Meet Team Badlaav

Radhika Dhingra

Co-Founder/Director

Radhika is an environmentalist who is passionate about creating impact. She graduated in Environmental Sciences from Germany and decided to return home to work where she felt the need for change was stronger. Radhika is passionate about creating environmental impact while supporting social change. She believes that education can do wonders and wants to utilise the tool in uplifting the societies. Radhika loves reading and traveling. She holds keen interest in social issues and likes to  discuss different topics and issues with her friends, which gives her an opportunity to learn and unlearn. She takes keen interest in politics as she feels it can provide an opportunity to create greater impact.

Rosalie Shrestha

Co-Founder/Assistant Director

Rosalie is an Environmental Sciences graduate, and is a forever student of Ecology. Having been exposed to both the “developed and the developing world”, she decided to help create Badlaav, in an attempt to do her part in helping the world be a better place. Rosalie is interested in a variety of topics, and could have a conversation about almost anything under the sun. A true Jack of all trades, she is interested in content creation, technology, gaming; and loves reading, music, and is a hobby baker.

Photo Anusha

Anusha Kapoor

Project Assistant

Anusha is from New Delhi, India. With an undergraduate degree in Economics, she currently works as a Climate and Sustainability Consulting Analyst at Deloitte India. Anusha volunteers as a Project Assistant at Badlaav, focusing on communication, outreach, strategic planning, and fundraising efforts. Since joining Badlaav in 2020, Anusha has been deeply involved in developing Project SAKSHAM. “Working alongside a team of passionate change-makers within Badlaav has been immensely inspiring, continually fueling my dedication to creating tangible impact in India’s communities,” she notes. Outside of work, her passions include music and writing, and she’s excited to explore scuba diving as a new hobby!

Nilam Gaikwad

Project Assistant (Operations)
Nilam is our Project Assistant focusing on on-ground operations in Pune. She is closely involved with Project SAKSHAM and the Community Mobilisation Model. Her responsibilities include monitoring five slum-communities in Pune and leads the community mobilizers effectively. Nilam is passionate about her work at Badlaav, since she wants to actively fight the misunderstandings around menstruation. She is an active part of the change and works daily to fight the stigma and eliminate period poverty. In her free time, Nilam writes plays, goes on long walks in nature and loves dancing to bollywood songs. 

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Woman smiling, wearing an olive green vest sitting in front of a foliage background
Woman smiling, wearing a white top and blue shirt sitting in front of a foliage background

Tanvi Hegade

Communication and Outreach

Tanvi is a freelance German- English translator and a contemporary dance artiste based in Pune. Poetry, reading and writing play an enormous role in the way she makes sense of the world. Her belief in the endless potential to do more and give back to the communities is what brings her to Badlaav.  A graduate of Dance Movement Therapy, Tanvi is in the process of incubating ideas about forming insightful and honest ways of dialogue and connections with people through art. Her new-found loves include amateur surfing and watching cats sleep. On the heels of quitting her job, she can now be found musing full-time about all the possible lives she could lead.

Namita Bhave

Project Assistant (On-ground)
Namita is from Mumbai and has a Post Graduate in Development Management. She is a Project assistant for On-ground operations in Pune, currently working in a part-time capacity. Her responsibilities include conducting awareness sessions in schools, communities and corporate offices. She is also the creator of “Ata Tuzi Pali” – a one of a kind educational boardgame on MHM. , Namita is a person with a strong value base, many of which she shares with Badlaav. In her day-to-day life, she wants to make sure she does her bit for the environment, so she does her best to follow sustainable habits. In her free time, Namita-an avid bird watcher who has identified 116 species of birds so far-can be found out and about in nature with a pair of binoculars in her hand trying to spot the 117th one. 
Woman smiling, wearing a blouse with colorful stripes in front of a foliage background
Woman smiling, wearing a blue kurta sitting in front of a foliage background

Ashwini Dhaware

Community Mobiliser

Ashwini didi is our first Community Mobilizer who has been working in Mangalwar Peth community in Pune since August 2022. Conducting sessions on Menstrual Health Management, she has impacted hundreds of lives since joining Badlaav. Ashwini didi believes that it is important that people stop looking at menstruation as a taboo topic and that they offer support to menstruators instead of shunning them. She loves to interact with people and believes the work she does with Badlaav is helping take care of the planet. She is a beautician by profession and enjoys giving people a makeover for that extra boost of confidence. In her free time, she loves to sing and dance, cook amazing food and spend quality time with her son.

Ashwini Lokhande

Community Mobiliser
Ashwini is our Community Mobiliser in the rural area of Waghalwadi in Baramati. She has completed her education up to S.Y.B.A. A mother of two, she is balancing her work with her home duties. Ashwini loves art, crafts, playing games with children and singing songs. Her ever smiling face never fails to brightens any room she enters.

Annapurna Deshmukh

Community Mobiliser

Annapurna tai has been active in Janta Vasahat community in Pune since early 2024. She enjoys learning and teaching in equal measure, and has always been keen to understand the concerns of teenagers and to offer suggestions and solutions to them for the same. She shares that the name ‘Badlaav’ itself carries the strength to change, a gift she received after she started working with us. She had never had the confidence to speak up and share her thoughts in front of people earlier.
She is convinced that just the way it took time for India to gain independence, the issue of sanitary waste segregation might take time but it is very much possible, and we will have to set up measures in the meantime to make this happen.

Nikita Dhavane

Community Mobiliser

Nikita, the youngest member of our team, is making a significant impact as a community mobilizer in Minabai Thackeray Colony, Maharshi Nagar, Pune, where she actively raises awareness about menstrual hygiene management. A former national-level wrestler, she balances her studies with her work to support her family, showcasing her resilience and determination. With a passion for travel and a courageous spirit, Nikita embodies the drive to uplift her community while pursuing her personal and professional aspirations.