Entrepreneurs working for the Himalayas must read widely, and think critically about its geopolitical and sociological contexts. The Naropa Centre for Writing & Communication helps Fellows develop these skills, so that they can write and speak about the impact their ideas will ultimately have on the region.
The Naropa Centre for Writing and Communication plays a unique role in building the entrepreneurial capacity of the Fellows by helping them strategise their communication and develop their critical thinking skills. The Centre plans all communication skilling coursework at the Fellowship and functions throughout the academic year.
The NCWC responds to each Fellow’s level of comfort with written and spoken communication. It conducts fundamental courses on speaking, verbal ability and writing along the Communication track of the Fellowship programme; and also provides individual tutoring at the ‘Writing & Communication Lab’.
The Writing & Communication Lab offers workshops in public speaking, organisational writing and critical thinking. The resident tutors at the Lab also guide the Fellows individually through a one-on-one system of office hours. The Writing & Communication Lab is designed to be a collaborative and encouraging space for all Fellows. It is open to assisting current Fellows as well as alumni of the Naropa Fellowship as they continue building their projects into successful ventures.
Saurav has over nine years of experience in publishing, curriculum design, and language and teacher-training. A linguist and a grammarian, Saurav has worked in editorial positions with SAGE and Routledge. He was an Associate in Pedagogy, English Content and Curriculum Design at Pratham Foundation for many middle-school projects.
He has been teaching at the Vedica Writing & Communication Centre as the Assistant Director & Faculty since 2016. As Adjunct Faculty at the JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur, he helped set up its Centre for Communication and Critical Thinking. He was also the Deputy Manager of Academic and Student Affairs at Ashoka University. Saurav currently manages the 9dot9 Writing & Communication Facility, which oversees various projects on communication skilling across institutes. He integrates principles of English as a Second Language teaching and linguistics to customise student-focused curricula in verbal and written communication. Saurav believes in celebrating words but admires the crisp economy of business language. He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in English and loves learning new languages.
Anuja is a visual artist whose research is located in understanding the Ladakhi society. She is the recipient of the Indian Photography Festival–Portrait Prize (2017), and her work has been showcased at various platforms, such as the Ladakh Literature Festival (2019), Kochi Students’ Biennale, India (2018), Head On Photo Festival, Australia (2018), Odesa-Batumi Photo Days, Georgia (2017), Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s Image Dialogues: Isthmus (2016) and the Contemporary Arts Week, India (2016).
At the Naropa Centre for Writing & Communication, Anuja assists courses along the Communication track of the programme and manages all functions at the Writing & Communication Lab, while providing individual tutoring to Fellows on their writing/communication competency. She holds a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University and a Master’s in Visual Art from Ambedkar University, Delhi. Anuja was also a Designate Research Fellow as a recipient of the Sahapedia-UNESCO Fellowship in 2017.