Meet the Urban Ethnographers Team
Advisor, Didactics and Innovations
Videhi Bhamidi
Team Lead, Proposal, Impact and Evaluation
Tanya Toshali
Tanya has a Masters of Public Policy degree from National Law School of India University, Bangalore. Her academic interests lie in the realm of development policy, specifically dealing with issues like employment generation, labour rights, and gender parity. She has been working in the livelihoods and vocational education sector for almost 3 years now — taking on a host of projects ranging from primary research and impact assessment to content generation and program management.
In her free time, you can find her reading a good book, out on a walk with her dog, or exploring a new restaurant. She also tries to take out time and volunteer as a tutor for primary school children.
Team Lead, Content Development
Roohi Afreen
As a Women’s Studies Master’s graduate and a Political Science undergraduate, Roohi is passionate about understanding and addressing complexities of gender issues.
She is deeply interested in the fields of hospitality, livelihoods, public policy, diplomacy and gender rights. With a passion to make an impact, she focusses her research efforts to explore possibilities to promote inclusivity and equality in the real world and in digital spaces.
She frequently writes about everything under the sun with gender as the central theme.
Instructional Designer
Neha Aggarwal
With a keen interest in making education more accessible and adaptable for everyone, Neha has worked as an online and offline teacher, sharing expertise in mathematics with students. Her passion for creating creative content and designing eventually led her to become an instructional designer, where she can utilise her teaching experience to create engaging and effective learning experiences.
Neha is extremely fascinated with the study of urban planning and informal economies, and aims to contribute to the sector through effective means.
Instructional Designer
Mahasweta is a Commerce Graduate, born, raised, and educated in Kolkata, West Bengal. Having completed a Diploma in Web Design, she wrote and designed school books for primary school children in computer education. She has also worked as a Technical Writer for an e-commerce company and as a Holiday Expert for an online travel platform. She also finds immense joy in listening to music, dancing, and listening to real human stories and experiences.
Research Associate
Aditi is a highly motivated and passionate individual with a strong background in Economics and a thirst for exploring the multifaceted dimensions of research methodology. She has proven herself adept at leveraging her analytical prowess and statistical command to uncover valuable insights driven by her intellectual curiosity. Additionally, she finds solace in music, which serves as a creative outlet in her life.
Research Associate
Nandini has completed her Master’s in Public Policy from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Pune University. Her diverse experiences have ignited a spark in her for Research, Urban Policy, Gender Studies, and Global Governance. In her free time, she lets her creative juices flow through two things, she loves cooking and dancing.
Research Associate
Khushboo has completed a Master’s in Public Policy from St. Xavier’s, Mumbai. Her interest lies in areas of urban policy, gender policy, foreign policy, and microeconomics. Her ultimate goal is to contribute to positive societal changes and enhance the well-being of individuals. During her leisure time, you can find her at the badminton court, cycling, or immersing herself in the art of learning new dance routines.
Research Associate
Shreya completed her MA in Applied Economics from Christ University. The Master’s Programme ignited in her a passion for interdisciplinary research. Her research interest lies at the intersection of the economics of gender, labour and institutional economics, and extends to political science, especially in the areas of Indian politics and geopolitics. Her undergraduate course was an interdisciplinary mix of economics, political science, and journalism, and that has piqued her interest in pursuing research in Applied Economics, using perspectives from political science and other allied humanistic disciplines.
She is also an aunt to a 6-year-old cat and a year-old GSD. When she is not playing with them, she can be found on the Gram scrolling through cat and dog videos. She also dances and plays video games.
Research Associate
Shivani has recently finished her Masters in Applied Economics from Christ University. She has completed her Bachelors in Political Science, Economics and Journalism from Mount Carmel College. Her area of interests and education have always evoked her to study and learn from interdisciplinary fields. She finds herself deeply drawn by the ideologies and theories of international relations and applying them to real world affairs. While also reading about politics, economy and history in depth, she is also committed to help communities and people by either writing about them, voicing their injustices and atrocities or actively volunteering in NGOs to bring a change.
During her leisure time you can find her reading a book, listening to music or watering the plants as she finds it rewarding to watch her plants grow and thrive.
Research Associate
Apoorva Mishra
Apoorva completed her Master’s in Development Studies at TISS, Mumbai. With a keen interest in development, social justice, and sustainability, she has learned much about urban policy and development, notably focusing on urban politics in Mumbai for her thesis. Proficient in qualitative research methods, Apoorva is dedicated to understanding complex societal issues.
Outside academia, she is an avid reader, delving into literature, philosophy, and social theory. Reading serves as both a hobby and a source of inspiration for her. Alongside her academic pursuits, Apoorva finds joy in music and dancing. With a diverse range of interests and a commitment to making a difference, she is poised to contribute meaningfully to her field and address pressing global challenges.
Instructional Designer
Gayathri A N
Gayathri is a recent public policy graduate from IIT Tirupati. She also holds an undergraduate degree in social work, specializing in rural development, from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. This academic background has provided a strong foundation for her interest in sustainability science, urban and rural issues, migration studies, and cultural studies.
In the past few years, she has gained experience by interning with organizations such as GRAAM, Kudumbashree, ICDS, and Pain and Palliative Care. Through these internships, she demonstrated her qualitative and quantitative research skills by addressing issues related to adolescent education, the healthcare sector, and employment.
Gayathri finds joy in dancing and listening to music.
Instructional Designer
Kunal Gouda
Kunal is a passionate content developer and educator, dedicated to fostering creativity and skill development. He is a skilled and experienced digital content developer, producing educational materials, graphics and written content that inspires many.
With a degree in business and finance and another in dance, he brings adaptability, flexibility and creativity to his design principles.
In his free time, you will find him grooving on his own or teaching dance to others.