Highlights: Being a graduate in the field of economics, Aanchal wanted to undertake an interdisciplinary approach towards her understanding of development. A master's degree in Development Studies introduced her to interface between economics and various disciplines like political science, sociology changing her perception of viewing the concept of development. Aanchal's academic interests led her to work with organizations working in the field of livelihood and informal economy. Her field work experience initially started with a project in a village Kotri in Rajasthan where she worked on the different livelihood opportunities of the Gujjar Community. Later following her interest she was part of a larger project on Agriculture-Industry Linkages in India which was jointly undertaken by Institute of Developing Economies- Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO), Tokyo and The Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), New Delhi.