ASHISH KUMAR- LEAD, RURAL IMMERSION PROGRAMS

Ashish started his career as a consultant in a corporate firm right after graduating from IIT Roorkee. His career took a turn when he decided to become a social entrepreneur to serve the needs of people living in rural communities of the country. His journey of living with rural populace while understanding their needs took him deep within. In the process, he realized that his life is about purifying his inner self by serving people with great love in smaller ways than solving big issues or establishing large enterprises.

His call to serve and to live in a peaceful manner took him to the Himalayas where he is serving rural communities through Education. He continues to explore different fields such as organic farming and holistic healing with an aim to simplify his lifestyle as much as possible.

In addition to his work in the community, Ashish keeps attending various spiritual gatherings that bring him closer to his inner being. He has also been facilitating people to follow their hearts and, thus, find peace within through various retreats such as Head2Heart.

DIVYA GUPTA- LEAD, RETREATS

Born and brought up in Delhi, after feeling dissatisfied with all material possessions that she had once dreamed for, Divya left her promising corporate career at a young age to explore the world within. In her search for meaning in life, she travelled to different parts of country, meeting and learning from the unsung Heroes who chose to live their lives differently, with a meaning, away from the worldly race. She also spent several years working in education domain with a view to serve the needy until she found herself yearning for something more deeper.

Following her intention to go deep, Divya became part of a number of spiritual courses and retreats, thereby gaining more clarity on her life’s journey to the unknown. She feels deeply grateful for having met amazing masters who helped her find a path to go deeper within the various layers of the mind, and armed her with various meditation techniques  to do the same.
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Divya co-founded Sahaj Foundation in 2013, and has been leading the Retreats focused on looking within- Head2Heart, Peaceful Living, Dealing with Negative Emotions. And now during the pandemic, the same are being led in the online mode; 'Cultivating Emotional Balance'- a month long program for corporate professionals, is the recent one that she hosted. The idea is to share what she could receive from her teachers in order to benefit others to understand the world within. The retreats are conducted through a well designed process based on her own personal experiences, mostly aimed at developing awareness and right understanding of the mind and reality around us. She also guides individuals on a personal basis to help them gain awareness over their mind and emotions so that they  can lead a fulfilling life.

Divya has been living in a village in Himalayas for more than 8 years now- studying, understanding and practicing the teachings of Buddha under the guidance of her Gurus. Her primary intentions are to practice and simplify these teachings in a secular manner that can reach out even to the most ordinary. In leisure time, she can be found observing harmony in nature and engaging with soil.

ANKIT SRIVASTAVA- LEAD, THE VRIKSH

Ankit focuses on early-stage technology companies solving the climate challenges that our planet faces currently in our race to prevent irreversible damage to our environment and create a sustainable planet for us and our future generations. 

Ankit has been working in venture capital with experience in investing in Clean Energy and Smart Cities Tech in the UK and India. He is also an Advisory Board Member with multiple start-ups in Europe and India. Ankit has an MBA from the London Business School and an engineering degree from IIT Roorkee.

Currently, Ankit lives with his wife and son in London, where he is still trying to adopt to the English concept of summer. He is also the host of Dowell, a podcast that is focused on discussing steps to create a more sustainable planet. He also co-founded Levnet Ventures, which is an impact investment platform focused on early-stage companies in the UK and India.

MANOJ SHARMA- MENTOR TRUSTEE

The monk who sold his Ferrari, is undoubtedly the apt way to describe Manoj Sharma in one sentence. Having ventured into family business at the age of 18 and working tirelessly for four decades to establish flourishing business and factory in Dehradun, he left everything to follow his heart, at the age of 58, with new zeal and mission to share his vast working experience and knowledge with rural communities of Uttrakhand. So far, he has had the privilege of visiting more than 500 villages of Uttarakhand on foot, at times walking for more than 2 days to reach a rural community.