People

The core team of trainers at SSDC has been handpicked and brings deep, grassroots level experience. Our core trainers hail from Chittoor District where SSDC is located (Madanapalle). They understand the pulse of the region and the aspirations of the youth. This makes their interaction with students real and empathetic.

Mentors

Mr. Viraj Naidoo is a founding member and the overall coordinator of SSDC. He holds a Master's Degree from The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. He is a Founder Member of The Peepal Grove School ( An ICSE Residential School run by The Satsang Foundation) and was the Academic Coordinator at the school for 15 years before taking over as the School Head.

Mr. Stephen Mathew is a founding member of SSDC. He is a mentor and coordinator for admissions. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma (PGDELT) from CIEFL and an MA in English from Osmania University. He is the Principal of The Satsang Vidyalaya and has been with the school for over a decade now. The Satsang Vidyalaya (A unit of The Satsang Foundation) offers free, high-quality, multi-lingual education to the low-income communities of Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh.

SSDC Core Trainers

Meet the Team

The core team of trainers at SSDC comprises 3 key members. Krishna Yeddasari--Centre Head, Rajesh Taliyar and Kaveri Palaka. They are supported by a team of volunteers across the country that helps them in training, documentation and placements.

KRISHNA YEDDASARI-CENTRE HEAD

Kirshna Yeddasari, the Centre Head & Life Skills trainer at SSDC, typifies the term “grassroots expert”. He brings with him a wealth of experience of over 20 years of working in the heartland of rural India across several states and organisations. Mr. Krinshna’s deep and wide experience in rural development comprises working with a number of schools, NGOs and communities across age groups from children to young adults. He has worked with a wide spectrum of institutions such as the Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Resources, Satsang Vidyalaya, Azim Premji Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, rural communities, Tribal Development Agencies, government bodies, rural NGOs and Trusts. These experiences have contributed to the depth of his knowledge that enriches the experience of students of SSDC. In the past he has mobilised large groups addressing health, relief campaigns and drives in rural communities organising and establishing medical, hygiene and basic utilities, assisted organisations he has worked with in developing learning materials, has been a key member of school committees designing curricula for education boards (such as NCERT, SCERT & IEC) and schools such as the unique Nali Kali program in Karnataka. One of the innovative projects he has been a critical part of was in the launch of education programs for little children in villages without schools where primary grade children had to be taught without textbooks. Krishnaji has been a part of Youth Development & Empowerment programs where tribal & traditional art forms, street plays, sports and games have been mediums of expression in the communication of social messages, rehabilitation, livelihood generation programs, environment preservation etc. He has also helped in the establishment of adult learning and vocational centres in Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. He is an asset to SSDC and the students at SSDC derive a lot of inspiration and hope from him.

RAJESH TALIYAR-TRAINER

Rajesh Taliyar is our Financial Accounting and Functional Computers trainer at SSDC. A hockey enthusiast who represented his college at the state and national level championships, Rajesh was born and raised in Madanapalle. He brings in the right mix of skills, motivation, enthusiasm and aspiration that the students at SSDC connect with. Rajesh has been with SSDC since 2019. Prior to working at SSDC, Rajesh worked at a telecom retail chain, Lot Mobiles Pvt. Ltd. in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana for 7 years. He started as a Sales Executive in the company and rose fast to become a branch manager in a short span of 1 year. Rajesh holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing. He decided to return to Madanapalle to join SSDC as a trainer as he had a strong desire to help the youth of his town, equip them with hands-on practical skills, boost their confidence and help them march towards a better future.

KAVERI PALAKA- TRAINER

Kaveri Palaka, our youngest team member, is a full-time trainer at SSDC and teaches spoken English. She too hails from Madanapalle and grew up on the campus of The Satsang Foundation. Kaveri did her schooling at the Satsang Vidyalaya and at The Peepal Grove School. Thereafter she earned her Bachelor's Degree at Mount Carmel, Bangalore. Subsequently, Kaveri worked at Piramal Foundation, Jharkhand-an organisation that works with government schools in North India. She was back in Madanapalle just before the pandemic in 2020. Keeping in mind the prevailing uncertainty of the situation, we engaged Kaveri at SSDC as a full-time trainer, and she has been a highly resourceful addition to the team. Kaveri is a basketball, badminton, kho-kho, and trekking enthusiast while she also dabbles in handicraft, embroidery and crochet. Her vigour shines like an emblem of hope and positivity giving assurance to others like her.

Mentoring

We have instituted a mentorship program at SSDC where our trainers are supported by senior volunteer mentors from across the country who possess deep and vast experience in their respective fields. These mentors conduct online remote sessions for the trainers as well as for the students of SSDC. Meet some of our key mentors:

  • Dr. K.V. Eswara Prasad: Dr. Eswara Prasad is an experienced process and institutional development consultant, a Psychotherapist (under training), leadership & executive coach and an author. He is actively engaged with initiatives on mental health with youth and elders in society through Psychotherapy, Counselling and Coaching. Dr. Prasad holds Advanced Organisation Consultation qualifications from the Tavistock Institute, London, a Certificate in Psychotherapy from Process Work Institute of India, MA, PhD in Economics (JNU) and is an ICF certified coach. He is also a trained Yoga teacher and a Professional Member of the Indian Society of Applied Behavioural Science. Dr. Prasad's support at SSDC focuses on strengthening life skills training by addressing psycho-social issues of both students and trainers.

  • Bhaswati Mitra: Ms. Bhaswati Mitra, a Chartered Accountant, is a senior banking and finance professional with over 25 years of experience in the sector and has held several leadership positions in her career. She contributes her free time to SSDC as a volunteer mentor and coaches the students of SSDC on practical and commercial aspects of Accounting / Tally Accounting that prepares them for real world situations post course completion.

  • Suchitra Parikh: Ms. Suchitra Parikh brings in nearly 30 years of experience as an HR professional, training consultant and an entrepreneur. She did her MA in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations from Tata Insititute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and BA in Sociology & Psychology from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara. Ms. Suchitra has worked as an HR consultant & as a soft skills trainer in several organisations, taught HR & training related subjects at Bhavan’s College of Management, Vadodara and has worked as a consultant with NGOs. She turned into an entrepreneur a few years ago and founded Page to Stage, a theatre company and 3 Peepul Productions, a film production company, in Vadodara. These ventures offer theatre as an inclusive platform for all ages and abilities, conduct theatre workshops, coach students and create short films on all genres that showcase storytelling about human experiences and emotions on screen. Ms. Suchitra contributes her time to SSDC and to Satsang Vidyalaya to teach Spoken English using story telling as a unique medium.

  • Gita Venkataramiah: Ms. Gita is a marketing and business development professional with 23 years of industry experience and has worked for several IT firms in Bangalore. She did her MBA (Marketing) from Bangalore University and has a Bachelor's Degree in Science (Mathematics). She volunteers for SSDC and works with the team on communication and industry placements.

  • Tina Janardhanan: Ms. Tina has over a decade of professional experience in the field of Human Resources. She has worked for leading staffing services firms in HR, adminsitration and training. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce and did her PGDM (Human Resources) from Alliance University. Ms. Tina contributes her time to SSDC in the areas of competency assessment framework and industry placements.

Train the Trainer Programs

Trainers at the Satsang Skill Development Centre undergo periodic and continuous training that help them in understanding young adults, current social trends and student issues when they enrol at SSDC. Continuous training also ensures that our trainers hone their competencies, acquire new dimensions and perspectives while dealing with the hearts and minds of young adults.

Some of the training that our trainers have undergone:

  • A course in Basic Counselling

  • Field visits to other Skill Development Centres in the region

  • Train the Trainer courses from "Head Held High"