Co-founder, Sumedhas, Barefoot Academy, Ritambhara Ashram, Center for Consciousness Studies and Inner Transformation
Raghu has authored several books and papers on yoga, inner work and organisational alignment alongside decades of corporate consulting experience. Apart from Barefoot Academy, he has co-founded Sumedhas Academy of Human Context (1995), Ritambhara Ashram (2010) and Center for Consciousness Studies and Inner Transformation (2021), helping individuals and groups discover their dharma and be the best they can be.
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Dr. V Suresh
Director and Co-founder, Barefoot Academy of Governance, Co-founder, Centre for Law, Policy and Human Rights Studies
Suresh is a practising advocate in the Madras High Court and was appointed by the Supreme Court of India as Advisor on Food Security for Tamil Nadu. He has over 25 years of experience in institutional transformation and has extensive field experience in studying development, caste and human rights. He is also the National Gen. Secy. of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), India’s largest human rights body.
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Prof. Pradip Prabhu
Co-founder, Barefoot Academy of Governance, Former Dean, TISS Tuljapur; Founder, Kashtakari Sanghatana
With over 40 years of experience in fighting for tribal rights as part of Kashtakari Sanghatana, Pradip has been instrumental in helping draft the PESA Act, of 1996 and Forest Rights Act, of 2006. He has previously headed the Center for Rights and Governance, TISS, Tuljapur, and has undertaken numerous governance reform projects as part of Organizational Development Excellence Consultants.
The Koodam Breaking Hierarchy, Building Democracy
Koodam is a Tamil word that roughly translates to a ‘gathering place’ of people from diverse backgrounds where conflict is normalised and consensus is voluntary.
What Are Challenges to Good Governance
Political and cultural context is ignored (caste, religion, and other social identities)
Bureaucratic mindsets and institutional hierarchies are underestimated
Governance reforms are decided centrally and implemented top-down
Experiential pedagogy to help reflect on one’s identity, attitudes, and mindsets
Conflict-resolution techniques that break hierarchies and foster honest dialogue
Transformation of institutional culture and ethics amongst officials, systems, and communities
What CHANGE MANAGEMENT needs
About Barefoot Academy of Governance
For the last 24 years, Barefoot Academy of Governance has been working towards empowering communities, democratising governance, and deepening democracy in different settings across India.
Through a unique blend of dialogical and experiential learning processes, we combine aspects of behavioural change with institutional transformation to undertake systems-level change management programs with communities, government departments, nonprofits, and the private sector. We have worked across various sectors like Education, Health, Water and Sanitation, Irrigation, Fisheries, Food security, and Governance of District Administrations in collaboration with organisations like Azim Premji University, UNICEF, and Action Aid India.
Institutional Transformation at a glance
1998
2002
2002
2002
2003
2007
2007
2010
2013
2013
2014
Govt. of Tamil Nadu
Directorate of Social Welfare
Redefining roles, navigating conflict and Change Management
1998-2001
Govt. of Tamil Nadu
School Education
Co-creating Vision and Mission; building collaboration to ensure education for all
2002-03
Govt. of Tamil Nadu
Health
Co-ordinating between Rural, Urban Health Systems & aligning with Medical Education
2002-03
Govt. of Nagaland
Strengthening District Administration for Good Governance (post Peace Accord)
2002-03
Govt. of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu Water Supply & Drainage Board (TWAD)
Improving Organizational Efficiency and Democratization of Service Delivery (Jal Swaraj)
2003-08
Govt. of Tamil Nadu
IAMWARM Project
Advocating for Basin-level Water Management via engineers of 9 Water-related Departments
2007-08
Govt. of Tamil Nadu
District of Nagapattinam
Consensus-building across line departments at the district level (Revenue, PWD, Water, Health, etc)
2007-08
Govt. of Odisha
District Administration of Sundargarh
Mobilizing District Administration for Effective Village Level Planning and Good Governance
2010-12
Govt. of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission
State Backwardness Alleviation programme – SBGF
2013-14
Govt. of Tamil Nadu (Vepur block, Annavasal block)
Community-led Sustainable Development and Governance of the Commons project
2013 – 23
Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & Odisha
UNDP Grant (Direct engagement with communities in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Odisha)
Citizen-centric sustainable development programme for Water, Sanitation, Food & Agriculture, Livelihoods and Bio-diversity Security
2014-15
A Short Film documenting our Change Management
Learn how Change works
Presenting the 1-year PG Diploma in Facilitating Governance Reforms
The Barefoot Academy of Governance, in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), is offering a one-year PG Diploma in Facilitating Governance Reform. Participants from diverse background learn from the best in the field and engage in critical field studies through immersion and interaction with tribal, rural and urban communities. The same program was offered in collaboration with TISS from 2016-2023.
Meet our Founders
Shri Raghu Ananthanarayanan
Co-founder, Sumedhas, Barefoot Academy, Ritambhara Ashram, Center for Consciousness Studies and Inner Transformation
Dr. V Suresh
Director and Co-founder, Barefoot Academy of Governance, Co-founder, Centre for Law, Policy and Human Rights Studies
Prof. Pradip Prabhu
Co-founder, Barefoot Academy of Governance, Former Dean, TISS Tuljapur; Founder, Kashtakari Sanghatana
