|
Board Members of Rupayan Sansthan |
|
|
|
|
|
Nihar Kothari (Chairperson) |
|
|
The Managing Director and Executive Editor of the Rajasthan Patrika group of companies since
2001, Nihar Kothari is currently responsible for the newspaper's editorial planning
and readership development. Widely traveled, he visited the USA on an invitation
by the American government under a fellowship of the International Visitors Leadership
Program. Earlier he was invited to join the Indian Prime Minister's media team to
visit the USA, Russia, UK, Cambodia, Singapore and Kazakhstan. Committed to social
welfare, Nihar Kothari is associated with non-governmental organizations like Janmangal
Public Charitable Trust, Pratham, Disha, Rupayan, Mahaveer Vikalan Sansthan (Jaipur
Foot), Entrepreneurs Organization, AIESEC India, amongst others. |
|
|
|
Piyush Surana (Vice-Chairman) |
|
|
Specializing in financial services, Piyush Surana was trained as a Chartered Accountant.
Between 1999-2005, he served as the Chief Operating officer for Alliance Capital
Asset Management. Since March 2006, he has been working as the Chief Operating Officer
of the Shinsei Bank Group where he is focusing on the asset management of the bank
throughout India.
|
|
|
|
Shri Vijay Dan Detha (Co-founder) |
|
|
Co-founder of Rupayan Sansthan along with the late Komal Kothari, Shri Vijay Dan
Detha is one of Rajasthan's most respected authors and authorities on folk literature.
With Komal Kothari, he pioneered groundbreaking research in folk songs and narratives
through journals like Prerna and Lok Sanskriti. Over the years, he has edited six
volumes of Rajasthan Lok-Geet (folksongs), thirteen volumes of Bantari Phulwari
or Rajasthani folktales, and eight volumes of thousands of Rajasthani proverbs,
each of them accompanied by a short commentary. In addition to his prodigious scholarship,
Shri Vijay Dan Detha is known all over India for his haunting short stories, some
of which have been made into famous films - Duvidha
(directed by Mani Kaul), Parineeti
(directed by Prakash Jha), and Charandas Chor (directed in the film version by Shyam
Benegal and in its stage adaptation by Habib Tanveer). He has received numerous
awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award and honours from literary and cultural
organizations in Rajasthan. |
|
|
|
Kuldeep Kothari (Secretary) |
|
|
|
The Executive Director of Arna-Jharna Museum, son of the late Komal Kothari, Kuldeep
Kothari joined Rupayan Sansthan in 1998 where he served as the assistant director
for a number of projects funded by the Ford Foundation and the India Foundation
for the Arts. He has played a key role in organizing the international performances
and concerts of Rajasthani folk musicians in numerous locations in Europe, the United
States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. His early career involved intensive hands-on
experience in running an advertising agency in Jodhpur, which was followed by his
position as a marketing head for the Rajasthan Patrika and Patrika TV
in Jaipur.
Presently, he is a member of the Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi in Jodhpur; a Committee
Member of States Museums in the Jodhpur Division; and a Member of the Award Selection
Committee of Marudhara Kolkata for nomination of folk performers in Rajasthan. |
|
|
|
|
|
Members (in
alphabetical order) |
|
|
|
|
|
Anu Mridul (Member) |
|
|
One of Rajasthan's most talented and active architects, Anu Mridul has designed
the museum site of Arna-Jharna in close consultation with Komal Kothari. Engaged
in private practice since 1985, he is presently engaged in extending and redesigning
at least three railways stations, including Jodhpur, Pali, and Nagaur. His past
projects cover a wide range of structures including numerous hotels; the 15,000-capacity
cricket stadium of the Rajasthan Housing Board in Mansarovar, Jaipur; the Geeta
Dham in Tinwari, Jodhpur, which is an educational and spiritual research institute;
and Ashok Udyan which is a 9-hectare landscaped park. An associate of the Indian
Institute of Architects, he was awarded the Rajasthan Stone Architectural Award
in 1996. |
|
|
|
H.P. Tiwari (Member) |
|
|
|
Sri H.P. Tiwari is the Director of Finance, Rajasthan Patrika, who is in charge
of all matters relating to finance, administration and production. He holds a number
of degrees including LLB, M.Com, and F.C.S. (Fellow Company Secretary). He is the
vice-chairman of the Manav Mitra Sansthan led by Rajasthan Patrika. |
|
|
|
Manish Sisodia (Member) |
|
|
For the last fourteen years, Manish Sisodia has been practising as a High Court
lawyer in Jodhpur. He is the youngest elected member to the Bar Council of Rajasthan,
which is one of the largest organizations of lawyers in the state. He has also served
as a Vice-Chairman on the Council. He is a life member of the Rajasthan High Court
Lawyer's Association and is the past president of the Rotary Club, Jodhpur (mid-town).
|
|
|
|
Dr. Rashmi Patni (Member) |
|
|
A long-term associate of Rupayan Sansthan, Rashmi Patni is a Reader in the Department
of History and Indian Culture in the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. Presently,
she is also the Director of the Centre of Gandhian Studies in the same university.
She holds a doctoral degree from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes, Paris. For her doctorate
she focused on an elaborate study of spices as perceived in the European world-view.
Today she is actively engaged in interdisciplinary historical research, combining
primary sources with new theoretical perspectives.
|
|
|
|
Rishit Bhandari (Member) |
|
|
Associated with the business of hotels and commercial real estate, Rishit Bhandari
holds a Bachelor of Hotel Administration degree from WGSHA, Manipal, and another
Bachelor's degree in Hotel Management and Development from Johnson and Wales University
in Providence, USA, from where he received a Master's degree with a specialization
in Hospitality. He owns the Taj Lakend Hotel in Udaipur, the Jaisamand Island Resort,
and Hotel Alka in Udaipur.
|
|
|
|
Dr. Usha Kothari (Member) |
|
|
Usha Kothari is the Head of the Home Science Department in Jainarayan Viyas University,
Jodhpur. Holding a doctorate degree in Home Science, she is known for her research
in the area of child psychology. |
|
|
|
Dr. Uttra Kothari (Member) |
|
|
An Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology in Satsai Girls' College,
Jaipur, Uttra Kothari holds an M.A. degree and doctorate in Sociology. Her area
of specialization is the culture and social life of the Rebari nomadic tribe.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|