About Us
Nabhangan Foundation
Nabhangan Foundation is a not-for-profit NGO working in the fields of all-round rural development and community building to empower villages to self-reliance.
Nabhangan Foundation is a section 8 not for profit company.
CIN : U85300MH2018PTC305654
PAN : AAFCN9531R
Our Focus Areas
Healthcare
Addressing the healthcare needs of communities.
Livelihood Development
Through agriculture and agro-based livelihood opportunities.
Governance
Strengthening of local government bodies like Gram Sabhas.
Education
Including access to education, digital learning and other education aid.
Water
Rain water harvesting through watershed development, irrigation water.
Rajshri Deshpande, Founder
Rajshri Deshpande is an actor and activist. She made her Bollywood debut in 2012 with a small role in the Aamir Khan starrer ‘Talaash’ and Salman Khan’s ‘Kick’. Her portrayal of Laxmi in ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ provided her with a global platform. She played the leading role Durga in Sanal Kumar Shashidharan’s film Sexy Durga in 2017 which won “Hivos Toger Award” at Rotterdam Film Festival. She made her digital debut with BBC One’s McMafia directed by James Watkins in January 2018 and will also be seen in Netflix Originals Sacred Games which is directed by Anurag Kashyap. She is also portraying role of Ismat Chughtai in Nandita Das’s Manto.
Rajshri dedicates her time extensively to humanitarian causes. In 2014, after the Nepal earthquake she worked with an international NGO for rebuilding efforts in one of the epicenter villages.
In 2015, she adopted a drought-prone village in Maharashtra called Pandhri Pimpalgaon and single-handedly executed a rainwater harvesting project. Following its success, she continued her efforts in the village to build toilets, conduct health camps and community motivation. In 2018, she created Nabhangan Foundation to broaden her efforts at sustainable village development.
Since the last three years, she is also a core member of Citizens For Tomorrow, actress Juhi Chawla’s NGO against plastic pollution.
Our Advisory Team
To facilitate a centralised pool of learning and best practices across villages, we have formed a team of like-minded professionals with expertise in various aspects of village building. Our team has an experience of rainwater harvesting, watershed development, agriculture and horticulture, solar power lifting, distribution system for irrigation, installation of membrane water filter, rural regeneration, green and sustainable construction, urban design and project management.
R.S.Sonavane
Expert Advisor – Irrigation & Water-shed Management
R.S. Sonavane is a retired Deputy Engineer from the Irrigation Department. He has worked extensively on dam construction, irrigation management and canal construction across the last 35 years.
Ar. Anagha Joshi
Expert Advisor – Rural Construction & Special Projects
Anagha did her Masters in Urban design from School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and has worked on the design and development of Indian cities and villages, planning and policy guidelines, adaptive reuse of heritage structures and precincts. She started her own design studio Lab A+U in 2015 based in Baroda and Mumbai. Currently, Lab A+U is working on architecture, interior, urban design, and rural regeneration, conservation projects in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Dr Hemal Bhagat
Expert Advisor – Health & Medicine
Dr Bhagat is a general laparoscopy and thoracoscopy surgeon at the Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital. Alongside he has been involved in humanitarian causes as well. In 2014, he had organized a rescue team of four doctors and volunteers to help the victims of the Nepal earthquake.
Dr Hadi Shaikh
Expert Advisor – Health & Medicine
Based in Aurangabad, Dr Hadi is a key member of Nabhangan Foundation since its inception. He has extensive experience in conducting health camps and medical workshops for rural areas. He runs the Masoom Hospital in Aurangabad where he offers free treatment to the underprivileged.
Dr Ajit S Gokhale
Environmentalist
Dr Ajit S Gokhale is a Founder And Leader of Natural Solutions. He is M.Sc., Ph.D., and has successfully completed Special Course on Water and Wastewater Treatment conducted by Cranfield University School of Water Sciences, U.K.and Dip in Environment Management & ISO 14000, NET, SET.
Aakash Jadhav
Civil Engineer
Aakash is a graduate from MIT College of Engineering and been a part of major college projects in rural development.