A happy, healthy and creative child whose rights are protected and honoured in a society that is built on respect for dignity, justice and equity for all.
To enable people to take responsibility for the situation of the deprived Indian child and so motivate them to seek resolution through individual and collective action thereby enabling children to realise their full potential
To make people discover their potential for action and change
To enable peoples’ collectives and movements encompassing diverse segments, to pledge their particular strengths, working in partnership to secure, protect and honour the rights of India’s children.
CRY was born of a dream to ensure happier childhoods for all children.
In 1979, Rippan Kapur – an Indian Airlines purser – started CRY with 6 friends and just Rs. 50. Today, over 4 decades later, CRY works with 144 project partners across 20 states in India and has impacted the lives of over 4.7 million children.
Chief Executive
Puja has spent over three decades working to make child rights a lived reality for children across India.
Her journey with CRY began in 1994, driven by a simple but powerful belief: children are at the heart of every nation’s progress, and their rights and potential must be central to how we think about development.
With a background in Liberal Arts and Human Resources, Puja has taken on leadership roles across CRY over the years, including heading its Human Resources and Programmes, before becoming its Chief Executive Officer. This experience has shaped a broad organisational perspective, spanning people, programmes and institutional leadership.
At the heart of her work is a deep belief in children’s potential, curiosity and agency, and in the power of people and institutions to create meaningful, lasting change. In recognition of her work in the social sector, she was awarded The Fifth Olga Alexeeva Memorial Prize in 2018. She is also a TEDx speaker, and continues to actively contribute to conversations around social development and sustainability.
She has helped shape CRY as an organisation grounded in justice, equity and accountability, while fostering a culture that enables individuals to turn their convictions into collective action for children’s rights.
Puja currently also serves as an Advisor to the XIBM School of Sustainability, on the Board of the Journal of Development Policy and Practice, Hyderabad, and on the Governing Council of Protsahan.
DIRECTOR – Resource Generation
A graduate in Economics and a diploma holder in travel and tourism, Yamini’s professional journey began in the telecom industry. Over the past two decades, she’s contributed her expertise to companies like Koshika, Essar, Hutchison, and Vodafone, excelling in roles related to Customer Service, Revenue Assurance, and Marketing. Yamini firmly believes in the limitless potential within every person, a belief that drives her passion for making a positive impact on the lives of children and creating happier childhoods.
DIRECTOR – Communications
Vatsala has worked in advertising for close to two decades on clients like J&J, Unilever, LG and Maruti. She is an award-winning columnist who has also set up a design portal, run a successful home catering business and worked as a textile consultant. Vatsala believes that every single person has limitless potential and she hopes that her work at CRY will help India’s children realize theirs.
DIRECTOR – Finance
Brings 22 years of expertise in team leadership, policy, governance, audits, credit management, and compliance. Her journey includes pivotal roles at Continental India Pvt. Ltd. and Sabic Innovative Plastics India Pvt. Ltd., where she led significant projects, implemented robust policies, and saved costs through fraud detection. With a Chartered Accountant qualification and a B.Com (H) from Delhi University, Rashmi’s strategic acumen and dedication to excellence promise to drive CRY’s financial stewardship to new heights. Her career embodies a relentless pursuit of excellence, making her a valuable asset to CRY’s mission.
DIRECTOR – West & DIRECTOR – People And Culture
A post graduate diploma holder in Early Childhood Care & Education from Sophia College Polytechnic, Kreeanne began her career with ORG-MARG designing market research projects for brands like Colgate Palmolive and Godrej Foods. She joined CRY in 2000 to lead the Resource Generation team in West and in 2005, set out to establish the marketing function for CRY America. She came back to India in 2010 and took up her role of Director – West; she is also currently anchoring the People and Culture function at CRY. Kreeanne’s passion lies in unlocking people’s potential to take transformative action that will deliver impact for marginalized children and communities.
DIRECTOR – North & DIRECTOR – Programme
A post graduate in Social Work from M.S University, Vadodara, Soha joined CRY in 1997. In her initial years, she worked on women’s empowerment with Nirantar – where she realized how gender norms need to be tackled right from childhood itself. At CRY, she anchored the Volunteer Action function and spearheaded public participation as a fundamental lever for change. Today, she is Regional Director – North, anchors the Programme function, chairs the sexual harassment committees at CRY as well as Expedia India and has been a jury member for the The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards 2014 & 2018 – a worldwide acclaimed youth recognition program.
DIRECTOR – East , DIRECTOR – Volunteer Engagement & Information Technology
A Chevening Scholar from the University of Essex with a Masters in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights, Trina graduated from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and started her career in CSR with the Tata Group and CARE India. She joined CRY in 2002 as a part of the Development Support team and went on to lead Volunteer Action before taking on the Director role for the East. She currently also anchors the Volunteer Engagement and Information Technology functions at CRY. Trina believes that children can change the world and hopes to make a difference in children’s lives through her work with CRY.
DIRECTOR – South & DIRECTOR – Business Support
Holding specialized degrees in Liberal Theology, Sociology and Anthropology, John is a post graduate in Human Resource Management (Xaviers Institute of Management, Mumbai). He joined CRY in 1997 as a part of the Development Support team and went on to take on the role of Director for the South region. John strongly believes that children’s right to life, dignity, health, nutrition, education and security are paramount above everything else, and that India will be high on the development matrix only when the children are thriving.
DIRECTOR – Research and Knowledge Exchange
Subhendu comes with more than 22 years of experience in human rights and child rights in the arena of research, policy analysis, media advocacy, and Child Rights programming. He has done his Master’s in Mass Communication and M.Phil. in Communication from Assam University. He also holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Law (LLB and LLM). Subhendu currently holds the role of Director of the Research and Knowledge Exchange function at CRY. He admired CRY’s work early on during his secondary school days through CRY cards and their messages for upholding children’s rights. He believes that marginalized children need more support so that their voices are heard. Through CRY he wishes to create an enabling environment for them so that they can enjoy their rights to their fullest potential.
Board Chair & Hon. Trustee
Ratan, the founder and chairman of Ratan J. Batliboi Consultants Pvt. Ltd., is one of the leading architects in Mumbai and has worked on several prestigious urban design and planning projects over the past 35 years. A graduate from Sir J. J. School of Architecture, he advises the SMART City Task Force, the Department of Electronics & Information Technology, the Mumbai Commission for Arts, Music & Culture and the Department of Design at Mumbai University among others. Ratan has been a part of CRY since the past 4 decades as a volunteer, advisor and now trustee. In addition to CRY, Ratan also serves on the boards of the Nana Nani Park Foundation, Toy Bank and the Astad Deboo dance foundation.
Trustee
Pervin Varma started her career in advertising working with Lintas India for 3 years before joining CRY in 1990. In 1998, she was appointed CEO and led the organization till 2004, post which she continued to work as a consultant in the development sector. From 2010-12 she worked with Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai on a Leadership Development Project led by Dr Monica Sharma. In addition to CRY, Pervin serves on the boards of Citizens for Peace, Dream a Dream, Pratham Books and Zensar Foundation.
Trustee
Amongst India’s foremost infrastructure and project finance attorneys, Bahram Vakil is the founder and senior partner of AZB & Partners. He has a LLM from the Columbia University, is a member of the New York State Bar and is recognized by Chambers and Partners & The Legal 500 as a leading lawyer for banking and finance in India.
Trustee
Rajni is a writer, speaker and award-winning author of several books including ‘Bazaars, Conversations and Freedom’ and ‘Bapu Kuti – Journeys In Rediscovery Of Gandhi’. She has been a Homi Bhabha Fellow and served as a Gandhi Peace Fellow at Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. In addition to CRY, Rajni serves on the boards of Citizens for Peace and the Centre Of Education & Documentation and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture.
Trustee
Dr. Ritu Priya is a professor at the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University. A medical graduate with a doctorate in Community Health, her work has specifically focused on the study of health policy and planning, urban health, nutrition and communicable diseases as well as health perceptions of marginalized communities. A published writer, Dr. Priya has led a pioneering national study on the role and status of AYUSH and local health traditions. She has served as the Advisor – Public Health Planning with the National Health Systems Resource Centre and is involved with various civil society organisations on the issue of public health.
Trustee
Rajesh Patel is the Founder & CEO of Powerweave, a technology consulting and products company serving B2B organizations in the US and Europe. He is also a partner with SALT Partners, an organization that invests in and mentors late stage startups, and the co-founder of Goldenmile Learning – a nonprofit that works in the areas of education and environment in Ladakh.
Trustee & Hon. Treasurer
Sandeep Batra started his professional journey with ICI India and worked with them for over 20 years across multiple businesses, locations, and roles. He moved to Pidilite as the CFO and was part of the transformational journey of the corporation, now holding the position of Executive Director, Finance. A transformational leader, he has been credited with leading many M&A deals, building strong systems and processes, developing teams, and grooming talent. A Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary by qualification, Mr. Batra grew up in Kolkata and has a passion for golf and travel.
In over 4 decades, CRY has received many awards in recognition of our work towards enabling better futures for underprivileged children.
Best non-profit campaign ET Shark Awards (Bronze) – CRY x COMIC CON
2026
Best non-profit campaign ET Shark Awards (Silver) – Don’t Help Children
2024
Best Campaign in Communication & Advocacy Category
2021
Best Campaign in Not-For-Profit (Silver)
2021
Social Media Brand Of The Year
2020
Most Trusted NGO
2018
One Of The Top 100 Nonprofits In The World
2018
Awarded to Puja Marwaha, CEO – CRY, For Social Innovation
2018
Best Multi Channel Campaign For A Cause (#YellowFellow)
2018
ICAI CSR Award for Best CSR Project In Health & Education
2014
CFBP Jamnalal Bajaj Award For Fair Business Practices
2014
RMI Roll Of Honor In Social Responsibility
2014
Quality Initiative Mission Award
2013
Citi Woman Leader Awarded To Puja Marwaha, CEO – CRY
2012
Fundraising Campaign Award
2011 & 2012
Lakshya Award
2009 & 2012
Indira Super Achiever Award
2003
Viewers Choice Most Effective Ad Of the Year
1996
Citizen Of Bombay Award For Rippan Kapur
1991
Our voice on children’s rights is regularly featured by leading newspapers and online mediums. Click to know more about our take on children’s issues and how they can be solved.
29 December 2020
5 August 2020
5 May 2020
31 January 2020
As a custodian of public funds, we ensure that all our financial statements and audited and all legal and statutory compliances are stringently adhered to.
FOUNDER, CHILD RIGHTS AND YOU
Chief Executive
Puja has spent over three decades working to make child rights a lived reality for children across India.
Her journey with CRY began in 1994, driven by a simple but powerful belief: children are at the heart of every nation’s progress, and their rights and potential must be central to how we think about development.
With a background in Liberal Arts and Human Resources, Puja has taken on leadership roles across CRY over the years, including heading its Human Resources and Programmes, before becoming its Chief Executive Officer. This experience has shaped a broad organisational perspective, spanning people, programmes and institutional leadership.
At the heart of her work is a deep belief in children’s potential, curiosity and agency, and in the power of people and institutions to create meaningful, lasting change. In recognition of her work in the social sector, she was awarded The Fifth Olga Alexeeva Memorial Prize in 2018. She is also a TEDx speaker, and continues to actively contribute to conversations around social development and sustainability.
She has helped shape CRY as an organisation grounded in justice, equity and accountability, while fostering a culture that enables individuals to turn their convictions into collective action for children’s rights.
Puja currently also serves as an Advisor to the XIBM School of Sustainability, on the Board of the Journal of Development Policy and Practice, Hyderabad, and on the Governing Council of Protsahan.
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