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Guided by Visionaries, Driven by Purpose

Capt. Indraani Singh’s

Capt. Indraani Singh- Literacy India NGO leadership team

Charting New Horizons: Capt. Indraani Singh’s Mission to Empower India

Capt. Indraani Singh Grewal, a pioneering aviator, became the world’s first woman commander on the Airbus-300 in 1995. Alongside her 33-year aviation career, she founded Literacy India in 1996, impacting over 975,000 lives and engaging 4.7 million individuals through education, empowerment, and sustainability initiatives.

A photographer, sustainable craft designer, and social innovator, she has created 3.1 lakh grassroots entrepreneurs through skill development programs. Her initiative Indha features her craft designs, empowering over 10,000 women in rural India. Programs like Gyantantra-Digital Dost revolutionize digital education, while Vidyapeeth to Pathshala to Gurukul promote immersive and experiential learning, inspiring children to solve real-world problems and become changemakers. In partnership with Code.org, Literacy India is also training children in coding across its centres.

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Board of Trustees

Meet the esteemed leaders who guide Literacy India’s mission with their extensive expertise, passion for change, and commitment to building a better future:

Joy Kumar Jain- Board of Trustees NGO leadership team

Joy Kumar Jain

Trustee

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Anil Kalia- Board of Trustees NGO leadership team

Anil Kalia

Trustee

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Rajpal Singh Duggal- Board of Trustees NGO leadership team

Rajpal Singh Duggal

Trustee

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In Loving Memory

Honoring the legacy of those who dedicated their lives to our mission, leaving behind a lasting impact.

Late Akhil Bansal- Literacy India NGO leadership team

Late Akhil Bansal

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Late Air Marshal Denzil Keelor- Literacy India NGO leadership team

Late Air Marshal Denzil Keelor

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Board of Advisors

Manu Rikhye Chairman- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Manu Rikhye Chairman

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Abhishek Dalmia- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Abhishek Dalmia

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Sanjeev Jain- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Sanjeev Jain

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Sonali Dutta- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Sonali Dutta

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S K Singh- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

S K Singh

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Ajit Neema- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Ajit Nema

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Literacy India would like to thank its Former Board of Advisors

Puneet Narula- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Puneet Narula

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Venkat Matoory- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Venkat Matoory

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Prabhat Agrawal- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Prabhat Agrawal

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Virender Rana- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Virender Rana

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Praphul Misra- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Praphul Misra

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Charting New Horizons: Capt. Indraani Singh’s Mission to Empower India

Capt. Indraani Singh Grewal, a pioneering aviator, became the world’s first woman commander on the Airbus-300 in 1995. Alongside her 33-year aviation career, she founded Literacy India in 1996, impacting over 975,000 lives and engaging 4.7 million individuals through education, empowerment, and sustainability initiatives.

A photographer, sustainable craft designer, and social innovator, she has created 3.1 lakh grassroots entrepreneurs through skill development programs. Her initiative Indha features her craft designs, empowering over 10,000 women in rural India. Programs like Gyantantra-Digital Dost revolutionize digital education, while Vidyapeeth to Pathshala to Gurukul promote immersive and experiential learning, inspiring children to solve real-world problems and become changemakers. In partnership with Code.org, Literacy India is also training children in coding across its centres.

Capt. Singh designs CSR engagement models, fosters volunteer-driven impact, and champions sustainability through waste recycling, renewable energy, and eco-friendly innovation. With learning centres across multiple states, her initiatives integrate modern technology, employability training, and entrepreneurship development.

Recognized globally, she has been featured on the cover of California’s Women Achievers Magazine and honoured with the Limca Book of Records, Power to Empower Award, Lifetime Achievement Award by International Congress of Women and Godfrey Philip Award for Bravery.

Her journey exemplifies leadership, vision, and a lifelong commitment to transforming communities and empowering individuals to create lasting change.

For more project initiatives, please refer to the 2024 annual report.

Website : www.literacyindia.org   www.indha.in   https://gyantantra.org/home.ph

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Joy Kumar Jain- Board of Trustees NGO leadership team

Joy Kumar Jain

Trustee

Joy Kumar Jain brings over 27 years of extensive experience from his tenure at Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), including more than 15 years as a partner. He has a remarkable 20-year track record in managing complex assignments such as valuations, due diligence, and corporate restructuring for leading Indian and multinational companies across industries, including industrial products, consumer goods, automotive, real estate, mutual funds, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, and IT.

Currently, he serves as the Founder and Managing Director of Joy Financial Consulting Pvt. Ltd. and is the proprietor of Joy Jain & Co., Chartered Accountants. His expertise and leadership have made significant contributions to the financial consulting and auditing landscape.

Anil Kalia- Board of Trustees NGO leadership team

Anil Kalia

Trustee

 

Mr. Kalia, a hotelier by profession, is dedicated to empowering youth by enhancing their vocational skills. Leveraging his extensive experience, he leads initiatives focused on training beneficiaries with practical, industry-relevant expertise to prepare them for evolving job markets.

He advocates for innovation in education, emphasizing the need for modern vocational training aligned with future demands. According to Mr. Kalia, education should prioritize equipping individuals with employable skills to address the country’s workforce needs and create sustainable employment opportunities. His commitment to skill development highlights the importance of building a self-reliant workforce capable of contributing meaningfully to the nation’s progress and fostering long-term societal growth.

Rajpal Singh Duggal- Board of Trustees NGO leadership team

Rajpal Singh Duggal

Trustee

 

Mr. Duggal, a financial expert, plays a pivotal role in budgeting and structuring the various initiatives and projects of Literacy India. With extensive experience in social work, he has worked closely with numerous charitable organizations and missionaries.

He believes that education should contribute to the country’s economic growth, and there’s no better way to make a societal impact than by reaching out to underprivileged children and nurturing them into responsible citizens. Mr. Duggal’s dedication underscores the vital role of education in creating a more equitable and prosperous future for the nation.

Late Akhil Bansal- Literacy India NGO leadership team

Late Akhil Bansal

Advisor

We  will always remember and chrish the support and contribution of Late Akhil Bansal , the Previous chairman of Board of Advisors, Mr Bansal was the Duputy CEO of KPMG in India . His Sudden demise has been a great loss for all of us at Literacy India, We wpuld like to pay homage to his life by carrying forward his legacy of championing the cause of education of children. May his soul rest in eternal Peace
Late Air Marshal Denzil Keelor- Literacy India NGO leadership team

Late Air Marshal Denzel Keelor

Trustee

Air Marshal Keelor strongly supports the notion that education is the most effective social leveler, and that children from underprivileged background can contribute to the progress of our nation if they are provided opportunities to educate and empower themselves.

“There is general consensus that all sections of our society do not have equal access to education. Though the government is addressing this issue through its various welfare schemes for the 

For his distinguished service to the nation, Air Marshal Keelor was awarded several prestigious gallantry awards – the Veer Chakra in 1965, Kirti Chakra in 1978, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 1986 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 1989.

Manu Rikhye Chairman- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Manu Rikhye Chairman

Advisor

MD, Grow X Ventures
Manu Rikhye joined Encore in 2005 as a founding member of the India management team, and was the Executive Vice President, Encore Capital Group, and Managing Director of Midland Credit Management India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Encore Capital Group, during his tenure with the organisation. He is currently the Managing Director of Grow X Ventures.

Abhishek Dalmia- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Abhishek Dalmia

Advisor

Chairman, Renaissance Group
Abhishek Dalmia qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1992 and started his career as the Vice President of OCL India Limited in the same year. After spending time with different parts of the Group, he assumed responsibility for the overall management of the cement operations.
Sanjeev Jain- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Sanjeev Jain

Advisor

Head of Business Performance Management, IBM Sanjeev Jain was previously the Global Head for BPM at Cognizant and is known for his passion for people and customers. Prior to this, he spent 14 years with GE leading Six Sigma, Service Delivery, Relationship Management and Business Leader roles across India, US, Philippines & Guatemala. He also served as the India leader for GE Volunteers, and on the Board of GE Volunteers Foundation in the United States.
Sonali Dutta- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Sonali Dutta

Advisor

Vice President – Corporate Affairs, Bry–Air
Sonali Dutta is Vice President – Corporate Affairs, Bry-Air (Asia). She has over 24 year experience in all aspects of Marketing, Corporate Communication, and HR & IPR. She has been with Bry-Air from 1988 and heads their Corporate Affairs. Bry-Air has been partnering Literacy India for over five years now in its effort to enrich the life of underprivileged children by providing them education and other skills and this association is still going strong. Bry-Air and DIU are flagship companies of the Pahwa group.
S K Singh- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

SK Singh

Advisor

Founder & Managing Director – Cadence Electrical Engineers Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Singh started his career in 1994 with one of the most reputed engineering companies in the world and worked on a Thermal Power Station project. Before he founded Cadence Electrical in 2003, Mr. Singh worked with various engineering companies and headed several prestigious projects in India. He has more than 20 years of experience in the design, planning, execution and operation, and maintenance of projects.
 
Ajit Neema- Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Ajit Nema

Advisor

Managing Director, Consulting Deloitte
Ajit Nema is Managing Director in Consulting practice of Deloitte US firms’ organization in India. He was on the board of Deloitte Consulting India Private Limited from 2014 – 2022 and has over 25 years of professional consulting experience that has spanned client, practice and leadership roles. He has served clients across multiple industries and geographies where he played a key role in defining strategy, developing and implementing large scale technology enabled transformation engagements.
Puneet Narula- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Puneet Narula

Advisor

Cadence Electrical Engineers Pvt. Ltd.
Former CFO – India and South East Asia at Tupperware Brands
More than 20 years of experience across two very diverse business models – retail selling and direct selling. Successfully demonstrated strategic leadership value to stimulate and drive long term business, organizational and departmental growth. Business orientated approach, strong analytical skills and technology orientation. Focus on building teams to deliver sustained growth.
Venkat Matoory- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Venkat Matoory

Advisor

CEO, Junior Achievement
Currently the CEO with Junior Achievement India, a non-profit, building connect between education and industry, Venkal Matoory is associated with this entity since its inception in September 2006 as the Founder Executive Director. He was [reviously responsible for strategic initiatives and business planning as General Manager at Accenture.
Venkat Matoory- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Prabhat Agrawal

Advisor

Founder, Aravali Scholars
Prabhat Agarwal is passionate, inventive and enterprising. With a strong foundation from HT Delhi and JIM Ahmedabad, his ideas have sincerely revolved around excellence. He is the founder and coach at Aravali Scholars wherein deserving students from low-income neighbourhoods are motivated to achieve their potential. He is also a mentor and investor in several start-ups, most of which are in the social enterprise space.
Virender Rana- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Virender Rana

Advisor

President of the multinational software company, ISTS WORLD WIDE
Virender Rana started with Literacy India as a donor as he is a firm believer of power of education and community welfare.
Praphul Misra- Former Board of Advisors Literacy India NGO leadership team

Praphul Misra

Advisor

CEO, Net Carrots
With 25+ years in Customer Engagement, Loyalty/Direct Marketing, Business Consulting, Market Research in India & the USA, Praphul Misra leads the Executive Team by providing strategy, insights and counsel, and is directly responsible for the NXp media SBU and NetCarrots’ corporate functions.