Our Team

Rekha Gujre is a Dalit woman from Borgaon village in Betul district, Madhya Pradesh. Before founding Pradeepan, she spent 14 years (1981–1994) working with reputed social-sector organisations — including Lahar (Surguja, Chhattisgarh), PIDIT (New Delhi), and Prerna Bharti (Madhupur, Bihar) — and worked across Assam, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Shahdol, and Madhya Pradesh. Her work during this period focused on tribal rights, women’s empowerment, and child welfare at the grassroots level.

In 1995, supported by a Mind Fellowship from Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra, Lucknow, she established Pradeepan in Betul district with a clear vision: to work for a just, equitable, and sustainable society alongside tribal, Dalit, and marginalized communities.

Over three decades, through tireless effort, deep community sensitivity, and an unwavering feminist approach, she has built Pradeepan into one of the most recognised grassroots organisations in Madhya Pradesh — growing from 10 villages in Bhimpur block to 475+ villages across four districts, with a full-time team of 40 staff and 100+ community volunteers.

She is widely recognised as one of Madhya Pradesh’s foremost women organisers (Mahila Sanchalika) for her long-standing contributions to women’s rights, child protection, forest rights, and community self-governance.

Manoj Kumar is an experienced development professional and social worker with more than 25 years of grassroots experience working with rural and tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh. He currently serves as Senior Coordinator – cum Assistant Director at Pradeepan, where he plays a key role in strategic programme management, project coordination, and strengthening the institutional systems of the organisation.

Over the years, Manoj has been actively involved in promoting tribal rights, gender justice, child protection, food security, sustainable livelihoods, and community empowerment. His work focuses on strengthening community-based institutions, promoting women’s leadership, and enabling marginalised communities to access their legal rights and government welfare schemes.

He has also contributed significantly to climate justice and environmental sustainability — including community-led water conservation, natural resource management, promotion of organic farming, and climate-resilient livelihood practices in tribal regions.

In addition to field leadership, Manoj plays an important role in fundraising, proposal development, project planning, monitoring and reporting, donor coordination, documentation, and social media communication. He believes that sustainable and just development can only be achieved when communities themselves become active leaders of change.

Jangal Singh Parte serves as a Project Coordinator at Pradeepan, working closely with tribal communities on issues related to community rights, natural resource management, and sustainable rural development. He holds an MSW, MA (Sociology), and BA.

His work focuses on several key thematic areas:

• Implementation and awareness of the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act and Gram Sabha empowerment
• Supporting Forest Rights Act (FRA) processes, including individual and community forest rights claims
• Watershed and natural resource management
• Environmental protection and biodiversity conservation
• Promotion of organic agriculture and conservation of traditional seeds, particularly millets
• Community education and awareness campaigns
• Strengthening community institutions and local leadership

His ability to communicate in Hindi as well as tribal languages — Gondi and Korku — enables him to engage effectively with adivasi communities and strengthen community participation in development processes.

Kamlesh Taywade is a core team member at Pradeepan, serving as the organisation’s Accountant. He holds an M.Com and MSW from Devi Ahilya University, Indore, along with a Diploma in Computer Applications (DCA). He brings nearly seven years of experience in financial management and project accounting within the social development sector.

At Pradeepan, Kamlesh is responsible for project accounting, budget monitoring, financial documentation, audit coordination, and ensuring compliance with donor financial requirements. He manages financial records using Tally ERP-9 and MS Office.

He has previously worked on projects supported by CASA, The Nudge Foundation, Women’s Fund Asia, and Childline India Foundation. Currently, he manages financial operations for projects supported by KSCF (USA), AJWS (New York), Azim Premji Foundation, and Suzlon Foundation.

His dedication, positive approach, and strong attention to detail contribute significantly to strengthening Pradeepan’s financial systems and institutional credibility.

Kunwar Lal Evane is a highly experienced and dedicated Field Coordinator at Pradeepan, with over two decades of grassroots experience in social and rural development. After serving in the Indian Army, he joined Pradeepan in 2000, driven by a strong commitment to community service.

He began his journey with the Child Environment, Sanitation and Water Supply Project (UNICEF), promoting hygiene awareness and water management in rural areas. He then served for nearly five years as a Cluster Coordinator under the Swashakti Project, contributing significantly to women’s empowerment and self-help group formation.

He subsequently served as Project Coordinator under the Women Package Project (CASA) in Bhimpur block, working on tribal community empowerment, Gram Sabha strengthening, CBO formation, livelihood development, and FRA awareness. He also worked as Project Coordinator under the PHF Project and was active in the first phase of the PACS Project.

Currently, as Field Coordinator, he supports tribal communities in livelihood strengthening, environmental conservation, individual and community FRA claims, MGNREGA linkages, and children’s education, health, and protection. He communicates in Hindi, Gondi, and Korku, enabling direct engagement with tribal communities. His strengths include community mobilisation, photography, documentation, watershed management, and organic farming.

Charulata Verma is working as a Cluster Coordinator with Pradeepan, contributing actively to social development initiatives with a focus on child protection, women’s empowerment, and community-based development.

She holds an MSW and M.Com from Barkatullah University, Bhopal, along with a PGDCA. Before joining the social development sector, she worked as a teacher in a private school for about one year, which strengthened her interest in working with children and communities.

She has over a decade of experience in social development, with her work focusing on:

• Child Rights Protection
• Prevention of Child Marriage
• Elimination of Child Labour
• Combating Human Trafficking
• Protection against Child Sexual Abuse
• Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Development
• Community Awareness and Mobilisation
• Linking vulnerable children with education and protection services

As Cluster Coordinator at Pradeepan, she plays a key role in coordinating field teams, facilitating community-based programmes, and organising training and awareness activities.

Deepmala Khatarker is an experienced social worker and counsellor with more than 12 years of dedicated work at Pradeepan in the field of social justice, women’s rights, and child protection. She holds an MSW, MA (Economics), BA, and PGDCA.

Her professional experience includes:

• DFID-supported PACS Programme — women’s health, nutrition, Dalit rights, and domestic violence prevention
• CHILDLINE Project (2016–2023) — focusing on Dalit children’s rights, adolescent health, and child safety
• Currently serving as Counsellor under the “Access to Justice – Phase 2” Project, providing counselling and legal support to children from Dalit and backward communities

Recognition: Honoured by the Police Department and the Department of Women and Child Development for outstanding contributions to the protection of Dalit, women’s, and children’s rights.

Training: Our Law – Our Authority (MARG, New Delhi); National Research Study on Human Trafficking (TISS, Mumbai); Child Protection Training (WCD, Betul).

Bhumi Fellow (2023–24) under Women Fund Asia, providing leadership in Betul district on gender equality, Dalit and women’s rights, legal aid, and community-level legal awareness.

Poonam Atulkar is working as a Cluster Coordinator with Pradeepan, Betul district, and has been actively involved in social development and child protection for the past four years. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW).

Poonam also worked with the CHILDLINE Project (2022–2023), supporting emergency outreach and assistance for children in distress and coordinating child protection services.

Her work at Pradeepan focuses on:

• Prevention of Child Marriage
• Elimination of Child Labour
• Combating Human Trafficking
• Protection against Child Sexual Abuse
• Child Rights Protection
• Women’s Rights and Empowerment
• Facilitating access to legal aid and justice mechanisms for survivors
• Organising community awareness and capacity-building programmes

As Cluster Coordinator, she plays a key role in coordinating field teams, facilitating community meetings, organising trainings, and implementing programmes related to child and women’s rights.

Ranjeeta Kashyap is working as a Counsellor with Pradeepan in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. She holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and has been working with Pradeepan for the past three years, providing counselling support and facilitating access to protection and justice systems for vulnerable women and children.

Her work focuses on addressing critical social issues including:

• Prevention of Child Marriage
• Elimination of Child Labour
• Combating Human Trafficking
• Protection against Child Sexual Abuse
• Child Rights Protection
• Women’s Rights and Safety
• Supporting access to legal aid and justice systems for survivors
• Providing psychosocial counselling to women and children in distress

Through her work with Pradeepan, Ranjeeta has played an important role in community awareness building, survivor support, and coordination with local institutions and protection mechanisms. Her dedication, empathetic approach, and strong community engagement make her a valued member of the core team.