Arun Ram is the Resident Editor, Times of India, Tamil Nadu.  A post-graduate in Mass Communication and Journalism, Arun Ram worked with six newspapers and a magazine in three states before joining The Times of India as part of the Chennai launch team. He is a British Chevening Scholar in Print Journalism and the winner of Sarojini Naidu prize for best reporting. He is the Co-author of former ISRO scientist Nambinarayanan's autobiography 'Ready to Fire: How India and I Survived the ISRO Spy Case. His interests include investigative journalism, politics, science & technology, human interest stories and teaching. 

Aparna Karthikeyan is a Chennai based independent journalist and author. Her non-fiction book Nine Rupees an Hour documents the disappearing livelihoods of rural Tamil Nadu. She has written five books for children. Aparna’s award-winning series on eight crops in Tamil Nadu – Let Them Eat Rice – will be published as an anthology by Westland Books. 

Gayathri is a media professional and community communication practitioner with over 18 years of experience in radio broadcasting, audio production, and community engagement. She currently serves as Station Manager of Radio Ganesa FM 88.8 CR at Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation, working to develop a student-driven community radio platform for education, public awareness, and community outreach. She previously served as Station Head and Trust Manager of Kadal Osai FM 90.4 Community Radio, Pamban, where she led programming and mentored over 50 young people in radio production. Gayathri has also worked with commercial radio in India and the UAE and currently serves as President of the Tamil Nadu Pondicherry Community Radio Association Chapter (TNPCRA). She recently received the Community Conservation Leadership Award from the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. 

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan is a pediatrician and global expert in tuberculosis and HIV research. She was the first Chief Scientist of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Previously, she was the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (2015-2017). Since February 2023, she has been the Chair of M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). She is also the Principal Advisor to National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. 

As a botanist, Dr King was mentored by the late Professor M.S. Swaminathan. He is a leading expert in Ethno-botany, agro-biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture. He has led pioneering initiatives in participatory research, small millet conservation, farmer-led value chain development, promotion of resilient agricultural systems and empowering farming communities through biodiversity conservation and sustainable practices. With nearly three decades of experience, he has spearheaded projects supported by FAO, GFAiR, IFAD, EU, IDRC, IFPRI, SDC, Global Crop Trust, Bioversity International, ICAR, NBA, PPFVRA and NABARD, focusing on Conservation, ecological sustainability, rural livelihoods, and policy advocacy. 

Uma Mahadevan is a 1992 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre who is currently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, Govt of Karnataka. She has served in multiple capacities at the central and the state, prominent among them the Departments of Women & Child Development; Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihoods, Planning, Agriculture, Education, and Health. She has also served in the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. She holds a postgraduate degree in English literature and has also authored multiple articles/publications covering development, sociocultural and arts discourses. She was an active member of the working group who chartered the first Human Development Report for Karnataka.  She has also been a member of the ECCE Taskforce, Government of India. 

Saroja Kumar is a farmer and a strong voice for women in agriculture from Karur, Tamil Nadu. Over the past decade, she has turned 10 acres of dry land into a thriving food forest.

She farms without ploughing or pesticides. Her work is guided by care, close observation, and deep respect for nature. Birds, insects, and animals share this space with her crops, and the forest supports many forms of life.

Last June, thousands of butterflies arrived in her food forest and stayed for nearly four months. For Saroja, this was a powerful sign that the land had healed and life had returned.

For many years, Saroja carried the heavy load of caregiving within her family. Today, she identifies herself first as a woman and a farmer. Her work shows how restoring the land can also bring confidence, dignity, and freedom to women.

Mrs. Selvarani, a 49-year-old farmer from Alathuranpatti village in Reddiarchatram block of Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu, is the Chairman of Kulumai Milk Producer Company Limited (KMPCL). She belongs to a traditional farming family and owns 3.5 acres of cultivable land with her husband, Mr. K. Rajendran.

In 2004, she joined the Durgaiamman Women Self Help Group formed under the guidance of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation through the Kulumai SHG Federation. After receiving training in Scientific Dairy Management with the support of NABARD and TANUVAS, she started dairy farming and shared her knowledge with other SHG members. She also played a key role in establishing a milk collection centre in her village. Later, she became a Board Director and Managing Director of Kulumai Milk Producer Company Limited (KMPCL), established in 2016. With loans from KMPCL, she expanded her dairy unit and now owns three cows and two calves. Through dairy farming and agriculture, she has successfully supported her children’s education, helping her daughter become a B.E. graduate and her son complete a Diploma in Engineering.

Mrs. S. Vennila is a dedicated leader and an inspiration to the farming community in the Kolli Hills. Her transformative journey began between 2014 and 2018 as a participant in the MSSRF Wadi project, where her natural leadership led to her appointment as a Producer Group President. In 2018, she transitioned into the role of Millet Farm Facilitator for the Alathurnadu cluster, where she was helping farmers increase crop yields and adopt value-addition processing techniques to improve their income. Her consistent hard work and strategic vision led to her being appointed as a Director of the Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) in 2021, and her expertise was further honoured in 2022 with the significant ICAR Farmer Fellow Award. Currently serving as an FPO Director and Farmer Resource Person, Mrs. Vennila remains a leading advocate for natural farming, committed to helping others build sustainable and profitable livelihoods.

Hanne de Bruin holds a PhD in Indology from Leiden University, The Netherlands. She has published extensively on the Kattaikuttu theatre in particular and popular theatre in India in general, women performers, stigma, the nature and transmission of non-formal knowledge, and Tamil culture. Hanne was one of the co-founders of the Kattaikkuttu Sangam (1990) and the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam (residential theatre training and formal education for rural children, 2002-2020). Together with her husband P. Rajagopal, she is involved in creating new productions and, most recently, in running a 10-month Kattaikkuttu Diploma Course and creating an online repository for the Kattaikkuttu theatre.    

Saurabh Gupta is an Associate Editor with NDTV in Mumbai and he oversees the reportage and production of digital content for NDTV 24x7 from Mumbai. Saurabh brings 17 years of frontline newsroom experience to both traditional and online platforms, demonstrating a sharp instinct for news angles and the ability to distil complex issues into stories that resonate. During his time as a correspondent, Saurabh headed NDTV's bureaus in Mumbai and Kolkata and primarily focussed on the BBIN (Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal) region as well as areas adjacent to India in Myanmar. Saurabh is responsible for shaping NDTV's coverage during key events and on several strategic developments and infrastructure initiatives in the region. He has also won many awards for his work, including the ENBA and Indian Television award for his coverage of the violent ethnic conflict in Manipur. 

Jyoti Shelar leads communications and donor outreach at MSSRF. She has worked as a journalist for 17 years reporting on public health, gender, communities, and governance. Before joining MSSRF, she led communications at the World Health Organization’s country office in Timor-Leste. 

Sejal Dand is a feminist activist based in India, and serves as the Director of ANANDI Technical Support Unit. As a founder member of ANANDI, a feminist collective she has worked with organizing rural & tribal  marginalized women in Gujarat (1995-2010). She has been active in the state and national campaigns on Right to Food and also served as one of the National Advisor to the Commissioners appointed by the Supreme Court of India (2008-2017). She is founder member of SAFA (South Asian Feminist Alliance) and MAKAAM (Mahila Kisaan Adhikar Manch) which advocates for recognition and rights of small and marginal women farmers in India. She is currently engaged with the alliances advocating for universal maternity entitlements & crèches, women’s land, livelihood rights & social protection, building capacities for women’s empowerment & gender equality in several state, national government programs and NGOs in India.  

Dr Rengalakshmi R has a PHD in Agriculture with 30 years of experience. She is a development researcher cum field-level practitioner in the agriculture and natural resource sectors. She works on technologies, institutions and policies in the science-society interface with the broader areas of sustainable livelihoods, gender and climate change.  

N. Manimekalai is an economist and women’s studies scholar with over three decades of teaching and research experience, specialising in gender, entrepreneurship, labour and development in India. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Bharathidasan University and has authored numerous books and articles on women’s entrepreneurship, microfinance, labour, social protection, and menstrual hygiene management. Her work spans grassroots studies on self-help groups, informal sector workers, and gendered labour markets, alongside policy-oriented research including district human development reports in Tamil Nadu. She actively engages with issues of reproductive technologies, visual disability, gender justice, and skill development for women.

Renuga is a fisherwoman and community leader from Vanagiri village in Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu. She is 37 years old and studied up to the 10th standard. For more than 11 years, Renuga has been involved in fish-based livelihoods, working with both fresh fish and dry fish processing. Her experience comes from years of hard work, learning, and adapting to the challenges faced by small-scale fisherwomen.

Three years ago, she joined the Vetri Paavai Fish Farmers Producer Organization as a promoter. Through this platform, Renuga strengthened her livelihood and expanded her work in dry fish production and value-added fish products. In the early years, she struggled with marketing and selling her products. Finding reliable buyers and fair prices was difficult. After becoming part of the FFPO, she gained access to collective marketing and support networks, which helped her sell her products more easily and regularly.

Today, Renuga plays an active role in supporting other women in her community. She helps organise groups of women involved in fish processing by arranging bulk fresh fish for dry fish production and coordinating collective activities. She has also emerged as a community resource person and trainer. Renuga regularly trains women on quality dry fish production using tunnel solar dryers and teaches simple value-addition methods that improve product quality and income.

Through her training work with organisations such as MSSRF and the Department of Fisheries, Renuga has helped many women build confidence and improve their livelihoods.

C. Sharmila is a community leader and social worker from Vanagiri village in Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu. For several years, she has been actively supporting coastal fishing communities, especially fisherwomen engaged in fish vending, dry fish preparation, and post-harvest activities. Her work focuses on strengthening women’s livelihoods, improving fish handling practices, and building collective enterprises within fishing villages.

Her journey in community service began after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, when she witnessed the struggles faced by families who had lost their fishing assets and income sources. Starting as a preschool teacher, she gradually expanded her role by helping community members access government welfare schemes and social security benefits. Over time, she emerged as a trusted leader and began mobilising women through collective groups to improve their economic opportunities.

Sharmila later became the president of the women’s cooperative society in Vanagiri and helped organise women into Joint Liability Groups, enabling them to access institutional credit and strengthen their small businesses. Through training and support from the Fish for All Research and Training Centre of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), she adopted improved practices in hygienic fish handling and value-added dry fish production.

Today, She plays an important role in the Vetripaavai Fisherwomen Producer Company, a collective enterprise formed to support fisherwomen across several coastal villages. She encourages women to adopt better processing methods, explore markets, and build confidence through collective action. Her journey reflects how leadership, learning, and community support can help women transform traditional livelihoods into organised and dignified enterprises.

Aishwarya Mohanty, Special Correspondent at The Migration Story, is an award-winning climate journalist with close more than seven years of experience reporting at the intersection of gender, environment, rural development, climate justice, and social equity. Her work is rooted in on-ground investigations and in-depth documentation of the lived experiences of communities that are often missing from mainstream media narratives. Over the years, she have committed myself to amplifying the voices of marginalized and rural populations, particularly in Odisha and other parts of India.

Aiswarya is a seasoned journalist with nine years of experience reporting on human rights, development, and gender-related issues. She currently works as the Communication and Media Coordinator at WASSAN, a national-level nonprofit organization. In addition to her organizational role, she contributes articles to various Odia newspapers. 

Her work has been recognized with multiple accolades, including the LAADLI Media Award for Best News Report in 2018 and 2024, and the Odisha Media Award for Gender-Based Reporting in the same years. She is also a 2025 Mina Swaminathan Media Fellow. 

Akshara Sanal is an independent photojournalist and documentary filmmaker based in Tamil Nadu. Through her work, she documents the lives of transgender individuals in rural areas, with a focus on how art serves as a medium for survival and self-expression. She is a 2023–2024 MMF-PARI Fellow, 2025 Mina Swaminathan Media Fellow and a recipient of the VII Foundation’s Visual Journalism Scholarship. 

Amit Kumar is an Executive Editor at EastMojo.Com. He is a journalist with over 16 years of experience across leading national and regional media platforms, including Thomson Reuters, The Economic Times, Business Today, Twocircles.net, and EastMojo.com. Under his leadership, EastMojo has grown into the Northeast region’s leading independent English-language digital news platform. Amit has appeared on several prominent media platforms including Newslaundry (Hindi and English), Lallantop, CNBC, The Red Mike, among others. He has also contributed op-eds and reported pieces for Moneycontrol.com in his capacity as Executive Editor. 

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a senior editor with The Indian Express and writes on a range of topics with a strong focus on health, environment and scientific research. She highlights issues raised by women and in a career span of nearly three decades, is drawn to inspiring stories of persons living with HIV, cancer, mental illness and other noncommunicable diseases. She blends personal stories with data and expert insights and some stories on gender sensitivity have earned her several awards including the Press Council of India and Laadli Media award.  A recipient of various media fellowships, Anuradha is the author of her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan and was part of the 2025 India Cohort of WomenLiftHealth Leadership journey. She lives with her family in Pune.

Asha Prakash is a feature writer with 12 years of experience. She writes on art, culture, environment, history and heritage. 

Chiranjeevi is an Environmental Journalist with 14+ years of experience in reporting, editing, and leading newsroom teams. He has specialized in environment, forests, biodiversity, climate change, and sustainability with proven expertise in policy analysis, investigative reporting, and research communication. He has been recognized for impactful journalism that has influenced policy decisions and legal actions, including cases taken up by the National Green Tribunal. He is good at simplifying  research for public audiences, managing editorial teams, and producing high-quality content across print and digital platforms.

Ganesh is a journalist with BBC News Marathi based in Pune, Maharashtra. He has over eight years of experience in digital video production and ground reporting. He focuses on human-interest stories from rural Maharashtra, driven by original ideas and extensive fieldwork. He holds a master's in development from Azim Premji University. Before joining the BBC, he conducted fieldwork in rural Maharashtra, contributing to academic publications. He recently completed a journalism fellowship at the Reuters Institute, University of Oxford (October 2024–March 2025), where he explored how digital video storytelling can best be used to cover rural India. 

Jyoti Shinoli is an award-winning journalist with over 12 years of experience reporting on human rights, public health, agriculture and environmental issues across rural Maharashtra. She currently works as a senior reporter at the People’s Archive of Rural India, where her work focuses on underrepresented voices and documenting grassroots realities.

Krithika is a journalist with eight years of dynamic field reporting experience across Villupuram and Kallakurichi districts in Tamil Nadu, covering under reported and rights-based issues at the grassroots. Her reporting majorly focuses on marginalized communities and critical themes such as, tribal education, social justice, and Dalit human rights. She is adept at translating complex policy failures into compelling, people-centric narratives, and has a proven ability to hold institutions accountable through accurate, ethical, and impact-driven journalism.

She was awarded the LAADLI Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for a story on child marriage effects on cervical cancer in women, and a jury citation for a report on irular women survivors of police rape awaiting justice over 10 years, both the stories from Villupuram district. She is also a translator, and published a poetry collection from Tamil to English

Laasya Shekhar is a Chennai-based independent journalist, writing on a range of issues from climate finance to dissecting caste realities and tracing wildlife in forgotten forests. 

Parth MN is an independent journalist based in Mumbai and has reported from over 20 states across India. He freelances with several publications, notably the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), founded by P. Sainath, a Ramon Magsaysay Award-winning journalist. In addition, he has written for WIRED, Rest of World, Al Jazeera, and The Washington Post, among others. His work primarily focuses on rural India, social inequalities, and sociopolitical issues, viewed through the lens of marginalised communities. He has received more than 20 journalism awards and fellowships, including the European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Media Prize, the Ramnath Goenka Award from the Indian Express Group, and the Prem Bhatia Award. He has also been a two-time runner-up for the Martin Adler Prize at the Rory Peck Awards in London, which recognises outstanding freelance journalists worldwide. 

Sayantani Deb is a Guwahati-based media professional with over 12 years of experience across news dailies, magazines, and government agencies. Over the years, she has reported, written, and developed stories on social issues, development, culture, and public policy, building a strong foundation in field reporting and human-interest storytelling. Currently an independent journalist, her bylines have appeared in platforms such as 101Reporters, The Better India, Gaon Connection, MAKAAM, and EastMojo. She is a recipient of the 13th Edition of the Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity (2023) 

Shatarupa Samantaraya is from TushraBahal village in Odisha’s Bolangir district. Growing up in a rural environment shaped her commitment to grassroots journalism. She currently works as a Special Correspondent at Argus News. 

With over six years of experience across multiple media platforms, Shatarupa reports extensively on climate change, environmental challenges, and their impact on vulnerable communities. Her stories often highlight how floods, storms, water scarcity, and changing weather patterns affect rural livelihoods, especially women and marginalized groups.

Her impactful reporting has earned her several recognitions, including the National Laadli Media Award (2022), Odisha Media Awards – Best Journalist, and the Pallivani Award for Best Odia Journalist of the Year. She has also been selected for prestigious fellowships such as the UNICEF Fellowship (2024) and the Mina Swaminathan Fellowship (2024). Through her journalism and her show “Jana Audit,” she continues to amplify the voices of people living on the frontlines of climate and social challenges.

Saurav Singh is a journalist with the Dainik Bhaskar Media Group, based in Bhopal. His work focuses on climate, human rights, culture, environment, and socio-political issues. He has contributed to platforms including The New Indian Express, The Mojo Story, Ground Report, The Mooknayak, and Main Media. He was selected as a Voice Fellow 2025 at IISER Pune. He holds a Master’s degree in Mass Communication from the University of Hyderabad.

Vinaya Deshpande is an award-winning journalist with over two decades of experience across print, TV, radio, digital journalism, and edutainment. A Chevening Fellow, IVLP alumna, and BBC-trained ACJ graduate, she currently serves as Chief of Bureau, Maharashtra, for The Hindu. Previously, she worked with CNN News18, The Times of India, All India Radio, Vidyavani, News X, and The Sunday Guardian.

Kanmani Thangarasu is a multimedia journalist and Assistant Editor at Doordarshan Chennai. She is passionate about writing and storytelling, especially in Tamil, and connects people with important social, development, and technology issues through her journalistm. Through television and digital media, she strives to amplify voices that often go unheard and create stories that inform and inspire change.

Mukund Pingale is an agricultural journalist with over seven years of experience in grassroots reporting on sustainable farming, horticulture, agricultural technology, agri-startups, women in agriculture, and agricultural policy. He currently works as a reporter with Agrowon, India’s leading agriculture daily published by the Sakal Media Group.

He has published more than 4,000 investigative reports and 250+ feature stories focusing on farming innovations and rural socio-economic frameworks. Through field-based reporting across rural Maharashtra, he documents innovative farming practices, emerging agri-technologies, and market trends affecting farmers. Mukund focuses on translating complex scientific research and policy developments into practical information for the farming community. His work aims to bridge the gap between agricultural research institutions and farm-level implementation, strengthening knowledge-driven and sustainable agriculture. 

Richard Joseph, born in Kerala graduated in English Language & Literature from K. E. College, Kottayam under Mahatma Gandhi University Kerala. He did Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication in Institute of Journalism, Press Club, Trivandrum. He had been working with Deepika Daily (Estd. 1887, Kerala) as a Sr. Reporter in Trivandrum Bureau for the past 14 years. As a journalist, he is moulded with dedication and social commitment. His stories focus on environmental essues, women empowerment, public health and differently-abled individuals. He has also recieved several awards, including  Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism National Award,  The Statesman National Award For Rural Reporting, Press Institute of India-SCARF media award, US AID -Reach National Media Award, and Kerala Media Academy Fellowship. 

Sana Ejaz is an investigative journalist based in Patna, Bihar. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB). She currently serves as a Principal Correspondent with the Investigations Team at Dainik Bhaskar, where she focuses on uncovering systemic corruption, institutional failures, and underreported human rights issues through a combination of open-source intelligence (OSINT), ground reporting, and document-based investigations.

She has worked on cross-border investigative projects exposing global drug trafficking networks and criminal hitman operations operating through the dark web. Sana is a bilingual journalist and has also contributed investigative stories as a freelance reporter for various news organizations.

In 2025, she GIJNC  fellow of the Global Investigative Journalism Network and an Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Fellow, where she received advanced training in cross-border investigations, data journalism, and evidence verification techniques.

Subhashree Parida is a Bhubaneswar-based independent journalist and communication consultant. Her work focuses on stories of resilience and women empowerment, sustainable agriculture, and community development. Her stories highlight the voices of marginalized communities. Through her writing, she aims to bring impactful local narratives to wider audiences and contribute meaningfully to positive social change.