Aanchal is a queer-affirmative, trauma-informed psychologist and Founder of Another Light Counselling, a practice centring gender, sexuality, and trauma. Trained in EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and Somatic Experiencing, they work with queer, trans, and marginalised communities on identity, stigma, and systemic violence. They also contribute to policy and advocacy, including authoring A Guide to Trans-Inclusive Sanitation for CREA and preparing a policy brief for the National Trans Conclave. Their initiatives bring a rights-based, dignity-first approach to public health and infrastructure. By integrating therapy with advocacy, Aanchal advances accessibility, intersectionality, and dignity across health, education, and community well-being.

Connect with Aanchal – email, LinkedIn

Abhina Aher is a renowned transgender activist and social change leader from India, dedicated to advancing gender inclusion and equality. With over two decades of experience in community development, she has been at the forefront of transgender rights, healthcare, education, and employment initiatives. She is the Founder of TWEET Foundation, which empowers transgender people through skilling, shelter, and leadership programmes. Abhina has worked with national and international organisations, influencing policies and corporate practices to build inclusive workplaces. Her tireless advocacy continues to create opportunities and dignity for transgender persons across India, inspiring a more just and inclusive society.

Connect with Abhina – email, LinkedIn, tweetindia.org

Bindhulakshmi Pattadath is an independent academic and ethnographer based in Mumbai. She holds a PhD in Sociology from IIT Bombay, an MA and MPhil in Social Anthropology, and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Amsterdam. Previously, she served as Associate Professor and Chairperson at the Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies, TISS. With expertise in gender, disability, sociology, and anthropology, she has designed and taught courses using feminist and intersectional frameworks. Her current work explores disability futures in India, particularly ageing and disability. She has published widely and, in 2024, taught in CREA’s Gender and WASH programme.

Connect with Bindhulakshmi – email

Dr Abha Khetarpal, a National Awardee and Henry Viscardi honouree, is a disability rights advocate, counsellor, and educator with over 13 years of experience. She is an accomplished trainer in gender, disability rights and etiquette, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for persons with disabilities. She has developed curricula for Edifying Inclusion, an LMS platform offering self-paced courses on inclusion and accessibility. She has authored manuals, toolkits, and handbooks on SRHR, menstrual management, disability rights, and self-advocacy. As a consultant to WHO, Women’s Fund Asia, and UNFPA projects, she advances intersectional, rights-based, disability-inclusive approaches across WASH, health, and education.

Connect with Dr Abha – email, LinkedIn, edifyinginclusion.com, abhakhetarpal.com

Dr Akkai Padmashali is a renowned transgender rights activist and the founder of Ondede, an organisation working at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and social justice. She has been a petitioner against Section 377, a member of committees framing Karnataka’s State Transgender Policy and Sexual Assault Law reforms, and has advised the Election Commission of India on inclusion. A recipient of the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and the Business Line Changemaker Award, she is the first trans woman to receive the Ashoka Global Fellowship. Through her advocacy, she advances intersectional, rights-based approaches across WASH, health, and education sectors.

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Dr Anjlee Agarwal, co-founder of Samarthyam (1991), is a leading universal accessibility and inclusive mobility specialist with over 33 years of experience. Her expertise spans accessibility, mobility, and WASH, making her a respected researcher, author, and advocate for equity. She bridges policy gaps through the NITI Aayog CSO Standing Committee and is a master trainer with global experience in capacity-building, gender, SRHR, and disability-inclusive WASH. Her work has earned UN recognition and a National Award (2003). With a PhD on accessibility as a human right, she empowers women with disabilities and is recognised as a Transformative Leader for an Accessible World.

Connect with Dr Anjlee – samarthyam.com

Dr Sangita Thosar is an Assistant Professor at the Advanced Centre for Women’s Studies, School of Development Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. She has worked in the field of Women’s Studies since 2007 and has been teaching since 2009. She holds a PhD in Women’s Studies from TISS, where her research examined the construction of caste and patriarchy and the masculinisation of the public sphere through Maratha caste associations in Maharashtra after 1990. She has edited a research report on migrant women in Walunj and authored work on oral traditions, caste identity, and resistance. Her research interests include caste, gender, social movements, and citizenship.

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Dr Sujith Koonan is an Associate Professor at the Centre for International Legal Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. He completed his PhD at SOAS, University of London, where his research examined the conceptualisation and implementation of the right to sanitation in India. He holds an MPhil in International Law from JNU and an LLM in Human Rights and Environmental Law from Cochin University of Science and Technology. Dr Koonan has been working on issues related to water and sanitation for over 20 years. His published work spans themes including the right to sanitation, right to water, manual scavenging, rights of nature, and social movements.

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Manjula Pradeep is an intersectional human rights activist, lawyer, and trainer with over 30 years of experience working on caste, gender, and human rights violations in India. She is a subject matter expert and trainer on caste- and gender-based discrimination and violence, particularly at their intersections with access to resources, justice, sanitation, and dignity. She has co-published research, led national campaigns, and trained grassroots youth and women activists on constitutional rights, gender justice, and WASH-related challenges faced by Dalit women and manual scavenging communities. She also co-filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court of India on the existence of manual scavenging in the country.

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Parul Kumtha is a Universal Design architect and Principal at Nature Nurture Architects and Planners. She was recognised by the United Nations Global Compact Network India in 2018 and is empanelled with the Government of India under the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan.

She has authored and co-authored several publications, including:

• N.A.S.I.K. Project (Negotiating Accessible Spaces for Inclusion in a Keystone Project) (Feb 2018, ISBN 978-93-5311-218-9)
• Design for All, Vol 9 No 5, May 2014, Centre for Human Centric Research, SPA Bhopal

Her recent presentations include:

• International Conference on Narrative Practices, Mental Health and Well-Being (Jan 2025)
• The 4th Annual All India Social Role Valorization Leadership Alliance Summit (Apr 2025)

Parul also delivered a studio lecture for the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) course STU 1601 (Spring 2023), published in Extreme Urbanism 8: Modulating Change. Her TEDx talk, “Inclusion: A Celebration of Diversity”, is available here.

Connect with Parul – work email, personal email

Rituparna Neog is a queer feminist activist, poet, storyteller, and development professional from Assam. She founded the Akam Foundation, which works on gender justice, education, and inclusive sanitation in Northeast India. Through the #NoMoreHoldingMyPee campaign, she has led advocacy for gender-neutral, all-gender toilets in public and educational spaces to combat the exclusion of trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming individuals. Neog also serves as the Associate Vice Chairperson of the State Transgender Welfare Board and is a representative on the National Council for Transgender Persons.

Connect with Rituparna – email, LinkedIn