1. What is Ananta Aspen Centre?
An independent organization, Ananta Centre is registered under the Indian Trust Act. It focuses on leadership development and encourages frank and open dialogue on the most important issues facing Indian society, to help foster its transformation. The Centre also engages civil society, business, governments and other key stakeholders on issues of importance to India's development, foreign policy, strategic affairs and national security. The Centre also convenes various programs for exchange of ideas, broadening perspectives and enhancing capacity to create sustainable solutions on a wide variety of issues.
The 3 core pillars of the organization are International Relations, Public Policy and Leadership development.
The Centre addresses issues of significance through seminars, conferences, round tables, public sessions, young leader Fellowships and policy programs. It also brings out publications and study reports.
2. How old is the Organisation?
The Centre was registered on 16th February 2006 under the Indian Trust Act 1882. Mr Tarun Das, the then Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry and long-time proponent of the establishment of an Aspen Institute India, co-signed an official Memorandum of Understanding with Mr. Walter Isaacson, the President and CEO of The Aspen Institute, US in February 2004.
3. Is it a Not for Profit Organisation?
Yes.
4. What is the Mission and Vision of the Centre?
Mission – Ananta Aspen Centre focuses on leadership development and frank and open dialogue on the most important issues and challenges facing society at large and helps foster the transformation of Indian society. It also engages with civil society, inclusive of business, NGOs, Governments and other stake holders on issues of importance to India's development and national security.
Vision – "Nurturing Change, Transforming India"
The Centre was formed with the vision of providing a non-partisan platform for various stake holders to come together and discuss important issues and challenges facing the society which were of local and global concern.
5. Who are the members of the Board of Trustees?
Ananta Aspen Centre is guided by an esteemed Board of Trustees who are accomplished in their respective fields. In addition to their professional stature, the Members bring to the Board their commitment to social responsibility and their personal experiences working for a better society. The Trustees are
Click the link to view the list of trustees http://www.anantaaspencentre.in/board_trustees.aspx
6. Who is the CEO of the organisation?
&The Executive Director & CEO of the organisation is Ms. Kiran Pasricha.
7. Is it a pan India Organization? How many offices does it have?
We are headquartered in New Delhi with an office in Kolkata. Our activities are pan India.
8. Is it tax exempted?
The Centre is Tax exempted under Section 80G (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) & (v) of the Income Tax Act 1961.
9. What is its association with Aspen USA?
For over 60 years Aspen US has been fostering value based leadership and providing a platform for discussing and acting on critical issues. A need was felt to have a similar organization in India which would focus on values based leadership. Ananta Aspen Centre (earlier called the Aspen Institute India) was set up. The Centre is a completely independent entity with only Indians on the Board and with complete Indian funding but is a part of the Aspen Institute Network of International partners which links together diverse groups of leaders from different countries to provide opportunities for Leadership development, balanced policy inquiry and dialogue. The Centre works closely with other Aspen Institutes internationally to develop programs and Track II dialogues which are relevant for India and its people.
10. What is the scope of work of the Centre?
The 3 core pillars of the Centre are: International Relations / Foreign Policy, Public Policy and Leadership development. This is done with an objective to engage all sections of society with issues of significance through seminars, conferences, public sessions, young leader Fellowships and policy programs.
11. What are the landmarks achieved by the Centre?
The Centre over the years has grown rapidly and has successfully achieved / completed 5 batches of India Leadership Initiative Fellowship, 4 classes of The Shri Ram Ananta Aspen Leadership School and runs 9 Track II Dialogues around the world with USA, Japan, China, Singapore, Israel, Turkey and Bhutan.
12. What are the types of programs the Centre organises?
The Centre addresses issues of significance through seminars, conferences, round tables, public sessions, young leader Fellowships and policy programs. It also brings out publications and study reports.
13. What is Value-based leadership all about?
The essential characteristic of Value-based leadership is the belief that the ultimate goal is people's welfare. The Centre on the same lines seeks to foster the next generation of young values-based leaders with an opportunity to better understand their own leadership values and those of their peers. It seeks to steer aspirants on a journey in leadership by opening the mind to a rich and diverse set of learning experiences.
14. How is the Centre funded?
The Centre is funded through grants and donations.
15. What kind of impact do the programs conveyed by the Centre have on the common man?
It gives a wide range of people exposure to interesting topics, platform to voice their opinions and an opportunity to meet and interact with many eminent personalities. It also aims to develop a new generation of values-based, action-oriented leaders to serve India.
16. What kind of outreach does it have?
The Centre has a very diverse and large outreach. The people involved range from corporates, Government, Media, NGO leaders to thought leaders from academic or political backgrounds, students and other stakeholders. Even if people are not able to attend the public programs, they can watch the programs on our website as all programs are videotaped and made available to the public.
17. Can one volunteer with the Centre?
Yes, the centre encourages young minds to work on diverse subjects and explore and contribute to the intellectual growth of the organisation.
18. What kind of job Opportunities exist in the Centre?
A wide range of possibilities exist at the Centre. One can start with being a program executive which would entail one to design, conceptualise and execute a program, besides that the marketing and brand expansion is another area one could look into. One can provide content, write research papers, reports, background notes and issue briefs. Fundraising and networking becoming another critical area to handle for the Centre apart from the regular departments such as accounts, HR and Operations.
19. Does the Centre have an online Portal?
Yes, the Centre can we reached at their website which is www.anantaaspencentre.in as well as Facebook.
