We are a non-partisan organization committed to creating knowledge which can help make better decisions for our cities.

We co-create accessible and free knowledge resources for citizens and city governments. We have been creating knowledge about smaller cities from a small city. Much of this knowledge did not exist before and we strongly believe that what we are creating is needed by many but created by none. Our interventions have made it possible to understand these cities better. Slowly and steadily, our work has ensured that smaller cities become part of policy agendas of urban policy making.

We build a sense of ownership and community in small towns while strengthening city-policy-citizen relationship by demystifying public policy.  Our activities include creating and amplifying voices from smaller cities, putting spotlight on developments in smaller cities, analyzing larger trends for their impact on smaller cities and various other  initiatives that push the boundaries of thought and action in our small towns.

Tarun Sharma is the Co-founder of Nagrika, a social enterprise building a movement to turn small towns into thriving and resilient communities by creating imagination and voice for small cities and their citizens. He previously set up the urban division of Ecorys in India and has also worked with Deloitte, Indicus (now Nielsen-Indicus) and McKinsey. He has managed and implemented various projects on issues related to city governance, city renewal, housing, livelihoods, mobility and land titling. He is an alumnus of National University of Singapore, Manchester Metropolitan University and Delhi University. Tarun is from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.

Anita is an interdisciplinary researcher with a Bachelor’s in Forestry from Arunachal Pradesh and a Masters in Environmental studies from Nalanda University. She has also completed the Urban Fellows Programme from Indian Institute for Human Settlements. She looks at urban research through the lens of economy, ecology, and planning. Her research interests also include hydroecology of intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams , nexus of water-energy-food, climate change studies with the use of tools like Remote Sensing, GIS, and hydrological modeling. Anita is from a small hamlet called ‘Tumin’ in Sikkim. She completed her schooling from Gangtok, Sikkim

Rohit is an Architect and Urban Planner. He holds a Master’s in City Planning from IIT Kharagpur and a Bachelor’s in Architecture from AKTU Lucknow. Rohit’s research interests encompass sustainable urban planning, resilient urban design, disaster risk reduction, and vernacular architecture. With hands-on experience working with natural building materials, he seamlessly blends traditional knowledge systems into contemporary architecture and planning practices. Passionate about innovative urban solutions, Rohit is dedicated to advancing resilient and sustainable development across diverse urban settings, with a keen focus on addressing the unique challenges of the Himalayan region. He is from Bageshwar, Uttarakhand.

Praisy is an interdisciplinary social-science researcher with a Master’s in Society and Culture from IIT Gandhinagar and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Her research interests include anthropology of cities, politics of planning & public spaces, urban poverty and urban narratives in literature. She is trained in qualitative research methods, ethnography and social mapping. She is passionate about travelling, exploring cities, meeting people and hearing their life stories. Praisy is from Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Yutika Vora is the Co-founder at Nagrika, a social enterprise building a movement to turn small towns into thriving and resilient communities by creating imagination and voice for small cities and their citizens. She has worked on a range of issues from governance to delivery of social protection programs with multilateral organisations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. She is an Acumen India Fellow and a Coach. Yutika is an alumna of Columbia University, National University of Singapore, and University of California, Berkeley. Yutika is from Panchgani, Maharashtra.

Arundhati is an interdisciplinary researcher with a Masters in Urban Studies from School of Global Affairs, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi. Previously, she graduated from Miranda House, Delhi University with Honors in Geography. Her areas of interests include urban sociology, urban policy, cultural studies, gender geography, & environmental sustainability. Proficient in map-making, she combines her technical knowledge with creative pursuits in writing. Arundhati is from Guwahati, Assam.

Ravjyot is an Architect and an Urban Designer. She has recently completed her Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal. She did her bachelor’s in architecture from Malviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur. An avid reader and researcher, she looks at urbanism through the lens of design, photography, and writing. She is from a picturesque Himalayan village, Aut, in the district of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

Nikita is a multidisciplinary researcher with Masters from Banaras Hindu University and Bachelors from Patna Women's College. She has experience with diverse organisations including Ministry of Women and Child Development. With expertise and commitment to writing and research, she have published two research papers in both languages Hindi and English. She is dedicated towards the vernacular and regional languages so her writing reflects the essence of nature, art and traditions blends with contemporary practices. She is from a small village Asthawan in Nalanda district of Bihar.

INTERNS

Mallika Sarabhai (Summer 2022)
Nikhil Goyal (Summer 2021)
Satvik Jain (Summer 2021)
Oishika Basak (Spring 2021)
Snehi Gupta (Summer 2020)
Kritika Jain (Summer 2019)
Irawati Anand (Summer 2019)
Manas Mutatkar (Summer 2019)
Nayanika Kandula (Jan-May 2018)
Prathmesh Jaiprakash Gupta (Summer 2017)
Shreya Ramann (Aug - Dec 2016)
Garima Ahuja (Summer 2016)
Sakshi Hallan (Summer 2016)
Nisha Koppa (Summer 2016)
Shikha Matas (Summer 2016)
Shiva Kumar Gurijala (Jan - May 2016)
Manishankar Madishetty (Jan - May 2016)

TEAM MEMBERS

Rini Annie Cherian, Research Associate
Pallab Deb, Sr. Research Associate
Abhilasha Hazarika, Communications Associate
Radha Karmarkar, Research Associate
Pranjal Kulkarni, Research Associate
Astha Negi, Research Associate
Sakshi Naphade, Research Associate
Nimisha Samadhiya, Sr. Research Associate
Tanya Singh, Research Associate
Shreya Sinha, Research Associate
Alba Ferrat-Soares, Researcher