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It was in the early 1980s that a young nutritionist, Indu Capoor, had a vision — of an India where the health and nutrition of marginalised women and children mattered. So when she was asked by a multilateral funding agency to write a proposal, she wrote a note going well beyond a project. She proposed an institution that would work as a bridge between policy and practice. And CHETNA, or Centre for Health, Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness, was born. Chetna means awareness in Hindi and several other Indian and Asian languages. This book is as much about Indu’s own awakening as it is about CHETNA, the engendered organisation.

A Shared Destiny: My Journey with CHETNA, is the story of a woman committed to a cause, and of how she has built a uniquely shaped organisation that has clear engendered work spaces, policies, structures, practices and proce-dures. It is about taking strong feminist leadership to build and run a civil society organisation that has acquired huge credibility and reputation. It is about a founder-leader moving on after three decades at the top of an organisation,

and supporting the next generation to take charge.

Entrepreneurs, leaders, indeed all working women and men, in the social sector and the corporate world, will find lessons in this book to help make the world of work more gender equal.