Case Study: Spoorthy Community Kitchen Enterprise

Deepa serves as the Accounts and Admin Assistant at CherYsh Trust, where she supports the organization’s financial operations and administrative functions. With a solid background in accounting and office administration, she is committed to maintaining accuracy, ensuring operational efficiency, and fostering a positive work environment. Deepa brings a spirit of dedication and collaboration to the team and is eager to contribute to CherYsh’s ongoing growth and impact. She is your go-to person for all accounts and administrative queries, and she looks forward to supporting the team while continuously learning and evolving in her role.

Nancy Francis Naik is a graduate from Bangalore University (2018) with professional experience in the banking and transportation sectors. In 2024, she joined CherYsh Trust as an English Shiksha Cluster Trainer and Admin in the Haliyal region. Her role focuses on enhancing English education and inspiring both students and learning facilitators to embrace a positive learning mindset. Nancy is dedicated to driving meaningful change in attitudes toward education through her efforts.

Tapasya Rajaram is a seasoned professional in the social development sector, with a specialized focus on education. Her expertise encompasses program design, strategic planning, partnership development, grant-making, project and program evaluations, resource mobilization, and volunteer engagement. She has a profound understanding of program development, reinforced by practical experience in implementation, capacity building, and innovative volunteer initiatives. In her current role, Tapasya leads community engagement efforts, manages high-performing teams, and collaborates with key stakeholders—including corporate partners, trustees, and industry experts—to conceptualize and drive initiatives that yield meaningful, sustainable impact. Her work is centered on fostering innovation, ensuring strategic alignment, and delivering results that address both organizational objectives and community needs. Tapasya’s commitment to social development is evident in her leadership and the tangible outcomes of her initiatives, particularly in the education sector, where she continues to make significant contributions.

Mr. Chandrashekhar has been driven by passion in the Development Sector for the past 19 years; he did a masters in Business Management & after a few years of experience in the corporate world, he tried to understand his interest specifically to make his career. He joined the Deshpande Foundation & was awarded as a fellow during 2008-09 & re-initiated his career with reputed NGOs. He learnt from the grassroots level & earned many managerial roles working with multiple projects across various geographical locations. He believes in ‘Win-win’ as a team player, is honed to build the team capacity to meet the expectations of the organization & bring endless smiles in the community. His passion in education stems from having worked with many Govt. officials and motivating to lead the team in the Haliyal region.

Anita Singh has worked in the advertising and marketing industry for several years, handling brands across various industries, including IT services, consumer durables, and ice creams. She is a highly motivated strategic leader with more than 25 years of global corporate experience and success in aligning people, brand and organization propositions to deliver business value – both for scaling and growth.She is dedicated to supporting education and livelihoods for underprivileged women and children and supporting the needs of the elderly and less fortunate. As a Trustee for the CherYsh Trust, she works to better the prospects of women and children through programs that prepare them for future challenges.

Monica Chakravarthy is the Lead Technology Officer and Computing Educator at CherYsh Trust, where she plays a strategic role in overseeing all programs, including those focused on livelihood initiatives. With over seven years of experience as a technical trainer, Monica is dedicated to inspiring and empowering learners through her expertise in software programming, pedagogical principles, and hardware maintenance. She manages a wide array of responsibilities, including the selection and maintenance of hardware technologies, cloud services, and internet accessibility. Monica designs and delivers the computing curriculum for students and teacher trainers while providing technical leadership and mentorship. Her commitment to creating an inclusive technology environment extends to collaborating with academic institutions and industry partners to organize workshops and develop internship programs. Eager to embrace new technologies, Monica implements strategies that enhance efficiency and reliability in CherYsh’s computing infrastructure, ultimately aiming to transform the educational landscape for children and women in rural India.

Sahana Sagali is the Coordinator for Electronic Shiksha (eShiksha) at CherYsh Trust, where she plays a pivotal role in managing and overseeing educational programs that leverage technology to enhance learning experiences. With a strong background in educational technology and program management, along with experience in technical training from her time as a Graduate Trainee at HCL Tech, Sahana is dedicated to empowering students and educators through innovative digital solutions. Her responsibilities include designing and implementing technical learning modules, coordinating training sessions for teachers, and ensuring the accessibility and user-friendliness of CherYsh’s digital platforms. She collaborates closely with educational institutions, schools, and community organizations to foster partnerships that align with CherYsh’s mission of providing quality education to underserved populations. Passionate about creating inclusive learning environments, Sahana focuses on addressing diverse learning needs and promoting digital literacy. By continuously exploring emerging technologies and best practices, she strives to enhance the effectiveness of CherYsh’s programs and contribute to improving technical educational outcomes in the communities they serve.

Shantha Doddamani has a MSW from Belgaum and has been part of the CherYsh team since 2015, making her the first employee of CherYsh. Shantha’s interests lie in the education and livelihood sectors, and she is always eager to learn new things. To Shantha, CherYsh is like her baby, and she is deeply committed to the organization’s goal of improving the lives of girls and women in the Haliyal region through sustainable work. She is hopeful that her work will contribute to community development and help change people’s mindsets.

Sapna Ravindran is a highly passionate and decisive senior executive with over 27 years of experience in the development sector. Throughout her career, she has been engaged in program development, quality implementation, strategic partnerships and alliances, government relations, new business development, revenue raising, social marketing, franchising, and monitoring & evaluation.
Currently, as the CEO of CherYsh Trust, Sapna provides strategic leadership in steering the organization, fundraising, and managing and fostering stakeholder relationships. Prior to this role, she was the Vice President of Resources & Sustainability at Smile Foundation, where she was responsible for new business development, corporate partnerships, fundraising, and overseeing operations in South India. Sapna’s leadership, commitment to social change, and ability to build impactful partnerships have made her a respected and influential figure in the development sector.

Sanjiv Shanmugam, a third-generation industrialist, is the Managing Partner of MLC Estates LLP. He has diversified the company’s activities by including real estate, angel investing and solar power. He graduated from Wilmington College with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Economics. Sanjiv is an active member of society and holds various prestigious positions. He is a founding patron of Art Bengaluru, an avid golfer and a member of numerous clubs. Sanjiv has been a donor with CherYsh since a decade, a cause he holds dear, which aims to empower rural women and enhance the education of the girl child.

Kala Anand is a seasoned expert in international education, having extensive experience in building partnerships, coaching, and marketing initiatives across various industries. As the Vice President (Global) at upGrad Connect, she was spearheading the crucial strategies to enhance institutional relationships and provide transformative learning experiences for students worldwide. Currently as the Director(Sports Advisory at KPMG India, she is responsible for growth strategy and digital transformation initiative’s for organizations engaged in sports related products or services.