Mudita Chandra

Mudita is a social work professional with a B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science from Ramjas College, University of Delhi, and an M.A. in Social Work (Children and Families) from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. She was awarded the Best Student in Fieldwork Award for her practice-based engagement during her postgraduate programme. Her research explored the lived experiences and livelihood challenges of a community in Navi Mumbai, examining their continued marginalisation despite decades of residence in the city.

Her professional experience spans community-based work on housing rights, manual scavenging, child rights, gender, education and access to entitlements. These engagements have informed her understanding of the ways in which caste, class and gender shape access to rights, resources and opportunities, and have led to her growing engagement with questions of land, forests, livelihoods and community rights.

At SRUTI, she works on Jal, Jangal, Zameen, with a focus on community rights, research, documentation, capacity building and access to entitlements. Her current work brings together her field experience and rights-based practice to engage with the relationship between communities, natural resources and institutions.

Her practice is informed by progressive and Ambedkarite values, with a commitment to equality, constitutional rights, social justice and collective participation. She is particularly interested in strengthening community agency, dignity and contributing to processes through which people can understand, access their rights.

Her approach to social work is grounded in progressive and Ambedkarite values, with a commitment to equality, constitutional rights, collective participation and the dignity and agency of communities.