Team
Pratim Roy
(Director)
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- DesignationDirector
- AddressGroves Hill Road Kotagiri 643 217, Nilgiris District Tamil Nadu India
- Emailpratim@keystone-foundation.org
- Phone04266-275297
- JobFounder Director of Keystone Foundation, Pratim is instrumental in setting up Keystone Foundation with a vision of clarity and focus on eco development initiatives. He is responsible for organizational matters, donor relationship, planning programs and projects which are in line with the vision and mission of the organization. He works relentlessly with the district administration on Environmental Governance. His knowledge on bees and its ecosystem service to the biodiversity in the mountains is of immense value to the organization. Water is his area of interest on which he has developed projects to save wetlands in the Nilgiris. He is a Hubert Humphrey Fellow and just finished a year at Cornell University.
- ResumeMS, Ecology; Pratim has an energy-ecology background as well as a certificate in advanced studies in Environmental diplomacy from the University of Gevena and United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). Pratim as been with Keystone since the inception and is therefore a core member and one of the founders of the organisation. He has earlier worked in different regions in India as well as in Nepal.
Snehlata Nath
(Director)
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- DesignationDirector
- AddressGroves Hill Road Kotagiri 643 217, Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India
- Emailsneh@keystone-foundation.org
- Phone04266 275297
- JobSneh, as Director - Programmes, works with local natural resources related issues with indigenous communities, in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve - among many things, it includes land development, forest resources conservation and training & value addition of non timber forest produce (NTFPs). She is involved quite a bit in building up the new thematic area of Culture & People. She also works with project implementation, policy decisions, human resources and village enterprise. To compliment her role as a director, Sneh is also the president of the Non Timber Forest Produce - Exchange Programme, based in the Phillipines, while also coordinating coordinates the work of the NTFP India group.
- ResumeMA, Economics: Snehlata has a Masters Degree in Economics from Lucknow University. As a socio-economist she has worked in different regions in India as well as in Bangladesh. She has at an earlier stage worked with a Non Governmental Organisation with focus on rural labour in Dehli.
Mathew John
(Director)
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- DesignationDirector
- AddressGroves Hill Road Kotagiri 643 217, Nilgiris District Tamil Nadu India
- Emailmathew@keystone-foundation.org
- Phone04266 275297
- JobTo compliment his role as a director of the Keystone Foundation, where he mainly works with administration, finance and enterprise development, he has been actively involved in the fields of Fair Trade, Slow Food and Organic Agriculture. He was recently elected to the World Board of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) - he is also a member of their Participatory Guarantee Systems Committee, which encourages the development and adoption of simple certification mechanisms which are an alternative to 3rd party certification for organic produce. As member of the Fair Trade Forum - India, he has been overseeing the umbrella branding exercise of Retail Shops within the country. He is building close links with the Slow Food movement.
- ResumeRural Development, IRMA; Mathew has a background in administration and finance for rural development organisations and field projects. He also has an active interest in enterprise development and organic certification for small growers and harvesters. Mathew has varied experience in working on projects in a set of different regions in India as well as in Bangladesh.
Robert Leo
(Prog. Coordinator, Livelihoods)
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- DesignationProg. Coordinator, Livelihoods
- AddressGroves Hill Road Kotagiri 643 217, Nilgiris District Tamil Nadu India
- Emailleo@keystone-foundation.org
- Phone04266 272277
- JobLeo is in-charge of the Livelihood Programme area - these include apiculture, organic agriculture, water, etc.. His love for dabbling in technology helps him to constantly innovate. He has come up with simple methods for solar drying. Processing and value addition of agriculture and forest produce are also looked after by him.
- ResumeAfter finishing his B. Sc in Rural Development, Leo worked with a Sustainable Development Programme in Kodai Kanal. In 1993 he started at keystone, were he got engaged in develop appropriate techniques for beekeeping. He became a main character in the international honey hunting network, and in 1996 he took part in starting up a programme for traditional agriculture among adivasi communities.
Anita Varghese
(Prog. Coordinator, Conservation)
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- DesignationProg. Coordinator, Conservation
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- Emailanita@keystone-foundation.org
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- JobAs the Programme Coordinator for Conservation, Anita's work covers a wide range of environmental issues with indigenous communities. Her interest in the linkages between conservation, enterprise and livelihoods makes her the perfect match for this assignment. She is also a main role player in the birth and running of the Nilgiri Natural History Society.
- ResumeAnita received a Masters Degree in Ecology from Samil Ali School of Ecology. Recently her main focus is research work, writing her PhD in ”Traditional Ecological knowledge and community-based ecological monitoring in the Western Ghats, India”.
Archana Sivaramakrishnan
(Prog. Coordinator, Environmental Governance)
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- DesignationProg. Coordinator, Environmental Governance
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- JobHer work involves working with village communities to support them in their initiatives for more just and equitable alternatives regarding their environment. The programme plays an important role in creating living spaces for the communities. In her work Archana also highlights the connection between human health and the natural environment. This makes her programme an inter-disciplinary capacity building programme that will identify and priorities areas where natural environment and human health interact and strengthen Keystones ability to undertake multi- and disciplinary cases.
- ResumeArchana’s social work background has been important for highlighting the connections between human health and the natural environment.
T. Balachander
(Prog. Coordinator, Administration & Finance)
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- DesignationProg. Coordinator, Administration & Finance
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- JobAs an administrative coordinator Bala has a supporting position in the team environment. Bala manages to work independenlty and is excellent with the computer database. Bala has a strong ability to recognize and attend to priorities which is especially crucial, as his work involves many project details at once. Bala may also need to keep track of the different project details including the budget.
- ResumeBala has an M.Sc in rural management and a B.Sc in mathematics. Before he joined Keystone three years ago, he worked for Foundation for Ecological Security with projects in both Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat
T. Samraj
(Prog. Coordinator)
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- DesignationProg. Coordinator
- AddressGroves Hill Road Kotagiri 643 217, Nilgiris District Tamil Nadu India
- Emailsamraj@keystone-foundation.org
- Phone04266-275297
- JobSamraj works with all activities relating to building a market for products that are available from indigenous communities. He coordinates dealers, suppliers, greenshops and the resource center as well as coordinating enterprise, culture & people, certification and field studies.
- ResumeB. Sc. Degree in Bio-Chemistry. Samraj has a Bachelor Degree in Bio-Chemistry from Bharathiar University. He has worked in the garments industry and the stock market. He then moved on to working as a finance coordinator in finance and export companies. With Samrajs experience he brings a rare combination of local knowledge, enterprise development and marketing ideas into Keystone.
Moorthy
(Additional Prog. Coordinator)
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- DesignationAdditional Prog. Coordinator
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- ResumeMoorthy has been a Keystone member for eight years. In particular, he appreciates Keystone’s philosophy, which he refers to as “do or die”. He also enjoys meeting with village people, and practices meditation in his free time.
Sara
(Additional Prog. Coordinator)
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- DesignationAdditional Prog. Coordinator
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- JobAs an additional coordinator in Administration, Sara is very important to the foundation. her work involves planning, where she maps out the path from where the organisatin is to where it wants to be and involves establishing goals and arranging them in a logical order. Her work also involves organising, which implies identifing responsibilities to be performed and she provides an effective system to the rest of the staff.
- ResumeSara has a MA in business administration. After finishing her studies and getting married, Sara came to work for the organization nine years ago.
Easwaran
(Additional Prog. Coordinator)
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- DesignationAdditional Prog. Coordinator
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- Emailaccounts@keystone-foundation.org
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- JobAs additional programme coordinator for Finance and Administration, Easwaran handles the accounting work for the organisation’s programme areas. Having insight in the numbers of all areas of work at Keystone, Easwaran is a valuable resource person at the organization.
- ResumeEaswaran has a degree in commerce. Before he joined Keystone 8 years ago, he was a trainee at an accountant consultancy in Coonoor
Selvi
(Additional Prog. Coordinator)
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- DesignationAdditional Prog. Coordinator
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- JobAs an Additional Coordinator for Culture & People programme, Selvi runs the Nilagiri Seemai Sudhi, a monthly newspaper covering news from indigenous communities. She coordinates the community volunteers who bring information to the newspaper, and is also in charge of the process of putting together and distributing the paper. As increasing the communities’ identity and self-esteem is an important task for Keystone, Selvi has recently started work on a community radio, with the objective to spread information across the communities, effectively.
- ResumeSelvi shows us that insight is an important factor in the ongoing work towards succesful cases. With her insight in indigenous communities and multiple issues around it she was the perfect person working towards the preservation of the traditional culture, rituals and foods of the Kurumba people, which was her first assignment when starting her job at the culture and people programme. With her open mind and good spirit Selvi loves to work with communities stating that she has learnt a lot from the them which is a valuable resource to the organisation.
Sumin George Thomas
(Additional Prog. Coordinator)
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- DesignationAdditional Prog. Coordinator
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- ResumeWith a B.Sc in Zoology from the Madras University and an M.Sc in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from Pondicherry University, Sumin is currently involved in the Conservation Program at Keystone, working on human wildlife conflicts, conservation outreach and coordinating the overall activities of the conservation group. As a 4-year employee of Keystone, Sumin values the ideology, approach, vision and commitment that Keystone offers as an organization. Sumin considers himself to be accommodating to new things, and is always looking forward to the challenges that lie within them.
K.G. Ramachandran
(Subject Manager - Eco-Certification)
L. Rajendran
(Subject Manager - Nursery)
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- DesignationSubject Manager - Nursery
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- JobRajendran manage the raising of indigenous forest and horticultural species, a crucial part of the organisation’s work. Collaboration with Forest Department is an important part of the nursery work, though Keystone has a unique permission to plant these species in the forest. As a part of the indigenous community himself, Rajendran also handles tasks under the area of Culture and People.
- ResumeRajendran started at Keystone in 2002. He started off joining the conservation team and his deep knowledge of medicinal- and forest plants made him a necessary character in the nursery work. Rajendran is from the Kurumba community, which makes him a valuable resource person as well as an important link to the indigenous communities, where most of the nursery work takes place.
M. Chandran
(Area Manager - Pillur)
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- DesignationArea Manager - Pillur
- AddressGroves Hill Road, Kotagiri 643217, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India
- Emailkf@keystone-foundation.org
- Phone
- JobChandran works with the implementation of land development activities and backward linkages of organic agriculture certification. He is also involved in the revolving fund work and supplies seeds and water connections to the villagers as well as taking responsibliity for village beekeeping in Pillur.
- ResumeAs a Kurumba, Chandran likes to work for his own indigenous community. Due to his earlier experience, going for honeyhunting during the seasons and collecting non timber forest products he is an assett to the organisation working with all village beekeeping in the area of Pillur.
Justinraj
(Area Manager - Sigur)
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- DesignationArea Manager - Sigur
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- JobJustin is in charge of the award winning resource centre located in Vazhaithottam at the Sigur Plaeau. It is a low rainfall marginal land with poor soils and till recent times, also had a low population density. This diversity in rainfall has led to the profusion of a unique floral and multiple canopy layers in the west and an almost desert like stunted vegetation on the east. Keystones work in this area contains nursery, conservation and conservation education. At the resource centre you also find a seed bank with local and indigenous crops
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Rangasamy
(Area Manager - Hasanur)
P. Chandran
(Area Manager - Konavakkarai)
R.Rajendran
(Assistant - Beekeeping)
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- DesignationAssistant - Beekeeping
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- JobRajendran help assist other staff members such as Leo Roberts in his work with beekeeping. Rajendrans work involves training, technical & material support in tribal villages. Also village based apiaries & resource centres, floral mapping to document nectar & pollen sources.
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B.Mahadesh
(Research Assistant - Chamraj Nagar)
Subramani
(Assistant - Culture & People)
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- DesignationAssistant - Culture & People
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- JobDue to Subramanis excellence in speaking and communication he acts as a resource person on outreach to the villages. He also works as a reporter at the ”Nilagiri Seemai Sudhi” newspaper and distributes music to the community radio.
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K.Sudhakar
(Assistant - Research)
A.Vasu
(Supervisor - Campus)
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- DesignationSupervisor - Campus
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- JobBeing the campus supervisor, Vasu provides a safe environment for the employees. Vasu supervises employees performing facilities support services, which may involve assisting staff members during variety of events, preparing for tea-time and so on.
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Lalitha
(Assistant - Sigur)
T. Aradukuttan
(Assistant - Nurseries)
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- DesignationAssistant - Nurseries
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- JobAs nursery assistant Kutten handles and organizes plantation and nursery of local and endangered species. The work is done together with indigenous people in the villages, and thereby helps to spread information and knowledge about the use of local crops and the need for shola forest species. As a part of the conservation team, Kutten also assist wetland management.
- ResumeAs a member of the Toda community, Kutten contributes with valuable knowledge and insight when working towards the communities. This is especially important when comes to nursery, due to that the work is done in collaboration with the indigenous communities
M.Sivagami
(Accounts Assistant and Cashier)
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- DesignationAccounts Assistant and Cashier
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- JobAs an assistant accountant Sivagami is now an experienced bookkeeper who assists various other staff members to control finances during different projects. Sivagami analyses and reports on information concerned with the financial operations and affairs of enterprise. She also plans, sets up and directs systems to record accumulated costs of material and different projects. She also keeps records of all transactions and is responsible for the preperation of payable accounts.
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Sivakumar
(Accountant - PCD)
K.Iyyasamy
(Assistant - Beekeeping)
N.Murugan
(Field Assistant - Dhimbam)
Hari Bahadur
(Security)
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- DesignationSecurity
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- JobAs the nights watchman Hari guards Keystone Campus during night, making sure no human intruders or wild animals sabotage the office.
- Resume
