
Madhavi Kukreja
FounderFounder of Vanangana · Sanatkada Trust
Madhavi Kukreja is the founder of Vanangana[1] and Sanatkada Trust[2], Indian non-profits working on women & children, human rights, arts & culture and livelihood from Chitrakoot.
Vanangana
Vanangana has worked since 1993 across Chitrakoot and Banda districts of Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh, supporting survivors of domestic and gender-based violence with legal and emotional support while building women's collectives — including a roughly 6,000-member Dalit Mahila Samiti — and running youth leadership and social-enterprise programmes across 174 villages.
Vanangana reports the following, on its own site:
- 1,410 women are Sangathan members
- Present across 175 villages in its impact area
- 20,000 women impacted by relief work
- 5,000 women reached through the Youth Development and Empowerment Program
Sanatkada Trust
Sanatkada Trust, founded by development professional and activist Madhavi Kuckreja, has worked since the mid-2000s to document, revive and showcase Lucknow's syncretic craft and cultural heritage. It runs the Lucknow Bioscope city-heritage museum, the annual Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival held since 2010, and a crafts initiative that gives artisan women, including a leadership programme for young Muslim women, market access and technical training. Its Sanatkada Film Studio is run by a collective of young women from marginalised communities who document the city through short films and photography.
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