About Me

My Journey

I have over 25 years of experience in education as an award-winning teacher, scholar, and institution-builder. Working with students and creating meaningful, transformative learning experiences has been my lifelong passion, and it continues to shape my work. I specialize in designing inclusive, value-driven educational ecosystems that centre experiential learning, holistic wellbeing, and purposeful growth.

I most recently served as the Founding Director and Head of the ATLAS ASPIRE Centre, and previously as the Founding Director of Student Life and Student Affairs at Ashoka University. In these roles, I built the entire ‘outside the classroom’ ecosystem from ground up, shaping a vibrant, community-led campus culture rooted in liberal arts values. I bring deep expertise in institutional design, governance, policy development, and risk management, alongside a strong commitment to soft skilling, pastoral care and self-care for young adults to flourish.

Through Vartma, my independent initiative, I hope to grow my work more deeply—creating thoughtful, sustainable spaces that nurture learning, wellbeing, and purpose at both individual and institutional levels.

Professional Background

Founding Director & Head, ASPIRE (Advanced Support for Professionalism, Innovation, Research & Excellence)- ATLAS Skilltech University, Mumbai
Founding Director, Office of Student Life & Student Affairs, Ashoka University- Sonipat
Post Graduate Teacher of Sociology- Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi

Educational Background

M.Phil. in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi (2002)
Qualified UGC-NET in Sociology (2000)
M.A. in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi (2000)
B.A. (Honors) in Sociology from Miranda House, University of Delhi (1998)
Higher Secondary (10+2) (I.C.S.E) in Science with 82.4% marks from St. Xavier’s School, Bokaro (1994)

Accomplishments

Awarded First Class in M.Phil. in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi
Ranked 2nd in the University, securing First Class (60%) in M.A. in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi
Honored with the M.S.A. Rao Gold Medal in Sociology of Research during my M.A. at Delhi School of Economics
Ranked 3rd in the University, securing First Class (60%) in B.A. (Honors) in Sociology from Miranda House, University of Delhi
Recognized by the MHRD for outstanding contribution as a post-graduate teacher

Personal Life and Passions

Born and raised in the steel city of Bokaro, Jharkhand, I moved to Delhi for my education and lived there for over 25 years before settling in Mumbai. My lifelong transitions, commitment to my work, and passion for learning and culture have shaped both my personal and professional journey.
Beyond academics and education, I am passionate about exploring everyday life through music, art, culture, and heritage, and creating spaces that bring these experiences to life. I have been curating and nurturing such spaces since the start of my career, aiming not only to showcase creative expressions but also to build communities around them.
Inspired by my grandmother’s textile heirloom, I research everyday heritage through the tradition of kashida, a rich threadwork and hand-embroidery art from Bihar. My project, Awalkhana, is an archival memoir documenting this craft through a 100-year-old family textile heirloom created by my paternal grandmother.
I am also the co-founder of At Home, Ghari, a platform for intimate, curated home baithaks in Mumbai and beyond.
My diverse practice in heritage is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the Indic repertoire of textiles, performing and visual arts, and other forms of heritage.
In my free time, you can find me immersed in music, plants, home-cooked food, and the company of good friends.