OUR PARTNERS
TIMELINE
“Agastya's approach and methods make learning a free experience. Our school curriculum is too result-oriented, too disciplined and mundane, with no room for asking questions. But Agastya's experiments are not so. The important thing here is no pressure. I believe in understanding, not in learning by rote. ” ~ Professor S. Parthan, Educator, IIT, Kharagpur
WHO MAKES AGASTYA?
If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a group of right-minded people to educate one. Agastya takes great pride in the vision of its founding team which catalyzed the transformation of pedagogy in India. Turning the vision into reality are children and teachers of government schools and Agatsya’s instructors, who encourage the spirit of inquiry in children. Agastya’s advisers and members include entrepreneurs, scientists, educators, philanthropists, and volunteers who believe that by transforming education lives are transformed.
Beneficiaries: The primary goal of augmenting government school curricula helps children grasp complex concepts through Agastya’s hands-on methods. Communities with few resources are uplifted and exposed to scientific realities, while superstitions are dispelled, and new opportunities are brought within the reach of India’s underserved.
Visitors: The buzz around Agastya attracts many to its events, Science Centers, and to the Kuppam campus – our Creativity Lab. Whether spending a few hours or a few weeks, everyone has something to gain and something to offer when interacting at Agastya. Visitors come to share methods, conduct research, embark on partnerships, and recharge amidst the natural beauty of Southern India.
THE AGASTYA FAMILY
Benefactors: Supporters contribute their ideas, their talents, and their wealth to Agastya’s mission. The organization’s commitment to strengthen the educational foothold of India’s poor draws to it like-minded individuals with a generosity of spirit, ready to do their part to keep Agastya strong, and to help it grow.
Trustees
V.K. Aatre
F. Mahavir Kumar
Alok Oberoi
Rama Prasad (Ramji) Raghavan
Prabhakara Rao
Adhirath Sethi
Ms. Vidya Shah
Utpal Sheth
H.N. Srihari
Management
Ajith Basu
Sai Chandrashekar – Operations Head
Hariharan Ganesan – Director Partner Relations
Mahavir Kumar – Managing Trustee
B. H. Murali – Head, Accounts and Finance
Rama Prasad (Ramji) Raghavan – Chairman
T.S. Suresh – General Manger, Programs
Kumar, Padmanabhan – General Manager, Campus
K. Thiagarajan – COO
Academic Advisors
Dr. Angela Belcher, Massachusetts, United States
C. Narayancharyulu, Entrepreneur
Ms. Jayashree Vasudevan, CA
S. Jagannathan, USA
R. Krishnan, Distinguished Scientist (Former), Ministry of Defence
V. Krishnakumar, Singapore
Ms. N.S. Leela, Former Professor, MES College
Dr. Leena Chandran Wadia, Bangalore
K.G. Narayanan, Former Director, Aeronautical Development Establishment
Ms. Revathi Narayanan, Former Director, Mahila Samakhya Karnataka
Vasant Nayak, MurthyNayak Foundation
Phanish Puranam, Singapore
Ms. Rica Oberoi, ACP Partners, UK
Ms. Sujatha Ramdorai, University of British Columbia, Canada
Srinivasan Ramadorai
G. Ramakrishnan, President, Meru Capital
M.A. Ramaswamy, Former Scientist, NAL & Professor, IISC
Ravi Arora, Tata Sons
M. Shivkumar, Former Chief Designer, Hindustan Machine Tools
D. Singh, Ex-Union Home Secretary, Government of India
M.G. Subramanian, Former VP, Hewlett Packard
S. Viswanathan, Founding Managing Partner, Indusage Global Advisors
Sunand Bhattacharya, Assistant Provost, Boston College
Dirk Smit, Vice President, Chief Scientist at Shell, The Netherlands
Ms. Alka Hingorani, Industrial Design Centre, IIT, Bombay
P. Talwar, Director, Titanium Capital
Gopi Warrier, Chairman Ayurveda Holdings
Ms. Anupama Ramakrishnan
Dr. Arjun Oberoi, Singapore
Anand Rangarajan, Engineering Director, Bangalore Site Lead, Google
Dr. Siddartan Govindasamy, Professor, Olin College of Engineering, MA, USA
Dr. G Ananthasuresh, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IISC
The idea of Agastya International Foundation sprang from casual conversations between our co-founder Ramji Raghavan and a number of renowned scientists, entrepreneurs and educators about the paucity of experiential learning in the Indian education system. The organisation was founded in 1999 with the primary goal of augmenting government school curricula and helping children grasp complex concepts through hands-on methods. What began as a heartfelt need to transform education is now a growing movement at the grassroots through which communities with limited resources are uplifted and exposed to scientific realities and new opportunities are brought within the reach of India’s underserved.
ABOUT AGASTYA
We make education accessible to children, irrespective of their economic and social background.
