Leadership Team
Believing in the vision and mission of SwastiVishwa, our board members encouraged and supported the formation of the Foundation. They believe in the power of education to bring about social change.
Swati Karve has a career of more than 25 years that spans across education, corporate consulting, training, mental health. She has done projects with major multinational companies in India and USA. She has been faculty in Psychology and Management in India and USA. She is a master trainer and conducts training in leadership, management development, personal and professional development for companies ranging from large MNCs to small NGOs. She is a trained psychotherapist, trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy from Beck Institute, USA. She has an ASTD-ISPI certificate from University of Michigan in Human Performance Improvement, and Certificate in Organizational Design from Cornell University. She is a published author, having authored articles for academic as well as general readers in English and Marathi on topics to do with leadership, management, psychology, and mental health. She has also co-authored a book on the topic of Campus to Corporate. She has presented papers at national and international conferences and has been an invited speaker at different events. She is passionate about community service, mass education and social change. She is a student of Hindustani classical music. Her interests include writing for leisure, travel, and astronomy.
Chitra Gokhale
Founder Director
BSc, Dilplôme Supérieur as well as a DALF C1 in French
Chitra completed her Bachelor's degree and worked first at the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore before going to the USA for a few years with her family. She worked part-time at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in the US and pursued her varied interests in theatre and fine arts in the US. On returning to India, she worked for over 25 years in the field of education. She has taught in Center for Learning, Bengaluru and The Valley School, Bengaluru, both renowned for their unique approach to education and has taught a range of subjects from Hindi, Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics to Theatre. Languages being her passion, she completed Dilplôme Supérieur as well as a DALF C1 in French. She is also a qualified DELF (French) examiner. She is now a faculty in French at Alliance Francaise Bengaluru. She identifies with issues in the field of education both at systemic levels and at the level of teaching-learning. She is a student of Hindustani classical music; and painting and baking are her passions.
Supriya Kulkarni
Founder Director
BE, MS
Having completed her Engineering from India, Supriya completed her Master's in Computer Science from the USA. Thereafter she worked for about ten years in the software industry in various roles starting from team member to project leader. Leaving her job to take care of her child and family, Supriya is involved in helping those who need her help in the community. A go-to person for everyone who knows her, lending a helping hand and support are second nature to her. She also runs franchise businesses for three well-known brands and has been successful in maintaining and growing the number of clients for her brands. She is passionate about issues such as challenges of working women, parenting, and community issues. A student of Indian music both classical and light, she is learning to play songs on instrumental on keyboard. She is an avid traveler, and has a passion for cooking.
Vaishnodevi Abhyankar
Founder Director
BE, DCA
Vaishnodevi alias Sheetal has grown up in business environment and has seen her father run construction businesses since her childhood. She brings with her the knowledge and mindset of an entrepreneur and understands the challenges of business. Having completed her bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, Vaishnodevi helped her father run his Steel fabrication and precast concrete manufacturing business in Miraj, Maharashtra. She also helped manage the family-owned farms. She has travelled around the world and stayed for 20 yrs in Azerbaijan and UAE, where she worked as project Planning Engineer for construction of The Grand Mosque a reputed project in Abu Dhabi for couple of years. She returned to India for their son's education and the care of her parents. Vaishnodevi identifies with the struggles of small-town India, especially farmers and rural women, and having been an expat herself, she also identifies with the struggles of the expat communities and families abroad. She is an avid traveler, and is passionate about needlework, craft, and gardening.
Our Team
Meghana Deshpande
Executive Mental Health Services
Meghana has completed her Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Pune University. She is trained in CBT for anxiety, depression and suicide prevention from Beck Institute. She has work experience of 2 years. As a part of her internship, she has worked in Sahyadri Hospital and other private clinics. She has worked in areas of counselling, therapy, neuropsychological assessments, etc. She is certified as a career counsellor from Mentoria. Her expertise lies in taking psychotherapy for adults, designing and conducting workshops related to various mental health issues. She is trained in a classical Indian dance form, Bharatnatyam, and has a passion for singing.
Aditi Joshi
Consultant, Mental Health Services
Aditi has Masters in Clinical Psychology, and is a RCI registered Rehabilitation Psychologist. She has more than 22 years of experience. Her works in the areas of parent child counselling, psychological testing, and differently abled children and their parents. She is trained in CBT for anxiety, depression and suicide prevention from Beck Institute and Family and Couples Therapy course from Niti Aayog, Govt. Of India. She is passionate about nature, photography and is learning Hindustani classical instrumental Sitar.
Akansha Sharma
Learning and Development Trainee
Akansha completed her Masters in Organizational Behaviour and started her career as a talent development associate. With a shared interest in the clinical domain, she has completed year-long internship at IIS (deemed to be University), Jaipur, and 50 hours’ internship with Fortis healthcare. As an avid learner, she has various certificates in the subject of human resources, mindfulness-based CBT and event management. In her spare time, she loves to engage in DIYs and has a passion for cooking.
Mentors & Advisors
Nilima Bhope
Global HR Consultant
Nilima is an accomplished business leader with over 25 years of Human Resources (HR) experience in the sectors of Manufacturing, Engineering, IT, and Service business. She also has experience in Training, Procurement and Sales & Marketing prior to her work in the field of HR. Her last assignment was with an Austrian MNC, Hoerbiger India as Head – People & Culture, India, where she was responsible for change management initiatives in the area of Strategy, Leadership and Culture. Prior to this she has held leadership positions in organizations like HCL Technologies, KPIT, Praj Industries. Nilima is an OD specialist with focus on Organizational Development Interventions, Organizational Design and Effectiveness, Succession Planning, Employee Engagement and Talent Development, Training, and Change Management. She has extensive experience in technology with special interest in implementation of various HR Technology platforms to enhance employee experience. She has been actively involved as Leadership Coach and Mentor to help Managers at various levels to leverage their skills and achieve success in their career.
Mr. Jayram Gadre
Retd. Professor of Physics & Educationist
Mr. Jayram Gadre served as Professor of Physics at Abasaheb Garware College, Pune. With MSc. in Physics and M.Ed, he has an experience in the field of teaching for more than forty years. He has been associated with the academic activities of the Indian Association of Physics Teachers since 1987. Mr. Jayram is involved in assessing and training students for the International Physics Olympiad through the nodal institute Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (TIFR), Mumbai, and has guided and mentored winning teams outside India in these International Olympiads. He is engaged in writing articles in Marathi for Marathi Vishwa Kosh, an activity instituted by the Government of Maharashtra. Mr. Jayram has guided many students for competitive examinations such as National Talent Search (NTS) and Joint Entrance Examination for IITs. His areas of passion and interest are in the fields of education and he is particularly interested in training students at school level in ‘self-learning skills’ and ‘effective study habits’. Mr. Jayram also served as Director in Swasti Institute for Learning and Development Pvt Ltd and his support was instrumental in starting of SwastiVishwa Foundation.
Comdt. Suresh Karve (Retd.)
Engineer
A marine Engineer by profession, Comdt Suresh has served the Indian Coast Guards and took voluntary retirement after serving for 21 years. There after he has worked in the private sector companies like Suzlon Energy, Walchand Industries, L&T Ship building, etc where he held various senior operational and administrative positions. He served as General Manager (Administration) at the reputed College of Engineering, Pune. He is also active in social service and volunteering his time to the development of skills among underprivileged children. He also served as Director in Swasti Institute for Learning and Development Pvt Ltd and now lending his support and encouragement in the starting of SwastiVishwa Foundation.
Cmde. Dilip Mohapatra
Decorated Navy Veteran & Corporate Leader
Dilip Mohapatra, a Navy veteran served Indian Navy for 28 years and rose to the rank of Commodore. He held varied leadership positions during his naval career and hung his boots prematurely in 2000, to pursue a second career in the industry. His assignments post Navy include Global Head of HR Sourcing, Global Head of L& D at TCS, Director, Tata Management Training Centre and Vice President at Suzlon group of industries. He again quit active professional engagement in 2012 and currently is on an honorary assignment as the Chief Mentor and Strategic Advisor to KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. He is a certified NEWS Coach and also freelances in the space of high-end leadership training and executive coaching. He pursues his passion for poetry and literature in his spare time and has five poetry collections to his credit. He also writes prolifically for professional magazines and journals on training, management and HR.
He has been decorated with Vishist Seva Medal by the President of India for distinguished services rendered to the Armed Forces. His website may be accessed at dilipmohapatra.com
Dr. Harish Shetty
Consultant Psychiatrist, MBBS, MD
Dr. Harish Shetty is a Psychiatrist with over three decades of experience. Apart from treating clients with psychiatric illnesses, he has done extensive work in areas of mental health especially in connection with disasters. He has worked at Latur in 1992 - 1993 for a year, at Kandla after the cyclone for a year, evaluated the Psycho-social processes at Jabalpur & Gujarat after the earthquake for a human rights group and also worked at Gujarat after the last riots for 6 months. This was on the invitation of Amritaben Patel then head of NDDB. Dr Shetty has worked extensively with the youth and works with an educational institution every week. He provided mental health intervention to Seafarers after their release from the clutches of Somalian pirates. He is a governing body member of the NTA appointed by the Govt of India. He is a member of Indian Medical Association, Indian Psychiatric Society. He is on the advisory boards of top counselling and wellness centres.
Dr. Rahul Shidhaye
Psychiatrist and Researcher
Dr. Rahul Shidhaye is a clinical psychiatrist and epidemiologist and has worked in the field of global mental health for last 17 years in India and other low-and-middle income countries with a specific focus on reducing treatment gap for mental disorders by translating evidence-based treatments in ‘real-world’ setting. He has trained at Johns Hopkins in Public Mental Health. Based on his work to integrate mental health in primary care, he completed PhD from Maastricht University in 2018. He has addressed UN and WHO on topics of mental health, has been faculty at King’s College, UK. Currently he is associate professor of Psychiatry and senior research scientist at the Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences. He is recipient of India Alliance (Department of Biotechnology, Government of India-Welcome Trust) intermediate fellowship in clinical and public health research and his work involves design and evaluation of yoga-based interventions for mental disorders. His work covers four major areas: epidemiology of mental disorders with focus on social determinants generating evidence on translating knowledge into practice mental health systems strengthening in low and middle-income countries building capacity in the field of implementation science and synthesizing knowledge to facilitate policy uptake.