About us
Vision
To create an inclusive world, to integrate them in the society not only individually, but through a family centered approach
Mission
To create a holistic approach for people living with special needs through disability friendly clinical services and therapeutic interventions
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Asok Kumar Bandyopadhyay
President & Founder TrusteeA retired senior Government officer, and presently engaged as a legal advisor to West Bengal State Agriculture Marketing Board and also as an advocate of Calcutta High Court. Being engaged with social services for people with disabilities since a very long time, he found a way to help the families when he himself learnt to cope with the challenges of being a grandparent to a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder and took proper training’s for that
Dr. Aditi Bandyopadhyay
Founder & Managing TrusteeA physician by profession and a medical faculty, with her parallel interest and identity as an Indian classical Odissi dancer and as a Dance and Movement therapy practitioner. She had training in intervention and management of Autism initially at Thompson Center for Autism in Columbia, Missouri, USA and has also pursued an academic program on Public Health at the University of Missouri, USA. Since then, and even after returning to India Dr. Aditi has been actively involved as an advocate for rights of persons with Autism and other neurodevelopmental delays. Dr. Aditi is presently a clinical faculty of West Bengal University of Health Sciences and is an MD in Medical Physiology.
Dr. Aditi is the founder trustee of SAMYA Foundation for Special Needs, catering to various needs of people with multiple disabilities. SAMYA Foundation is focusing on facilitated clinical services for people with special needs. Dr. Aditi has trained herself in different methodologies of intervention in special education, and has received certification in diagnostic and interventional methods of Autism from different acclaimed and accredited programs. Since 2015, her work with children with Autism and other developmental disabilities through dance and movement therapy at SAMYA has earned her immense recognition. Presently she is working with more than 150 children through this model of Dance and Movement Therapy. She also trains parents at SAMYA as a free community service regarding various interventions and management skills about raising children with disabilities.
Dr. Aditi is a medical faculty in the collaborative DMT program of Kolkata Sanved with the Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) at TATA Institute of Social Sciences at Mumbai. For last four years she is a resource person conducting DMT workshops for faculty and students at IIM Kozikhode, Calcutta University and recently with Jadavpur University. She also delivers lectures and workshops at different CBSE schools and organizations that cater to special needs group and focuses on inclusion. Dr. Aditi has also been interviewed at different Doordarshan programs for general awareness of people about needs of people with special needs and how to train them through ‘Prasar Bhaarti’ programs on Doordarshan, regarding management and mainstreaming of people with special needs.
Dr. Aditi, who has more than 25 years of experience in Odissi as a performer, choreographer and instructor had run her own dance institution named Nrityaneer (2000-2007) and thereafter was one of the founder members of MU Dance and Recreation Association (MUDRA) at University of Missouri (2008- 2011). A disciple of legendary Guru Padmabibhushan Kelucharan Mahapatra, she has performed in various national and international dance festivals and her productions, ‘Ananta-the Infinite’, ‘SriKrishna Prem Gatha’ and’ Teen Katha ‘ have received recognition and praise by critics. Presently the Odissi dance troupe led by Dr. Aditi focuses on integration of people with disabilities along with regular neurotypicals
Professor Dr. Julie Bhattacharya
Professor Dr. Julie Bhattacharya, is a faculty of Physiology in KPC College & Hospital, and has been actively involved in medical education and research for the past few decades. Another side of her life revolves around several humanitarian projects dedicated towards social work and betterment of lives of people in the community.
Sriyanka Mukherjee
Sriyanka Mukherjee, a young enthusiastic advocate for rights of persons with disabilities is a banking professional and dedicated to the services of SAMYA Foundation since past few years. She has served and volunteered in most events of SAMYA Foundation and considers it’s mission as one of the purposes of her own life.
ADVISORY BOARD
Dr. Jayanta Roy
Dr Jayanta Roy has done his MBBS from Calcutta National Medical College followed by his MD and DM ( Neurology) training. He has completed his post doctoral fellowship training in Cerebrovascular Disease from University of Calgary, Canada. Currently he is working as a Senior Consultant in Stroke and Neurology at AMRI Hospital, Mukundapur
Dr. Sushama Nagarkar
A psychologist, and managing Trustee of Yash Charitable Trust, Mumbai creating a platform for adult employment for people with developmental differences with their successful model of ‘Arpan cafe and catering services’ run by more than twenty developmentally challenged adults
Ms Sarbani Mallick
Director of Bubbles Center for Autism, Bangalore focusing on life long services for people with Autism, starting from their early intervention unit to their adult employment unit, ‘Pragati’
Dr. Jemsy Jose
A consultant pediatrician working devotedly for children with developmental challenges and trying to serve them with clinical and therapeutic approaches.
Dr. Animita Saha
Dr.Animita Saha, is an Associate Professor, at University of North Carolina Medical School, Charlotte Campus. She is also the Medical Director, at Myers Park Internal Medicine Clinic, Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, US. She went to NRS Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, India and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi for postgraduate studies. She completed residency training in Internal Medicine in State University of New York, Brooklyn. She started working in Bronx Care, an affiliate of Mount Sinai as Assistant Professor, and subsequently moved to University of Connecticut Health Center and finally to Atrium Health in 2008 as medical director as well as Associate Professor of Internal medicine. Dr. Saha had been providing facilitate medical services to persons with Disabilities, mostly those with Autism for quite some time.
Ms Mahua Ghosh
A social worker, an architect and mother to a special child who is actively involved in coordinating and organizing SAMYA’s, ‘ Building the Bridges program and is an active advocate for rights of people with developmental differences