We’re celebrating change at TARSHI! Please join us in welcoming Ramya Anand and Vani Viswanathan as Co-Leads of the organisation from July 15, 2024. With their appointment, TARSHI is formally adopting a co-leadership model that is aligned with our work ethos and feminist values.
Ramya and Vani joined TARSHI in 2016 and have worked on the breadth of TARSHI’s programmes in capacity and perspective strengthening, resource creation, fundraising and maintaining funder relations, and more. Ramya brings to this role her experience in community engagement and facilitating trainings on gender, reproductive health and mental health. Vani brings a specialisation in storytelling and experience in CSR and INGO strategy and communications.
Ramya and Vani take over TARSHI’s leadership from Prabha Nagaraja, who has been with TARSHI since its inception in 1996 and took over as Executive Director in 2013 from our founder, Radhika Chandiramani. Prabha steered TARSHI through a critical period of growth into newer areas of work, ranging from online learning to stress management tools for individuals and organisations in the social sector. She also helped sustain TARSHI as a workplace that has tried to model alternate ways of being and doing, and centring kindness and joy in what we do while being respectful and aware of the challenges that we and those we work with face. Current and former TARSHI staff members are deeply grateful to Prabha for her guidance, empathy and professional and personal support through the years.
Ramya and Vani will implement Kaleidoscope, TARSHI’s strategic plan for the period 2024-27, with the support of their able and enthusiastic team and the guidance of TARSHI’s Governing Board. As Co-leads, they look forward to sharing responsibility and decision-making across TARSHI’s programmes and operations, fostering the team’s wellbeing as well as each other’s, and together envisioning TARSHI’s growth and innovation as the organisation moves towards its 30th anniversary. Prabha will continue as a consultant on ongoing activities and as an advisor to guide Ramya and Vani in strategic and operational areas of TARSHI’s functioning as required.
We look forward to your continued support as our friends, peer organisations, funders, and all the people we have interacted with along our 28-year journey!
About Ramya Anand:
Ramya enjoys being around people and hearing their stories, which sparked her interest in facilitation especially around gender, sexuality, and wellbeing using approaches that are feminist and rights-based. As Co-lead, TARSHI, Ramya will focus on capacity and perspective-strengthening activities, human resource management and staff development. Find Ramya on LinkedIn here.
About Vani Viswanathan:
Vani Viswanathan loves telling stories and is a feminist and has managed to make a career bringing both together. She enjoys working on and learning about sexuality education, feminist leadership, and self- and collective care. As Co-lead, Vani will focus on TARSHI’s programmes related to resource creation, narrative building, and towards building Safe, Inclusive and Self-Affirming social sector workplaces. She will also be in charge of financial management and external communications. Find Vani on LinkedIn here.