ABOUT US

Gramaantara began its work in the village of Muthur in Shidlaghatta Taluk of Chikballapur in 2008 in memory of late Sanjoy Das Gupta, IAS under the banner "Namma Muthuru". The former Deputy Commissioner of Kolar (1992-1994) had a lot of bonding with the people of Muthur and initiated several development works there.

Late Sanjoy Das Gupta, IAS
(1954 - 2005)

"My son's heart was in rural development and I am very glad his ideas are being spread to reach out to more villages and benefit more people through the work being done by Gramaantara".

Late Dr. Khadija Ansari Gupta, mother of Sanjoy Das Gupta

The Trust is managed by a small group of committed professionals from diverse fields.

Usha’s boundless passion and positive energy have led to the creation of Gramaantara. She is the engine driving all the Trust programmes. After over a decade of diverse media experience, she has been completely devoting her time to rural development, seamlessly running multiple programmes in parallel.

Maitreya Bhoopalam is a seasoned Strategy and Operations professional in the technology sector. He enjoys connecting the big picture to the brushstrokes needed to paint it. Gramaantara is the platform for his passion for making a contribution in whatever way possible in the areas of education, livelihoods and environment.

Nandita, who runs her own venture in the education sector, has a deep understanding of community psyche and needs – whether it is students or women or other stakeholders Gramaantara works with. She is a guiding factor for the Trust’s programmes and networks widely to mobilize resources.

Radha HS, a person of many talents, has, over the years, been a programmer, writer and puzzle maker. Currently she works for a company in the sphere of education. Her contribution to Gramaantara is manifold, whether in ideas, networking, fund-raising or in operational logistics.

Ananthalakshmi HV and Abhishek Nagaraj are the eyes & ears and hands & legs respectively for Gramaantara in the field. While Ananthalakshmi handles communication coordination with volunteers, schools, govt. departments, beneficiaries and partners, Abhishek manages all the field responsibilities, whether it is getting a school painted or buying educational materials or managing the civil work in various projects.

Our Work is Holistic and Participatory as we function closely with govt. schools, government departments, the district administration, partner NGOs, funders and the village community.

OUR STRATEGY

Leverage govt. schemes and funding for needs; where these are not applicable, seek private donors
Link up with other NGOs to bring in suitable programmes for the community
Involve the community throughout to help them own the processes

Our base village Muthur, with a population of approximately 2500 people, has its primary occupations in sericulture, dairy, grapes & other crops. It is home to The Muthur Line & Muthuring - the rural tour and most Gramaantara projects are piloted here.