Krishna

As our Chief Functionary, Krishna is the glue between Reality Gives and our communities. Whenever we need to engage with the people in Dharavi, Krishna is inevitably there ‘making friendships’ and explaining what we do.

Krishna is from a village in Karnataka called Heranjalu. When he was 13, he came to Mumbai to work in various restaurants and cafeterias. During these years, Krishna also attended night school until he passed his final school exams.

A great ‘people person’, Krishna is never happier than when rolling up his sleeves and working alongside people in the community to affect positive change.

Sandeep Nangare

Sandeep joined Reality Gives as Director of Operations in 2022. He manages the organization’s operations, programs, and new initiatives across all our communities.

He graduated with a Masters degree in International Business from San Francisco and studied in Shanghai however he started his career in the education and non-profit sector as a primary school teacher in a low-income school in Mumbai. Since then, he has worked on multiple education projects as a consultant to improve program efficiency and deliver quality outcomes.

He lives in Mumbai but is originally from a rural village in Maharashtra and therefore enjoys working with remote and rural schools. In his spare time, he loves binge-watching TV, running distance races, and Ironman 70.3 races. He also enjoys exploring nature and remote places.

Ravikumar

Ravi lives in Wadala and is originally from Mumbai, although his family originates from Karnataka. He originally joined as a student with Reality Gives back in 2010. He then joined us as an IT teacher and progressed to Program Coordinator, then Assistant Manager and is now Manager of the Youth Program in Mumbai.

He likes listening to relaxing music and playing cricket. His favorite food is Biryani. His role model is his mum, as despite many struggles she has taught him the value of hard work, honesty and how to deal with bad situations.

His future ambition is to learn more about the organisation and society and by improving his knowledge this will allow him to help others.

Nazia

Born in Mumbai and currently staying in Dharavi, Nazia joined Reality Gives in 2013 as a student and is now an English Teacher.

She likes reading factual books, watching motivational videos and also cleaning as she is a perfectionist. She enjoys eating Non-Veg food. Her role model is her best friend who encouraged her to become a teacher after she married.

Her ambition has always been to be a teacher and work with people; to continue learning and not stop this process. Her favorite colors are pink and lavender as they are extremely calming.

Khurshid

Originally born in Mithapur, Gujarat, Khurshid has lived in Mumbai all her life. Having completed her training with Teach for India in 2016 and teaching 4 batches, she completed the teacher training with Reality Gives in 2018 and now teaches Level 3 English.

She likes dancing, reading, watching movies and documentaries and going for walks whilst listening to music. She loves all food, especially Chinese and Italian. Her role model in life is her husband as he’s the most ethical and humane person she has ever had the privilege to know.

What she is doing now is her genuine passion and she wants to teach as many people as possible. Her favorite color is white.

Banu

Born in Mumbai with family in Tamil Nadu, Banu has lived in Dharavi all her life. She started as a student with Reality Gives back in 2012 on the Youth Empowerment Program (English, IT and Life Skills) and now works as the Executive for the Youth Program.

She loves dancing and anything creative including creating beautiful Mehndi designs and giving beauty treatments. In her spare time she likes sleeping and watching tutorials on home remedies and Mehndi. Her favourite food is pizza. Her role model is her grandma as she is really confident and kind.

Her ambition is to learn more creative things and have her own beauty shop in the future. Her favourite colour is black.

Tunao

Tunao, our Program Manager, is from Manipur and lives in Maharani Bagh, New Delhi. Despite her responsibilities as a manager, she is also supports when needed as an English teacher with Reality Gives.

Her hobbies include singing and cooking. In fact, she loves to try different cuisines and eating spicy food. In her spare time, she hangs out with friends to watch movies and going for dinners. She considers her father as her role model as he taught her how beautiful life is!

Tunao dream is to work for UNICEF and help people in need. Her favorite colour is green.

Priyanka

Priyanka is originally from Uttar Pradesh and she now lives in Delhi, working as an Executive for the Youth Program.

Her hobbies include reading and singing. She is really passionate about working with underprivileged children and also going to temples. Her mother is her role model because she is a strong woman and supports Priyanka in her life but also in making difficult decisions.

She dreams of learning perfect English and become an English teacher. Pink is her favourite colour!

Tutu

Originally from Manipur, Tutu now lives in Maharani Bagh, New Delhi and works with Reality Gives as an English Teacher.

Her hobbies include reading novels, watching English movies and listening to songs. Tutu loves spending time with her friends in her spare time and especially likes eating cheesy food!

Her dream is to work for UNICEF and to travel the world! Her favorite color is purple, as it represents creativity, wisdom, and dignity.

Reena

Reena is from Uttarakhand and currently lives in Sujan Singh Park, New Delhi. She is currently working as an English teacher with Reality Gives.

Her hobbies include listening to music, travelling and spending time with friends. She loves to eat fried rice, curd rice, chili potatoes, and burgers.

Her role model is Amrit, an Indicorp Fellow, who motivated her to become a teacher – fulfilling her biggest dream to bring positive change in the world through education and being a supportive role model for her students.

Lakshmi

Born in Kerala and brought up in North and Western India. Lakshmi has been working in the Education Sector for the past 30 years. She began her journey with a brief stint in Godrej and Boyce Managed School, then became a faculty in a Teacher Training College and worked there for 15 years. She then went on to work in Aga Khan for 3 years and worked closely with the founder of Muktangan in setting up the Muktangan schools for 8 years.

She joined Reality Gives in 2010 and was the driving force in setting up Reality Gives School Program where she now works as the School Leader.

In her spare time she loves to read, cook, write and compose music for children. She hopes that our school program reaches the pinnacle as one of the best schools.

Padmini

Originally from Tamil Nadu, Padmini is born and brought up in Mumbai. She has been working with Reality Gives as a teacher for the last two years. She likes working at Reality Gives as she loves to teach children using teaching aids.

In her opinion, her father makes the best chicken biryani which he makes on Sunday and on festivals. She loves to talk and play with her family, as they are extremely encouraging and supportive. She wants to complete her Diploma in Elementary Education which they have supported completely.

She dreams to visit Kerala as she has heard the climate is very cool and pleasant there. Her role model is her father and her sister because they always motivated her. “Educations is your only property”, that’s what her father used to say to her.

One of her biggest dream is to ride a scooter and buy a new house for her father and mother. Her favourite colours are green and blue.

Grace

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Grace joined Reality Gives in 2018 as a teacher.

In her free time, she listens to devotional music, reads spiritual books and enjoys going for cycles rides. In her opinion, her mother makes the best butter chicken, which she loves to eat with chapatti. Her role model is her mother as she is hard working and always encourages her whenever she is going through a difficult time.

She has wanted to be a teacher since she was small and she wants to pursue her higher education, learn driving and do a world tour. She would love to visit Singapore and Maldives as she has seen photos and has been dying to visit those places.

One of her dream is also to support the minister in her church. Her favourite colours are pink and black.

Malika

Born and brought up in Mumbai, in 2019 Malika has completed 10 years with Reality Gives as a teacher. She started working as a preschool teacher and now she teaches to 4th grade students.

In her free time, she likes to clean, watch tv and catch up on her sleep. She likes to sing semi classical songs and her favourite movie is Hum Saath Saath Hain. Her role model is her mother as she is very strong and has faced many challenges.

She enjoys being around children as they are innocent and love to learn. She also loves to visit Mahabaleshwar as it is near her village and she gets some relief from the Mumbai heat.

Her dream is to work with Government Schools and to change the quality of education there. Pink is her favourite colour.

Fairoz

Originally from Tamil Nadu, Fairoz is now living in Mumbai, in Dharavi. She joined Reality Gives in June 2019, after a previous experience as a primary teacher. She likes to be a teacher because she feels happy to share her knowledge and work in a team.

In her free time, she likes to cook, she likes to do seminar and to speak in front of a public. Her role models are her mother and the famous Telugu actor Mahesh Babu as he has a unique personality. Her mother is dedicated and hardworking, and she admires how she put efforts for her aspiration.

Her dream is to use her skills at the highest level and to build a unique personality for herself. She would love to visit Chennai because her connections to the place. Her favourite colour is yellow, because it is the symbol of brightness and brings a smile in her face.

Sujatha

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Sujatha has been working with Reality Gives as a teacher since 2010.

She likes to listen music, read magazines, watching YouTube videos and learning to cook new things. Her role models are her father and husband. She saw her father solve family and other problems and her husband taught her how to manage finances and family. But her previous teachers have been the ones who inspired her to become a better teacher.

Her future goal is to buy a car for her family. She has been to Mahableshwar two times and loved the climate there. Her favourite colour is green because she likes peacocks. She dreams to provide her child with the best quality education.

Swati

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Swati has been working with Reality Gives as a teacher since 2017.

In her free time, she loves reading the Marathi Kadambari books, listening to soft music and watching movies. Her favourite dish is dal rice. Her husband is her role model as he is peaceful man. She loves to share, whatever is food or knowledge as it gives her a lot of happiness.

In the future, she hopes to buy her own house and ensures she can fulfil all her children’s dreams. Her favourite holiday destination is Kolhapur, which is her native place.

Her dream is to become a better mother and a better teacher. Navy blue is her favourite colour.

Sanju

Sanju lives in Dharavi and joined Reality Gives as a teacher in June 2019.

She loves old Hindi songs and cleaning the house and making clothes from wool. Her role model is every person who works hard to achieve something and does not fear any situation that might come their way. An example is her mother as she taught her to not give up. She had never studied herself but ensured her siblings and Sanju were educated. She found positivity in every situation.

She dreams to have her own house where she would sit next to the window, feel the cool breeze and enjoy a cup of coffee. Her favourite colour is white.

Soofiya

Soofia is from Uttar Pradesh and she lives in Dharavi. She joined Reality Gives in June 2019, as her first experience as a teacher. She loves to share her knowledge with her students and learn new skills for herself.

In her free time, she likes to read story books and dancing. Her role model is her mother because she is very caring, and she is always supporting others.

She dreams to become an excellent teacher and take good care of her house and family. Her favourite colours are red and navy blue – when she wears red everyone compliments her!

Shamshad

Born in Mumbai, but with family in Karnataka, Shamshad has lived in Dharavi all her life. She was initially a student with Reality Gives back in 2014 on the Youth Empowerment Program (English, IT and Life Skills). She started as a caretaker at the Community Centre and has since progressed on to become an IT Teacher.

She likes listening to “soft” music and eating different foods and playing games with small children. In her spare time she prays, watches YouTube videos and spends time with friends. Her favourite food is pizza and chicken fry.

Her role model is her grandmother as she has had lots of struggles and always tells me that I should live a good life and have a bright future. Her favourite colours are white as she feels it’s a bright happy colour and peach. Her future ambition is to do further IT qualifications so she can become a Senior IT Teacher.

Anitha

Originally from Tamil Nadu, Anitha was born and brought up in Mumbai and currently she is living in Dharavi.

She likes listening to soft music as it gives her peace and one of her hobbies is collecting the new Rs 10 coins as it looks different and has two colours- silver and gold. When she was in school, a friend used to bring Pav Bhaji and has loved eating it since then. She feels excited and happy to come to work and she likes to discuss day-to-day events with her students and understand their perspective.

Her dad and Suman, Reality Gives Education and Program Director, are her role models. Her dad taught her that education can take place everywhere and to always look after children in need. About Suman, she admires how he can think broad and deep, pushing her to always question herself “why?”.

She wants to travel to Switzerland and Kerala with her husband and children for a change from the city life, some greenery and cooler climate. She dreams to win an award for being an excellent teacher but her biggest dream is to own a house.

About Reality Gives she says “Everybody here is a teacher, from our students to our parents, and we can all learn something from each others”.

Renu

Born in Uttar Pradesh, Renu moved to Mumbai when she was four years. She has been with Reality Gives since 2014 and loves the teaching method.

In her free time, she loves to cook food, listen to music and read books. She loves to be around children and thus enjoys being a teacher. In the future, she hopes to be an excellent teacher. She loved her visit to Jaipur as it was beautiful and full of palaces. She likes the cool weather and she would love to visit Kerala and Kashmir.

Her role model is her mother because she never gave up and she is an hard working woman. Her favourite colour is blue, because it shows the beauty of nature.

Asma

Originally from Delhi, Asma was born and brought up in Mumbai. She has been living in Dharavi for the last 15 years and in 2010 she joined Reality Gives as a Teacher.

She likes to watch romantic Hindi movies as it makes her happy and she connects it with her real life. She loves to go shopping for clothes, accessories, and shoes. She thinks her aunt makes the best chicken biryani in the world! She likes to listen to English pop music. Her role model is her mother as she has worked hard and whatever Asma is able to achieve is because of her.

She loves to be around small children and her future goal is to complete her Diploma in Education. She dreams to buy her own house and give good education to her child. Her favourite colour is white because is the symbol of peace.

Komal

Born in Telangana but brought up in Mumbai, Komal has been working with Reality Gives as a Teacher since 2015.

In her free time, she likes to listen to music, read books and watch TV. She loves to cook and eat biryani. When she made it the first time, everyone loved it and since then it is her favourite food. Her aunt is her role model because even though she is alone she has achieved so many things.

Thanks to her 5th grade teacher, Komal decided to be teacher as she loved the way she taught and inspired her. She dreams to complete her higher studies and educate her children. She wants to buy her own house and give her children things she never had. Her favourite colour is navy blue because she looks good when she wears it.

Radha

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Radha has been working with Reality Gives as a Preschool Teacher since 2009.

She loves to watch TV and cook food in her free time. She loves to eat Pav Bhaji and Puran Poli too. When she listens to old songs, she feels very peaceful and her mood changes. She wants to become like her mother and learn to manage her responsibilities. She was really helpful and that’s why Radha is a helpful mother.

In the future, she wants to learn Computers and improve her English as she feels it is necessary. She loves visiting Balaji Temple because it is in a nice place and very quiet. Her favourite colour is light blue because it is the colour of the sky.

Husna

Born and brought up in Dharavi, Husna joined Reality Gives in 2019 as a Preschool Teacher after intially joining as a student on the Youth Program in 2017, when she completed English Level 3 .

She loves the curiosity of children and to hear them talking and spending time with them. She loves Social Media and watching videos online on platforms such as Tik Tok and 5 minutes crafts. Her role model is Khurshid (Teacher at the Youth Program) because she is hardworking and guided her to start a diploma course in Education.

Her hobbies are playing with children and using the swing! She dreams to become a Higher Grade teacher and build her confidence and skills to be able to manage the whole group of children.

Kulsum

Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Kulsum lives in Mumbai, in Dharavi. She joined Reality Gives in 2019 as a teacher, after completing her English Level 3 at the Youth Program.

She likes working as a Preschool Teacher because the class surrounding is very colourful and attractive. In her spare time, she loves listening to music, reading story books and singing.

Her role model is her father because he is hard working. She dreams to be a better teacher. Her favourite colour is blue.

Rupali

Born and brought up in Satara, Rupali moved to Mumbai only after she got married and now she lives in Worli. She joined Reality Gives in 2018 and works as a Preschool Teacher.

She likes to listen to old Hindi music and her favourite artists are Lata Magheshkar and Asha Bhonsle as it makes her feel happy and she forgets all her tension. Her mother is her role model as she is very hard working. She loves children and her own child pushed her into being a teacher.

She loves going to Mahabaleshwar as the climate there is very cool. She dreams to improve her English and to be a successful person in her life and to own a house. Since she was small, she has loved the colour pink. She has even painted the walls of her house pink.

Sarita

Born in Uttar Pradesh and currently staying in Dharavi. Sarita has completed nine years at Reality Gives as a Preschool Teacher.

She likes listening to old Hindi music after a bad day as it relaxes her. She likes to go online to watch videos and experiment cooking new dishes. Her role model is Lakshmi, Reality Gives School Leader, and her father as she has learned a lot from them.

It was her dream to be a teacher and is the happiest around children. She wants to complete her Diploma in Education (D.eD) as it is important if she want to continue in this profession.

She is a romantic at heart and cares deeply about her family. She wishes to travel out of India to Singapore as it is a very clean place. She loved her visits to Udaipur, Jaipur and Pushkar as she shopped, ate and has had good memories there. Her favourite colour is pink and sky blue.

Kamala

Kamala is from Tamil Nadu and she lives Dharavi. She joined Reality Gives in June 2019 as a PreSchool Support.

In her free time, she loves to play with her granddaughter, and she teaches her what she learns in the school. In the future she wants to see her family be happy.

Her mother was her role model because she was never angry and she was a caring person. Her favourite colour is blue. .

Karthika

Originally from Tamil Nadu, Karthika now lives in Dharavi. She joined Reality Gives in 2014 and was part of the Girls Football Team. In 2015 she also completed the Youth Empowerment Program. Starting as the Caretaker in the Community Centre she progressed to IT Teacher and then Monitoring and Evaluation Administrator and is now Executive Assistant to Directors.

She likes learning new things and visiting new places. She enjoys farming activities, spending time with animals, especially her dog. Her role model is her dad as he has always motivated her to study and work and make the most of opportunities.

In the future, she would love to run her own NGO to improve agriculture in villages so they have the ability to sustain themselves more effectively. Her favorite color is purple.

Piyasree

Piya is an alumnus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Over the last sixteen years, she has been engaged with the development sector in India, having worked on the ground across the country.

For the past eight years, Piya led Foundation for Mother & Child Health, India through its journey of excellence and growth.

She is passionate about social justice and brings her deep insight into the sector as well as programmatic expertise as a trustee for Reality Gives

Akshay

Akshay grew up all around India, moving many times, and graduated from his 13th school. He now lives in Goa, India, with his wife, 2 dogs, and 3 cats. On the weekends, you will find him at the beach with his wife and dogs.

Akshay was the co-founder of Skarma Communications and Consultancy and led a digital-led design advertising company. About three years ago he took over FC Goa, a professional football club based out of Goa, as the Co-owner and President. So far, it has been an exciting and terrifying journey, for which he is extremely grateful. He is especially proud that through the work of the club it has been possible to build a vibrant youth structure and a Foundation (Forca Goa Foundation) for community engagement through grassroots football with the principles of empowerment and sustainability at its core.

Recently, Akshay have also begun the process of starting a new business around the idea of ‘Net Positive Living’. Rather than having an excessive consumption with a large carbon footprint, N.P.L. will aim to redefine luxurious living as conscious consumerism without compromising on lifestyle.

Aashita

Aashita started a career in consulting with PWC after attaining a MBA degree in Finance from SP Jain. She changed tracks to teaching in 2000. Since then she has over 20 years of experience as an educator with various colleges and schools of which 16 years have been at international schools.

She is passionate about changing educational mindsets and has worked closely with parents and children through workshops and personal counselling sessions.

She has been at the Oberoi International School for the last nine years where she is currently serving as a Board Advisor and is involved in strategic, budgetary and recruitment decisions. But like she says, ‘she is always a teacher at heart’.

Rishab

Rishab is passionate about three things: food, people, and Mumbai. He is able to bring all these together as the co-founder of Horn Ok Please Hostel in Bandra West, Mumbai. Rishab hosts, entertains, and introduces thousands of guests from countries all over the world to what his city has to offer.

Coming from an entrepreneurial family, he is able to find a solution to any problem or just knows the right person to ask. With his background in IT he usually helps with technical issues as well. Rishab is simply an all-rounder with a caring nature.

Uday

Uday has been with the Reality Group since it’s inception in 2009.

He was born and brought up in a village in Karnataka and graduated from University with a degree in Commerce. He now lives in Kalyan, north of Mumbai, with his wife and son and in his free time when not spending time with them, enjoys reading historical and religious books and doing yoga.

His hero is Swami Vivekananda – a modern thinker and social reformer, who fought for women empowerment and to abolish the caste system. His favourite colour is sky blue.