Nishita Banerjee

Nishita has over four years of experience working at the grassroots. After completing her Bachelor’s, she was part of the Gandhi Fellowship, a two-year residential fellowship in tribal hinterlands of Jhadol, Udaipur. As part of the fellowship, along with her teammates, she started a social enterprise called Mahavari Se Yaari, aiming to combat poor menstrual health in the region by promoting low-cost reusable sanitary napkins.

Nishita also worked with the Digital Empowerment Foundation on strengthening small-scale artisanal businesses in handloom clusters of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

In 2017, she was part of the Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associate (CMGGA) Programme in Haryana, where she worked on strengthening the implementation of state policies pertaining to Land Governance, Khadi and Village Industries Board and Prison Reforms, among others.

Before joining IIHS, Nishita worked on conceptualising Awalkhana—an institute of ‘everyday heritage’. She worked with the founder of the organisation in the revival of a disappearing art form called ‘Bharua Khashida’, one of the oldest forms of embroidery in Bihar.

Nishita’s interests lie in understanding public policies, intangible cultural heritage and livelihoods.

At IIHS, Nishita supports the land project.