TRUSTEES

Vivek studied commerce at the University of Delhi and pursued his masters in Management & Information Technology. He started his career with a stint in Advertising and then moved into Product Management with the video distribution arm of Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures, Hollywood, as the Head of Sales & Marketing in India. After that he headed a SONY India joint venture that launched the first laser optical discs in the country.

But he found his true calling when he became associated with the Direct Selling Industry in 1996. Vivek, along with his partner, pioneered the direct selling revolution in India and has been instrumental in bringing about a positive change in over a million peoples’ lives till date.

Over the years, he has been associated with several non-profit organisations as a consultant. He is passionate about education, having inherited the interest and values from his mother, Mrs Kusum Lata Nigam.

The Foundation is a culmination of Vijaya’s lifelong dream of contributing to her local community and the people of her village by giving them an opportunity to get an education to bring about a positive change in their lives.

She grew up in the hills of Kalimpong and completed her studies from Kalimpong and Darjeeling (both towns situated in the Lower Himalayas in the eastern part of India). She moved to Nepal and worked for the Danish International Development Agency for ten years and worked in the Forestry Sector of the Nepal Government. While with DANIDA, she won a scholarship to study Project Administration and Management at the Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College, Copenhagen. In 2001 she moved to the United States and worked for The Institute for Humane Studies, George Mason University in Virginia as the Data Quality Control Manager.

Wherever in the world she was, Kalimpong was always home for her. In her heart of hearts, Vijaya always wanted to return to the hills and the village where she grew up and work with the community there. Finally, at the end of 2012, she made her journey back home and has ever since been involved in various women self-help groups and other social / charitable activities.

Originally from Delhi, Kabir Carlyle Saxena (Sumati Sasana / Losang Tenpa) finished his academic studies from Wadham College, Oxford.

He returned to India in 1983 and went on to become the first Director of the Root Institute, Bodhgaya, which he founded in 1987 as per the wishes of his guru, Lama Thubten Yeshe. Kabir took refuge as a Buddhist in 1977, and was an ordained monk for 18 years from 2002. He teaches mostly in the Gelugpa tradition of his gurus, Lama Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, interspersed with teachings of other realised masters from different knowledge traditions.

He is the Spiritual Programme Coordinator of Tushita Mahayana Meditation Centre, New Delhi, since 2012, the Chairperson of the Maitreya Project, Kushinagar, since 2016, and also serves on the Board of various FPMT (Foundation of the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition) Centres across India.

Lolita is an alumna from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. She specialized in Visual Communication and Exhibition / Spatial Design.

She has run her own design studio, working extensively for the Government of India, private and public sector companies, several NGOs and diplomatic missions. Lolita has now been in academia for over 3 decades, holding positions of leadership. She has been actively involved in curriculum design, teaching and conducting workshops across the country for universities, NGOs, corporates and other teaching institutions.

She has also been an artist in residence at Trelex, Switzerland, and is an active member of design associations like Cumulus, WDO, and is on the executive committee of ADI (Association of Designers of India). Lolita has also been a speaker moderator at the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2016 and 2017.