Board Members

Nimisha Desai 

“Feminism is like breathing.” Nimisha is the heart, mind and soul behind Olakh. Since 1993 she is the executive director, providing her expertise on a daily basis. She has years of working experience at the grass root level with urban, rural and tribal communities, with a special focus on Gender Equality and women empowerment. Furthermore she has translated various books and articles on gender, patriarchy, feminism, masculinity etc. into Gujarati. She is committed to the feminism intersectional gender equality in her professional and personal life. She has been conducting trainings and workshops on gender, gender mainstreaming, violence against women, empowerment, personal safety and related issues locally as well as globally. Founding Member

Abha is based in Siddhbadi near Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, She is associated with  JAGORI GRAMEEN, feminist Organization. She has an extensive experience in training’s and campaigns. She is a pioneer of the women’s movement in India. At present Abha conducts training’s at national as well as international level on issues like sexuality, gender and patriarchy.

“Olakh means continuity – taking the feminist movement forward. It is a great representative of the second wave of feminism in India and as such it fulfills many state-based needs. I think the organization is fascinating; it focuses on simplicity and through sheer commitment, great work is accomplished. Joining Date: October 1996

Dr. Vibhuti Patel 

Prof. Vibhuti Patel is Ph.D. in Economics, University of Mumbai. She was awarded Visiting Fellowship to the London School of Economics and Politcal Science from Association of Commonwealth Universities, Vibuthi has been working for the feminist cause.. She has an avid interest in disaster management and came across the Olakh team in the aftermath of the Kutch earthquake (2001) and the Gujarati communal riots (2002).  Since then she has helped with the process of documenting and evaluating the first ten years of Olakh.               Joining Date: May 2005

“Olakh as a feminist organisation has made a crucial contribution in the women’s world. Especially Olakh’s field work demonstrates the organisation’s effectiveness. I am furthermore truly touched by Olakh’s team spirit –Evermember is granted the freedom to realise their own potential. There is a vibrant atmosphere, which is very energizing. One can find the feminist principles being practiced at a daily basis in Olakh, expressed for example in an informal setting. Despite having an informal feel, the organisation thrives on professional ethics and one can find a lot of voluntarism – Olakh does not offer a 9 to 5 working environment. The women here really empower each other and provide moral support at personal or political time of crises

Punita Mehta

Punita works as a Professor in Architecture at MS University Baroda and as a freelance architect with her own office in Vadodara. She came to Olakh to support the renovation of Olakh’s new office space in 2007, but soon decided to permanently become a  part of the organization. Joining Date: March 2008

Dr. Ami Yagnik

After three decades of practising as a general surgeon, Ami has recently phased out her personal practice and shut down her hospital in order to actively engage with and dedicate herself for women’s empowerment. For the last 20 years, she has also been volunteering on a weekly basis as a surgeon for Sewa Rural (Jhagadia) – a voluntary development organization involved in health and rural development activities in South Gujarat. Joining Date: August 2010

Neeta Pandya

Neeta is based in Ahmedabad, where she has initiated MARAG, a grass root level NGO, which is specialized in the marginalized pastoral nomadic communities of Gujarat. She has gained great experience working with these communities. Founding Member

“I regard Olakh’s approach as very valuable and necessary.”

Parul Sheth

Parul is one of Olakh’s founding mothers. She is a lawyer, a graduate from Bombay University and at present the managing director of Shaishav (meaning childhood) – a Bhavnagar based NGO for underprivileged children. She has been associated with the field of development for the last fifteen years and has extensive experience with women and children in the Urban Slums. Founding Member

“Olakh keeps my interest in women’s issues alive – it keeps me alive. It is wonderful to be surrounded by friends, in a space where people understand one another at a very deep level. I especially admire the way in which Olakh starts tackling the feminist issues at a young age, for example in the adolescent girls’ programme. Every woman is a girl first and her right starts there.”

Ex-Board Members