Our Team

Our Founder's Blog
“GRAAM is committed to build collaborative learning communities in the pursuit of developing human and social capital”
– Dr. R. Balasubramaniam
Founder, GRAAM

The GRAAM team is enriched with an eclectic mix of dynamic people from diverse disciplines, all united for a common purpose ‘making programs and policies emulate people’s voice’. They all represent jigsaw blocks that GRAAM needs to bring together to further the movement of grassroots development. The team consists of scientists and scholars in the faculties of Public Policy, Development Studies, Political Science, Population Studies, Anthropology and Social Work, Public Health, Education, Development Economics, Statistics and Data Analysts, Human Development and Management.
At the top, we are guided by our Founder Dr. R. Balasubramaniam and Chairman Mr Arjun Ranga, Board of Trustees and Advisory Committee consisting of eminent personalities from varied backgrounds. They lend their experience and expertise in their respective fields as critical inputs to our cause of making development a community movement.
The GRAAM Team led by the Executive Director Dr Basavaraju R Shreshta is composed of dedicated people, again carefully selected with focus on diversity they bring to the table; a characteristic we consider essential to deal with development issues, which is consistent with our belief that development is multi-faceted.
GRAAM's Board of Trustees
GRAAM’s Board of Trustees is the cornerstone of its strategic direction and success. Comprising distinguished leaders from diverse fields, the Board provides invaluable guidance, governance, and support to ensure that GRAAM’s mission is realized effectively. Their collective wisdom and experience have been instrumental in shaping the organization’s policies, fostering collaborations, and driving impactful community-based research and advocacy. With a steadfast commitment to the principles of transparency, inclusiveness, and innovation, the Board of Trustees has been pivotal in steering GRAAM towards becoming a recognized leader in development research, policy formulation, and social impact.

Dr. Nandini Vallath

Dr. Prakash K. Nair

Mr. Arjun Ranga

Mr. J. Purushotham

Ms. Tara Appachu Sharma

Ms. Vijaya Deepti

Chairman, GRAAM, Managing Director M/s N Ranga Rao & Sons Pvt. Ltd.

Advocate & Legal Consultant, Labour Laws HR & IR at Purushotham & Associates

Development Professional

Professor & HOD- St. John’s Hospital, Bengaluru. Consultant- Palliative Care Division, National Cancer Grid. Coordinator NCG Palliative Care Guildelines, Ayushman Bharat

Vice Dean and Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Leadership

Member- Board of Directors at Tata AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd.
Advisory Team
GRAAM would like to acknowledge with gratitude the support and contribution of a number of individuals and institutions that have helped it grow over the past year and with their continued support GRAAM can stride ahead with confidence. In alignment with our philosophy, we have engaged with institutions from different sectors – academic, government, NGO, private sector and, most importantly, communities.

Dr Patil

Dr. Arun Karpur

Dr. Paul Greenough

Dr. Sarosh Kuruvilla

Dr. Shailendra Prasad

Dr. Susanne Bruyere

Gary Fields

Joe Grasso

M.N. Venkatachaliah

Sk Das, IAS (Retd.)

Former Chief Justice Of India

Distinguished Faculty At The Department Of History, College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences, University Of Iowa, Usa

Director, Data Science Evaluation Research At Autism Speaks

Professor Of Industrial Relations, Asian Studies And Public Affairs At Cornell University

Former Member of Karnataka Legislative Assembly

Carlson Chair of Global Health Cghsr, University Of Minnesota

Professor Of Economics and The John P Windmuller Chair of Ilr, Cornell University

Former Additional Chief Secretary to The Government of Karnataka

Vice-President, Finance & Administration At Le Moyne College, Usa

Professor Of Disability Studies, Director Of The Employment And Disability Institute, And Associate Dean Of Outreach At The Cornell University
Our Team
Dr. Basavaraj R. Sheshta
Executive Director, GRAAM
Dr. Basavaraju R Shreshta
Executive Director


Bindu S
Secretary to Executive Director

Devina Neogi
Senior Research Associate

Dr. Ananya Samajdar
Deputy Director - Research

Dr. Chandrika Shetty
Lead - Governance & Democratization, Partnership Development

Dr. Rajendra Prasad P
Head - Community Consultation

Dr. Ruchika D P
Research Fellow

Dr. Sanjeev D Kenchaigol
Reserch Fellow

Dr. Tanya Stephanie Monteiro
Junior Research Fellow

Fathima Mary P
Senior Manager - Operations

G. Mallikarjuna Swamy
Head – Projects and Community Action

Gopala O K
Associate communication & Policy Engagement

Hrithika Goswami
Senior Associate - IIKCON

Janardhan K
Senior Manager - Programs

Kumara
Executive - Operations

M Ragavendra
Office Support - Assistant

Mr. Bhagavan Bidarakote
Head, Impact Innovation and Knowledge Consulting (IIKCON)

Mr. Pavan M Bommanahalli
Assistant Manager – IIKCON

Mr. Somnath Dutta
Senior Manager-Communication, Policy Engagement & Partnership Development

Naveen Kumar C
Senior Associate - Community Consultation

Pushpa C O
Research Fellow

Rakesh R
Assistant Manager - Operations

Ramanjali Ramesh
Senior Associate - CPE

Ravi C S
Senior Coordinator - Community Consultation

Sahana R
Associate - Data Management & Reporting

Shilpa Vishal
Associate - Operations

Vidya
Manager - IIKCON

Gopala O K
Associate communication & Policy Engagement

Mr. Somnath Dutta
Senior Manager-Communication, Policy Engagement & Partnership Development

Ramanjali Ramesh
Senior Associate - CPE

Dr. Rajendra Prasad P
Head - Community Consultation

Naveen Kumar C
Senior Associate - Community Consultation

Ravi C S
Senior Coordinator - Community Consultation

Sahana R
Associate - Data Management & Reporting

Hrithika Goswami
Senior Associate - IIKCON

Mr. Bhagavan Bidarakote
Head, Impact Innovation and Knowledge Consulting (IIKCON)

Mr. Pavan M Bommanahalli
Assistant Manager – IIKCON

Vidya
Manager - IIKCON

Bindu S
Secretary to Executive Director

Fathima Mary P
Senior Manager - Operations

Kumara
Executive - Operations

M Ragavendra
Office Support - Assistant

Rakesh R
Assistant Manager - Operations

Shilpa Vishal
Associate - Operations

Dr. Chandrika Shetty
Lead - Governance & Democratization, Partnership Development

Janardhan K
Senior Manager - Programs

Devina Neogi
Senior Research Associate

Dr. Ananya Samajdar
Deputy Director - Research

Dr. Ruchika D P
Research Fellow

Dr. Sanjeev D Kenchaigol
Reserch Fellow

Dr. Tanya Stephanie Monteiro
Junior Research Fellow

Pushpa C O
Research Fellow

G. Mallikarjuna Swamy
Head – Projects and Community Action

Dr Basavaraj R Shreshta
Executive Director

Bhagavan BR
Vertical Lead - (IIKCON)

Devina Neogi
Senior Research Associate

Dr.Ananya Samajdar
Deputy Director - Research

Dr. Rashmi R Palabhavi
Senior Research Associate

Dr. Sanjeev D Kenchaigol
Research Fellow

Janardhana D
Senior Manager - Programs

Kumara
Executive - Operations

M Ragavendra
Office Support and assistant

Naveen Kumar C
Senior Associate - Community Consultation

Pushpa C O
Research Fellow

Rajendra Prasad P
Head - Community Consultation

Rakesh R
Manager

Ravi C S
Senior Coordinator - Community Consultation

Shilpa Vishal
Associate - Operations

Somnath Dutta
Senior Manager-Communication, Policy Engagement & Partnership Development

Tanya Stephanie Monteiro
Junior Research Fellow

Vijai Koladi Mutheri
Associate - (IIK-CON)

Bindu S
ED Secretary

Fathima Mary P
Senior Manager - Operations

Gopala O K
Associate communication & Policy Engagement
