WORKING COMMITTEE
Janani Chaitanya
Janani Chaitanya is a disciple of Sri Swamini Svatmavidyananda Saraswati. She completed a three and a half year residential Vedanta and Sanskrit course with Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati ji in India in 2013. Since then she has taught beginning Sanskrit, Vedānta and Vedic chanting classes both remotely and in person. Her commitment to the vision of Vedānta has seen her fully embrace a lifestyle in keeping with the tradition. Her background includes cognitive behavioral research and mediation. She has continued to study with Sri Swamini Svatmavidyananda ji and is based at the Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam center in Eugene, OR.
Arpan Gauchan
Arpan is passionate about facilitating and propagating physical & mental wellbeing through her work as a yoga teacher and through the vision of Vedanta. She is the founder and instructor at Svananda Yoga Center. An experienced film & TV commercials producer, she has worked in Mumbai for over a decade on projects across South East Asia, U.S and London. Her short film 'Between Dreams' was featured at the AMI faculty spotlight at Duke University, N.C in 2019. Arpan is a student of Sri Swamini Svatmavidyananda Saraswati and she is privileged to be part of the Arsha Shakti Foundation and serve it's mission.
Harinder Kaur Khalsa
Harinder teaches Italian and Turkish at the University of Oregon. She is dedicated to building bridges among people through the study of their languages and cultures. With a similar desire she served as a board member and director of the Interfaith Prayer and Service organization in Eugene, OR where she coordinated monthly prayer services and participated in many interfaith dialogs. Harinder is a long-time student of Sri Swamini Svatmavidyananda Ji. She resides in Eugene, OR.
Dr. Varalakshmi Niranjan
Dr.Varalakshmi Niranjan is a physician practicing Internal Medicine. She is a proponent of Lifestyle Medicine for prevention and treatment of Obesity. Passionate about making a change in women’s empowerment, she has served as a board member for organizations like Tamilnadu Foundation USA and SNEHA Inc. She also conducts health and wellness camps for women in rural India. She is a trained yoga teacher and in her spare time writes poetry and medical articles in English and Tamil. She studied Vedanta with Pujya Swamiji Dayananda Saraswati and is currently studying with Sri Swamini Svatmavidyananda Saraswati.
Indira Ramachandra
Indira Ramachandra is an experienced HR professional with demonstrated ability to engage, influence and build relationships with diverse stakeholders across the globe. In her career spanning over 15+ years, she has worked in product and services MNCs across Cloud, Financial Services, Automation and off-shore businesses in the U.S. Her expertise is in talent acquisition, compensation & benefits, talent planning and deployment, talent management, compliance, shared services, business partner and employee relations. Indira is passionate and dedicated to maintaining a safe and harassment free workspace for everyone and especially for women.
Joan Rasch
Joan Rasch is the co-founder of Sevya Handmade, a fair trade company dedicated to preserving the indigenous art forms and cultures of India by supporting the artisan communities who uphold these traditions. Sevya’s collection of fair trade apparel, accessories and home décor can be found in stores and catalogs across the globe, and a portion of all profits is used to fund programs for women’s empowerment through Arsha Shakti. She is deeply committed to carrying out the vision of her teacher, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, through the projects of Sevya Handmade and Arsha Shakti. Trained as a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, she is passionate about promoting wellness through the practices of ancient wisdom traditions and has dedicated her life to abiding in greater clarity through compassion.
Janani Subramanian
Janani Subramanian is an experienced strategy consultant, experiential designer, and freelance photographer. Driven by a passion to support her community, she helps local organizations develop marketing strategy and assets, and provides confidential crisis intervention through Crisis Text Line. Janani is very grateful to join this team and support Arsha Shakti's mission.
Dr. Ilona Filter
Dr. Ilona Filter is a versatile professional, merging academia, psychology, spirituality, and animal behavior. Her journey began with a diploma in Criminology and Social Sciences, leading to a Ph.D. in Political Sciences. As an educator, she imparted psychology and criminology knowledge at the University of Kiel, with groundbreaking research on the drug landscape in German prisons. Transitioning to family counseling, she assisted families, divorced couples, and children during challenging life shifts, emphasizing empathetic guidance. Dr. Filter’s unique expertise extends to non-violent horse training, focusing on empathy and communication. Her dedication extends to empowering children through education, advocating for their needs. A spiritual journey through India deepened her understanding of Advaita Vedanta philosophy. Dr. Filter’s life journey encompasses academia, counseling, and a spiritual quest. Her mission is to provide a space for individuals and families to embark on transformative journeys of self-discovery and growth.
Nancy Taylor
Nancy attended the Starr King School for Ministers and graduated with a M.A. in Social Change and Justice. She is also an ordained interfaith minister from the Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley as well as a certified Spiritual Director. Additionally, Nancy also has a M.A. in English Literature and Education. Her greatest passion is in education where she intertwines spiritual principles through storytelling, art, music and language. She encourages students to explore emotional awareness and growth in their learning. Nancy has a deep knowledge of different faith traditions such as Christianity, Islam, Science of Mind, Course of Miracles, Miguel Ruiz and the 5 Agreements, goddess work through Mary Magdalene and the Mahadeva and Indigenous shamanism. Nancy is a student of Vedanta and its teachings through Sri Swamini Svatmavidyananda Saraswati.
