Sahil Choudhary heads the LGBTQIA+ program at The Naz Foundation (India) Trust. He is the program Director of the New Delhi LGBTQIA+ Centre, an initiative of Naz India. He is a Law Graduate from Faculty of Law, University of Delhi.
Sahil advocates for diversity and inclusion and a greater understanding of sexuality and to empower members from the community to access their rights.
Sahil dreams for the realisation of Naz’s vision of creating a just and equitable society by transforming individuals from socially and economically excluded communities into agents of change.
Suresh Chand joined Naz India in 2017 as Senior Accountant. He came with vast experience in the field of general accounts and taxation. He worked with Wave Group prior to joining Naz India. The organisation delightedly promoted him as the Accounts Manager in 2021. Very gentle by nature, Suresh is committed to keeping the accounts system of Naz running in perfection.
James Veliath has been a part of Naz for more than a decade. Before joining Naz, James worked with the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India in their HIV Care program. He joined Naz as Coordinator of the Capacity Building Programme that trained staff of institutions providing care and protection for Children Living with HIV. Currently, James is the Coordinator of the Naz Care Home, he is in charge of the Administration of the organization and he is part of the training and counseling team that creates awareness among individuals, groups and organizations on HIV/AIDS, gender awareness and sexuality.
Anjali Gopalan is the Founder and Executive Director of the Naz Foundation (India) Trust. Anjali was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She studied in both India and the US, with a degree in political science, a postgraduate diploma in journalism, and a Masters in International Development. She began working on issues related to HIV/AIDS and marginalized communities in the United States. On returning to India in the early 90s, she was frustrated at the lack of government response, and even civil society response, to the burgeoning HIV epidemic. Her response was to begin Naz and to focus on communities stigmatized by society.
As a strong advocate for the sexual health and rights of the LGBTQIA community, Anjali spearheaded the 17-year legal battle against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In 2001, Naz filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to decriminalize homosexuality and put an end to the archaic law under which individuals were harassed and discriminated against based on their sexual orientation.
In 2001, Anjali was awarded the Commonwealth Award for her work with the marginalized communities. In 2005, she was nominated and short-listed for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work to bring harmony to those whose lives have none and became an Ashoka Fellow in recognition of her achievements as a social entrepreneur. She was named one of the 100 most Influential People in the World by the TIME magazine in 2012. Anjali was awarded Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur, the highest honor by the French Government for her work on Lesbian and Gay Rights in 2013.
Anjali Gopalan is an environmentalist and a passionate lover of animals.
