The Dasra Social Impact Leadership Programme began in 2006 as the DSI accelerator programme for leaders of not-for-profit organisations early in their scaling journeys. The DSI Leadership Programme was launched in 2014 in collaboration with Harvard Business School and today has an alumni base of over 600 leaders. Earlier this year, we caught up with the Dasra team and the current cohort of the Leadership Programme to learn more about this initiative.

Our thanks to Amit Chandra, Kavneet Kaur, Saiprasad Sale, Kirti Chaturvedi, Disket Angmo, Nita Row, Sohan Mutha, Ahona Krishna and Nehal Parekh. 

 For more information about the next cohort of the Dasra Social Impact Leadership program, and details on when and how to apply, write to [email protected]. 

Earlier this year during Dasra Philanthropy Week 2025, innovators, changemakers, and thought leaders came together in Bengaluru to explore the role of Data, Technology, and AI in driving social impact. 

We caught up with three panellists to find out what was discussed at their sessions and to hear their views on the future of technology in the social sector. 

Sarayu Natarajan, the founder of the Aapti Institute was on the panel “Gender inclusive Data technologies - Need for a paradigm shift”. She shares with us how her work intersects with AI and her views on the opportunities and challenges raised by it.

Vijay Sai Pratap from Graamvani, was on a panel that discussed “The Power of Open Source and Collaborative Technology for Social Change”. He talks about how contextual community-based knowledge should get incorporated into large models and the importance of collaborative development in the context of tech and its applications for the social sector.

Finally we have Vaibhav Chugh from the Council on Energy Environment and Water, a public policy think tank who was a panelist on “Collaborating for Impact: Tech & AI Innovations for Community Resilience in India”. Vaibhav talks through his work on climate change, “building in public” and building for interoperability. He also talks about the need to address bias.

For more about No-Cost Extension Podcast and to listen to previous episodes, visit https://www.dasra.org/nce

Bhagwan P Thacker is the founder of The Empowerment Fund,  a private, charitable foundation with an aim to support underserved communities in the Kutch District of Gujarat with a focus on education, health and technology. 

Born in Anjar, a town in Kutch, a remote region of Western Gujarat, Bhagwan P Thacker had fairly humble beginnings. He was one of the first young people in Anjar to go to a college and attended Saint Xavier's in Ahmedabad. He then studied chemical engineering at Bombay University after which he left for the United States of America, where he worked at IBM before starting his own business.

He started the Empowerment Foundation in 1995 with the desire to work in his home town of Anjar. Thacker speaks candidly of the reactions of his family in India, the ups and downs faced in the early years of the foundation, his journey learning how to give, and the changing landscape of philanthropy in India. 

Listen to this episode of No-Cost Extension podcast to hear of the journey of a funder over time and see how their approach has evolved as they learn. 

For more about No-Cost Extension Podcast and to listen to previous episodes, visit https://www.dasra.org/nce

Meet the grassroots organizations who are part of the first cohort of The Pride Fund, India’s first dedicated LBTQIA+ fund launched in February 2025. 

The Chhattisgarh Mitwa Sankalp Samiti is a Community Based Organization working for the development and mobilization of the transgender community in the region of Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The organisation works to change societal attitudes towards the community, ensuring that government policies and schemes reach the transgender community and also conduct health related workshops. They have also collaborated with the government to set up a TransGender Welfare Board in districts and their advocacy with the police has helped transwomen join the local police force as constables. 

Listen to Vidya Rajput speak about their work. 

The Pride Fund is led by three philanthropists. Radhika Piramal, Keshav Suri, the executive director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and the founder of the Keshav Suri Foundation, and Parmesh Shahani, head of Godrej Dei Labs from the Godrej Industries Group. Read more about it here: https://thepridefundindia.org/about-the-pride. 

This episode is in Hindi. 

Meet the grassroots organizations who are part of the first cohort of The Pride Fund, India’s first dedicated LBTQIA+ fund launched in February 2025. 

Deepshikha Samiti is committed to fostering socio-economic development in Delhi/NCR through education, health initiatives, and employment opportunities, with an aim to empower women, youth, and transgender communities Since 1994, they have been building a safe, healthy and empowered environment for the transgender and MSM community and provide opportunities for them to earn a livelihood and integrate within society.

Listen in to Tajuddin Khan speak about their work. To know more about their work visit https://deepshikha.org.in/

The Pride Fund is led by three philanthropists: Radhika Piramal, Keshav Suri, the executive director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and the founder of the Keshav Suri Foundation, and Parmesh Shahani, head of Godrej Dei Labs from the Godrej Industries Group. Read more about it here: https://thepridefundindia.org/about-the-pride. Find us at Dasra. 

This episode is in Hindi. 

Meet the grassroots organizations who are part of the first cohort of The Pride Fund, India’s first dedicated LBTQIA+ fund launched in February 2025. 

Vikalp is a women’s rights group that advocates for the rights of marginalised women & gender/sexual minorities, working closely with and in rural tribal areas. Formed in 1996 to combat domestic violence and discrimination against women in Gujarat, India, particularly tribal women, over time Vikalp has evolved at the intersection of class, caste, religion, gender identity and sexual orientation, intervening in the everyday lives of marginalized women and LBT people.

Maya Sharma is a veteran feminist activist, researcher and writer, and part of this grassroots women's organization, Vikalp in Vadodara. 

The Pride Fund is led by three philanthropists. Radhika Piramal Keshav Suri, the executive director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and the founder of the Keshav Suri Foundation, and Parmesh Shahani, head of Godrej Dei Labs from the Godrej Industries Group. Read more about it here: https://thepridefundindia.org/about-the-pride. Find us at Dasra. 

Meet the grassroots organizations who are part of the first cohort of The Pride Fund, India’s first dedicated LBTQIA+ fund launched in February 2025. 

What is Payana? Payana means Equality. 

Payana is a community owned and managed organization based in Bengaluru that aims to address the many challenges of transgender individuals from underserved backgrounds. Their goal is to remove discrimination towards non-English speaking, working class members of sexual minorities and ensure their social inclusion and a life of dignity.

The Pride Fund is led by three philanthropists: Radhika Piramal, Keshav Suri, the executive director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and the founder of the Keshav Suri Foundation, and Parmesh Shahani, head of Godrej Dei Labs from the Godrej Industries Group. Read more about it here: https://thepridefundindia.org/about-the-pride. You can know more about Dasra's work at https://www.dasra.org. 

This episode is in Hindi. 

Meet the grassroots organizations who are part of the first cohort of The Pride Fund, India’s first dedicated LBTQIA+ fund launched in February 2025.  

Basera is a non-profit organization that strives to promote and protect the rights of the LGBTQ community. It advocates for transgender rights, anti-discrimination laws, protection against hate crimes, documentation and reporting of gender-based violence, and HIV/AIDS awareness. Basera has been instrumental in facilitating employment for members of the transgender community across industries and organisations. 

 You can find out more about the work of the Basera Samajik Sansthan here: https://baserasamajiksansthan.org/about-us/

The Pride Fund is led by three philanthropists: Radhika Piramal, Keshav Suri, the executive director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and the founder of the Keshav Suri Foundation, and Parmesh Shahani, head of Godrej Dei Labs from the Godrej Industries Group. Read more about it here: https://thepridefundindia.org/about-the-pride

For more information go to https://www.dasra.org. 

This episode is in Hindi. 

Over the next few episodes we’ll be meeting the grassroots organizations who are part of the first cohort of The Pride Fund, India’s first dedicated LBTQIA+ fund launched in February 2025. 

The Karna Subarna Welfare Society is a network of seven organisations headquartered in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal and addresses the needs of the transgender and queer communities in surrounding areas.  Their main verticals cover rural livelihoods, research and advocacy and awareness.  

You can find out more about the work of KSWS here: https://ksws.in/

The Pride Fund is led by three philanthropists. Radhika Piramal Keshav Suri, the executive director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and the founder of the Keshav Suri Foundation, and Parmesh Shahani, head of Godrej Dei Labs from the Godrej Industries Group. Read more about it here: https://thepridefundindia.org/about-the-pride

Over the next few episodes we’ll be meeting the grassroots organizations who are part of the first cohort of The Pride Fund, India’s first dedicated LBTQIA+ fund launched in February 2025. 

Sadam Hanjabam is the founder and CEO of Ya_All The Youth Network, a United Nations recognized LGBTI+ youth led and focused organisation working in Manipur, India. Ya All aims to capacitate, educate, empower equip and strengthen vulnerable communities.  

Listen to Sadam talk about his own personal experiences that lead to the setting up of Ya_All, how they’ve used football as tool to talk about sexuality, and the role of storytelling in effecting change. 

You can find out more about the work of Ya_All here: https://www.yaall.org/

The Pride Fund is led by three philanthropists. Radhika Piramal Keshav Suri, the executive director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and the founder of the Keshav Suri Foundation, and Parmesh Shahani, head of Godrej Dei Labs from the Godrej Industries Group. Read more about it here: https://thepridefundindia.org/about-the-pride