Rajni Bakshi :Trustee, Mumbai

Rajni is a prolific writer, speaker and organiser currently working on a book, titled 'Market: From Master to Servant', which challenges the neoliberal world view without falling for extreme alternatives. She has previously published four books, notably Bapu Kuti on Gandhian experiments today, and articles in leading journals in India and abroad. Her scholarship has been recognised by prestigious Fellowships from the Tata Trusts and others. Rajni Bakshi has also been invited as a speaker on platforms ranging from Bhutan through Delhi, and Mumbai. As an activist, Rajni has worked on many of the issues of our times including poverty, the environment, communalism, women's and Dalit rights and globalisation; where necessary, this activism has gone beyond writing and debating to demonstrating in the streets and raising funds for immediate and long term action. Gandhian influences are displayed in Rajni's preference for dialogue and synthesis in the face of opposition. Widely traveled, Rajni maintains a vast and disparate range of friendships reflecting her wide interests and education in Jamaica, Delhi, Washington DC and Jaipur. She is in touch with some of the leading, and most celebrated, thinkers around the world. In spite of which Rajni enjoys nothing more than charming, and being charmed by, children of all ages, classes and achievements.