Anuradha Shankar

Born in a family deeply involved in India’s Freedom Movement, Anuradha Shankar grew up strongly committed to Gandhian values. Anu has been actively engaged with Ekta Parishad, a grassroots movement for land rights and Jai Jagat, an international movement for peace and non-violence. She is on the board of the Universal Solidarity Movement, which works to develop responsible, ethical citizenship in school children in India. She mentors groups of young adults working on a non-violent economy and harmony between communities. She has been a Focal Point for UNICEF, developed capacity-building programmes for child-friendly policing, and given inputs to UNICEF’s 5-year country plans as well as critical feedback on their programme implementation. She is a decorated senior officer of the Indian Police Service and has leveraged her position to ensure safety and security regimes for the vulnerable, particularly women and children. As the leader of a regulatory organisation, her core competence is critical analysis for ensuring optimum results in the delivery of justice and her primary mandate is oversight of the mechanics of governance in a democracy. She is seen as a change agent rather than an upholder of bureaucratic perimeters. Anu has travelled widely to speak on Kasturba Gandhi and the role of women in India’s struggle for freedom.