Our Powerful Advisory Board.

SERPA is extremely honoured and privileged to have the following experts as our Advisory Board members.  With their guidance, support and encouragement , SERPA will be moving towards realising our mission.

We are very happy to  take this opportunity to give you all a brief note about our expert team.

1) Mrs. Rukmini Krishnaswamy

Mrs. Rukmini Krishnaswamy, a National Award winner in the field of Rehabilitation Education, recipient of the “Namma Bengalurean of the year (2018)”, is well known for her role as the director of the Spastics Society of Karnataka. Her work with children with disability has been exemplary to say the least. She has started various popular programs/ initiatives including  Inclusion in polytechnic and education, Partnering with Parents through “Saath Saath” so as to bring out the best vocational skills in the child, community outreach programs for both rural and urban areas to name a few. She has also been instrumental in starting various diagnostics, assessment, research, and self help skills training centres

Mrs. Krishnaswamy has reached out to over 70,000 children of which over 3,500 children across Karnataka are currently benefiting from the society.

2) Mr. J.P. Gadkari

Mr J P Gadkari dons many hats including that of the honorary secretary of the Karnataka Parents Association of Mentally Retarded Children (KPAMRC). He worked as a journalist for more than 35 years before moving on to the social sector. His contribution in the social sector through his work in  KPAMRC, PARIVAAR and Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment are beyond commendable. He played an active role in the Drafting committee in the RPwD act-2016. He was also the convener of the State level local committee of the National Trust.

Mr Gadkari's contributions also include several paper presentations in India and abroad in the area of disability/ social justice and welfare. His papers throw light on a gamut of topics including legislation, programs, schemes for the disabled, Parents perspectives and concerns etc.

3) Dr. G. Shilpa   Rao  

-MBBS, DCH, PGDSC (Autism) 

Well-known Pediatrician and Autism Specialist in Bangalore, Dr. Shilpa Rao is the one to look for to extend your knowledge on Autism. She completed her MBBS (1996) and Diploma in Child Health (DCH)(2001) at MR Medical College Gulbarga and Post Graduate Diploma in Special Education with Autism Services at Manipal University (2005).  She has been a Practicing Pediatrician since 15 years and an Autism Specialist for 11 years.

She started her career as Private Practitioner at Gulbarga in 1996, followed by being  the In-House resident Doctor at St. Johns’ Hospital, Bangalore(1998) in the Departments of Gastroenterology, Critical Care Units, under Dr. Ravi Kuttur, Dr .Harshad Devarbhavi and Dr. Mabel Vasnaik. She later worked as Pediatric consultant and Autism Specialist at various Hospitals such as Apollo Clinic, Baptist Hospital, Siddi Autism Clinic and Genlabs Healthcare. Currently, her specialization is in Child Care and  Autism Diagnosis, Evaluations,Interventions and Treatments.

Her achievements are numerous; she is Executive Counsel Member of ASI (Autism Society of India), Licensed Medical Pediatrician and Autism Specialist, Course Director and Chief Lecturer at KPAMRC, Medical Director at Genlabs Healthcare Services providing Biomedical Interventions and Testing for Autism as well as other Developmental Disorders. She believes spreading awareness and increasing knowledge about Autism and other developmental disorder is a step towards inclusion.

4) Prof. Venkatesha

Born in Mysore, Prof. Venkatesh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Master’s Degree in Education and Sociology.  He also holds a Diploma in Social Service. He is the founder member and President of Karnataka Parents’ Association for Mentally Retarded Citizens [KPAMRC] .

He is very closely associated with the Association activities and was involved deeply in all its programmes including Teacher Training Programme, guidance, counseling to name a few.

He was the Board member of the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India from 2001 to 2004. He also served as the President of, State Federation of Parivaar – Karnataka.  He served as Vice-President of DNA twice. In 2017, he received the ‘Best Individual’ award from the State Government for dedicating his services in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Today, under his guidance, the efforts of the parent members and the support of the well wishers, Vishwashanti Niketan, Group Home Rehabilitation Complex,  is functional and had recently celebrated its 7th Anniversary. It currently houses 43 special persons both men and women.

5) Dr. Ali Khwaja

A Montessorian, an engineering graduate of Institute of Science and IIT Bombay, MIE, MIIM, with a Ph.D in Behavioral Sciences- Dr. Ali has always carved out his own path and  ensured that work is joy every single day. He is invited regularly to conduct workshops or lectures for Defence, Central Government, prestigious National institutions, schools and colleges;he prefers to be informal, a learner  while being a teacher Honesty and Congruence stands out in whatever he says or does.

As Founder and Chairman of Banjara Academy, a unique institution committed to improvement of quality of life, he nurtures and motivates over 300 volunteers to give free service in 10 hospitals and the Academy’s own counselling centers. He conducts a very popular and practical one year part-time Diploma in Counselling Skills and a 6-month Certificate in Life Skills.

He has written over 30 books and 80 booklets on all practical aspects of day-to-day life, and writes regular columns and articles in many reputed publications, and edits a unique newsletter.  His videos on Banjara’s website get thousands of viewers from all over the world.


6) Dr. Yesheswini Kamaraju: 

-MD Adult Psychiatry, Fellowship Child And Adolescent Psychiatry

Along with her exemplary  educational background she also has wide experiences from prestigious institutes.  An M.D in Adult Psychiatry , Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, U.S.A and a Fellowship in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry from Stanford University, California, U.S.A. , She  is a recipient of several awards including the ‘Clinical Excellence Award for Outstanding clinician’ in 2004, from Stanford University, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the ‘Chief Resident award in 2001’, from the Department of Psychiatry, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, U.S.A. She has been practicing in Bangalore for many years, primarily catering to children, adolescents and women.

Currently, she is the director of ‘The Reach clinic’ in Koramangala, which was conceived with a vision of integrating physical, social, emotional and psychological wellness. She serves as a consultant and as a teaching faculty to Spastics Society of Karnataka and Fame India.

7) Jayashree Ramesh

Ms. Jayashree Ramesh started her career in the field of special education in the year 1986. She later moved to USA to complete her M A (SP. Ed.) from San Jose State University, California. After a stint of six years, she returned to Bangalore and became the founding member of Academy for Severe Handicaps and Autism (ASHA). She is associated with ASHA since inception in 1995 and currently is the Director.

She holds positions in many different organizations working with similar objectives. She served as Board Member, National Trust, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India for over six years. She is the founder secretary of Disability NGOs Alliance (DNA), a consortium of organizations working in Karnataka.

She was the first secretary, Autism Society of India (ASI), a national network. She felt that families spend a lot of time and energy looking for help and initiated Information and Resource Centre for Autism and other Developmental Disabilities (IRC) with the support of Sharada Peetam, Sringeri and Rotary Bangalore West. IRC, today, offers many different training programs.

In order to support the families of older children and adults with autism, she encouraged parents and other well-wishers to form Nav Prabhuti Trust (NPT). She is also on the Board of Sachivya Trust that runs  a respite centre for children with special needs and Alamara Foundation that addresses the long term needs of adults and their families.

She actively participates in other community service initiatives through Rotary. She has held office there as well. She is the Past President Rotary Bangalore West and Assistant Governor 2013-14, Rotary District 3190.

8) Dr. Gayatri Krishna

Dr. Gayathri is the founder Director of Brindavan Education Trust and a leading advocate of Inclusive Education. Armed with a Doctorate in Educational Psychology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, Dr. Gayathri along with late Mrs. Roopa Shivkumar setup the institution in 1993.

A visionary, a highly reflective and deep thinker, she spearheads all the programs at Brindavan Education Trust with a bundle of infectious energy. She is involved in setting a direction for the organisation, drawing up policy guidelines, mentoring, monitoring, evaluating and managing a team of over 50 educators, volunteers and facilitators for delivering quality education to over 150 children with special needs at the institution and to thousands of students through the training and outreach programs.


9) Jayashree Rajanahally 

Stepped into the field of special education as Parent volunteer in 1998 when her daughter was identified as Dyslexic, Jayashree then moved on to head the Resource room in a mainstream school  as well as an alternative school. She joined Brindavan education Trust in 2004. She handles after-school remedials with a team of 15 special educators. On an average, they work with 75-100 children every year in the age group of 4-16 years. She has taught in KPAMRC, and was part of team that initiated the SLD course at Brindavan.

She is also a  part time tutor on the MA SEN & Inclusion offered by The University of Northampton at Bangalore and has mentored close to 100 PG students. She has also co authored research papers and book chapters. She has been very active in media as the spokesperson for creating awareness of LD and the role of mainstream schools in inclusion. She was part of Phone- in program on SEN on Kasthuri and Suvarna channels in Kannada;Her  TedX DSCE speech about ‘tagging’ - the biggest barrier for inclusion, is a must hear.

10) Kalaivani Raipet

A post graduate in Social work , a B.Ed in Special Education and a certificate holder in Social entrepreneurship Ms. Kalaivani Raipet , known to us as Ms. Vani, firmly believes that Inclusion is  the way forward for the overall development of the Nation.

She started her career as the Project coordinator for a CRY funded project in Seva-In-Action under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Indumathi Rao and Mrs. Ruma Banerjee . While in Secunderabad, she joined Dr. Manjula Kalyaan , Director of Swayamkrushi ,who pioneered the concept of Group Home in India. As the Principal of the center for over 10 years, she strived and took  SWAYAMKRUSHI to reach its pinnacle. With her progressive ideas, she worked relentlessly towards inclusion. She was instrumental in bringing in persons with Intellectual Disability participate in NCC Camps, participate in Republic Day Parade as a separate contingent and lobbied for a tableaux depicting the abilities of persons with disabilities. All these were FIRST in India.

Her expertise in designing employability skill training programmes and vocational training programmes led to numerous open employment opportunities for persons with Intellectual Disabilities, way back in 2003 when inclusion was still at a nascent stage.

She joined FAME INDIA as the Principal and later became the Director of FAME ACADEMY. She conceptualizes rehabilitation programmes for persons with LD, organizes workshops, conferences and conducts training programmes for many NGOs both at regional and National level. She has presented technical papers in National level conferences and has edited books related to special education.


11) Dr. Vijaya Raman  

Dr. Vijaya Raman is  Professor of Clinical Psychology, Dept of Psychiatry at St John’s Medical College and Hospital. She has been instrumental in establishing the Consultation – Liaison services with Pediatrics and allied departments and has been associated with St Johns’ Hospital since 1996. Dr Vijaya obtained her M.Phil in 1992 and Ph.D in 1996 from NIMHANS. Her  Ph.D was in the area of Play Therapy in children with emotional disorders.

Dr. Vijaya is also actively involved in conducting workshops for pediatricians, teachers and parents on issues of child and adolescent mental health and awareness. Her current areas of interest are: Psychological aspects of chronic medical illness children and adolescents, Children and adolescents at high risk, Shyness in children and its ramifications, implications of child abuse and child and adolescent outcomes of children with parents who have psychiatric illness.

Her special expertise is in assessment of various conditions in children using up to date tools and providing feedback to the stake-holders to ensure appropriate support for the child.


More Soon,
Thanks and regards,
Team SERPA

SERPA’s Advisory Board-the paowerpacked team.

Dear colleagues, volunteers, well wishers & visitors of this blog,

Greetings!

We are happy to announce that we have a wonderful team of experts who have agreed to be “SERPA  Advisory Board Members”.

SERPA is lucky & privileged to have with us..
1) Mrs.Rukmini Krishnaswamy,
2) Mr.J. P. Gadkari
3) Dr. G. Shilpa Rao
4) Prof. K. R. Venkatesha
5) Dr. Ali Khwaja
6) Dr. Yesheswini Kamaraju
7) Ms. Jayashree Ramesh
8) Dr. Gayatri Krishna
9) Ms. Jayashree Rajanahally
10) Ms. Kalaivani Raipet
11) Dr. Vijaya Raman

(Names mentioned are in the order from the poster, left to right.)

We are immensely grateful to our team of experts for accepting to support and guide us. 💐

A blog about our esteemed advisory board members will be followed, shortly.

Happy weekend to all of you. 🥳

Much regards & thanks,
Team SERPA

A Tribute to our beloved Murthy Sir

“A minimally trained lay therapist who exercises a great capacity to love will achieve psychotherapeutic results that equal those of the very best psychiatrists”- M. Scott Peck

Some say when a great soul passes away, he leaves his footprints behind. Wg Cdr Peruvamba Ramakrishna Narayana Murthy VSM (Retd), well known by the name Murthy sir, was one such great soul who will always continue to live among us through our work. His contribution to the field of mental health is truly inspiring.

Born and raised in Bangalore, he graduated from Law and joined the Indian army in 1964. He received 2 awards while in service, one being Vishist Seva medal (1973).  After his retirement, he became the Chief Trainer and Managing Director of GM Academy for Leadership Skills Private Limited, Bangalore. In 1982, he was trained as counsellor at Sanjivini Society for Mental Health at New Delhi.

Rich counselling experience of more than 30 years with places like Sanjivini at New Delhi, Helping Hand, Vishwas and Sneha at Bangalore and Seva at Hyderabad was apparent when one would hear him speak. He was instrumental in setting up of Sneha Counselling Center and Vishwas Counselling Center in Bangalore as well as  Seva in Hyderabad to name a few. All these societies provide free and confidential counselling services to the community.

He was an international trainer in Organization Development and HR. He trained and mentored many NGOs including Swasti, Shikshan and FAME ACADEMY. Those who had attended any of his workshops would have benefitted from the immense knowledge he transferred from his varied experiences including but not limited to discipline of the armed forces, dynamics of the corporate sector and the sensitivity of the mental health field.

The counselling skills courses/workshops for different groups at all levels for different companies and organizations were always rated very high by the participants. 

His conviction, belief and true nature is apparent from what he used to say- "every person, no matter how emotionally down they are, possess sufficient positive energy to recover and get hold of his/her life". This speaks volumes of his approach to offer barefoot counselling services. He was always of the belief that we, as counsellors, need to help identify and channelize those energies to build resilience. 

Despite having many decades of rich experience in the field, Murthy Sir would still meticulously plan out every session with utmost diligence. His sessions were always skill oriented with full of humour. He was ahead of his time and was extremely in tune with younger generations’ thinking process.  He has trained over 350 people in barefoot counselling at FAME ACADEMY alone. This speaks volume of his legacy being carried forward.

He was always looked upon as role model and many in the field sought him for advice. Mrs. Vani Raipet, from Fame Academy says, “A great friend, guide, mentor and a role model for me and all of us to emulate! If I bring on to the plate 50% of his training skills, I would consider myself worthy to be a trainer.” Mrs. Uma Hrishikesh, Secretary, SERPA and special educator says, “He was one of the most genuine, warm and empathetic human beings I have interacted with. He was that someone who really cares about people, mental health and well-being. He was very witty and could pick up on the subtle nuances of a conversation and respond appropriately and empathetically.”

We, the mental-health professionals will always look back at your philosophies Murthy sir! At the hour of ignorance your kind words and in-depth teachings will guide us further to achieve what you have aspired for. We will feel the loss of the enlightened soul but will use his spirit to move forward to make the goal of positive mental health a reality!     

                                                            serpakarnataka@gmail.com

Introduction of SERPA Board Members

We are happy to introduce you all, our SERPA Board Members.

1. Ms. Uma Hrishikesh- Secretary, SERPA

Uma Hrishikesh is an Educational Therapist (National Institute for Learning Development) with a demonstrated history of working with children with Learning Difficulties. A passionate education professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education focused on Learning Disabilities, Uma believes that the child is the most important factor in the equation and the system and everyone involved is there for the child. After having worked with children from different environments, she has a strong realization of the effort and distance one needs to travel to make every child feel included.


2. Ms. Deepa Krishnananda- Treasurer, SERPA

Ms. Deepa started her career as an financial planner and a tax consultant in the US. She became a Counsellor and a Special Educator on returning to Bangalore. She has a Diploma in Specific Learning Disabilities and Psychological counseling. She has also completed her Master’s in Inclusive Education from the University of Northampton, UK. Deepa has been course coordinator for the Diploma in Specific Learning Disabilities at Karnataka Parents' Association for the Mentally Retarded Citizens  since 2009, where she trains budding educators by sensitising and equipping them to understand children with varied needs for a positive impact. Deepa had also worked as a special educator at Brindavan Education Trust for 4 years. Deepa finds teaching children,  training teachers, conducting workshops, conducting informal education evaluation, participating in seminars, setting resource rooms as rewarding experiences. Children stand for patience, empathy and unbiased thinking, hence Deepa has made it her mission to sensitize people to be empathetic and embrace inclusion as a human right.

3. Ms. Santhi Karamcheti- President, SERPA

Santhi holds Master’s degree in Human Genetics and Bachelor's degree in Special Education. Santhi worked with various International schools in the beginning of her career and later started her own school for special needs children, called EDventure Academy. Her experience provided her opportunity to work across disabilities and age groups. Her work mainly comprises on increasing children’s capacities in essential areas like personality development, socio-communication skills, self-esteem, self-belief, academics, activities of daily living, vocational and pre-vocational skills. Mainstreaming children and young adults into schools and employment are her mission in life and she intends to further her aim by making inclusion a smoother process. Santhi has conducted several workshops and training for teachers, corporates, parents, educators, therapists etc on various special needs topic, especially on showing inclusion as an attainable concept. She volunteers in other organisations to empower the staff, so that they can render better quality of service. 

4. Ms. Kalpana Srinath- Executive Member, SERPA

Kalpana’s journey into the field of special education started after her son was diagnosed with Learning Difficulties and Sensory Integration Disorder with the comorbid of Dysgraphia and ADHD. A desire to help her child, led her to get a professional qualification in Learning Difficulties at Brindavan, Bangalore. She has also completed Master’s in Inclusion and Special Education from the University of Northampton, a course, as per her has been very beneficial to her personally and professionally. Kalpana started working at Brindavan on completion of her course in the year 2009. She strongly feels that the children she had the opportunity to work with have also helped further her knowledge in this field. 




5. Ms. Jayasree Venkatesh-- Executive Member, SERPA

Jayasree was a Molecular Biologist by qualification. However, she found her true calling in working with children with different needs 20 years back in Mumbai. After completing her Post-Grad Diploma in Special  Education, she has worked in mainstream and special schools in various parts of India. Practising as an Educational Therapist , Consultant and Coach for the last many years has helped in reaching out to many  children and empower teachers as well. She also practices from her centre, Svasti centre for learning in North Bangalore. She constantly upgrades her knowledge and skills in this field and keeps herself enriched and updated. 


6. Ms. Sharmila Jois Vellal- Executive Member, SERPA

With the Masters' Degree from Bangalore university (Child Guidance) and University of Northampton (Inclusive Education) and Diploma from KPAMRC (Learning Disability), Sharmila has experience of working in both Inclusive and Exclusive institutes for over 12 years now. This has broadened her understanding of varied perspectives when it comes to working with children with various Disabilities. She firmly believes that for inclusion to become a reality in educational institutes, organisations as well as in society; parents, educators, Special educators and child with disability need to work in coherence with each other, this means taking realistic measures that are attainable, affordable and accessible. 




7. Dr. Inayath Ulla- Executive Member, SERPA 

Inayath Ulla N, worked as Senior Paediatric Physiotherapist and Sensory Integration Therapist at the Spastics Society of Karnataka. He has Masters in Physiotherapy from M.S.Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore. He has also completed the course 1 and 4 of the Sensory Integration Therapy Certification Program from The University of Southern California and Aquatic Therapy Foundation course by ATNI. He has been working with children with ASD, ADHD and learning disabilities for the past 10 years. Inayat has received the 'Young Achiever Award' in year 2014 from the Bangalore Physiotherapists Network for his outstanding achievement in Physiotherapy professional practice.



8. Ms. Sonal S Raja- Executive Member, SERPA

Ms. Sonal S. Raja has been working in the area of child well-being for past eighteen years. She is a trained Clinical Psychologist, from USA, and a Special Educator. She has worked in settings like International Schools in Bangalore and NCR; Rural government schools with Azim Premji Foundation, Apollo Hospitals, & also Children psychiatric hospital in the USA. At present, she practices as an independent consultant to different schools, where she provides counselling services for behavioural, academic and emotional issues of children such as Depression and Anxiety. She conducts workshops on study skills, adolescent issues and life skills to help children in developing positive & desirable skills. She does assessments for identifying children with special needs and does remediation for learning disabilities like dyslexia, attention deficit and hyperactivity. She conducts teacher workshops to help teachers in supporting students in their overall growth and academic achievements. Her passion is to work extensively with parents to help them understand their child’s emotional and academic needs by building a loving and nurturing atmosphere for their children.

Introduction to SERPA-The Story, The Vision and The Mission

More soon!

Best Regards,
Team SERPA.