Meet the Team

The people driving meaningful change

Savarni Purkayastha

Principal Consultant – Executive Leadership

Deep Purkayastha has an MBA from Jadavpur University where he also graduated in Economics. He has been working with boys and young men on gender equity and masculinities since 1997 through Praajak, of which he is the founder-director. His work has been primarily focussed on children, especially boys in difficult circumstances including itinerant children in contact with the railways and children in institutions.

 

He currently works with young people in 12 districts to set up youth collectives that campaign for gender equity and intervene during situations of gender discrimination and violence including child marriage, child trafficking and child sexual abuse.
He has been advocating for the restructuring of the custodial approach to the rights of children, adolescents and other young people and has been highlighting how recognizing the agency of children and their choice and consent can eliminate institutionalised stigma, discrimination and violence against them.

Basudeb Roy

Lead Technical Consultant – Gender Equity, Sports for Development and Child Safeguarding

Basudeb Roy is a development professional with over 19 years of experience in child protection, gender justice, mental health, and community development. At Praajak Development Society, he provides technical leadership in designing and strengthening programmes that promote child protection, safeguarding, positive masculinities, and psychosocial well-being.

His work focuses on developing evidence-informed programme strategies, strengthening child protection and safeguarding systems, building the capacities of practitioners and institutions, and facilitating transformative learning with children, adolescents, caregivers, and frontline professionals. His areas of expertise include programme design and management, case management, psychosocial support, safeguarding, community mobilisation, and gender-transformative programming.

Basudeb’s professional journey has been deeply influenced by feminist values and principles. As a Feminist Leader under the National Leadership Programme (2016–17), he strengthened his commitment to challenging unequal power structures, promoting gender equality, and fostering inclusive leadership. This experience continues to shape his approach to programme design, team leadership, and community engagement, ensuring that participation, equity, and dignity remain at the heart of his work.

A trained counsellor with a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Stress Management from Jadavpur University, Basudeb believes that sustainable social change begins with empowering individuals, strengthening communities, and creating environments where every child and young person can live safely, participate meaningfully, and realise their full potential.

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Gargi Banerjee

Lead Technical Consultant – Gender Equity, Juvenile Justice Systems and Child Safeguarding

Gargi brings nearly 25 years of experience in the development sector, working extensively at the intersection of gender, child rights, child protection and juvenile justice. Her expertise spans across programme design and implementation, systems strengthening, capacity building of government functionaries and other key stakeholders.

At Praajak, she has been closely working for advancing diversion and other non-custodial measures for children in conflict with law, promoting community-based rehabilitation, and fostering convergence among the police, judiciary, social welfare departments, and civil society to strengthen child protection systems at every level.

She has developed technical expertise in strengthening child protection and juvenile justice systems through sustained engagements with Juvenile Justice Boards, Child Welfare Committees, Police and District Child Protection Units. She is a trainer and resource person on child protection laws and systems with experiences of training at West Bengal Swami Vivekananda Police Academy, State Child Protection Society, West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Over the course of her career, she has worked with universities like NUJS, Jadavpur University, agencies like UNICEF and other prominent NGOs working on gender and child rights. She has been part of significant research on child protection commissioned by NUJS, Jadavpur University, UNICEF on issues including implementation of POCSO Act in West Bengal, impact of domestic violence on children, rehabilitation of trafficked survivors.

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Pritam Garai

Lead Technical Consultant – Child Protection and Climate Resilience

Pritam Garai is a development professional with over 17 years of experience in child rights, child protection, youth development, and community-based programme management. He currently serves as Programme Manager at Praajak Development Society, leading child protection and community development initiatives. His expertise includes project management, safeguarding, training and facilitation, youth leadership, and case management. He has extensive experience collaborating with children, communities, schools, and government stakeholders to strengthen child protection systems. Pritam holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Stress Management and Counselling from Jadavpur University and has received specialized training in counselling, restorative practices, and youth work.

Debstuti Goswami

Lead Technical Consultant – Gender Equity, Case Management and Child Safeguarding

Debstuti Goswami is a development professional with over a decade of experience in child protection, safeguarding, mental health, gender equality, and community-based programme management. At Praajak Development Society, she serves as Programme Manager, leading the design, implementation, monitoring, and quality assurance of programmes focused on child protection, prevention of trafficking and unsafe migration, family strengthening, and adolescent empowerment.

She has extensive experience in developing training curricula, facilitating capacity-building programmes, and strengthening institutional safeguarding systems. Her expertise includes programme design, case management, monitoring and evaluation, policy development, safeguarding compliance, and multi-stakeholder coordination. She has trained government officials, civil society organisations, community volunteers, and frontline professionals on child protection, safeguarding, gender, and psychosocial well-being.

Debstuti is committed to promoting rights-based, trauma-informed, and community-led approaches that strengthen protective environments for children and vulnerable communities.

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Piyali Banerjee

Technical Consultant – Operations, Logistics and Partnership Management

Piyali Banerjee is the Project Coordinator – Kolkata Field Programme at Praajak Development Society. She has experience in child protection, community development, climate education, and programme management. Her responsibilities include planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating field programmes; coordinating with stakeholders; supervising field teams; maintaining programme documentation; and organizing training programmes and community outreach activities. She is committed to advancing child rights, gender equality, climate resilience, and inclusive community development.

Payel Dutta

Technical Consultant – Youth Collectives and Community Response Systems

For over 11 years, Payel Dutta has been an integral part of the PRAAJAK family, growing alongside the organization while taking on diverse responsibilities to support children, adolescents, and communities. Today, she serves as the Field Coordinator for Malda and Murshidabad, while also leading Case Management across both districts by overseeing documentation, follow-ups, and ensuring every child receives timely and appropriate support. For the past three years, she has also been a Support Person for POCSO cases in Malda, providing guidance and emotional support to children and families, alongside offering counselling through PRAAJAK’s Psycho-Social Support and Response Center. She also mentors youth volunteers and contributes to staff capacity building, strengthening leadership within both the organization and the communities it serves.

Payel’s journey with PRAAJAK began in 2014–15 as an Education Teacher in the Muktangan Project, where she supported children’s learning while providing psychosocial care. She later worked as a Community Facilitator across railway station areas and rural communities, engaging directly with children and their families to create safe, inclusive spaces that fostered empowerment and participation. During this period, she also coached and managed a girls’ Kabaddi team, encouraging young girls to build confidence, leadership, and teamwork through sports.

In 2019, Payel took on the role of Field Coordinator for Malda, and by the end of 2024, her responsibilities expanded to include Murshidabad. Throughout her journey, she has remained deeply committed to child protection, psychosocial support, youth mentoring, leadership development, and community engagement. By working closely with children, young people, and families, Payel continues to help create safer, stronger, and more equitable communities.

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Biswajit Mondal

Technical Consultant – Youth Leadership Capacity Building and Mentoring

Biswajit Mondal is a dedicated social work professional with over 12 years of experience in youth development, gender-transformative programming, and child protection. At Praajak Development Society, he works closely with adolescents and young people, facilitating participatory learning processes on Gender, Positive Masculinity, Gender Equality, Leadership, Life Skills, and Child Rights.

His work focuses on engaging boys and young men as allies for gender equality while creating safe and inclusive spaces where young people can challenge harmful gender norms, build confidence, and become responsible leaders within their communities. He has mentored youth leaders and volunteer animators, designed experiential learning sessions, and supported community-led initiatives that promote social justice and equality.

Beyond youth engagement, Biswajit has extensive experience in child protection systems, including POCSO, Juvenile Justice, psychosocial support, case management, and community mobilization. He has collaborated with government institutions, Child Welfare Committees (CWC), civil society organizations, and community stakeholders to strengthen child protection mechanisms and ensure the wellbeing of vulnerable children and adolescents.

He believes that meaningful social change begins with empowered young people. Through dialogue, reflection, and participatory facilitation, he continues to inspire youth to become agents of change and contribute towards building a more equitable, safe, and inclusive society.

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Bipul Thakur

Technical Consultant – Child Marriage Prevention and Community Engagement

Bipul Thakur  is a development professional with expertise in programme quality, project implementation, documentation, organisational culture building, monitoring & evaluation (M&E), capacity building, and child protection. At Praajak Development Society, he supports the implementation and quality assurance of the Child Marriage Free India Project across Purba Bardhaman and Paschim Bardhaman, while leading programme documentation, strengthening organisational culture, and building the capacity of project teams. He is committed to enhancing programme effectiveness and creating sustainable, community-led solutions that protect children and promote their rights.

Shuvadip Roy Chowdhury

Technical Consultant – Gender Equity, Masculinities and Communication

Shuvadip Roy Chowdhury is a development professional with over 12 years of experience in child rights, child protection, gender justice, research, and programme documentation. At Praajak Development Society, he leads documentation, monitoring, reporting, and knowledge management for programmes supported by national and international partners. He has also contributed to action research on child sexual abuse of boys and has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, communities, and government stakeholders. His interests lie in strengthening child protection systems, promoting gender justice, and using evidence-based documentation to support social change.