Our Trustees

Our Founder Trustees

Abha Bhaiya

Founder, Jagori and Jagori Rural Charitable Trust

Abha Bhaiya, born in Jaipur in 1947, is a pioneering feminist activist whose work has shaped grassroots movements across India and South Asia. Trained in philosophy and social work, with further studies in Germany, she co-founded Jagori in Delhi and later Jagori Rural in Himachal Pradesh. Her activism spans feminist pedagogy, rural organizing, and ecological sustainability, with a focus on women’s health, bodily integrity, and the rights of single women. Abha’s leadership has touched over 250 villages, and her creation of the JAGORI Campus reflects her commitment to lived feminist praxis. As India’s coordinator for One Billion Rising, she has amplified global campaigns against gender-based violence.

Dr. Barbara Nath-Wiser

Founder, Nishtha Rural Health, Education & Environment Centre

Dr. Barbara Nath-Wiser, also born in 1948 in Austria. She is a trained medical doctor from Austria with expertise in homeopathy and acupuncture, she settled in Rakkar, Himachal Pradesh, and co-founded Nishtha in 1998 alongside Abha Bhaiya and others. Nishtha evolved from a small dispensary into a holistic rural health and education centre, offering herbal remedies, outreach services, formed single womens collective in Himachal, and support for women and children. Barbara’s work is grounded in multiple healing system. She has been recognized internationally for her contributions to social service.

Kamla Bhasin

Feminist Thinker, Poet, and Founding Member of Sangat and Jagori

amla Bhasin (1946–2021), born in Shaheedanwali, Punjab, was one of South Asia’s most influential feminist thinkers. With a background in development sociology and early work in rural Rajasthan, Kamla became known for translating feminist theory into accessible, creative formats—through poems, slogans, and training modules. She co-founded Jagori delhi, jagori Rural and Sangat, mentoring generations of activists across borders. Her iconic poem “Kyunki main ladki hoon, mujhe padhna hai” and her reinterpretation of “Azadi” became rallying cries for gender equality. Kamla’s life was a testament to radical hope, intersectional solidarity.