Chirmi Acharya holds a PhD in Psychology that she completed with the help of NET JRF/SRF. She teaches psychology at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has a Certificate in Creative Movement Therapy facilitation from CMTAI, New Delhi. Her other passions include dramatics and Bharatnatyam, in which she holds a Visharad from Bhathkhande Sangeet Vidyapeeth, Lucknow. She has been awarded the Young Artist Scholarship in theatre from the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. Her major interest lies in spreading awareness of mental health at the grass-root level.
SHWETA MARKANDEYA, Chapter Vice Chair
Shweta Markandeya has 12 years of corporate experience as an investment banker and a private equity investor. Based in Gurgaon, she is a mother to an 11-year-old, an early-stage investor, a writer, and a body-based mental health advocate. She is a trained Theatre of the Oppressed facilitator, an Improv actor, and a Creative Movement Therapy facilitator. A strong advocate for diversity and mental wellness, Shweta leads the MAHUA program for ILight Global and volunteers with The Sarvodya Collective / Inclusive Duniya. She has performed and led workshops at Kuringa Berlin, Army Wives Welfare Association, Canvas Laugh Club, Bee Hive, Pathways School Gurgaon, etc. She writes fiction with strong female perspectives, is a published writer, and is working on her first screen project.
South Chapter Leaders
SACHITHA NANDAGOPAL, Chapter Chair
Sachitha Nandagopal is a dedicated teacher, social activist, and motivational speaker with an extensive background in youth and leadership mentoring, soft skills training, and dance movement therapy. As the co-founder of the Centre for Integrated Learning (CIL) in Mangalore and the founder of Anveshanam - Centre for Mindfulness and Emotional Well-being, she champions mental health and well-being across diverse communities. A certified Dance Movement Therapy Facilitator and HRD facilitator, Sachitha has held esteemed roles as a principal and faculty member at several institutions and has trained thousands through her programs, including initiatives for women, youth, healthcare professionals, senior citizens, and inmates of District prison. Her innovative concepts, such as “Dance for Mental Wellness,” the “Happiness Centre,” and “Nurture Your Dreams,” have brought transformational support to people of all ages. Her contributions have earned her numerous honors, including the “Outstanding Young Person Award,” “Woman Achiever” recognitions, a recognition by CMTAI for promoting DMT in the field of community empowerment, and the “BE KIND - FEMFLUENCER” award. Driven by her mission to “Spread Smiles Around,” Sachitha is committed to making a positive impact on mental health, education, and community well-being.
SIVAPRIYA MADESWARAN, Chapter Vice Chair
Sivapriya Madeswaran, a practicing Counselling Psychologist, Therapeutic Movement Facilitator & trained Yoga Facilitator. She has a Pre-doctorate degree in Psychology from the University of Madras, Chennai. She closely works with the student community, supporting them in enhancing life skills, healthy relationships, and connecting within. She incorporates Mandalas, stories, movement exercises, and drama in the therapeutic space to work with the nexus of the body and psyche. Building a healthy & conducive body structure to enhance one’s mental health, and to live life with a happy flow has been her vision for the adult participants.
MEGHA CHHALLANI, Chapter Secretary
Megha Chhallani is a certified facilitator with over 16 years of experience in people development and emotional well-being, spanning the corporate, educational, and community sectors. A seasoned professional with a background in companies like Sonata Software, Ernst & Young, and Wipro, her journey led her to specialize in Dance Movement Therapy, becoming a certified DMT facilitator in 2016. Megha integrates an inclusive inter-modal approach, blending movement therapy, expressive arts, mindfulness, psychology, game-based learning, and spirituality to foster self-awareness and emotional health. Her work, including programs under Dribbling Panda and ArcAstra Learning, has impacted over 10,000 individuals across professional and personal realms. Through her initiatives, Orange Arc Community Studio and The Healing Culture, she creates nurturing spaces for creative expression, connection, and self-discovery, emphasizing holistic, purposeful living. As Vice Chair of CMTAI South Chapter, she advocates for creative movement therapy, supports practitioners, and strengthens community connections to expand its transformative reach.
East Chapter Leaders
MALABIKA GUHA, Chapter Chair
Malabika Guha is a practitioner of Expressive Arts Therapy and Neuro Dramatic Play. She has done post-graduation in Engineering from BITS Pilani, has completed Diploma in Performing Arts Therapy from Rabindra Bharati University Kolkata, Diploma in Neuro Dramatic Play under Prof. Dr.Sue Jennings (NDP Ltd.UK), Foundations course in Dance Movement Therapy (Rhythmosaic, Kolkata) and Therapeutic Storytelling (NDP Ltd. , UK). She has been working with specialist medical practitioners in Kolkata for outpatient and inpatient therapy treatments. She has conducted several workshops and wellness programs for Govt. Sector, Corporates, NGOs, schools, and colleges. She does programs for mental health and Expressive Arts Therapy for Doordarshan Kolkata, Akashvani Kolkata, and Radio New Town, writes for a health magazine in Kolkata and has been curating "Wellness Retreat" every year at West Bengal since 2020, on behalf of Creative Sphere, Kolkata. She is passionate about working and collaborating to spread awareness about the psychosomatic psychotherapeutic tools of Expressive Arts and integration of the same with the core clinical health practices.
West Chapter Leaders
KARISHMA THAPA, Chapter Chair
Karishma Thapa, a graduate of Fergusson College, Pune, is a Special Educator and Therapeutic Movement Facilitator. She completed her B.Ed in Special Education from SNDT Women's University, Mumbai, and her M.A Education in Early Childhood Education from Azim Premji University, Bangalore. She completed her Fellowship from Teach For India, Pune. She has a Certification in Creative Movement Therapy from CID UNESCO through CMTAI and a Professional Certificate in Designing Learning Experiences for the English Classroom from TISS, Mumbai. She has also completed a certificate course, Music in Therapy (Level 1), from the Copper Mountain Music School, Pune.She has over 10 years of working in education, in India and Dubai. She has worked with students who have intellectual, social, emotional, and physical disabilities such as Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Learning Disabilities.She is based in Pune and has formed her own company – KRayonz. As an independent freelancer, her focus is on activity–based learning through movement and creativity for children of all abilities. She teaches at Vidya Valley School, Pune where her classes called Creative Expression; focus on developing creative minds through movement, art, and music. She is also a member of the Skill Enhancement Department at the school, which assists students as well as teachers through any difficulties that they may face, academically or otherwise. She is a member of the Uttar Pradesh Mental Health Council of WICCI (Women's Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry). She is on the Management Board of the Neena Thapa Group of Institutions, Gorakhpur.
PALLAVI MALSHE, Chapter Vice Chair
Pallavi Malshe is a Dance Movement Therapy Practitioner. She graduated in Engineering from P.R.P.C.E. Amravati and completed a Diploma in Dance Movement Therapy in 2018-19. Through her diploma course, she continued working at DISHA, an NGO in Amravati which works for the rights and restoration of Crime Victims. Pallavi wanted to explore designing therapeutic interventions for crime victims based on DMT. She got through DISHA through Nirman's 'Kar ke Dekho' Fellowship and went on to work as a Documentation officer & research assistant for a total of 4 years. It was part of the Nirman education process run by Padmashree Dr. Abhay & Rani Bang. As part of her DMT course internship, she has worked with groups of Police, caregivers, teachers, and children living in institutions, on themes of fostering resilience, emotional regulation, stress release etc. Currently, she works as one of the facilitators in the Vaginismus healing program run on the 'Proactive for her' portal. She is also doing a short course in Contemporary Dance and exploring further experimentation and research possibilities.
TANVI, Chapter Secretary
Tanvi is a Pune-based German translator, dance artiste and DMT Practitioner. Having spent the last 12 years training and performing in contemporary dance and physical theatre, these experiences now serve as a foundation for her to explore the myriad possibilities of expression using the body. As a practitioner of Dance Movement Therapy, she has facilitated dance therapy sessions at a community project for persons with Parkinson's Disease and is currently indulging in her interest in the workings of the mind-body connection and kinesthetic approaches for rehabilitation. She is presently working at the intersections of movement, social impact and languages, and finds herself in the process of incubating ideas about forming insightful and honest ways of dialogue and connections with people through art. Poetry, writing, and reading form an immense part of the way she likes to make sense of the world, and her new-found loves include amateur surfing and watching cats sleep.
