Founder Trustees
- Late Dr. Neera Desai
- Dr. C S Lakshmi
- Dr. Maithreyi Krishna Raj
Dr Neera Desai, a pioneer in the field of Women's Studies and a nationally and internationally known scholar, was one of the founder trustees of SPARROW along with Dr Maithreyi Krishna Raj and Dr C S Lakshmi. She was also a politically active person and had been a part of the struggle for the nation's freedom and an inspiring presence in the Women's Movement. She set up the first Research Centre for Women's Studies in S N D T Women's University and was its first Director and served in that capacity for many years. Her much-acclaimed research works have been recognised in Gujarati and English. Until her demise in June 2009, she was an important guiding force in SPARROW.
C S Lakshmi is a Tamil writer who writes under the pseudonym Ambai. Her translated stories have been published in a collection entitled A Purple Sea. She is also an independent researcher in Women's Studies for the past thirty years and has several publications to her credit. She is the founder trustee of SPARROW and currently the Director of SPARROW.
Maithreyi Krishna Raj was former Professor and Director, Research Centre for Women's Studies at S N D T Women's University. Her major publications have been on Women and Science and on Gender and Development. Her area of work has been women's issues, women and development issues, Women's Studies Methodology, concepts, theory and pedagogy. She has also been part of the Women's Movement since 1975.
Former Trustees
- Dr. C S Lakshmi
- Dr. Maithreyi Krishna Raj
- Dr. Divya Pandey
- Dr. Roshan G Shahani
- Dr. Usha Thakkar
- Dr. Shoba Venkatesh Ghosh
- Mr. Mihir Desai
Present Trustees
Dr. C S Lakshmi
C S Lakshmi is a Tamil writer who writes under the pseudonym Ambai. Her translated stories have been published in a collection entitled A Purple Sea. She is also an independent researcher in Women’s Studies for the past thirty years and has several publications to her credit. She is the founder trustee of SPARROW and currently the Director of SPARROW.
Dr Shoba Venkatesh Ghosh
Shoba Venkatesh Ghosh is a professor in the Department of English in the University of Mumbai, and has been part of many of the activities of SPARROW for several years now.
Dr. Charanjeet Kaur
Editor of the Literary Articles and Discussions Section of Muse India since 2011, was its Chief Editor from April 2015 to November 2016. She retired as the I/C Principal and Head of the UG, PG and Research Department of English in 2014 after an academic and administrative career spanning 36 years at Smt Chandibai Himathmal Mansukhani College, Ulhasnagar. She has been an IUC Associate at Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. Currently, apart from being associated with Muse India, she is Associate Director with SPARROW (Sound & Picture ARchives for Research On Women), Mumbai. She has to her credit two volumes of poetry – The Songs From the Hills (2015) and Mirror Image and Other Poems (2009), both published by Writers’ Workshop, Kolkata.
Dr. Sunanda Pal
Dr. Sunanda Pal studied Afican American Literature at SNDT University for Women and she is the Former Head, Univ. Dept. of English, SNDT University.
Dr. Vidya Vencatesan
Dr. Vidya Vencatesan is Professor and Head, Department of French, University of Mumbai. She has been awarded the French national award of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Knight of the Order of Academic Palms) by the Prime Minister of the French Republic for her contribution to the field of education. She has also received the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the Ministry of Culture in recognition of her services to the field of culture. Les Palmes académiques is a distinction created in 1808 by Napoleon and is the high order of chivalry. It salutes the merit and contribution of Dr. Vencatesan to the progress of education as well as to spreading France’s intellectual, scientific and artistic influence in the world. She is also the Hon. Secretary at the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, one of India’s premier institutions of higher learning and Treasurer for Cercle Littéraire, a 123 year old franco-parsi library.
Dr. Uma Maheshwari Shankar
Dr. Uma Maheswari Shankar did her PG in Arts-Philosophy and has a PhD in Philosophy. She is currently the Principal of SIES College, Mumbai and has been serving in the college for more than 23 years. About her life and work she says: “On a rainy Monday morning 38 years ago, a fresh Arts graduate found a seat for herself amongst five dozen others. The place was like a tree to migrating birds. In time, it became her home and one day, she became the tree. Like in the stories I have read and I teach, today life has come a full wonderful circle where I have been blessed to return the knowledge, understanding and love that I received, in manifold, to the students who occupy the very bench I sat on and to even those beyond the threshold of this institute.” She would like her students to take away with them values like commitment, trust and honesty.
Mr. Jerry Pinto
Jerry Pinto is a journalist and a writer who writes poetry, prose and children’s fiction. His works include, Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb (2006), Surviving Women (2000) and Asylum and Other Poems (2003). His first novel Em and The Big Hoom was published in 2012. He won the Windham-Campbell prize in 2016 for his fiction. He has received the Sahitya Akademi award 2016 for his novel Em and The Big Hoom.
Advisory Committee
- Dr. Chhaya Dattar
- Ms. Neela Bhagwat
- Ms. Shanta Gokhale
- Ms. Vijaya Dass
- Ms. Menka Shivdasani
- Mr. Mihir Desai
- Dr. Uma Chakravarti
- Rizio Yozanan Raj
- Meera Baindur
- Lakshmi Karunakaran
- Dr. Geraldine Forbes
- Dr. Sruti Bala
- Dr. Josna Rege
Virtual Archives
Silver Jubilee Celebration Programme
