About Us

Our Team

Founder & Trustees

Hasiru Dala Our Team Nalini Shekar

Nalini Shekar

Nalini Shekar is the co- founder and Executive Director of Hasiru Dala. Her passion lies in restoring the dignity of workers in the unorganised waste sector, improving their access to predictable livelihoods and providing social security for their families.

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Hasiru Dala Our Team Anslem Rosario

Anslem Rosario

Anslem Rosario is the co-founder of Hasiru Dala, and the Founder/Director of Mythri Sarva Seva Samithi, a nongovernmental, registered, nonprofit organisation that specialises in poverty and environmental issues, located in Bengaluru.

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Hasiru Dala Our Team Pinky Chandran

Pinky Chandran

Pinky Chandran is an independent journalist, researcher, author and waste
management campaigner.

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Hasiru Dala Our Team Lakshmi Karunakan

Lakshmi Karunakaran

Lakshmi Karunakaran is an educator and a communication professional based in Bengaluru, India. She started her career as a telecom engineer but soon shifted gears to work first as a communication specialist and later as an educator. She is the program lead for the Parag Initiative of the Tata Trusts across India.

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Arzu Mistry

Arzu Mistry is an educator and artist who maintains a high level of dedication and enthusiasm for art, craft, and design, as mediums for pedagogy, advocacy, transformation, and intervention for building sustainable, inclusive communities. Arzu has facilitated the education working group for Creative Dignity, A consortium of organizations working with crafts communities in India. Arzu is the founder of the Art in Transit and placeARTS public art projects in the city of Bangalore, with a focus on art as a medium for dialogue between people and the urban spaces they inhabit.

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Initiative Heads

Bianca Fernandes

“Working with Hasiru Dala’s team and its commitment to waste pickers has taught me that I aspire to make a difference and not a living through my work. It’s an organisation where equality is given the most importance. The joy and satisfaction of the work we do as a team and the bond with waste pickers has always driven me to keep going and contribute to the community through the  work I do in Hasiru Dala.”

Nithyanandan J

“Hasiru Dala serves the waste picker community and protects the environment. Hasiru Dala serves to raise the status of the waste picker community by creating an identity and livelihood for them, and also works to protect the environment. I am very proud to serve the waste picker community and  protect the environment  along with Hasiru Dala.”

Adarsh A J

“My work at Hasiru Dala is with Recycling and livelihoods, as well as working with waste picker communities for waste management. All of my work is made better and more viable with Hasiru Dala, and I am able to spread the word about the importance of recycling and encourage others in our community to recycle responsibly.”

Hasiru Dala Our Team Akbar

Akbar Allahbaksh

“I identify myself as a Designer and Urban Practitioner with a specific passion for space design as a means for social change and ecological empowerment. I am best as a designer when working with hands, exploring material possibilities, in parallel with authentic community engagement. My work as part of the team of Hasiru Dala is with Housing, which enables me to engage with the various stakeholders with diverse approaches to affect and create change for the waste picker communities.”

Sathwik  NN

“Working with children has added a new dimension to my life. I have learnt to be patient and trust that children are experts of their own lives, and all we need to do as librarians and care givers is to nudge them to look at things they might have missed seeing. If what they see excites them, they go all the way chasing their dream and passion. For me, working with children is also a very selfish endeavor of planting values of equity and justice among them.

Hasiru Dala Our Team Sowbhagya

Sowbhagya

“I’m so inspired by the nature of Hasiru dala’s work with waste pickers who are one of the most marginalised communities in India. I and every member of the team get the space for innovation and we won’t rest till we find solutions to challenges. Finally I feel we work to create opportunities for waste pickers to better their living and in turn , waste pickers provide livelihood for us.”

Hasiru Dala Our Team Archana V

Archana V

“I have worked in several NGOs in the social sector, but when I joined Hasiru Dala as its second employee, I was fascinated by the waste sector and the contribution of waste pickers. The work culture at Hasiru Dala welcomes openness to new ideas, supports employees with guidance and provides them opportunities for professional and personal growth. Making sure that the community benefits from our work and the team has been our highest priority and working at the grassroots level has helped me witness the impact of these interventions and the sea change it can bring into the lives of waste pickers. I feel nurtured by the relationships that I have built with the waste picker community and energised by their love and resilience.”

Hasiru Dala Our Team And Nittur

Anu Nittur

“My inner force has always driven me to work for communities in need. I have 13 years of experience in the socio-developmental sectors and I want to continue this across others such as livelihood activities, training and development, the health sector (physical and mental), and for children. In most organisations, we don’t have the opportunity to work in more than one area, but in Hasiru Dala there is an opportunity for a multi-pronged approach. Here as a part of the Hasiru Dala team, I can work with my fullest passion.”

Hasiru Dala Our Team Akshatha

Akshatha

“Given my educational background, choosing to work for Hasiru Dala was like choosing the other end of the spectrum. Career changes are never easy, but I was consciously looking for greater personal fulfillment than I have experienced before. This shift for me was absolutely necessary as I had to do something I truly believed in. I have been following Hasiru Dala team’s work for a few years now and have seen the positive difference the organisation is making in people’s lives. Each and every one associated with HD has this innate altruistic nature that is evident when you interact with them. This was indeed a major push for me to take the leap of faith and become a part of Hasiru Dala.”

Hasiru Dala Our Team Nirmala Shekar

Nirmala Shekar

“The past five years at Hasiru Dala has brought me much closer to the core values of the organisation. The rich experiences I gained across a diversity of work have helped me to understand the various ways that we can work to better the lives of the informal workers. Thanks to Ms. Nalini Shekar’s mentoring and the wonderful opportunities provided by the organisation to bring change at the grassroot level, I have transformed into a better human being.”

Location Heads

Hasiru Dala Anil Kumar

Anil Kumar

“I have now been associated with Hasiru Dala team for over three years. I was impressed by Hasiru Dala’s objective to work for the waste pickers’ welfare through social security and livelihood opportunities. Hasiru Dala has also earned a reputation for working for solid waste management practices in rural and urban areas with a close concern for nature. There have been no boundaries or limits to work here as I have had the space to explore innovative ideas to create livelihood opportunities for waste pickers families. It is my pleasure and pride to be a part of Hasiru Dala.”

Hasiru Dala Gururaj

Gururaj

“It is my pleasure to work with Hasiru Dala because of its vision and mission to work to empower the waste pickers community who otherwise would struggle for the basics of liife and living. Our intention is to create an environment that enables livelihoods and provides a platform for growth. Through Hasiru Dala I have seen a different view of life and become self-motivated to contribute to change.”

Hasiru Dala Manjunath

Manjunath

“When I first heard about Hasiru Dala, I found the name very special. Once I saw the kind of work that we would do, my respect only grew. I joined the organisation with a lot of enthusiasm. The love I received and closeness I feel with the waste picker community makes me very happy. I am thankful that Hasiru Dala has given me this opportunity.”

Hasiru Dala Chitti Babu

Chitti Babu

“As I have worked at Hasiru Dala I have come to learn what it means to be a trust-based and committed organisation to uplift the marginalised communities like Waste Pickers. I choose to work with this team of professionals since their knowledge matches their commitment. I recognised during my journey here that there is much scope to contribute and improve our skills and knowledge along with assigned work.”

Accounts & Admin Team

Bengaluru Social Security Team

Bengaluru Livelihoods Team

Housing Team

Buguri Team

Mysuru Team

Chikkabalapura Team

Tumakuru Team

Zero Waste Team

Hubbali-Dharwad team

Davanagere Team

Rajamahendravaram Team

English