- contact.nirman@gmail.com
NIRMAN Executive Team
NIRMAN Executive Team
Amrut Bang
Program Director
Gadchiroli
amrutabang@gmail.com
9422501496
Amrut Bang has led the NIRMAN initiative since 2008 and is involved in shaping up the strategy, building partnerships, recruitment, fund raising, and project management. He also fulfils the much needed role of mentor and guide to all those involved in the NIRMAN process. Prior to NIRMAN, he worked in Symantec Corp. for a year after he received his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Pune University. He also holds an M.S. in Non-Profit Leadership from University of Pennsylvania where he received the prestigious Richard J. Estes Global Citizenship Award for demonstrated commitment to social impact. Besides his role in NIRMAN, he is an RTI activist and has managed to bring a change in the state government’s policy to ensure availability of doctors in tribal and rural areas. He is also a part of the SEARCH Executive Committee, and was an invitee member of the brainstorming group by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India to plan national level youth development initiatives.
Amrut is a self-learner and did not go to school till 10th standard. As he was exempted from the stifling influence of schooling, he maintains a healthy curiosity that is exhibited in his wide range of interests, from music and nature to chess and swimming. He is a voracious reader, with a photographic memory, who is particularly interested in physics and evolution. He also writes Bollywood inspired songs on social issues, from hand washing to employment guarantee scheme. He is married to Dr. Aarti Bang who is a NIRMANee and works as a psychiatrist in SEARCH. Amrut is a total- teetotaler and will never say no to a cup of tea!
Gajanan Burde
Administration & Finance
Gadchiroli
gajuburde2@gmail.com
9421067699
Gajanan Burde, a.k.a, Gaju, comes from Gunjepar in Lakhandur tahsil of Bhandara district and is trained as an electrical engineer. Before joining the NIRMAN team he was a visiting lecturer at Government Polytechnic, Gondia. His primary role in the team is of an administrator and it is thanks to his skills that the workshop functions smoothly. His calm and soothing presence creates a comforting atmosphere for the participants. He loves meeting and interacting with new people, which is essential to his role of workshop facilitator.
Gajanan is a skilled athlete and his ‘catches’ during cricket matches are a stuff of legends in the NIRMAN team. Apart from being a sportsman, Gajanan also loves to cook and he is among the few people who begin their routine at 5.30 am when the rest of the world is enjoying sleep.
Aditi Pidurkar
Content Development & Facilitation
Gadchiroli
aditipidurkar95@gmail.com
9420358588
Aditi received her degree in Electrical Engineering from Nagpur University and was among the toppers at the college and University level during all four years. Her technical expertise acquired a job in Hitachi, a multinational technology company, before she joined NIRMAN. She felt that her skills and creativity were better utilized to help those in need instead of being used to increase the profits of a giant corporation. Her interest in education led her to NIRMAN where she gets to work with budding social change makers of her age and contribute to their human development.
As a member of the NIRMAN Team she is responsible for content development including videos, graphics, photos, writing articles, etc. She is also studying positive psychology and the ways in which it relates to NIRMAN process. NIRMAN workshops become a deeper experience because of her ability to form strong emotional bonds with the participants.
Aditi is not only hardworking and sincere but also a very creative and artistic person. Her innovative ideas have led to some amazing gifts for her friends and colleagues. She also loves to paint and sketch in her free time.
Jui Jamsandekar
Youth Purpose & Flourishing
Madhya Pradesh
jui.jams@gmail.com
9028833020
Jui Jamsandekar is from Kolhapur and holds degrees in computer engineering and clinical psychology. Before joining NIRMAN team she worked in Oracle and Zensar, two giants of the software industry, as a computer programmer. During this time, she pursued her dream of studying psychology, with a particular interest in the 18-28 age group and volunteered for a suicide prevention hotline. With an MA in Clinical Psychology, Jui now provides important inputs to the selection process and to interactions with the participants. Her study of positive psychology and emerging adulthood gives a crucial foundation to NIRMAN and to her work in qualitative analysis of the participants’ growth and development. Jui manages to find the delicate balance between empathy and objectivity which is seen in her unique ability to provide compassionate critiques. She loves to paint and read in her free time.
Prathamesh Dhadse
Project Fellow
Gadchiroli
prathamesh_dhadse@searchforhealth.ngo
7420010632
Born & brought up in Mumbai, Prathamesh is the typical ‘Mumbaicha Mulga’. After completing his MBA in Finance, he went on to work in the corporate sector. A feeling of emptiness there & his longing for purpose in life finally brought him to NIRMAN.
His role in NIRMAN spans across various aspects of project management with focus mainly on the areas of content development & data analytics which includes covering journeys of Nirmaanites, developing learning material, analysing available data to inculcate a better understanding of today’s youth & assisting in developing new interventions to reach a larger audience. Being a workaholic, he relates himself with the work ethos of NIRMAN team to work tirelessly to help youth in identifying their purpose.
Delighted even by the name of Vada Pav, Prathamesh loves talking about cricket, movies, the crowded local trains & street food of Mumbai. His soft spoken demeanour makes him ever – approachable amongst his colleagues & fellow Nirmaanites.
Dr. Aarti Bang
Consultant Psychiatrist
Gadchiroli
aarti_bang@searchforhealth.ngo
A psychiatrist by training and romantic by nature, Aarti Bang’s contagious energy, warmth and keen sense of judgement embrace you instantly. She is from Nashik and her journey as a disillusioned medical graduate to the head of the mental health department at SEARCH is indeed an unexpected turn of events. After completing her MBBS at BJ Medical College in Pune, Aarti found conventional medicine to be quite monotonous and was disheartened by the questionable clinical practices she witnessed.
However, as a medical officer in the rural hospitals of Harsul (Nashik) and Dhanora taluka in Gadchiroli, Aarti found her interests gravitated towards psychiatry, a field she’d never considered in her realm of career possibilities. Propelled by the thrill to understand the human mind and behavior led her to complete her post-graduation in psychiatry from Bhavnagar Medical College. She is most fascinated by the subtle yet crucial influences of culture and society on mental health.
Uniquely placed as the lead of the mental health department at SEARCH and as a member of the NIRMAN team, Aarti’s coveted insight into the mental health struggles and emotional growth of youth enriches the dynamic of our team. She is particularly passionate about facilitating the emotional growth of youth by encouraging them to introspect and make conscious choices for the betterment of society. Observing Aarti weave her magic during counselling sessions would indeed make the likes of Helen Boyle proud and attests to the marvel that Aarti and psychiatry found each other.
Addressing mental health in Gadchiroli has given her the conviction to think beyond the mainstream model of mental disorders and which led her to plan and execute the first mental health survey in Gadchiroli’s tribal population. On a light day at the clinic Aarti loves to bake, read, watch and re-enact Korean dramas, exercise and enjoys her sleep.
NIRMAN Volunteer Contributors:
A group of over 20 NIRMAN Alumni and other Senior Practitioners from varied backgrounds regularly volunteer/contribute to different aspects of the NIRMAN program including outreach, selection process, content development, networking, strategy, impact assessment, resource mobilization and mentoring. We are thankful for their inputs and sustained support!