Our Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) expert, Ariana Abadian-Heifetz, is a co-creator of the ground-breaking ‘Me in Motion’ primary school curriculum, which integrates SEL with movement pedagogy, and a curriculum for senior students on interfaith dialogue, gender, ethics, caste and human rights. Her work has been featured in The New Indian Express and Teacher Plus Magazine, while her writing has appeared in India Today, Deccan Chronicle, and Daily Pioneer. She was the Head of SEL at Heritage Xperiential Learning School, Gurugram. Here she launched the school's SEL program, designed curricula and led faculty training on restorative justice, crucial conversations and gender bias in classrooms.

Our Mindfulness and Yoga expert, Zubin Artré is the founder of ArtréYoga Studio, and seeks to make yoga approachable for all. Using biomechanics and meditation, he designs modules that are customised for optimal individual performance, be it for a young student, a sportsperson, or a professional leading a sedentary life. He has trained athletes like Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra in mastering the tripod of body, breath, and mind with asanas that are designed for specific sports, like diving, climbing, shooting, trekking, or boxing. With 16,000+ hours of yoga teaching experience, Artré is the author of the book, It Takes Two To Yoga, and a TedX speaker. His approach to mental and physical wellness has been a great source of satisfaction to yoga and meditation practitioners and corporate executives as well.

Our Critical Thinking expert, Dr Anandini Dar, works in the field of child rights and the well-being of young persons. An Assistant Professor at the School of Education Studies, Ambedkar University, Dr Dar is the founder of Critical Childhoods and Youth Studies Collective, a network of scholars and practitioners engaged in research on and with children and youth in South Asia and beyond. Having worked across a range of sectors — academia, civil society, policy and rights, she has extensively researched issues like the safety and security of children in schools, reading readiness and the right to education. She also writes and speaks on the anthropology and sociology of childhood and youth, migration, South Asian diaspora, youth cultures and identities, gender and diversity and children’s rights.

Our Mental Health and Counselling expert, Ritu Shree, is a dance/movement therapist (R-DMT) and a child psychologist at Children First, a child and adolescent mental health clinic in New Delhi. She works with children on the autism spectrum, ADHD, developmental delay and other childhood concerns. Invested in using multimodal therapeutic approaches with children with special needs and their families, Ms. Shree has been an adviser to the Creative Movement Therapy Association of India, and been involved with the Boston Children’s Foundation, Cheshire Medical Center in the USA. With a Masters in dance/movement therapy and counseling from Antioch University and one in clinical psychology from Delhi University, Ms Shree is currently working on a Phd in expressive therapies at Lesley University, Boston.

With an Indian sensibility and a global outlook, our Performing Arts experts, Shubhendra and Saskia Rao, want to share music with as many people as possible, especially those who have limited access to it. Pandit Shubhendra Rao is a sitar exponent and composer who is considered one of India’s key soloists today. He has trained under sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar for over 10 years. Saskia Rao-de Haas is a cellist and composer from the Netherlands. Now based in India, she is enriching North Indian classical music with her unique instrument—the Indian cello. She has studied with celebrated flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia as well as at top institutes in the West. Together they run Music 4 All, an organisation that strives to promote classical music by connecting it to the modern world.

Our STEM and Robotics expert, Meenal Majumdar, believes experiential learning is the best way to get young minds excited about education. The founder of Innovation Story, a launchpad for promising youngsters, Majumdar has mentored over 200 students to participate in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competitions across India and the world. She mentored an all-girls team that represented India in Robotics at the FIRST Global challenge for high school students. Majumdar has helped students make it to campuses like MIT, Stanford, Columbia, Cornell and USC. She has also worked in the social sector, encouraging students from Abhyudaya, Avasara Academy for Girls, KITS Angels and Akola to fall in love with STEM. She is a recipient of the prestigious Woodie Flowers Finalist Award (Long Island, US Region).

With 30 years’ experience in education, our Communication expert, Natasha Kalaan, specialises in grooming youngsters to communicate better. Ms Kalaan has helped train adults and children in communication skills—written and spoken—and conducted workshops on public speaking and creative writing. She has worked with several prestigious schools, including Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon, where as Primary Head, she was instrumental in building a progressive thinking culture among teachers and students. She has also worked with The Shri Ram School, Aravali, and The Words Worth School of English Language, Gurgaon. Currently a consultant with English Helper Technologies, she helps learners improve their spoken English and communication skills through an online interface.

Our Global Cultural Exchange expert, Gunjan Aggarwal, is the Co-Founder of Learn with Leaders, an organisation dedicated to breaking barriers to quality education and democratising ‘Ivy League Education’ for high school students across the globe. The idea behind Learn with Leaders was born out of Ms Aggarwal’s own experience of being unable to study in a prestigious university abroad due to financial constraints. She was named one of the ‘50 Most Talented Social Media Professionals of India’ by the prestigious CMO Asia & Youth Marketing Forum and was awarded the World Women Leadership Award, 2017, Femina. A Chartered Accountant by qualification, Aggarwal holds an MBA from ISB, Hyderabad, and has 14 years of experience in the education industry.

Our Physical Education expert, Pullela Gopichand, is an international Badminton player who is currently the Chief National Coach for the Indian Badminton team. He has been honoured with the Arjuna Award, the Dronacharya Award and the Padma Bhushan by the Indian government for his contribution to sports. He has trained several current players, including Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, Sai Praneeth, Parupalli Kashyap, Srikanth Kidambi and Arundhati Pantawane. Under his guidance, Nehwal won bronze at the 2012 Olympics and Sindhu struck silver at the 2016 Olympics. As a player, he won two golds and a silver at the Indian National Games, 1998. Internationally, he has represented India in several tournaments, including the Thomas Cup, SAARC Badminton tournaments, Commonwealth Games, Toulouse Open Championship and Scottish Open Championship.