From L - R, AASSTHA's Directors: Hemangini Thanawala, Kajal Thanawala & Dr. Janki Andharia
Hemangini Thanawala
Managing Director
Hemangini is a homemaker with a deeply rooted commitment to service. Born into a humble family in Nadiad, Gujarat, she faced the loss of her parents in her teens, a tragedy that shaped her into the self-made woman she is today. She completed her schooling at a girls' boarding school founded by Mahatma Gandhi, where she imbibed Gandhian values of simplicity, service, and courage. After school, Hemangini moved to Hyderabad, where her mother’s maternal uncle, an activist and entrepreneur, mentored her in management and fearlessness, while her aunt instilled strong home management skills. Her drive for learning led her to pursue tailoring and earn a diploma, and her commitment to personal growth continued through the years. While raising her family, she balanced her responsibilities with a pursuit of knowledge, later completing a diploma in naturopathy and dedicating her skills & free time to the welfare of her community.
Known for her compassion and tireless work ethic, Hemangini has always given her best to those around her, from caring for her aging relatives to supporting her local community through various voluntary initiatives. Her work with the Janakidevi Bajaj Foundation and her role in founding AASSTHA reflect her deep passion for empowering others and upholding the values she holds dear.
Kajal Thanawala
Director
An accomplished dancer and a choreographer, Kajal started at a tender age of 5, and has learnt Bharat Natyam, Indian Folk Dancing, Indian Classical Ballet and many western dance forms under the tutelage of esteemed personalities in all those respective art forms. Amongst them was Hema Malini ji - the famous Indian film actress and a highly respected Indian classical dancer. By the age of 23, Kajal had given dance performances on Television and on stages across India, Dubai, USA, England and France. Kajal then established Nupur Dance Academy in 1995 and since then has provided quality education to over 10,000 students in Indian classical, Indian folk dancing and many western dance forms. Her academy provides a unique 7-year Visharad course in Indian Folk Dancing. Kajal also choreographs dances at weddings and other private events. Wherever Kajal goes, she carries a natural ambience of fun, friendship and ease around herself. That ambience enables all her dance students across age groups (2 yrs to 85 yrs) to learn quickly and express themselves in a relaxed, free and confident manner. Such symbiotic relationships result in outstanding dance performances on stage. As a result, Kajal and her students have won many awards in a wide variety of dance competitions. Glimpses of her and her students' performances can be seen on Nupur Dance Academy's Instagram page. As a Director of AASSTHA, Kajal hopes to give back to society in a selfless manner and continue to inspire those that she comes in contact with.
Dr. Janki Andharia
Director
A Senior Professor and currently with the Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, since 1985, Janki has a professional degree in social work and has over 40 years of experience in the development sector. Possessing a doctoral degree from the University of East Anglia, UK, her research and praxis interests lie in Social Development, Community organisation, Disaster Management, Vulnerability, Resilience, and Critical studies. She has taught courses at the Masters' level in these subjects to include post-colonial theory, Intersectionality in disaster studies, and democratic governance, gender, informal sector work. She has travelled widely across the world, offered special lectures, and has also been the recipient of several awards. She serves on the boards of several organisations. For more details see: https://www.tiss.edu/view/9/employee/andharia/