About Us
Mission
Shakti Regeneration Institute (SRI) is an international 501(c)3 US registered nonprofit dedicated to ecosystems regeneration and intersectional justice, empowering women, Indigenous, and marginalized communities worldwide. We focus on three of the UN SDGs: climate, education, and equality. We utilize the powers of multidisciplinary partnerships, Indigenous wisdom, science, technology, anthropology, participatory storytelling, art, film, and social movement marketing, to maximize change for good.
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Vision
Empowering Indigenous-led and women-led regeneration, our vision is awakening public consciousness, shifting cultural attitudes, and transforming behavior through impactful art, education, advocacy, and innovation. We build transformative influence and mobilize social movements, to create a more just, equitable, and regenerative world.
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Overview
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We provide regenerative equality-based empowerment education, literacy, and neurodiversity education, vocational training, micro-financing, homeopathic medicine, anti-trafficking, and frontline community support for low-income women, children, marginalized and Indigenous communities. Founded in 1994 in West Bengal, India, with offices in New York and Virginia, USA, with Shakti Empowerment Education Foundation (SEEschool) and Ramakrishna Vidyapith, our foundation has supported over 8,000 students. Our powerful collaborations have helped raise over $26 million for nonprofit partners, and over 1.8 billion impressions of our multimedia images, films, and public service announcements.
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Recognition
Our work is recognized by organizations such as the United Nations with a 2018 Women’s Entrepreneurship Distinguished Fellowship, at the Global People's Summit, and the Science Summit at the United Nations; by Rotary International with its Max Mark-Cranbrook 2019 Global Peace Makers Award; a CNN Expose Best Picture Award; at the Harvard University, Kennedy School Carr Center's Pride & Progress Symposium; Princeton University's The Art of Social Justice; the Tribeca Film Festival 2019 Disruptive Innovation Award; and as XPRIZE Rainforest Semifinalists 2023.
"The work that this organization is doing, with so much compassion, this must inspire us all." -- Suhel Seth, Journalist.
Leadership
"Internationally recognized for her extensive work on social causes” (Priyanka Dasgupta, Times of India)
Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri Founder & Executive Director
Born in India and raised volunteering with Mother Teresa and the Ramakrishna Mission, as a teen Indrani co-founded SRI / SEEschool. Discovered by David Bowie and Iman, who launched her photography and directing, she is a TEDx Speaker, and has worked with 25 nonprofits and 300 global brands. Recognized at the United Nations as a Women’s Entrepreneurship Distinguished Fellow and co-convenor/co-host of its Science Summit and Global People’s Summit at the UN, she received Rotary International's Max Mark-Cranbrook Global Peace Maker Award, the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award, CNN Expose Award, and 2 Gold Lions at Cannes. Her work is exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian, Lincoln Center, Center Pompidou, and Australian Center for the Moving Image, on HBO, BBC, Bravo, NY Times, Vogue, & Vanity Fair. Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Open Origin and DXStudios, she is the co-lead of an XPRIZE Rainforest Semifinalist team, and CVO at Neuralign for neurodiverse education. Indrani graduated with High Honors in Anthropology from Princeton University, and lectures at numerous institutions on "Mobilizing Millions for Human Rights and Social Change". www.indrani.com
Ajay Pal-Chaudhuri Founder & Chairman
Ajay grew up in his family's historic home in Ranaghat, West Bengal India. Inspired by his father who devoted his life to spirituality and meditation, Ajay grew up determined to uplift those in need. After studying at the Ramakrishna Ashram Vidyapith in Bihar, he studied at Calcutta University, then moved to London, England, to become a Certified Chartered Accountant. When he returned to Kolkata as the CFO of British Oxygen, he volunteered with Mother Theresa and with the Ramakrishna Mission. After decades in the UK and Canada, he retired and returned to create with his daughter Indrani a charitable school in their family home. Now in his mid 80’s he continues to inspire students and teachers with his dynamic words and music.
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Craig Hatkoff Board of Advisors
Hatkoff is cofounder of the Tribeca Film Festival, the Disruptor Foundation, and Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards, with the father of disruptive innovation theory, Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen. Hatkoff began his career at Chemical Bank, a pioneer of the real estate securitization industry, and cofounded Capital Trust, serving as a board member and chairman. He is co-author and founder of Turtle Pond Publications, a leading publisher of Scholastic children’s books, including #1 New York Times bestseller Owen & Mzee. He received his MBA from Columbia Business School where he is an adjunct professor, and created the course on Disruptive Innovation. He serves on the NYSE Board of Directors: SL Green (SLG) 2011- present; Colony Capital (CLNY) 2019-present; Taubman Centers Inc (TCO) served 2004-2019. His previous and current Non-Profit boards include: Mandela Institute for Humanity; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Borough of Manhattan Community College Foundation; Scholastic Young Artist and Writers Awards; Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation, Wildlife Direct, and Wild Bird Fund.
Txukukaytxi Rosa'ne Puyanawa Board of Advisors and Director of Indigenous Communications
Txukukaytxi Rosane, is a proud Indigenous Youth Activist and communications facilitator for the Puyanawa Tribe of Guardians of the Amazon, in Acre, Brazil. At 20 years old, she is also a spiritual guide, leading ceremonies at home and across the world. An advocate of Indigenous culture and music, she is a talented artist and singer, and recently released her album “Puya Tour Adetera”. Rosane traveled to Singapore as a Semifinalist in the XPRIZE Rainforest on the ACTNOW Amazonas team, and is a speaker at the Science Summit at the United Nations during the General Assembly 2023.
Sherif Nahas Board Member
Sherif Nahas is the Director of Private Equity and Real Assets at the Ford Foundation, since July 2009. Prior to joining Ford, he served as the Director, Private Equity and Real Assets at University of Virginia Investment Management Company for eight years. He is currently a board member at the Reset Foundation, a movement to disrupt the prison to poverty cycle. Nahas holds an MBA in finance from the University of Michigan and an M.E. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia. He also holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
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Tom DeSanto Board of Advisors
Tom DeSanto is the founding writer/producer behind the X-Men and Transformers films. Some of the biggest franchises in movie history, grossing more than $6 billion worldwide at the box office and billions more in home video, merchandising, and games, they are inspired by social justice themes and an exploration of the intersection of technology and humanity. DeSanto has also produced social issue documentaries on youth homelessness and child abuse. During the COVID-19 pandemic DeSanto co-founded Facts2Health in partnership with the CDC Foundation to activate Hollywood to help in messaging in the battle against the virus. DeSanto created the Heroes Wear Masks campaign enlisting pop culture heroes to join the battle against COVID-19. The website and social media program helped change the narrative on wearing masks to protect others. DeSanto’s world-building continues into the world of digital medicine as a Co-Founder of NeuroAnimation, using cutting-edge technology of computer animation and virtual reality to help people recover from stroke and other neurological medical issues.
Puwe Puyanawa Board of Advisors
One of the main spiritual and social leaders of the Puyanawa Tribe, known as Protectors of the Amazon, in Acre, Brazil, Puwe has a degree in Biological Sciences, and is a teacher at Ixubay Rabui School. As President of the Puyanawa Community Association he has dedicated 30 years to rescuing and preserving the Amazon, Indigenous culture, and spiritual traditions. He has been working with sacred medicine for 16 years. In 2013, with his mentor Benki Piyãko, he began traveling to make known their community's history and seek support from the global community for their work in protecting the forests and biodiversity. Puwe is a Semifinalist in the XPRIZE Rainforest on the ACTNOW Amazonas team, and a speaker at the Science Summit at the United Nations during the General Assembly 2023 and at Davos WEF 2024.
GK Reid Chief Operating Officer & Producer
GK Reid is a purpose-driven producer, regenerative designer, and climate advocate. Focused on shifting global consciousness to ecosystems regeneration, he is described as “A Renaissance man” (Soma), for his multifaceted collaborative approach across films, marketing, events, design, music, fashion, and social justice advocacy. His work has raised over 2 billion impressions for nonprofits such as Keep A Child Alive, the American Cancer Society, Nanhi Kali, and the Science Summit at the United Nations: Digital Democracy for Climate Action. The son of a Curandera and Ayurvedic healer, GK was raised between an artists' community in New Mexico, sword-fighting, and serving thousands daily at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India. Immigrating into London's club culture, Isabella Blow inspired GK’s creative explorations, and his first commissions by David Bowie and Iman launched his artist collaborations with Rihanna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and many others. As Chief Operating Officer of Shakti Regeneration Institute, and Chief Communications Officer at Open Origin, he combines his humanitarian work with practical solutions and movements to empower Indigenous people worldwide.
Krishna Palchaudhuri School Principal
Krishna has dedicated her life to empowering the most low-income children and women of India. After losing her parents as a child, she took on the responsibility of raising her many younger siblings. She became an eminent educator focusing on humanities-oriented education. SRI's Shakti Empowerment Education - Ramakrishna Vidyapith has been fortunate to have Krishna as its strong-minded principal for over two decades. She runs the day-to-day operations of the school and women's empowerment with firm positivity, ensuring that students receive a good balance of humanities, practical education, sports, and music, and makes sure that the staff receives the training and support they need to provide a holistic, loving atmosphere to empower their students. She oversees SRI's Ayurvedic / Homeopathic Free Clinic, and provides yoga classes to community elders.
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Eugene Brave Rock Board of Advisors
Brave Rock is one of the best-known Indigenous actors worldwide, with his hard-hitting roles in AMC's Dark Winds and The Stranger, and his standout role as "The Chief" in Wonder Woman (2017) alongside Gal Gadot. He advocated to bring the first Blackfoot words spoken on the silver screen, and to bring Blackfoot mythology to life with his character, setting up the first Indigenous superhero. An advocate of ecological, cultural and linguistic regeneration, Brave Rock is the founder of the OKI Language Project. Born and raised near the Rocky Mountains on the Kainai (Blood) Reserve, he began his career as a stunt person in "Buffalo Bills Wild West Show" at Euro Disney in France, and worked on the Oscar-winning film "The Revenant." He is a keynote speaker at institutions such as Princeton University for “The Art of Social Justice and Anti-Racism,” Slought foundation at University of Pennsylvania on “Representation, Symbolization, and Indigeneity,” Stanford University on "Indigenous Food Sovereignty," and the Science Summit at the United Nations on “Digital Democracy for Climate Action.”
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Julie Francella Board of Advisors
Julie Francella is an activist, artist, writer, and veteran mental health professional with over 28 years of experience in the clinical field working with complex trauma. Julie has worked as the Executive Director of a Domestic Violence Center and as a clinical caseworker for 13 years at a residential treatment center for Indigenous youth and families. She currently works with the First Nations University of Canada and is represented by Charlotte Sheedy Literary agency in NYC. She is an enrolled member of the Ojibway of Batchewana First Nation Reserve.
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Gerald Nebeker Board Member
Dr. Nebeker has two doctoral degrees, one in management of nonprofit organizations and the other in behavioral health. He is considered an expert in nonprofit governance and has consulted with over 50 nonprofit organizations, providing pro bono board training and strategic planning facilitation. He founded the nonprofit organization RISE, Inc. in 1987 to support people with various developmental disabilities, now operating in Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Florida, and Utah. He created Orange Socks in 2016 to educate new parents of children with disabilities. In 2021 he founded the nonprofit Nebo Children’s Fund to move orphanages in Uganda from donation dependency to self-sustainability. He has served on many local and national nonprofit boards and helped many nonprofit organizations incorporate, establish relevant missions, and monetize them through relevant strategic plans.
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Supporters
Iman Bowie
"Not only does award winning photographer Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri create magnificent images… Indrani also grasps the meaning of giving-back! Indrani and her father, Ajay Pal-Chaudhuri started SEEschool in West Bengal, which provides free quality education and vocational training for women and children.... Indrani embodies talent and social conscience."
- Iman in the foreword to ICONS: The Celebrity Exposures of Markus and Indrani (Perseus Press, 2021)
Deepak Chopra
Deepak's Chopra Foundation has supported SEEschool by donating many books to our Library, and linking to our foundation on its website in 2010. The Chopra Foundation is dedicated to improving health and well-being, cultivating spiritual knowledge, expanding consciousness, and promoting world peace to all members of the human family - missions which SEEschool wholeheartedly shares.
Suhel Seth
Columnist, Financial Times, Hindustan Times, The Telegraph, and Indian Express; Founder and managing partner of Counselage India; Chairman, Marketing Committees of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
"Shakti Empowerment Foundation, run by Indrani’s father at this advanced age is so beautiful, it’s an example of how we should all be. It is not just a duty, it’s a moral obligation to make sure that everyone is supported... The work that Indrani and her dad are doing, the work that the NGO is doing, with so much compassion, this must inspire us all."
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- Suhel Seth at #United4India Clubhouse, 2021
Shakti Empowerment Education Teachers and musicians lead students in traditional cultural performance, 2020.
Shakti Empowerment Education Staff
15 teachers
5 teaching assistants
3 administrators
5 children’s helpers
5 kitchen staff
1 medical doctor at our Free Clinic
1 information technology specialist
MISSION
Empowering women and girls, setting them free from oppressive systems, to unleash their potential for regenerative change.
“Shakti” is the Sanskrit word for the feminine creative energy of life and love.
“Regeneration” is a term that includes cultural and ecological renewal, consciously building the capacity to respond to climate change and encourage transformation.
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FOUNDATION & RAMAKRISHNA VIDYAPITH RANAGHAT, WEST BENGAL SCHOOL
Providing regenerative education, front-line community support, vocational training, and micro-financing for the lowest-income children and women.
Shakti Empowerment Education Foundation and its school Ramakrishna Vedanta Vidyapith provide front-line support, free quality education, literacy, vocational training, and micro-financing for 300+ low-income and marginalized women and children annually in both Ranaghat, West Bengal, and with global partners. Working in collaboration with the community, families, teachers, and volunteers, to support female empowerment and provide innovative interventions to address gaps in the system for students from the lowest-income families, and from indigenous, marginalized, and refugee communities. We also provide resources and support to protect from the risks of early marriage, child labor, trafficking, and domestic violence. SEEschool teaches the values of regenerative original thinking and problem solving “outside the box,” equality, collaboration, spirituality, music, culture, and sports, and respecting those of different genders, faiths, and backgrounds.
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We are small but mighty - we are dedicated to our students and community, many of whom return after graduation to support the next generations. 100% of proceeds go to those in need.
OVERVIEW
History
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SEEschool was founded in 1994 in Ranaghat, West Bengal, India, by co-founders Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri and Ajay Pal-Chaudhuri in their ancestral home. At first they had to go door-to-door in the community, to ask families to let at least one of their children gain an education instead of working in the fields and factories. These students were often expected by their families to bring home education for their siblings as well.
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The current modernized school building was dedicated in 2002 to provide 300+ students with education and meals. High School Coaching classes are provided in the Pal-Chaudhuri Gupinath Mandir and Gardens. In 2005, the foundation expanded to provide literacy and vocational training to mothers and women from village communities, and found that they are able to dramatically improve the circumstances for their families, empowered by our microfinancing program. Women's Education classes are held both in Ranaghat and in the villages outside Kolkata.
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