Jameshowlett179011: added initial details w/ infobox

2026-03-12T02:00:27Z

added initial details w/ infobox

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{{Short description|Indian author and activist (born c.1955)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Urvashi Sahni
| image = Dr Urvashi Sahni.jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1955}}
| education = {{Plainlist|
* [[University of California, Berkeley]] (Ph.D., M.A. in Education)
* [[University of Lucknow]] (M.A. in Philosophy)
}}
| occupation = {{Plainlist|
* Educator
* Social entrepreneur
* Author
* Activist
}}
| known_for = Founder of Study Hall Educational Foundation, work in girls' education and empowerment, Critical Feminist Pedagogy
| notable_works = ''Reaching for the Sky: Empowering Girls Through Education''
| awards = {{Plainlist|
* [[Ashoka (non-profit organization)|Ashoka Fellow]] (2011)
* Social Entrepreneur of the Year, India (2017)
}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.studyhallfoundation.org}}
}}
'''Urvashi Sahni''' (born {{Circa|1955}}) is an Indian [[Social entrepreneurship|social entrepreneur]], [[educator]], [[women's rights activist]], and author. She was named as one of the [[BBC 100 Women]] of 2017, for her work towards education and empowerment of girls and disadvantaged children in India.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=2017-09-27 |title=BBC 100 Women 2017: Who is on the list? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-41380265 |access-date=2025-05-22 |work=BBC News |language=en |archive-date=24 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230624093249/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-41380265 |url-status=live }}</ref> She is the founder and chief executive officer of the Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF).

Her work primarily focuses on school governance, curriculum reform, teacher training, girls' education, and the use of technology in education. She is known for developing "Critical [[Feminist pedagogy|Feminist Pedagogy]]" and her contributions to education and social entrepreneurship.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Dhillon |first=Amrit |date=2017-03-18 |title=An Indian school converts submissive girls into empowered women |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/an-indian-school-converts-submissive-girls-into-empowered-women-20170318-gv11sd.html |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=Obama |title=Kiran's story |url=https://www.obama.org/stories/kirans-story/ |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=Obama Foundation |language=en |quote=Dr. Sahni is one of the grassroots leaders that the Girls Opportunity Alliance supports around the world. Her Foundation has helped expand girls' education throughout urban and rural India and was one of the first organizations listed on our crowdfunding platform.}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Jaffer |first=Mehru |date=2015-05-27 |title=One amazing school is giving underprivileged girls their first lesson in Feminism |url=https://thebetterindia.com/23332/prerna-school-giving-girls-their-first-lessons-in-feminism/ |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=The Better India |language=en-US |archive-date=22 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250522215406/https://thebetterindia.com/23332/prerna-school-giving-girls-their-first-lessons-in-feminism/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sahni is also a non-resident fellow at the [[Center for Universal Education]] at the [[Brookings Institution]] and was a 2024 Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) Fellow at [[Harvard University]].<ref name="BrookingsBio2">{{cite web |title=Urvashi Sahni |url=https://www.brookings.edu/people/urvashi-sahni/ |access-date=22 May 2024 |website=Brookings Institution}}</ref><ref name="SHEFHarvard2">{{cite web |title=Urvashi Sahni — Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative |url=https://www.advancedleadership.harvard.edu/2024-fellows-and-partners/urvashi-sahni |access-date=22 May 2024 |website=www.advancedleadership.harvard.edu |publisher=Harvard University}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Sahni was born in 1955 into a business family in [[Lucknow]], Uttar Pradesh.<ref name="Ashoka2">{{cite web |title=Urvashi Sahni |url=https://www.ashoka.org/en-us/fellow/urvashi-sahni |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420042045/https://www.ashoka.org/en-us/fellow/urvashi-sahni |archive-date=20 April 2021 |access-date=22 May 2024 |website=Ashoka}}</ref> She was married at the age of 18, but she continued her studies, eventually graduating with a Master's degree in Philosophy from the [[University of Lucknow]].<ref name="BrookingsBio2" /> She later earned a Master's degree and a Ph.D. in Education (Language, Literacy and Culture) from the [[University of California, Berkeley]].<ref name="BrookingsBio2" /><ref name="WEFbio2">{{cite web |title=Dr. Urvashi Sahni |url=https://www.wef.org.in/dr-urvashi-sahni/ |access-date=22 May 2024 |website=WEF|date=10 April 2018 }}</ref> Sahni has three brothers.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWcBZy63jQU |title=This Indian woman turned a personal tragedy into a fight for girls' education |date=2023-07-11 |last=World Economic Forum |access-date=2025-05-23 |quote=I couldn't do things that my brothers did, I had three.}}</ref>

== Career ==
Sahni's career in women education, safety, and empowerment began in 1983 when she founded an organization, ''Suraksha'' ({{Translation|Safety}}) after her 24-year-old cousin burnt to death—reportedly due to an accident that Sahni did not believe.<ref name=":0" /> It was the first women's organization in Lucknow and the first family counseling cell in Uttar Pradesh, for which she received the National Youth Award in 1987.

Sahni's educational initiatives began in 1986 with the founding of the Study Hall School in Lucknow.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Study Hall {{!}} Overview |url=https://www.studyhallschool.com/overview.php |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=www.studyhallschool.com}}</ref> The initiative evolved into the Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Urvashi Sahni |url=https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/bellagio-bulletin/the-people-and-ideas-of-bellagio/dr-urvashi-sahni/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=The Rockefeller Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref> a social enterprise that now operates a network of schools and outreach programs.<ref name=":2" /> Through SHEF, Sahni has concentrated on making education empowering for girls, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, and promoting gender equality.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 22, 2023 |title=Students hold rally to promote girl education |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/600-people-rally-for-girls-education-rights-in-ujariyaon-and-guwari-organized-by-study-hall-educational-foundation-101684760174306.html |access-date={{TODAY}} |website=Hindustan Times |archive-date=28 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250528161438/https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/600-people-rally-for-girls-education-rights-in-ujariyaon-and-guwari-organized-by-study-hall-educational-foundation-101684760174306.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

One of the key SHEF's inititative is [[Prerna Girls School]] that offers affordable, rights-based education to over thousand girls from urban slum communities in Lucknow.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-02-16 |title=School for underprivileged girls teaches feminist principles in India |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/school-underprivileged-girls-teaches-feminist-principles-india-n719691 |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> Her pedagogical method, known as "Critical Feminist Pedagogy," is specifically designed to provide girls with critical thinking abilities to challenge patriarchal structures and assert their rights.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="WEFbio2" /> This approach aims to equip girls with the necessary tools to understand and challenge prevailing social inequalities and advocate for their rights.<ref name="WEFbio2" /> Her work has reportedly influenced a large number of students and educators in Uttar Pradesh and other regions.<ref name="SHEFHarvard2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=Obama |title=Laxmi's story |url=https://www.obama.org/stories/laxmis-story/ |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=Obama Foundation |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Review |first=Eurasia |date=2017-10-05 |title=Urvashi Sahni Honoured As India Social Entrepreneur Of Year For Work With Disadvantaged Girls |url=https://www.eurasiareview.com/05102017-urvashi-sahni-honoured-as-india-social-entrepreneur-of-year-for-work-with-disadvantaged-girls/ |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=Eurasia Review |language=en-US}}</ref>

Other initiatives include Vidyasthali School, a rural institution; and Digital Study Hall (DSH), which employs technology to broaden educational access in remote areas.<ref name="WEFbio2" /><ref name="BrookingsBio2" /> DSH leverages technology, particularly video lessons and other digital resources, to disseminate innovative teaching methodologies and high-quality educational content. This program extends its reach to underserved schools in both rural and urban settings, aiming to improve the quality of education for a large number of students and to provide valuable professional development for teachers in these areas.<ref name="WEFbio2" /><ref name="BrookingsBio2" />

She also founded Grameen India Foundation and DiDi's, social enterprises that provide training and employment to youth from rural and poor urban backgrounds and teach sustainable livelihood opportunities to women, including many graduates from Prerna Girls School and their mothers.<ref name="Ashoka2" />

Sahni has been an active participant in policy advocacy. She has contributed to consultation and implementation committees for both state and central governments in India concerning educational policy, notably the [[National Education Policy 2020]].<ref name="SHEFImpact2">{{cite web |title=Urvashi Sahni |url=https://www.studyhallfoundation.org/urvashi-sahni.php |access-date=22 May 2024 |website=Study Hall Educational Foundation}}</ref> Additionally, she served on the sub-committee on school education for the Chief Minister's Advisory Council in Rajasthan.<ref name="WEFbio2" /> She is also a founding member of Catalyst Now, (formerly Catalyst 2030), a global network of social entrepreneurs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frederick |first=Denver |date=2022-08-11 |title=Study Hall Educational Foundation Founder on Why Patriarchal Systems in India Must Be Done Away With |url=https://denver-frederick.com/2022/08/11/study-hall-educational-foundation-founder-on-why-patriarchal-systems-in-india-must-be-done-away-with/ |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=Denver Frederick |language=en}}</ref>

== Publications ==
Sahni has authored and contributed to numerous works on education, gender, and pedagogy. Her book, ''Reaching for the Sky: Empowering Girls Through Education'', was published by the Brookings Institution Press in 2017.<ref name="BrookingsBook2">{{cite web |title=Reaching for the Sky: Empowering Girls Through Education |url=https://www.brookings.edu/books/reaching-for-the-sky/ |access-date=22 May 2024 |website=Brookings Institution |archive-date=15 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615180729/https://www.brookings.edu/books/reaching-for-the-sky/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She has also contributed chapters to other academic books, such as "Teaching boys to examine gender in patriarchal societies" in ''Girls' Education in the 21st Century: Gender Equality, Empowerment, and Growth'' (Brookings Institution Press, 2019) and "A life knowledge approach to life skills: Empowering boys with new conceptions of masculinity" in ''Life Skills Education for Youth: Critical Perspectives'' (Springer International Publishing, 2022).<ref name="SHEFImpact2" /> In 2023, her article "Trembling: The winds and I" was published in the ''Nordic Journal of Art & Research''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sahni |first=Urvashi |date=2023-11-22 |title=Trembling: The winds and I |url=https://doi.org/10.7577/ar.5641 |journal=Nordic Journal of Art & Research |language=en}}</ref> Sahni has also authored various other articles and research papers.<ref name="BrookingsBio2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Daniel |first=Ari |date=2023-04-21 |title=How do you stay optimistic in spite of it all? 6 hopeful souls share their secrets |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/04/21/1170913296/how-do-you-stay-optimistic-in-spite-of-it-all-6-hopeful-souls-share-their-secret |access-date=2025-05-22 |work=NPR |language=en |archive-date=23 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250523011030/https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/04/21/1170913296/how-do-you-stay-optimistic-in-spite-of-it-all-6-hopeful-souls-share-their-secret |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sahni is a non-resident fellow at the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, where her research centers on girls' empowerment via education and the application of technology.<ref name="BrookingsBio2" />

== Awards and recognition ==
Sahni's contributions to education and social entrepreneurship have been recognized through various awards and honors. An early recognition was the [[The Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award|Haas International Award]] from the [[University of California, Berkeley]], received around 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award Recipients {{!}} Berkeley Awards |url=https://awards.berkeley.edu/elise-walter-haas-international-award/recipients/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=awards.berkeley.edu}}</ref> In 2011, she was named an [[Ashoka (non-profit organization)#Fellows|Ashoka Fellow]] for her contributions with Digital Study Hall.<ref name="Ashoka2" />

Her work gained further prominence when she was an Echidna Global Scholar at [[The Brookings Institution]] for 2013-2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet our Echidna Global Scholars alumni |url=https://www.brookings.edu/alumni-of-the-echidna-global-scholars-program/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=Brookings |language=en-US}}</ref> She became an honorary member of the [[Clinton Global Initiative]] in 2014.<ref name="WEFbio2" /> A significant recognition was the "Social Entrepreneur of the Year" award for India in 2017, presented by the [[Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship]] and the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation.<ref name="MintSEOYAward2">{{cite web |last=Mishra |first=Asit Ranjan |date=5 October 2017 |title=Urvashi Sahni, founder of SHEF, wins social entrepreneur award |url=https://www.livemint.com/Companies/Szc8tj7TbZTDtWMUDbZuSP/Urvashi-Sahni-founder-of-SHEF-wins-social-entrepreneur-awa.html |access-date=22 May 2024 |website=Mint |archive-date=19 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419152024/https://www.livemint.com/Companies/Szc8tj7TbZTDtWMUDbZuSP/Urvashi-Sahni-founder-of-SHEF-wins-social-entrepreneur-awa.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the same year, she was recognized as one of the [[BBC 100 Women]] most inspirational and influential women around the world.<ref name=":3" /> This was followed by international recognition from The Schwab Foundation as one of twelve "Social Entrepreneurs of the Year" worldwide in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwab |first=Hilde |date=24 Sep 2018 |title=World-changers: meet the Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2018 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/2018/09/world-changers-meet-the-social-entrepreneurs-of-the-year-2018/ |access-date={{TODAY}} |website=World Economic Forum}}</ref>

In 2020, [[Tatler Asia]] included her in "Asia's Most Influential: The Impact List".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kong |first=Tatler Hong |title=Introducing Asia's Most Influential: The Impact List |url=https://www.tatlerasia.com/the-scene/people-parties/hk-asia-most-influential-impact-list-2020 |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=Tatler Asia |language=en}}</ref> More recently, in 2024, Sahni was selected as an Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow at [[Harvard University]].<ref name="SHEFHarvard2" />

== Personal life ==
Sahni resides in her hometown city of [[Lucknow]] in [[Uttar Pradesh, India]], and has two daughters.<ref name=":2" />

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [https://www.brookings.edu/people/urvashi-sahni/ Urvashi Sahni profile] at the Brookings Institution
* [https://www.studyhallfoundation.org/urvashi-sahni.php Urvashi Sahni profile] at Study Hall Educational Foundation

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Indian educators]]
[[Category:Indian social entrepreneurs]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]]
[[Category:University of Lucknow alumni]]
[[Category:Brookings Institution people]]
[[Category:Harvard University people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Writers from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:People from Lucknow]]
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Girls' education activists]]

Urvashi Sahni - Revision history

Jameshowlett179011: added initial details w/ infobox