Mamta Govil, President of Latika’s Board, called the 31st Annual General Meeting to order on 16 November, and welcomed those in attendance.

The General Body mourned the passing of Meenu Jolly, long-time friend and volunteer at Latika. We lost Meenu suddenly in May of this year – she had been connected with Latika from its earliest days and her death was a terrible shock to all.

Vimal Kishore presented the audited accounts for 2023—2024.

The Annual Report had been circulated in advance and was approved without discussion.

The new Board was then presented to the General Body (GB) for approval. Two new members were introduced:

Sachin Sachdeva, Director-India, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and Founder President of the Gramin Shiksha Kendra in Rajasthan. He is an Economics Graduate from Delhi University and holds a Masters in Rural Management from IRMA. With vast experience in education, ecology, migrant workers and disability, Sachin has been both a funder and a seeker of funds.

Savita Thapliyal is an old friend of Latika. She’s served on our General Body for many years. Well-known to most of our current team, she is a trained special educator who worked with us from 1997—2009, by which time she was head of our adult training center. Now an expert on sexuality and disability, she conducts workshops and trainings around the country.

Rashmi Baruah, Director, Fundraising, presented the status of our fundraising initiatives this year, sharing that we have 100% funding for our programs and 70% funding for the building.

Jo Chopra presented on the status of the building, sharing an elaborate presentation detailing some of the many innovative features the building will include as well as an account of the recent Inclusive Design Summit (2nd in the series) conducted this year. Completion target is set for July-August, with move-in date scheduled for September 2025.

In New Matters:

• Aarti Nair was introduced as Director of Services.
• Dr Siva Kumar, the recipient of the 18-month Latika-Adhyan Fellowship, was welcomed as a Developmental Pediatric Fellow.
• A Strategic Planning Summit was held in May of 2024, facilitated by Ritu Arora Jain as the first in a series of deliberations and planning meetings in preparation for our transition to the new building in 2025.

The meeting ended with a general discussion on the building, general progress overall and the challenges ahead. A vote of thanks to the Chair and many lovely comments of support, appreciation and amazement turned up in the chat box!