Core Team

The TQH team brings together an exceptional combination of skills in policy research and government engagement as well as public relations and media management.
 
rohit-profile-pictureRohit Kumar – Founding Partner
Rohit co-founded TQH in 2017 and its sister concern Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) in 2016 to strengthen the governance ecosystem in India through public policy research, advocacy and citizen engagement. Rohit’s work in policy cuts across sectors, including regulation of new business models, emerging issues in tech policy, digital public infrastructure and payments. An alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School of Government and IIT Bombay, he previously served as the Head of Policy and Research at the office of Mr. Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, Member of Parliament (MP) in Lok Sabha.Read complete profile
Before working with Mr. Panda, Rohit spent several years at PRS Legislative Research, the Indian think-tank that supports MPs across party lines with research on legislative and policy issues. At PRS, he also developed ‘MP Track’, the tool that is widely used by the media and civil society to track engagement of MPs in Parliament. Previously, Rohit was a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) at their Mumbai office. He is a 2013 IPRYLI (India-Pakistan Regional Young Leaders Initiative) fellow with the Asia Society.
 


 
aparajita-profile-pictureAparajita Bharti – Founding Partner
Aparajita is a Founding Partner of TQH and co-founder of Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) which works with young people to increase their engagement with democratic processes. Before starting these two organisations, Aparajita was Manager, Corporate Affairs and Communications at Snapdeal where she was responsible for managing media messaging while engaging with policy and legislative issues that affect the digital commerce sector. Aparajita holds a MPP degree from Oxford University and her work cuts across the domains of gender, tech policy and integrity of India’s democratic institutions.Read complete profile
Aparajita started her career in public policy as a Legislative Assistant to Mr. N.K. Singh, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and was one of the four Indians selected for the Faiths Act Fellowship by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in 2011. In her undergraduate years at the College of Business Studies, Delhi University, Aparajita was instrumental in starting ‘Manthan’ – an annual congregation of street theatre societies to spread social awareness. Manthan has now expanded to several towns and cities across India. She is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper from the New Delhi hub.
 


 
Deepro Guha – Senior Manager, Public Policy
A lawyer by training, Deepro graduated from NUJS, Kolkata in 2013. Over the last few years, he has led policy research and advocacy on several emerging themes in tech policy, especially digital public infrastructure, intermediary regulation and payments. Previously, he worked with the law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and while at the firm, he was involved in a wide array of cases including criminal matters, arbitration matters and constitutional issues. He has also done a stint in litigation, practising mainly in the Delhi High Court.Read complete profile
Deepro is passionate about strengthening governance systems and improving policy design and implementation for effective service delivery. He is also an enthusiastic sportsman, and has played in the Bengal Hockey Association League 3rd Division.
 


 
Amanat Khullar – Manager, Advocacy & Communications
A journalist by training, Amanat graduated from the Columbia Journalism School in New York in 2015. In her previous role, she led the content and editorial vertical at the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) – an industry body for India’s tech startups – where she was responsible for external and internal communications strategy and overseeing ADIF’s publishing, media and social media, in addition to liaising with member organisations.Read complete profile
She has over five years of reporting and copy-editing experience with digital publications including The Wire, Scroll.in and Quartz where she extensively wrote on the issues of gender, child rights, politics and human rights. Amanat has also worked with a weekly newspaper in Maine, United States, where she covered local politics, news and sports.
 


 
Maina Sharma – Manager, Public Policy
Maina is a seasoned public policy professional with over 10 years of experience of working with global organisations, multi-laterals, UN agencies and governments across various countries in Asia and Africa. With expertise in policy advocacy, impact strategizing, communications, thought leadership and policy research, she has worked across different domains in the social sector including skills development, disability rights, children’s rights and healthcare.Read complete profile
An alumnus of University of Delhi in Political Science and University of East London in International Social Work and Community Development, Maina has worked in multi-cultural environments and on various cross-cutting issues. She prides in being a life-long learner.
 


 
Mayank Mishra – Manager, Public Policy
An economist by training from IIT Kanpur, Mayank is a public policy professional with extensive experience in the fields of economic & financial analysis, policy advisory, agency design, and regulatory governance. Mayank has worked for over 5 years with the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) as part of their public policy team. At NIPFP, he worked on a wide spectrum of areas ranging from financial sector reforms and technology policy to institution design and government expenditure management.Read complete profile
While at NIPFP, he also had the opportunity to partner with several government agencies to help solve complex public policy problems and facilitate strategic decisions. Prior to moving to public policy, Mayank worked with McKinsey & Company as part of its Credit Risk Management practice.
 


 
Sidharth Deb – Manager, Public Policy
Sidharth studied law and graduated from the National University of Juridical Sciences. Since then he has worked in various roles at the intersection of policymaking and regulation of telecommunications, broadcasting, hardware and digital technology markets. Sidharth has previously worked at Koan Advisory Group, the Internet Freedom Foundation, the Esya Centre and the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi. Through this he has accrued experience across commercial research and advisory, digital rights advocacy and academic policy research.Read complete profile
Sidharth has a deep interest in the governance and regulation of new technologies and has worked with a wide array of stakeholders spanning industry, civil society, academia, government, regulatory authorities and other special interest groups.
 


 
Sonakshi Chaudhry – Manager | Strategic Partnerships & Communications
Sonakshi is a communications and gender policy specialist with over 8 years of experience building partnerships and working across the spectrum of think tanks, NGOs, publications, and government. As a Chevening scholar, Sonakshi pursued an MA in Gender, Violence and Conflict at the University of Sussex, and she also holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St. Stephen’s College.Read complete profile
With a particular focus on women’s economic empowerment through her work, Sonakshi has advised several organisations on issues such as preventing sexual harassment and encouraging gender equity in workplaces. She was previously Research and Editorial Lead for ‘Women in Labour’ —a podcast examining India’s declining female labour force participation rate, and a Consultant in the Economic Adviser’s Bureau at the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development where she worked on the implementation of a national scheme for women in distress. Sonakshi is also a Trustee at the Woman of the Elements Trust, which provides free legal aid to women and child victims of domestic violence. She has previously been a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Hub New Delhi and a delegate at the 2020 edition of the Australia India Youth Dialogue— a leading track II dialogue.
 


 
Sumeysh Srivastava – Manager, Public Policy
Sumeysh is a lawyer by training and an alumnus of Symbiosis Law School Pune. He has previously worked at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and was part of the founding team for Nyaaya, India’s first free online resource for accessible legal information. He has also worked as a legal researcher for the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), where his research work contributed to two PILs filed for securing socio-economic rights of fishing communities, and headed Nyayika, a non-profit social enterprise established by CSJ to provide affordable legal services.Read complete profile
Sumeysh’s research interests are primarily in areas of access to technology, information, and rights in the digital space. He writes on issues that look at the intersection between technology, law, society, and access for both academic and non-academic platforms and has pursued certification courses on privacy, internet governance and social entrepreneurship.
 


 
Kaushik Thanugonda – Senior Analyst, Public Policy
Kaushik is an alumnus of the National Law University, Delhi (NLUD) having graduated in 2019. His previous engagement was as a Judicial Law Clerk to Honourable Mr. Justice R. Subhash Reddy at the Supreme Court of India. He provided research assistance therein to both Constitution and Division Benches of the Court, across a wide array of matters such as constitutional, criminal and civil law. Kaushik is passionate about civil liberties, social policy and issues related to gender and sexuality.Read complete profile
While at NLUD, he was part of the CLPG-DHCLSC Prisons Project that created policy proposals to identify and address systemic blockages in the criminal justice system. He has previously also engaged with the Social and Political Research Foundation, Project 39A and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative to this end. In his free time, he enjoys birdwatching, reading and maintains a keen interest in palaeontology.
 


 
Mahwash Fatima – Senior Analyst, Public Policy
A law graduate from Symbiosis Law School Pune, Mahwash has previously worked as an attorney at the law firm Lakshmikumaran and Sridharan. During her tenure there, her experience ranged from litigation, advisory and advocacy on issues of indirect taxation and constitutional law. With a keen interest in the intersection of law, policy and governance she took up the Policy in Action Program with Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) in April, 2021. Thrilled by that experience and knowledge, she went on to complete the Graduate Certificate Program in Public Policy from Takshashila Institute.Read complete profile
Mahwash is passionate about working towards the goal of making the legal framework work for every strata through effective policies, strategic governance and impact litigation. During her free time, she engages herself in art & craft, reading and baking.
 


 
Nikhil Iyer – Senior Analyst, Public Policy
Nikhil is trained in law from NUJS, Kolkata. Prior to his current role, he worked as a legislative assistant at the office of Mr. Unmesh Patil, Lok Sabha MP from Jalgaon, Maharashtra. At Mr. Patil’s office, Nikhil was able to set up focused research practices and develop a suitable style of parliamentary interventions for a first-time MP. While at NUJS, he was part of the team that published the NUJS Diversity Survey to map socio-economic identities of students against their academic and extracurricular performance at law school to understand how they can be better supported.Read complete profile
Nikhil has previously freelanced as a legal draftsman for a state heritage commission. With a keen interest in urban issues and governance, he has also engaged with the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission and the Observer Research Foundation. Nikhil is an avid parliamentary debater.
 


 
Ujval Mohan – Senior Analyst, Public Policy
Ujval is a lawyer by training, with a degree in arts and law from Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar. During his time at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, New Delhi, Ujval worked with various law practices spanning technology litigation, defence and aerospace advisory, and commercial arbitration. His time in a commercial law practice has helped develop insights into matters of technology policy, public procurement and dispute management.Read complete profile
Ujval is passionate about developing a deeper understanding of regulatory / legislative design, and has a keen interest in the themes of public law, environmental heritage regulation, and economic analysis of law. In his free time, he likes to read, follow the news, cycle, or pursue his long-held interest in aviation.
 


 
Nikunj Agarwal – Consultant, G20 EMPOWER
As a public policy practitioner, Nikunj has worked in areas critical to human development – in education, gender, livelihood, human rights, and social justice. He started his journey as a Teach for India fellow teaching 97 students in an urban slum in New Delhi, a life-changing experience that fueled his passion for public service. As a Chevening Scholar, he earned a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Oxford.Read complete profile
While at the University of Chicago Trust, Nikunj has also worked with the Department of Education on systemic education transformation and with Niti Aayog to enable women’s entrepreneurship. Additionally, he worked with SEWA Bharat on labor rights, gender justice, and women-led social enterprises.
 


 
rohit-profile-pictureSehr Taneja – Consultant, G20 EMPOWER
A policy and communications specialist, Sehr previously worked with Member of Parliament Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia, leading the team on policy research and electoral campaign management. While her work in public policy cuts across sectors, Sehr focuses on gender equity and economic representation of women. She holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, with a specialization in communications, leadership and management.Read complete profile
In 2012, she co-founded Nayi Udaan, a not-for-profit driving social and financial independence for women in India.
 


 
Sohinee Thakurta – Consultant
Sohinee holds a Bachelor’s in Statistics from Calcutta University. Previously, she has worked as a development consultant with organisations such as India Health Fund, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and NITI Aayog on projects spanning health, gender, education and social norms within urban and rural communities. In her last stint, she was working closely with the District Administration office in Madhya Pradesh as a part of the Aspirational District Programme.Read complete profile
Early in her career, Sohinee joined the Teach For India fellowship to better understand grassroots realities within classrooms. The fellowship was a transformative experience which got her interested in the larger educational ecosystem. Her subsequent work with teachers and school leaders helped her gauge how different developmental themes interacted with one another to impact the well-being of individuals, and the large role the government played in it.
 


 
rohit-profile-picturePaavi Kulshreshth – Analyst, Public Policy
Paavi is a policy professional with specialisations in policy research and strategic communication. She completed her undergrad in Journalism from Delhi University and postgrad in Policy, Design and Management from the Indian School of Public Policy. She has previously worked with Centre for Civil Society (CCS), where she led multiple outreach projects and co-authored a research study that evaluated India’s digital health landscape (pre and post pandemic).Read complete profile
She has also worked with Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) as a strategic researcher, primarily turning data and research insights into effective political strategy and communication. As a researcher, Paavi is interested in health policy, political economy of development, and state-market partnerships. She also conducts workshops on critical writing for public policy.
 


 
rohit-profile-pictureRhydhi Gupta – Analyst, Public Policy
Rhydhi is a Spanish-speaking Lawyer who pursued B.Com(H) and LLB from Ramjas College and Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, respectively. After working as a Legal Researcher at Parichay (a legal aid clinic helping disenfranchised people in Assam with their citizenship), she went on to work with Member of Parliament Mr. Derek O’Brien as his Legislative Assistant. Here, she worked on Parliamentary interventions including bills, notices and questions, and also non-Parliamentary engagements such as stakeholder management and research for books and opinion pieces.Read complete profile
The transition from the litigation end of the spectrum to the legislative realm has given her a well-rounded perspective on the feedback loop of marginalisation, gender discrimination, lack of education, healthcare and basic amenities. Her passion for tech-policy is informed by her diverse experience and she hopes to contribute to a safe and equitable digital society.
 


 
Swathi Ramesh Rao – Analyst, Public Policy
Swathi is a chemical engineer by education. After her graduate studies at Cornell University, she worked as a scientist at enerG2 – a battery materials company in Seattle where she also supported large battery manufacturers in India with R&D and materials testing. Her interest in policy stems from her keen interest in renewable energy, education and women’s representation in STEM.Read complete profile
After returning to India, her first stint was with YLAC’s Policy in Action Program in 2021. While in India, she has also worked at an early stage ed-tech startup that works to make tech education accessible to everyone.
 


 
Vishakha Singh Deshwal – Analyst, Public Policy
Vishakha pursued her B.A. LL.B. from National Law Institute University, Bhopal and her post-graduation in law from National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. While at NUJS, she was awarded the Saroja Gopalkrishnan Scholarship for academic performance. Previously, she has worked at the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India as a Young Professional where she focused on emerging issues in tech policy and law.Read complete profile
She has also worked as an in-house counsel at Wipro Ltd. where she handled statutory and ethics compliance and as a Research Assistant at National Law University, Delhi on a research project on Legal Education Systems in India and China.
 


 
Akshat Sogani – Associate, Public Policy
Akshat has previously worked as a LAMP fellow where he provided legislative assistance to Lok Sabha MP, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu. He is a Political Science and International Relations graduate from Ashoka University where he wrote his honors thesis on the moral underpinnings of ‘Universal Basic Income’. After his graduation, he worked as a Research Fellow at Plaksha University, where he held discussion sessions for students and worked on research projects at the intersection of philosophy, anthropology and technology with a Professor of Humanities.Read complete profile
Akshat has authored articles for The Wire, Morung Express, Live Wire and E-International Relations which is the world’s leading open access website of Global Politics. He has also worked as a field coordinator and research assistant for a study jointly carried out by Dalberg Consulting and Azim Premji Foundation, which sought to understand the processes required for providing entitlements under NREGA and PDS schemes in Rajasthan. He interned at APF for a brief period where he facilitated in running a helpline for marginalised communities of Jharkhand to access Government schemes. His current interests lie in social policy and distributive justice. He enjoys hiking, running and badminton.
 


 
Devika Oberai – Associate, Public Policy
Devika is a psychology graduate from Jesus and Mary college, Delhi University. She previously worked with SEWA Bharat as a researcher, where her research portfolio focused on health, livelihood, gender-based violence and cash transfers amongst women working in the informal economy. Her research has focused on dissecting how socio-political institutions shape mental health and well-being and her work on the same can be found on IDR, Feminism in India, and other digital media platforms.Read complete profile
Devika has also worked as an educator with Aawaaz Foundation focused on critical thinking, social-emotional learning and public speaking. She is interested in using her educational and professional training to understand the policy landscape in India, and enjoys watching old TV shows, discovering new music and reading on most days.
 


 
Prakriti Singh – Associate, Policy Communications
Prakriti pursued her B.A. in Political Science and International Law from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver and her MSc. in Security and Resilience studies from Northeastern University, Boston. At Northeastern her thesis involved the study of the Indo-Pacific policies of the Quad as well as AI ethics with regards to autonomous weapons systems. She also writes for London Politica’s Geopolitics on the Periphery (GPP) team on the subjects of Outer-space, Arctic Policy, Antarctica and International Seabed related issues.Read complete profile
Previously, Prakriti has worked with Boston Public Schools, Newslaundry, Ministry of IT and Electronics, and as a Teaching Assistant to undergrads at Northeastern University.
 


 
Salil Ahuja – Associate, Public Policy
Salil is a journalism graduate from Delhi University with a penchant for public policy and research. Prior to joining TQH, Salil led the research team at Newslaundry where he worked to analyse government schemes and policies. He was the researcher and writer for Newslaundry’s flagship policy explainer show, Sansad Watch, India’s first news show on Parliament and civic affairs, hosted on Youtube.Read complete profile
Salil also did a short stint with the Maadhyam Foundation, where he was involved in parliamentary research and helped prepare a budget brief for the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways. He has previously worked in the communications sector and helped devise communication strategies for brands like Maruti Suzuki, Roca, and Bajaj Finserv. During his free time, Salil likes to cycle and trek.
 


 
Shubham Mudgil – Associate, Public Policy
Shubham is an ex-LAMP Fellow with an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi. As a LAMP Fellow, he provided legislative and policy research support to Lok Sabha MP Mr. Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu. Previously, he has worked on grassroots-level projects in the fields of education, food security, and capacity development across Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Delhi.Read complete profile
Shubham was awarded the Millennium Fellowship by the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and the global non-profit Millennium Campus Network (MCN) in 2021 for his project on SDG 1. His current interests focus on understanding the role of diverse institutions and their interactions in shaping and sustaining policy outcomes. He enjoys running, cycling and interdisciplinary reading.
 


 
Srijan Rai – Associate, Public Policy
Srijan completed his Bachelors in Political Science from Hindu College, University of Delhi and worked as a Legislative Assistant to a Member of Parliament (LAMP) fellow. Prior to his current role, he worked with an impact consulting firm to implement a Digital Education project in Rajasthan that was aimed at improving learning outcomes for 10 lakh girl students enrolled in different schools across the state. His interest areas include tech policy, social movements and participatory policymaking.Read complete profile
While working as a LAMP fellow, Srijan drafted legislative interventions in the diverse sectors of health, education and tech policy and also worked to create a monitoring mechanism for tracking government schemes at the constituency level in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. In his free time, he likes listening to rap songs and reading books.
 


 
Suhani Pandey – Associate, Public Policy
After graduating with an honours degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi, Suhani worked at the office of Dr. Amar Patnaik as a LAMP fellow. During her fellowship, Suhani assisted the MP in leading the Parliamentary Advocacy Group on Handloom and Handicraft. Besides making regular parliamentary interventions, she also provided research inputs to the social media team. While in college, she interned with the Foreign Policy Research Centre, Nirmaan Organization and Praja Foundation to gain exposure to policy research tools and communication campaigns.Read complete profile
Working closely with civil society organisations and various other stakeholders, she hopes to gain vital exposure in the world of public policy and advocacy. Suhani also co-founded an academic writing group during her undergraduate study to facilitate peer learning amongst undergraduate and postgraduate students. To unwind, she enjoys watching stand-up comedy and loves art.