Since its inception, Indira Khurana has been the Chairperson of the Indian Himalayan River Basins Council (IHRBC). IHRBC is a growing network of concerned citizens linking the hearts, minds, and actions of people with rivers in 23 states of India. She is
also the Vice Chairperson at Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), a Director at the Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell (CSPC), and an Advisory Council Member of the Balipara Foundation. Additionally, she is the Commissioner, of Communication of the People’s World Commission on Drought and Flood (PWCDF).
With a Ph.D. in biochemistry and around three decades of experience working on natural resources management, drinking water and sanitation, food security, and rural livelihoods, Indira has authored several papers, reports, and books, and written several articles for print and electronic media. For the last few years, her work has included a strong focus on climate change and water.
In August 2022, she co-authored a book ‘Rejuvenation of Rivers: Climate resilience, livelihoods, Dignity, Living examples,’ which was released by Dr. Rajendra Singh during World Water Week in Stockholm that year, and subsequently in various cities across the country. The book is available at https://norden.iofc.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/river-rejuvenation2-1_0.pdf. This was followed by another book titled ‘Drought, Flood, and Climate Change, Global problem, local solution: Water conservation for mitigation, adaptation, and resilience,’ which can be accessed at www.pwcdf.org. In 2015, she co-authored and co-edited a book on the water called ‘Reflections on Managing Water: Earth’s Greatest Natural Resource.’ In 2001, she co-edited her first book on water: ‘Making Water Everybody’s Business: Practise and Policy of Water Harvesting.’ In 2019, Springer Verlag’s book on Water Governance and Management in India carried a chapter by her on Drought, and a chapter on water quality in the next volume of Water Governance and Management in India, published in 2021. In 2019, she published a white paper on the status of the river Ganga. This paper was launched at several forums in India and elsewhere, including World Water Week.
In August 2020, she co-authored with Dr. Rajendra Singh a short book ‘Nature rejuvenation for eternal development,’ triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the last few years, she has been focusing on the impact of climate change on water and rural communities, and the need for better water management for developing resilience against disasters and preventing water-related climate migration. Indira remains committed to highlighting the issues of rural communities through research, publications, and public discourses, which have contributed to favorable changes in policy and practice. Gender remains a strong focus of her work.
In her journey, she has had an opportunity to work with several national and international organizations, occupied leadership positions, managed teams, and addressed national and international forums.
Sri M
Sri M, the founder of The Satsang Foundation, is a member of the Steering Committee of the C20 India 2023. Sri M is a spiritual guide, social reformer, and educationist. He was born into a Muslim family on November 6, 1949, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. His transformational journey, from a young boy to a living yogi, is a fascinating story symbolized by single-minded discipline and dedication.