Governing Body

Sundar Sarukkai

President

Sundar Sarukkai works primarily in the philosophy of the natural and social sciences. He has held positions of professor of philosophy at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Founder-Director of the Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities, and Visiting Faculty at the Centre for Society and Policy, Indian Institute of Science. He is the founder of Barefoot Philosophers, an initiative to take philosophy to children and the public. He has  authored several books on Science, Philosophy and Society. His book for children titled Philosophy for Children: Thinking, Reading, Writing has been translated into Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. He is also the Series Editor of Routledge's Science and Technology Studies, as well as the Co-Chief Editor of the Springer Handbook of Logical Thought in India.

Gayatri Menon

Secretary

Gayatri Menon works on the political economy of development, focusing on urbanization, displacement, and questions of home. She has taught at the graduate and post-graduate levels for several years, first at Cornell University and subsequently at Franklin and Marshall College and Azim Premji University offering courses on theories, politics and practices of development. She also has extensive experience in the NGO sector, having worked on rural livelihoods and indebtedness in Maharashtra, on agricultural practices and politics in Garhwal, on land tenure and housing rights with a global network of women’s groups.

Upendranadh Choragudi

Treasurer

Upendranadh is a Development professional with over 30 years of experience in the sector. He has worked with several global NGOs in the areas of program management, policy research, advocacy and campaign, and capacity building among others, and has undertaken consultancy assignments for UN bodies. His experience cuts across several domains including Governance, Social Policy, Gender, Conflict and Peace, Livelihoods and Education. He is currently Evaluation and Learning Specialist (Social Accountability and Participation) at VSO International.

Read Curriculum Vitae here.