Dr. Karuna Gokhale

Writer | Translator | Editor | Social Thinker

Karuna Gokhale is a distinguished Marathi writer, translator, editor and social thinker. Her literary and intellectual work reflects a deep engagement with gender studies, social issues, human relationships and contemporary thought. Associated with the women’s movement since 1990, she has been actively engaged in writing, translation and editing since 1996.

She holds a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Mumbai, an M.A. in Russian from the University of Pune and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Alberta, Canada. Her acclaimed book Baimaanus received several prestigious honours, including the Maharashtra State Literary Award and the Maharashtra Foundation Award.

Through her writings and translations, Karuna Gokhale has contributed significantly to bringing diverse literary and intellectual perspectives to Marathi readers. Her work combines literary sensitivity with social awareness, critical thinking and a strong commitment to meaningful dialogue.

डॉ. करुणा गोखले

लेखिका | अनुवादक | संपादक | वैचारिक लेखिका

करुणा गोखले या मराठीतील मान्यवर लेखिका, अनुवादक, संपादक आणि वैचारिक लेखिका म्हणून परिचित आहेत. स्त्री-अभ्यास, सामाजिक प्रश्न, मानवी नातेसंबंध आणि समकालीन विचारविश्व यांचा संवेदनशील व चिकित्सक वेध त्यांच्या लेखनातून घेतला जातो. १९९० पासून त्या स्त्री चळवळीशी सक्रियपणे जोडलेल्या असून, १९९६ पासून लेखन, अनुवाद आणि संपादनाच्या क्षेत्रात कार्यरत आहेत.

त्यांनी मुंबई विद्यापीठातून सूक्ष्मजीवशास्त्रात बी.एस्सी., पुणे विद्यापीठातून रशियन भाषेत एम.ए. आणि कॅनडातील University of Alberta येथून भाषाविज्ञानात पीएच.डी. प्राप्त केली आहे.

त्यांच्या ‘बाईमाणूस’ या पुस्तकाला महाराष्ट्र राज्य साहित्य पुरस्कार, महाराष्ट्र फाउंडेशन पुरस्कार यांसह विविध मानाचे पुरस्कार प्राप्त झाले आहेत. बाईमाणूस, चालता-बोलता माणूस, प्रामाणिकही, सुंदरही, तारुण्यभान यांसारख्या पुस्तकांबरोबरच त्यांनी विविध महत्त्वाच्या साहित्यकृतींचे मराठीत अनुवाद केले आहेत.

साहित्यिक संवेदनशीलता, सामाजिक भान, चिकित्सक विचार आणि व्यापक वाचनदृष्टी यांचा सुंदर समन्वय त्यांच्या लेखनातून दिसून येतो. नव्या पिढीतील लेखकांना वाचक, समाज आणि साहित्य यांच्यातील नाते समजून घेण्यासाठी त्यांचा अनुभव व मार्गदर्शन निश्चितच मोलाचे ठरते.

Prof. Nilesh Nalawade

CEO, Agricultural Development Trust, Baramati | Educationist | Agri-Innovation Leader

Prof. Nilesh Nalawade is a prominent education and agricultural development professional serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Agricultural Development Trust (ADT), Baramati. His work brings together education, agriculture, technology and rural development, with a strong focus on creating sustainable and innovative solutions for the farming community. 

Under his leadership, ADT has actively explored the use of emerging technologies and data-driven approaches in agriculture. He has been closely associated with the Microsoft FarmVibes.ai initiative at Baramati, which uses agricultural data, sensors and AI-based technologies to support farmers in improving productivity, reducing costs and responding to challenges such as climate change.  

Prof. Nalawade also plays an important role in strengthening agricultural education and nurturing young professionals who can contribute to sustainable agriculture and rural transformation. His work reflects a commitment to connecting education, research, technology and grassroots agricultural practices./p>

प्रा. निलेश नलावडे

मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी, कृषी विकास प्रतिष्ठान, बारामती | शिक्षणतज्ज्ञ | कृषी नवोन्मेषाचे नेतृत्व

प्रा. निलेश नलावडे हे Agricultural Development Trust (ADT), Baramati चे मुख्य कार्यकारी अधिकारी असून कृषी, शिक्षण, तंत्रज्ञान आणि ग्रामीण विकास या क्षेत्रांच्या समन्वयातून कार्य करणारे शिक्षणतज्ज्ञ व कृषी-विकासाचे नेतृत्वकर्ते आहेत. 

कृषी क्षेत्रात आधुनिक तंत्रज्ञानाचा वापर, संशोधनाधिष्ठित शेती आणि शेतकऱ्यांसाठी उपयुक्त नवोन्मेषी उपाययोजना यांना त्यांनी विशेष महत्त्व दिले आहे. बारामती येथे Microsoft FarmVibes.ai उपक्रमाच्या माध्यमातून डेटा, सेन्सर्स आणि कृत्रिम बुद्धिमत्ता यांचा वापर करून शेतीची उत्पादकता वाढवणे, उत्पादन खर्च कमी करणे आणि हवामान बदलासारख्या आव्हानांना सामोरे जाण्यासाठी तंत्रज्ञानाधिष्ठित प्रयोग करण्यात त्यांची महत्त्वाची भूमिका राहिली आहे. 

कृषी शिक्षणाच्या क्षेत्रातही ते विद्यार्थ्यांना नवोन्मेष, संशोधन, उद्योजकता आणि शाश्वत शेती यांकडे प्रवृत्त करण्यासाठी कार्यरत आहेत. कृषी शिक्षण आणि प्रत्यक्ष शेतीव्यवहार यांच्यातील दरी कमी करून तरुणांना ग्रामीण परिवर्तनाचे सक्षम भागीदार बनविण्यावर त्यांचा भर आहे. 

शिक्षण, संशोधन, तंत्रज्ञान आणि शेतकरी-केंद्रित विकास यांची सांगड घालून कृषी क्षेत्रात नव्या संधी निर्माण करण्याची दृष्टी हे प्रा. निलेश नलावडे यांच्या कार्याचे वैशिष्ट्य आहे.

Mr. Vivek Sawant

Chief Mentor, Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL)

Shri Vivek Ramchandra Sawant is a distinguished educationist, technologist, institution builder, and social innovator who has played a transformative role in India’s digital literacy and technology-enabled education movement. He is the Chief Mentor and Co-founder of Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL) , where he served as its Founding Managing Director from 2001 to 2019 . Under his visionary leadership, MKCL emerged as one of India’s most successful public-private initiatives in education, digital empowerment, e-governance, and skill development, creating innovative models that have influenced educational transformation across India and internationally.

Born in Mumbai and educated in Nashik, Shri Sawant completed his higher education at Savitribai Phule Pune University. He began his professional career as a faculty member at Fergusson College, Pune, where he taught Physics, Electronics, and Computer Science from 1979 to 1987. He subsequently served as Deputy Director at Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research before joining the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in 1988. At C-DAC, he made significant contributions to the development of India’s indigenous PARAM Supercomputer programme and established the Advanced Computing Training School (ACTS), which trained over 25,000 advanced computing professionals who today occupy leadership positions in the global IT industry.

As the founding Managing Director of MKCL, Shri Sawant conceived and implemented one of the world’s largest digital literacy movements through the flagship MS-CIT (Maharashtra State Certificate in Information Technology) programme. He established a statewide network of more than 5,000 Authorized Learning Centres, supported by over 25,000 trainers, enabling more than 20 million learners to acquire digital literacy and employability skills. His innovative model combined technology, entrepreneurship, community participation, and affordable education, creating sustainable employment opportunities while bridging the digital divide from metropolitan cities to remote rural and tribal regions. The success of this model inspired several Indian states—including Rajasthan, Odisha, Haryana, Bihar, and Kerala—as well as international collaborations in countries such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Today, MKCL’s online learning initiatives reach learners in over 180 countries.

Beyond digital literacy, Shri Sawant has consistently championed the use of technology for social transformation through the framework of Education, Development, Governance, and Empowerment (EDGE). His work spans e-learning, e-governance, AI-enabled skill development, entrepreneurship, digital preservation of the Marathi language, scientific early childhood education, constructivist school education, sustainable agriculture, and Gandhian work-based higher education inspired by Nai Talim. He has delivered hundreds of lectures, authored numerous articles, and produced educational television programmes promoting innovation in education and community development.

Shri Sawant has served on several prestigious national and state-level committees, including the Prime Minister’s Information Technology Task Force, and has been associated with numerous universities, educational institutions, research organisations, and social initiatives as Chairman, Advisor, Trustee, and Board Member. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences and continues to mentor institutions working in education, digital transformation, innovation, and public policy.

In recognition of his exceptional contributions to education, technology, innovation, leadership, and social development, Shri Sawant has received numerous prestigious honours, including the Gyan Surya Award, Rajiv Gandhi Sanganak Sarathi Award, Doordarshan Sahyadri Shikshan Ratna Award, IT Icon Award, Pune’s Pride Award, Swami Rama Humanitarian Award, Dr. Narendra Dabholkar Memorial Award, Yashwantrao Chavan National Award, Godavari Gaurav Puraskar, Sane Guruji Lifetime Achievement Award, VASVIK Award for Research and Development, S. L. Kirloskar Business Leadership Award, and the Computer Society of India Honorary Fellowship, among many others.

Through his lifelong commitment to democratizing knowledge and empowering society through technology, Shri Vivek Sawant has become one of India’s foremost thought leaders in digital education and knowledge-driven development. His vision continues to inspire educational institutions, governments, entrepreneurs, and millions of learners in India and across the world.

Shri. Nilesh Nalawade

India is one of the youngest countries in the world, where the proportion of the rural youth forms the majority share in India's youth population. However, in recent years unemployment rates have been on the rise.

Agriculture and allied activities constitute the bulk of the rural economy, however, its dominance has been dwindling over the years. Moreover, drastic climatic changes such as extreme floods and droughts have brought in a plethora of challenges for Indian agriculture. Therefore, engaging youth in productive and sustainable agricultural activities will help India to reap the benefits of the demographic dividend and tackle climate change.

The recent rapid technological advancements have brought with them great opportunity for disruption in the food and agriculture sectors but at the same time pose a major challenge if appropriate skilling does not happen at the same pace. In order to make the most of opportunities and efficiently tackle challenges emerging due to technological advancements and climate change in agriculture we need to inspire and empower the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow in Indian youth.

The Sharad Pawar Fellowship has been designed as a journey from inspiration to excellence in agricultural leadership for Indian youth. It will strive to be a people’s platform and aim to evolve itself into a virtual university for agrarian prosperity. It will equip the youth to harness the recent technological advances in tackling the challenges that pose to Indian agriculture due to climate change, unemployment and growing population.

In the first year the fellowship will focus on climate resilient agriculture, effective monetization of produce to increase farmers income, chemical residue free fruits and vegetables and preventing the attack of wild animals on crops as the key priority areas. The 21 day bootcamp will give the fellows an opportunity to hands on learn new and diverse technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, animal genetic improvement, high tech poly house etc. The following year-long mentorship will help the fellows deep dive into specific problems along with the right resources to prepare and achieve SMART GOALS related to those problems. The fellowship will also provide soft skills that will help the fellows become leaders and changemakers of tomorrow in the food and agriculture sector.

We look forward to your participation in the Sharad Pawar Fellowship!