Shashikala M S

With a Masters’ degree in Mass Communication and Journalism, I started with the Indian Express (Mumbai) Ltd in 1995 writing about telecommunication technology when pagers were cutting-edge, bulky cell phones were making an entry amidst the GSM-CDMA debate and the IT industry was gripped with Y2K frenzy. I have since worked with Asia’s biggest financial daily, The Economic Times (from 1997-2002) as senior copy editor and reporter, The Creative Group (now Freethinkers) as their content head and ASK Associates, an editorial service provider.

I wandered in to child development and early education when motherhood took over. Equipped with a diploma in special education from KPAMRC, Bangalore, in 2015 I founded Leap Years, a learning centre for children with special needs.

Currently, besides running Leap Years, I contribute my time to Hank Nunn Institute (a mental wellness initiative), write social media content for whoever asks, develop detailed project reports for farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and work with women in Bangalore Rural district as a master trainer for a project under United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

I am married to Anees. Have two teenagers, Kabir and Diya, and a 6 year old dog, Ceasar.