Aarushi Pandey

Age: 23

Home Town: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Education: MA in Sociology, Ambedkar University Delhi

Specific Field Interests: Community Development, Capacity Building, Research, and Public Policy

Placement: Indian Grameen Services (IGS), Hyderabad, Telangana

Area of Focus: Livelihoods, Rural Development, and Capacity Building

Fellowship Project: Develop customized, high impact 10 training modules for IGS community and community cadres focused on various subject focused-livelihoods.

Highlights: Aarushi Pandey is serving as an AIF Banyan Impact Fellow with the Indian Grameen Services in Hyderabad, Telangana. She started her non-profit organisation, Abhilasha, in 2020 and named it after her mother, who is her inspiration. With Abhilasha, she is dedicated to working for the welfare of women and children in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. As part of the Fellowship, Aarushi's focus is on sustainable development and community welfare, developing customised, high-impact training modules for community members and cadres to enhance livelihoods and soft skills. Aarushi’s background in social work includes coordinating education programs and contributing to research with the Ministry of Urban Development in Madhya Pradesh. Her Master's thesis examined women’s mobility in urban spaces in her hometown – titled “From Patiyabaazi to Cafe Culture in Bhopal: Women’s Leisure and Socialisation in Public Sphere.” Her volunteer work spans multiple organisations, including The Muskurahat Foundation and The Wordsworth Project. To discuss her work and share her thoughts, she has been invited as a guest speaker on platforms such as Greenpeace India and Spirit of Youth Foundation, covering topics like ecofeminism and working in the development sector. Through this Fellowship experience, Aarushi looks forward to understanding rural communities, their challenges, and solutions for growth, aiming for a well-rounded perspective to drive positive change.