Purple Think Tank

Amali Naik, Founder Director of Gramina Abyuday Seva Samsthe (GASS), a registered Society in Karnataka State, India. Completing her studies including Masters in Sociology, she is one of the co-founder of Gramina Abyudaya Seva Samsthe at Doddaballapur, in Bengaluru Rural district in 1996. Since then, Amali has devoted her time to GASS and leads a committed team of nearly 40 staff members.

She has more than 20 years of rich experience working both at the grass roots and management levels in the development sector with a special focus on disability and development, Mental Health and Development and with various national and international development and disability agencies, Community Based Organizations, People’s and Mass based Organizations, Federations and Confederations as also Human rights movements.

With over 20 years experience in banking sector and nationalised banks, K. N. Janardhan worked in various capacities such as Rural Development Officer, Director of RUDSETI, Udupi, Senior Manager in Priority Sector Department in Head Office of Syndicate Bank, Manipal, Lead District Manager in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and so on. He was given the honor of being part of Chairmen’s Club and EDs Club based on achievement in deposits mobilization and recovery. He has received the “Best Extension Award” at his workplace for 17 continuous years.

Kalakappa is a Person with Locomotor Disability. Previously he worked as an assistant in a shop for a monthly salary of Rs. 3000/-.Kalakappa had interest in computer for the same he had took EDP training. In EDP training he had learnt how to be independent Entrepreneur.With his Salary amount along with Enable India’s IIM Support, he has opened his own CSC. Now his CSC is recognized as one of the Grama One shop in the taluk. Kalakappa is one of the pride member of his family and he runs the family with Joy and happiness.

Hailing from a farmer’s family in rural India, R R Singh has over 25 years of work experience in Rural development, Training & Quality Assurance, Financial Inclusion, CSR, Entrepreneurship Development and Women empowerment. After working for around 20 years in a Nationalised Bank, he left the Banking job to work in social development sector.

Currently working as the Country head of Assessment & Quality Assurance vertical of National Academy of RUDSETI, overseeing the work of Assessment and Certification of around 4 lakh candidates every year trained at a chain of 590 Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) spread across 33 States/UTs of India.

Shankar Raman is the Honorary Secretary of Amar Seva Sangam. He is a Chartered Accountant by profession and a person with Muscular Dystrophy. He dedicated himself for the social cause of up-lifting the Persons with Disabilities particularly the young and the children and strongly believes that disability is not a constraint and only a condition and if opportunities are given they can also perform.

He joined Ramakrishnan who himself was a wheelchair user to promote Amar Seva Sangam to realize their common dream of creating an equal society where every person with disability gets adequate opportunities to reach their full potential. He concentrated both on institutional based program as well as community-based empowerment program which he called as village based rehabilitation. Through his initiatives he focused on inclusiveness by creating an ecosystem from Early Intervention at childhood to mobilizing persons with disabilities into self help groups and federations for becoming self-advocating citizens of their own rights.

He is a State Icon for the Election Commission of India for the State of Tamil Nadu. He served as an Independent Director for National Aluminium Co. Ltd. (NALCO) for four years showcasing that disability is not a constraint to perform. Being a regular participant in the Mumbai Marathon for the last 15 years he received Highest Fundraiser award for five times. From here, he is scheduled to go to Mumbai to participate in the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2023.

Shijo Joseph has done his MA in Rural Management and completed his MSW in Medicine & Psychiatry . With 20 years of work experience including global exposure in Egypt , Sudan & Sri Lanka, he has worked across India. 

He worked with Tribal people who are living in dense forest, people who live in Remote Rural villages and semi deserts , Urabn Slums, Fisher Man who are living in costal India, Sri Lankan refugees, Nomadic tribes, Tsunami victims, People with Disabilities etc. He has Specialization in Livelihood training, business study, resource mapping, networking and leverage and Monitoring & Evaluation.

Sunil Kasture has been working in the banking industry for 28 years in various capacities and presently holds the position of Tate Director For RSETIs (Maharashtra), National Centre For Excellence Of RSETI, Pune where he is in charge of monitoring & mentoring rural self employment training institutes.