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We Are On A Mission To Empower Communities And Help The Helpless.
As a Model of Public-Private-People partnership, Project Mumbai has a mission of making Mumbai–and the extended Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR)–a better place to live, work, play with every citizen volunteering to do his/her/their bit for the community as we at Project Mumbai, playing the role of a catalyst—ensuring social transformation through initiatives of scale.
- Project Mumbai is an effort to identify challenges which people face, every day. And find solutions. Solutions which are realistic.
- It is an initiative to create a collaboration between People (the citizens), Public (The administration) and Private entities (Businesses) to make things work. Seamlessly.
- Project Mumbai seeks your support. Your participation. For Our Mumbai.
Successfull Campaigns
Our Mission
As a Model of Public-Private-People partnership,
Project Mumbai has a vision of making Mumbai–and the extended Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR)–a better place to live, work, play with every citizen volunteering to do his/her/their bit for the community as we at Project Mumbai, playing the role of a catalyst—ensuring social transformation through initiatives of scale.
Collaborative initiatives through Innovation, Integrity, and Transparency, where People remain our Purpose and Positive change to their lives, our intended Objective.
Our Goal
Project Mumbai’s goal is to strive to build such public-private-people partnership models ensuring social transformation through initiatives of scale across as many cities as possible.
Clean Water
Our mission is to provide long lasting solutions to make clean water accessible for everyone everywhere.
Mental Health
Our mission is to provide help in terms of mental health benefits to people across the state of Maharashtra especially people in extreme need.
Volunteering
We are always in need of fresh volunteers for the organization. Our aim is to amass as many volunteers as possible so that all our programs run smoothly and efficiently.
Food
We aim to provide healthy and nutritious meals to all so that no one ever sleeps hungry.
Accessibility and Inclusivity
Project Mumbai is striving to make urban spaces accessible for the differently abled--both physical , neuro diverse and the elderly. The work also involves making the spaces, including infrastructure, etiquette and employment inclusive.
Our TEAM
Meet With Them
Our volunteers are superheroes who have been working dedicatedly and tirelessly to make a positive difference.
Advisory Board
Jalaj Dani
Spent over 2 decades in various capacities including being responsible for Supply Chain and Chemicals business and spearheading the Human Resources, Corporate Quality, and Safety Functions at the group level at Asian Paints, amongst the top ten paint companies in the world with a manufacturing presence in 16 countries. Led the international business and was the chief architect of the blistering expansion in international markets through organic and inorganic growth. Chairman, Board of Governors for Indian Institute of Management (Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu) and Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Dharwad.
Current Board positions of Corporations: Non-Executive Non-Independent Director on the Board of Greenlam Industries Limited (Listed on BSE Limited & National Stock Exchange of India Limited) and Director on the Board of Havells India Limited (Listed on the BSE Limited); Chairman of RISE Worldwide Limited; Chairman of Addverb Technologies Limited and EndureAir Systems Private Limited, both technology-driven companies in the startup and innovation ecosystem.
Current Board positions on Foundations: Director on the Board of Reliance Foundation; Director of Piramal Foundation, Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership; Director of H T Parekh Foundation. Trustee and President of Sir Hurkisondas Nurrotamdas Hospital; Research Centre; Trustee of Reliance Foundation Hospital Trust (formerly Sir H N Hospital Trust); Vice President and Trustee of Kapadwanj Kelavani Mandal (Trust based in Gujarat).
Current Board/member positions on Government bodies: Chairperson of National Accreditation Board for Education & Training (NABET), a constituent Board of Quality Council of India; Co-opted Member on the Managing Committee of IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Mona Mehta
A Chartered Accountant by training, a Banker by profession, and a perfectionist by nature. I believe that the purpose of life is to make it better …better than what it was yesterday, for oneself, one’s family, and for the community. I have two guiding philosophies, 1) ‘there must be a better way’ and 2) ‘no harm in trying.’
I grew up in Delhi and flew the nest when I joined HSBC Bank. Since then, my life is landmarked by the seven cities I have lived in across different parts of the world. I started my working life with A.F. Ferguson as, Consultant, and thereafter I joined Hongkong Bank (now HSBC Bank). My work experience has been mostly in traditional banking operations and corporate banking. I worked for HSBC Bank in Hongkong, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Dubai.
As I became a trailing spouse, I got the opportunity to work in different organizations; Mashreq Bank in Dubai where I worked in Corporate Banking and IFC-SEDF (South Asia Development Fund) in Dhaka, where we worked in partnership with the government, the private sector, donor partners and other development partners to deal with the constraints to SME development in Bangladesh. Currently, I act as an advisor to aspirants, whether they are aspiring college entrants or budding entrepreneurs.
Sanjay Panwalkar
Co-Founder Trustee
Sanjay Panwalkar
Co-Founder Trustee
Sanjay is passionate in helping others and doing philanthropic work, which he has been actively pursuing at a personal level. He firmly believes in imparting training in the subjects that can teach, and play a pivotal role in ensuring that people receive education and good job opportunities. His aim is to help people stand on their own feet and uplift their families socially, making a difference in at least one person's life each year.
He has also been actively involved in helping blind persons in whatever way he can. Recognizing the need to make a larger impact and give back to society in an organized manner, he joined hands with Shishir Joshi in 2018 and formed Project Mumbai. The project is aimed at making a positive impact on a larger population.
Shishir Joshi
Chief Executive and Founder-Trustee
With an impact graph stretching across three decades, Shishir has ventured into several interconnected arenas of work each of them as exciting as the other, if not more. At the heart of Shishir’s core and vision, are not-for-profit campaigns and initiatives which help citizens achieve transformative change by engaging with systems and structures. Citizen empowerment and a qualitative change in their lives for the positive, is what he strives towards – in action and as a catalyst. Up until November 2017, Shishir was the CEO of Bombay First, also known as Mumbai First, a unique not-for-profit model of Public-Private Participation which aims at making Mumbai a better place to live, work and play, for everyone. As it’s youngest CEO, he held the position for close to four years. During his stint at Mumbai First, he was instrumental in setting up the much-appreciated War-Room for the Government of Maharashtra, to fast-track key infra initiatives. It was a Mumbai First-McKinsey initiative with the Government of Maharashtra.
In 2017, iVolunteer, an international not-for-profit body awarded him the Special Jury Prize, as an acknowledgement of his ‘Exemplary contribution to India’s Social Development.’ Another one of his initiatives, Vote4Mumbai, along with the State Election Commission, Maharashtra, played an important role in corporate citizens stepping out to vote in larger numbers, resulting in a 10 per cent rise in voter turnouts for the civic elections of Mumbai two years ago. His effort was acknowledged officially.
He also led a 25000-strong volunteer base of citizens to beautify 36 Railway Stations of Mumbai, within a record seven days in 2016. This is arguably one of the largest such volunteer-focused public private people initiatives to have ever unfolded in India, in such a short time.
Chairman of Muskaan – Sharing Smiles, a not for profit engaged in educating under privileged children in one of Mumbai’s suburbs and also a Trained Counsellor, Shishir takes up Individual and Corporate Counselling projects on request. He was part of the founding team which set up Nithya Sahaya, a first of its kind free, walk-in counselling at St. Michael’s Church in Mahim, which experiences a foot-fall of over 90,000 people every Wednesday, across faith, gender and economic strata.
Shishir is a lawyer, with a postgraduation in Mass Communication. Associated with some of the best institutions, including NDTV, Aaj Tak, MidDay and Indian Express, he was regarded as a hard-nosed journalist and anchor, during his 20-year stint as a journalist.
His passion for facilitating collaborations at multiple levels, across various verticals and ability to hone better leadership and ownership in individuals as well as organisations, makes him an asset to the development of a city like Mumbai and an icon for socio-civic changemakers.
Manish Agarwal
Manish has over 25 years of experience in Infrastructure and has been a sector leader at Crisil, KPMG, and PwC. He has advised Investors and the Government in enabling private sector participation in infrastructure. He is now an independent expert on Sustainability & Infrastructure Financing; and writes on public policy issues at www.askhowindia.org. Besides being on the Advisory Board of Project Mumbai, he also Chairs the Rurbanisation COE of Jagriti Enterprise Center – Purvanchal. He is BE(Hons) from BITS Pilani and PGDBM from IIM Calcutta.
Ridham Desai
Ridham Desai is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley with 29 years at the firm. He heads Morgan Stanley’s Indian Equity Research team which is the top-ranked team in the country. He is the country’s top-ranked equity market strategist and has been consistently ranked among the best analysts in the country over his career spanning nearly 35 years. He has represented Morgan Stanley in several public debates on the equity market and the economy and is also a regular media contributor. He has led debates on the Indian economy since the beginning of the 90s penning several path-breaking reports on the country.
PARESH SUKTHANKAR
Paresh Sukthankar is Founder and Lead Partner at Sanaksh Advisors LLP, a firm providing business and management advisory services primarily to Private Equity and Venture Capital firms.
He is an Advisory Board Member at Yuva Parivartan, Kherwadi Social Welfare Association, an NGO focused on providing underprivileged youth with livelihood training opportunities, and at Sunbird Trust, a not-for-profit organization working in remote and conflict-affected regions of North East India with the motto “Peace through Education.” Mr. Sukthankar is also a member of the Academic Council of the College of Supervisors, Reserve Bank of India, and a Mentor to the Indian School of Democracy.
Sukthankar has been a banker for over three decades. He was part of the core team that founded HDFC Bank in 1994–95 and played a key role in building it into one of India’s leading and most respected financial institutions. He served on the Bank’s Board as Executive Director from 2007 to 2014 and was subsequently elevated to the role of Deputy Managing Director from 2014 to 2018. Prior to joining HDFC Bank, he worked at Citibank for nine years.
Mr. Sukthankar is a Commerce graduate from Sydenham College, University of Mumbai, and holds an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai. He has also completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School.
Maneesha Chadha
Maneesha Chadha is the Executive Director of JPMorganChase, based in Mumbai. In her current role as Head of Global Philanthropy, Asia Pacific, she leads the firm’s philanthropic work across fourteen markets in the region. With team members based in Hong Kong and Mumbai, Global Philanthropy works in close collaboration with JPMorgan Chase Foundation, the APAC regional management and market leadership teams, creating a more inclusive and stronger economy through business and community investments. Maneesha was previously at Citibank and responsible for the company’s Corporate Citizenship activities and Citi Foundation’s grant management across South Asia.
Through her career spanning 25 years, she has held similar positions at RBS Foundation India and ABN AMRO Foundation India, prior to which she was a Microfinance Relationship Manager at ABN AMRO Bank. Maneesha started her professional career in microfinance credit ratings and has worked in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal and the Philippines. She presently serves on the advisory groups of one non-profit and represents the firm at several industry forums. Maneesha holds a post graduate degree in Development Finance from the University of Manchester, a second postgraduate in Forest and Natural Resource Management from the Indian Institute of Forest Management, and a graduate degree in Applied Psychology from Delhi University.
Govind Iyer
Govind Iyer (Govind) is an Independent Director of Infosys. He is the Chairperson of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and serves as a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the Environment, Social and Governance Committee, the Risk Management Committee and Cybersecurity risk sub-committee. Govind retired as a Partner at Egon Zehnder (a Global leadership advisory Firm).
Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Govind worked at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and Heinz. Govind has served on the Wharton Executive Education Advisory Board. He has served on the Advisory Board of Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN). He is a founding board member and Chairperson of Social Venture Partners in India, Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation, Governing Board member of the Ashoka University, Board member at Karmayogi Bharat, a Special Purpose Vehicle of Department of Personnel and Training, and is a #LivingmyPromise signatory. Govind has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Regional Engineering College, Trichy, and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. .
Mental Health & Wellness Initiative – Mentors
DR. AVINASH SUPE
DR. HENAL SHAH
DR. MONA PRADEEP GAJRE
"Dr. Mona Gajre is a renowed Pediatric Neurologist & Developmental Disorders specialist in Mumbai, having an experience of over 25 years. She is a fulll time Professor of Pediatrics, at the renowed LTMMC & GH, Sion Mumbai. She is a visiting Pediatric Neurologist & Developmental Disorders Specialist at various reputed Private Hospitals & Clinics.
Since 2014, Dr Gajre has been a University approved Mentor for crepitated Fellowships courses in Pediatric Neurology & Epilepsy as well as fellowship course on LD & Developmental Disorders. She has presented various papers and have numerous publications to her name. She on the advisory Committee of various associations working towards child/ adolescent physical and mental health."
DR. KERSI CHAVDA
Dr Kersi Chavda has been the past president of the bombay Psychiatry Society consultant at the PD Hinduja National, Hinduja Healthcare and the Sir HNReliance foundation hospitals. He was also the chairperson of the task force for the Indian Psychiatric society (IPS) dealing with school psychiatry and counselling.
Dr Kersi been a active panel member of the task force of the IPS dealing with ethical boundaries between client. This is now being taken up by the IMC as a guideline across Indian health services. While he was the chairperson of the task force of the IPS dealing with the LGBTQ community he lead a team that managed to issue a position statement that was quoted in the landmark judgement by two of the five learned judges when they repealed Section 377. Under his wide horizon he has also been a active panel member of the IPS task force that laid down clinical guidelines for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders. He has been a onfront membe of the Indian Association of Private Psychiatry that dealt with college psychiatry. Dr. Kersi Chavda currently is the advisor of the IPS subcommittee dealing with Mass Media. With an experience of over 35 years Dr Chavda has been working for the interest children. Dr. Chavda has also been awarded the prestigiour Dr SN Lulla oration award and has written a chapter in four books when he was a part of the first panel of the Maharashtra government that had laid down concessions for Learning Disabilities in Mumbai.
My key interest lies in research and development activity for an equitable and sustainable approach for better living environment in urban communities.
INCLUSIVE-ACCESSIBLE MUMBAI-ADVISORY TEAM
Dr Parul kumtha
The President of Forum for Autism, a parent support group, Ms. Parul Kumtha is also a counsellor at Ummeed Child Development Centre and Adult Support Kendra.
She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture (with Honours) from the University of Mumbai. She has diversified her qualifications by studying Conservation of Biodiversity at the Bombay Natural History Society and Built Heritage Conservation Studies with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region-Heritage Conservation Society.
If there is anyone in Mumbai who is a stalwart in the advocacy for special needs, it is Parul. She comes with strong experience in advocacy, parent and family support and school outreach.
Vineet Saraiwala
Vineet Saraiwala is the Founder & CEO of Atypical Advantage, India’s largest Inclusive Platform to generate economic livelihood for Persons with disabilities.
He did his Post Graduation (PGP) from IIM Bangalore (IIMB) & prior was responsible for making shopping accessible for millions of Persons with disability in India with the Future Group.
He travels alone on the Generosity of Strangers, Treks, Cycles & Runs in high places of Ladakh. He is a lifelong volunteer & believes that a generation of compassion is the only way to make the world a better place.
Amar Jain
Amar Jain is a corporate lawyer who has worked in various areas as part of his professional engagement. These areas include Contract Management, which involves compliance, identification of risks and issues, deliverables and obligations, review of statement of works, master services agreements, among others. He has also worked in Indian and international capital markets, which encompass Initial Public Offers, Qualified Institutions Placements, Rights Issues, Bulk and Block deals, Corporate Advisory, and global depository receipts. Additionally, he has experience in Banking & Finance, which includes External Commercial Borrowings, Foreign Currency Denominated Bonds, rupee and foreign currency term loans, and letter of credits. Amar has worked with law firms Trilegal and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, respectively, and Accenture India.
In addition to his legal expertise, Amar is a Certified Professional in Web Accessibility. This certification, obtained from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, is held by only around 219 people worldwide as of November 2019. It enables Amar to provide consultancy and training on making websites and apps accessible for everyone, including persons with disabilities.
Amar himself has blindness as defined under the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act, 2016. Despite this, he has received several awards for his work. These include the NCPEDP Mphasis Javed Abidi Public Policy Award by the National Centre For Promotion of Employment of People With Disabilities and Mphasis Limited, for his work in the area of public policy. He also received the Sarojini Trilok Nath national award for best role model from the National Association for the Blind in Delhi.
Team Project Mumbai
Dharmaraj Solanki
Head Of Projects
Dharmaraj is the Head of Projects at Project Mumbai, one of India's biggest civic engagement platforms that has engaged more than 16 million citizens so far. Project Mumbai, an award-winning nonprofit, works across volunteer-led initiatives in sustainability, mental health, and other areas. Over the past decade, Dharmaraj has worked across diverse organizations - early-stage nonprofits, philanthropic foundations, and the Government - in various roles, and has managed one of the largest public-private partnership programs in the country. He has been a part of the World Economic Forum's Global Shaper community, and is a mentor to several startups on marketing, sales, and people.
Arati Kale
Project Lead – Volunteering & Corporate Partnerships
Arati Kale is a dynamic leader in Volunteering, Partnerships, and stakeholder engagement. With over nine years of experience in corporate collaboration, community engagement, and large-scale project execution, she has successfully partnered with brands and multinational conglomerates across India.
She has spearheaded award-winning initiatives and innovative campaigns. Known for her people-centric approach and strategic vision, she blends creativity with operational efficiency to deliver meaningful change.
- Email:arati@projectmumbai.org
Tanmay Gurav
Project Officer - Volunteering
With a Master's in Environmental Science and a Bachelor's in Zoology, Tanmay has experience in volunteer management, corporate relations, community service, and stakeholder engagement, working closely with institutions and community groups to promote impactful volunteering initiatives. Driven by his deep love for Mumbai, Tanmay is passionate about contributing to the city's growth and well-being through meaningful social and environmental projects. Apart from his professional work, he is a keen sports enthusiast who values teamwork, dedication, and continuous learning
Jagruti Tandel
Project Officer - Volunteering
She channels her passion for social impact into actionable results, leveraging a strong academic foundation in Finance to ensure resource optimization and strategic program execution. With experience managing volunteer engagement, corporate relations, and community-focused initiatives at Project Mumbai, she thrives on building sustainable solutions and fostering partnerships that bridge NGOs, corporates, and institutions for meaningful, lasting change. She also brings the same care to outreach and stakeholder communication as she does to the causes she works for — always looking to tell the story behind the impact. Her love for Art and simplicity mirrors her approach to life and work — staying grounded while delivering creatively and purposefully.
Aaditya Samant
Project Lead - Environment & Sustainability
Rohit Phadtare
Senior Project Officer - Environment & Sustainability
Nithyashri Sethurayan
Project Officer - Environment & Sustainability
Konark Borkar
Senior Project Officer - Environment & Sustainability
Vijayalakshmi Ramachandran
Project Manager - Mental Health
Gouri Rane
Project Officer - Mental Health
Gauri Ambedkar
Project Officer - Mental Health
Vindhya Menon
Project Officer - Communications & Digital Outreach
Dr. Ayushi Singh
Project Officer - Communications & Marketing
Bindu Bangera
Head of Human Resources
Pratiksha Devu Mhadgut
Head of Admin
Graduated with Bcom, Pratiksha works as an admin and accountant at Project Mumbai. Her responsibilities include managing day to day operations of the NGO and handling administrative tasks. Also responsible for managing financial records, reconciling accounts, and preparing financial statements. She ensures a smooth workflow by supporting the team with various administrative needs and also the financial health of the organization by budgeting, expense tracking, and tax compliance.
- Email:admin@projectmumbai.org
Shravan Kumar Maurya
Accounts Manager