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About Haiyya

Brief about Aprajita Pandey

Aprajita Pandey is a feminist organizer, educator, and social entrepreneur known for her contributions to youth-led organizing, feminist leadership development, and participatory governance in India. As the Founder and CEO of Haiyya, a pioneering grassroots organizing platform, and an Assistant Professor at BITS Pilani, she brings a unique blend of on-the-ground activism and academic insight to her work. Her leadership philosophy centers around building inclusive power, mobilizing marginalized voices, and reimagining civic spaces through feminist frameworks.

Background and Education

Early Life and Academic Background

Aprajita’s formative years were shaped by exposure to socio-political activism and academic excellence. Raised in India, she developed a deep curiosity about the structures of inequality and power that influence everyday lives, especially those of women and youth. Her early education laid the foundation for her dual commitment to scholarly rigor and public action.

She pursued her undergraduate degree in Economics, where she began exploring the intersections between economic development, gender rights, and public participation. Her passion for policy, advocacy, and systemic change deepened during her undergraduate studies, where she was actively involved in campus-based leadership initiatives.

Advanced Studies in Management and Economics

To enhance her understanding of institutional dynamics and leadership, Aprajita pursued advanced degrees in Management and Economics, both in India and abroad. These academic pursuits equipped her with tools to critically evaluate systems of power and develop models for participatory leadership, particularly in contexts where traditional institutions have failed to be inclusive.

Her academic background has been instrumental in designing movement strategies that are data-driven, people-centered, and structurally impactful—whether in the classroom or on the streets.

Professional Experience

Founder and CEO, Haiyya

Aprajita founded Haiyya with a mission to empower youth and women through grassroots organizing rooted in feminist principles. Under her leadership, Haiyya has grown into one of India’s most respected organizing platforms, focusing on:

• Feminist movement building

• Community leadership development

• Issue-based campaigns in health, gender, and governance

Through Haiyya, Aprajita has supported campaigns such as Health over Stigma (addressing sexual and reproductive health), Women Lead India, and Vote for Health, mobilizing thousands of citizens across urban and semi-urban India. Her work has inspired similar models across South Asia and the Global South, emphasizing horizontal leadership, story-based strategy, and local autonomy.

Assistant Professor, BITS Pilani

As an Assistant Professor at BITS Pilani, Aprajita teaches courses in public policy, economics, and gender studies. Her teaching methodology integrates academic theories with real-world organizing examples, encouraging students to question traditional paradigms of leadership, governance, and civic participation.

Her role as an educator reinforces her belief that classrooms can be laboratories for democratic practice and that students should be equipped not just with knowledge, but also with the skills to build power collectively and ethically.

Roles in Community Organizing and Leadership Training

Beyond her formal titles, Aprajita has facilitated leadership trainings for NGOs, universities, and grassroots networks across India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh. She is known for:

• Coaching first-time community leaders and activists

• Supporting feminist organizations in building narrative-based campaigns

• Designing leadership pipelines for underrepresented groups

Her work extends to international platforms like the Leading Change Network and Harvard Kennedy School’s organizing alumni, where she serves as a mentor and advisor.

Areas of Expertise

Feminist Movement Building and Social Justice

Aprajita’s organizing is anchored in intersectional feminism, focusing on building movements that are inclusive, equitable, and transformative. Her campaigns prioritize:

• Community-led decision-making

• Narrative and identity as tools for power

• Breaking silos between policy and lived experience

She believes that real social change must begin with those most affected by injustice, and her organizing tools reflect that—centering stories, relationships, and strategic discipline.

Leadership Coaching and Organizational Development

Aprajita is a sought-after coach for both individuals and organizations looking to cultivate non-hierarchical leadership models. Her coaching includes:

• Designing organizational cultures that reflect feminist values

• Embedding leadership development into everyday workflows

• Supporting teams through transitions, conflict, and growth

She often works with startups, nonprofits, and educational institutions to build collective leadership infrastructures that outlast charismatic individuals.

Achievements and Recognition

Establishment of Youth-Led Initiatives

Through Haiyya and other projects, Aprajita has launched and supported over 50 youth-led initiatives across sectors. These have included campaigns on:

• Menstrual hygiene access in low-income neighborhoods

• Sexual harassment reporting in public spaces

• Youth voter engagement and civic education

These campaigns not only generated measurable impact but also created a new generation of women and queer youth leaders across India.

Contributions to Academic Research and Publications

In addition to her organizing, Aprajita contributes to academic journals and public discourse through:

• Co-authoring research papers on feminist leadership and participatory governance

• Writing op-eds in The Wire, Feminism in India, and Medium

• Delivering talks at forums like the South Asia Policy Forum, Ashoka University, and Oxfam India

Her work is cited in studies on movement building, youth organizing, and community-centered leadership.

Values and Vision

Advocacy for Inclusive Leadership and Empowerment

At the heart of Aprajita’s work is a belief in distributed, accountable, and inclusive leadership. She advocates for structures where:

• Leadership is a shared practice rather than a top-down authority

• Communities hold the tools to self-organize

• Decision-making power reflects the diversity of lived realities

Her values emphasize care, transparency, and sustainability, making her a role model for a new generation of change leaders.

Vision for Sustainable Social Change

Aprajita’s long-term vision includes:

• Institutionalizing organizing as a mainstream career path in South Asia

• Building a transnational feminist movement network led by the Global South

• Creating spaces of healing and joy within organizing ecosystems, challenging burnout culture and extractive activism

Her work pushes for a world where leadership is not exceptional but expected—and shared by many.