifts in how we view development and success - beginning in our schools, neighbourhoods, and daily lives.
Now a Bhoomi Fellow, she brings her passion for nature education into Prakruti’s learning experiences, helping children see themselves as part of the natural world. She believes wonder exists everywhere - in forests, gardens, or a single potted plant - and through her sessions, she nurtures curiosity, awe, and care for nature as a joyful, everyday act.
Krutarth Shevgaonkar
An actor, storyteller, mountaineer, and communicator, Krutarth believes in creating impact through meaningful interaction and creative expression.
He uses theatre as a medium for dialogue and empowerment, helping people explore ideas and emotions through performance and participation. He also works as a versatile facilitator in the areas of human values, mental health, and children’s literature, inspiring both reflection and joy in learning. Through his initiative “ The Kahanighar Collective” he brings the power of storytelling into children’s world, nurturing imagination, confidence, and empathy.
At Prakruti, he periodically interacts with children through storytelling sessions and theatre-based activities, helping them discover expression, voice, and collaboration in playful ways.
Sukhada Lodha
Sukhada, a dedicated Early Childhood Education professional, believes in fostering joyful and meaningful childhood experiences. She has worked with organizations like SMF and QUEST, leading literacy and foundational learning programs in rural and tribal parts of Maharashtra.
She Co-founded Anandban: A Child Nurturing Centre in Malegaon, and has been passionate about integrating visual arts into early years' learning.
In Prakruti’s early days, her presence brought clarity and grounding. Through thoughtful conversations and lived experience, she helps shape how we think about creating a space where children can learn with depth, safety, and joy. Her quiet influence continues to support the way we design learning; with attention to both structure and soul.
Keertana S Kakkanat
With over 12 years of experience in designing transformative and self-sustaining educational processes, Keertana brings a rare blend of clarity and compassion to her work.
She focuses on connecting educational ideas with lived classroom realities, helping educators design contextual and balanced learning experiences.
Through her reflective conversations with the Prakruti team, she contributes to the theoretical grounding and pedagogical depth of our approach; helping us see our everyday practice through a wider educational lens. Though she engages remotely, her insight continually enriches how Prakruti thinks, documents, and grows. Reminding us that strong practice is always rooted in thoughtful reflection.
Contributors
