Agamishaala is a 6 month online learning journey curated by Agami for high caliber Justicemakers committed to advancing ideas that serve justice.

show more..

Co-created with Manish Srivastava and Sonali Ojha, it is designed to create space for Justicemakers to step back, reflect and draw from the strength and wisdom within the community. And to discover fresh perspectives to old and familiar problems. Deploying creative methods that are experiential, embodied and engaging, the Agamishaala is geared to enable changemakers to become unstuck and evolve to realise their highest potential.

show less..

Who can take part?

Agami curates each Agamishaala by invitation for Justicemakers who we see are at an inflection point in their justicemaking journey, and are actively seeking to break out of traditional ways of seeing and doing. These are leaders and innovators from a cross-section of backgrounds across law, tech, media, data, social justice, research and more. Applications are invite based only.

What does one learn?

Agamishaala is designed to understand what its members need at this stage in their journey, to be able to unlock their full potential as leaders – both at a personal and at a more foundational skill level.

This ensures that the journey is relevant to the people in the room and is not prescribing one solution to all.  Having entrepreneurs and innvoators, the Shaala is a space for each member to create their own learning curve, while Agami only facilitates them through it.

To that end, through carefully facilitated sessions, you will be able to identify your own patterns of ‘stuckness’, sense the ecosystem that you are a part of and expand the horizon in which you currently operate. And you will do this with 60 other Justicemakers who will add to the richness of this experience.

Based on what surfaces from the cohort, we will also curate sessions on foundational skills with mentors and subject experts sharing their knowledge and practises around core areas such as strategy creation, systems thinking, movement building, managing changemaking teams and more.

What’s the journey like?

The Agamishaala cohort will be built around four justice areas that are ripe for advancement, with upto 15 members each. Between May and October 2021, monthly and weekly sessions will be organised for all cohort members collectively and as part of smaller groups. There will also be interactions with mentors and experts along the way. There may be an offline retreat at the end of the 6 month journey in November 2021, depending on where we are with the pandemic. Or we will have an online alternative to mark the culmination. 

The Agamishaala follows the Theory U change management method as developed by Otto Scharmer and his colleagues at MIT

Play Video

Watch: The Experience of Agamishaala 2019

Apply Now: Last Date, May 10, 2021

Are you committed towards advancing any one of these ideas? If yes, apply.

For each idea, we will curate a cohort with a diversity of skills and backgrounds – tech, law, media, data, research, social justice and more. So the best way to pick which cohort you should apply to, is to see which area of work you are committed to transforming, and not necessarily the work you are doing currently. Those intersections will emerge through Agamishaala. 

Once you send in your application, we will reach out and connect with you to share more and figure if this journey is a fit. And given the times we are in, to ease on the things we can, we’ve extended the deadline to  apply to May 10, 2021. 

Got more questions?

Catalyzing Dispute Resolution at Scale
Apply

Reshaping the Legal Industry
Apply

Reimagining the Criminal Justice System
Apply

Empowering Citizens to be Justicemakers
Apply

Seen here: A 4D mapping of the Criminal Justice system with different participants embodying different parts such as: Judiciary, Prisoner, Prisoner’s Family, Defence Lawyers, Media, among others

The 2019 Cohort

Agamishaala 1
IDIA

Dr. Shamnad Basheer

"How to ensure that people stay "good" and "moral" in an era of increasing complexity and uncertainty, where it is easier to fall prey to the bigoted ways of black and white?"

The late Dr. Basheer was an academic, professor, and entrepreneur. With a vision to make diversity in law schools a reality, he founded IDIA. Among many other accolades, in 2015, he received the Infosys Prize in Humanities for his work on legal education and on democratising the discourse around intellectual property law and policy. He was also an Ashoka Fellow.
Agamishaala 2
SAMA

Akshetha Ashok

“How can we change the adversarial mindset of people organically?”

Akshetha is a graduate of NUJS, Kolkata and found her passion when she discovered mediation in law school. She is now working on changing the perception around disputes and making mediation more mainstream through SAMA, a technology-driven platform that will resolve large volume of disputes online.
Agamishaala 3
Project 39A, NLU Delhi

Dr. Anup Surendranath

“If scale is truly possible only by collaborating with the state, what should the imagination of that collaboration be?"

Anup led a nation wide empirical study on death penalty in India which culminated with the launch of the Death Penalty India Report in 2016. Through Project 39A, he is now focusing on how do we ensure equal opportunities and equal justice in the criminal justice system by removing economic and social barriers.
Agamishaala 4
Vahura

Ritvik Lukose

“How to manage multiple priorities and build a learning/collaborative culture?”

Ritvik cares most deeply about new generations of lawyers achieving their fullest potential. Having spoken to 100's if not more people at the crossroads of their careers, Ritvik is always thinking about what are the new ways in which Vahura can meet people where they are in their journeys.
Agamishaala 5
World Law Forum

Pratik Bakshi

“What impact is he bringing to the world through his work?"

A lawyer cum entrepreneur, Pratik began his entrepreneurial pursuits while in law school. He founded the Network for International Law Students, and the Union Debates. Believing that everyone has the potential to make a unique contribution to the world, he founded the World Law Forum for changemakers to transform the world through law.
Agamishaala 6
Internet Freedom Foundation

Apar Gupta

"What part do I play in this journey? How to ensure that I, myself, do not become a roadblock to it in the future?"

Apar is a Digital Rights crusader in India, whom you may recognise from the SaveTheInternet campaign. Given the times we live in, he is working on how we can ensure technology respects fundamental rights.
Agamishaala 7
SAMA

Pranjal Sinha

“How to have a unicorn startup, an iron man title, and happy relationships, all at once?"

Pranjal is a graduate of NUJS, Kolkata whose ambition throughout law school has been to start his own business. He founded ODRWays (now SAMA) while in college, where he also organized the first ever India Mediation Week.
Agamishaala 8
iPleaders

Ramanuj Mukherjee

"How to scale my team - how to manage and lead people better?"

Almost every law school student and young lawyer is familiar with Ramanuj and iPleaders. He has built a digital library of learning and practice related resources that make lawyers more efficient. He is also passionate about supporting young entrepreneurs and plays an active mentor role as well.
Agamishaala 9
CIVIC Studios

Roohi Bhatia

“Can we re-imagine the relationship between the individual and the social - to make it more dynamic, sustainable, and mindful?”

Roohi is working at the intersection of research, content creation, and gender. At Civic Studios, the focus is on creating civic entertainment to encourage civic participation and to build sensitivities into audience perspectives at scale.
Agamishaala 10
Lawctopus

Tanuj Kalia

“What hinders and encourages collaboration?"

Tanuj has made it his life's work to bring the voices and perspectives of law students and young lawyers into the mainstream. Rather than mentoring, guiding one student at a time, his initiative Lawctopus has created bridges between those who have knowledge and those who need it.
Agamishaala 11
Centre For Advanced Mediation Practice (CAMP)

Tara Ollapally

“How do you influence social behaviour to see the value of a process that might seem counterintuitive but essential for the greater good”?

Tara is passionate about helping people see the full potential of mediation. She has endlessly innovated on the idea of how to overcome long held lack of understanding around the power of solving disputes amicably.
Agamishaala 12
Telangana Prisons

SP Sampath Mandarapu

"How to sustain change? What role can prisons play in supporting victims? How to make “restorative justice” an important part of our criminal justice system?"

Superintendent of Cherlapalli Central Jail, Telangana, Sampath is at the forefront of State leading innovation. Supporting various initiatives at Telangana prisons, he is constantly exploring ways to see how prisons can play a better role in the criminal justice system.
Agamishaala 13
CIVIS

Antaraa Vasudev

"How can we create a common badge/currency that enables citizens to be recognized across platforms for their effort?"

Antaraa's interest in civic engagement led her to launch India's first technological platform that enables citizens to participate in lawmaking and policy making processes.
Agamishaala 14
Association For Advocacy And Legal Initiatives

Renu Mishra

“How do we best use the information and data we have from the field to effectively capture our qualitative experience, in an organized manner, without reducing it only to numbers?”

Renu has been working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault for years now. Through her work, she maintains a balance of working with women at grassroot level and building a national strategy for policy advocacy.

Seen here: A 4D mapping of alternate dispute resolution as it exists and what it could be with participants embodying roles of the Mediator, Judiciary, Ministry of Finance among others

The Team Behind Agamishaala 2021

Agamishaala 15
Co Director- Social Presencing Theatre & Core Faculty, Presencing Institute

Manish Srivastava

"How does the legal profession use/ misuse power, work with the powerful, empower/ exploit those who have less voice, resources and power in our society? How can each role-holder reflect on— who are they in service of?"

Manish is a coach, facilitator and a poet. He is a master facilitator in Theory U based systemic transformation processes; and a senior teacher and process-facilitator with Arawana Hayashi in Social Presencing Theatre. Manish is also trained in Bridging Leadership, deep democracy, facilitating nature retreats, dialogic processes etc.
Agamishaala 16
Co-Founder, Agami

Sachin Malhan

"Not just now, but what can we achieve for the justice field by 2028? And how will our individual lives, fragile and ephemeral, feel for having been a part of it - body, mind and soul?"

Before Agami Sachin was the Executive Director of the Changemakers program of leading non-profit Ashoka. Sachin has previously co-founded three ventures in India – test prep pioneer Law School Tutorials (LST, now called CL LST), Rainmaker, a learning and talent platform that ultimately spun off Vahura and mylaw.net, and Inclusive Planet, a venture focused on greater literary access for the visually impaired. For his work in technology, media, social impact and education, Sachin became an INK Fellow in 2010. Sachin is a graduate of NLSIU Bengaluru and began his career with Amarchand Mangaldas at their Mumbai office.
Agamishaala 17
Coach and Founder, Dreamcatchers Foundation

Sonali Ojha

"What needs to happen for justice to be meted out quickly and efficiently?"

Sonali as Founder of Dreamcatchers Foundation, is empowering street children to create and sustain a vision of the future through an innovative and participatory curriculum that will help them to leave the street behind and build successful lives. By training organizations working with street children nationally and internationally in this new curriculum, she adds wholeness of spirit and emotion to the list of "basic necessities" children need.
Photo of Artika Raj
Senior Curator, Agami

Artika Raj

"What does it mean to build an ecosystem for law and justice? How do you get others to co-own your vision?"

Artika is a news junky who loves to do puzzles, especially when they come as challenges that require putting together the right people and ideas. At Ashoka Innovators for the Public, where she served last, the world of leading social entrepreneurs gave her an insight into what is transformative change. A lit-major from Delhi University, she's worked in print media and as Managing Editor of the digital platform, Youth Ki Awaaz.
Photo of Supriya Sankaran
Co-founder, Agami

Supriya Sankaran

"Are we drinking our own koolaid? Who are we listening to?"

Supriya is a recovering lawyer, mother, changemaker and aspiring dancer. Though her formal education was at NALSAR University of Law, her real education was at Ashoka Innovators for the Public, where she worked to launch over 100 leading social entrepreneurs across different sectors, support 500 others and co-create projects like the Wellbeing Project. She is also grateful for her stint at Amarchand Mangaldas, as a capital markets lawyer.

With expert facilitation by Sonali Ojha and Manish Srivastava, the Agamishaala 2019 sought to introduce the 17 participants to a deeper way of embodying and sensing the system that they are a part of.

Timeline

  • April
  • May
  • July 2021
  • August - October 2021
  • November 2021
  • September - October
  • November
Note: Actual dates of the sessions will be announced shortly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the process of selection?

Agami extends an exclusive invitation to apply to a curated list of leaders and changemakers in the justice field. Those invited are then required to fill a short application form and send it in by the deadline. The team then evaluates the applications and selects a list of people for the next stage of interviews, either with an Agami team member or an ex-Agamishaala participant. Based on the interviews, the members are confirmed. The Agami Prize 2020 Shortlist receives the first invite, followed by others we think will add to the richness of the cohort. Members who have been part of a past Agamishaala, can’t re-apply.

Who is a good candidate?

Candidates for the Shaala should be:

  • Founders or senior leaders of organisations which have demonstrated impact, whether in early or late stage;
  • At an inflection point in their lives or careers;
  • Are curious leaders, who maybe feel stuck and want to explore new possibilities.

What kind of support is included for Agamishaala members?

We believe we can most effectively support leaders in building their capacity through a combination of personal growth, skill enhancement and network access. To that end, each Agamishaala member is eligible to receive: 

  • guidance from mentors and experts as part of Agamishaala; 
  • resources, and help from Team Agamias and when;
  • key introductions to relevant network members based on need;
  • and an invite pass to the annual Agami Summit when it happens next. 

Are all sessions online?

This year we are curating Agamishaala as an online journey running for 6 months with each month having a variety of engagements. But the online sessions will have segments where you are doing things by yourself offline, or in sync with others in your cohort. These maybe Dialogue Walks you do with another member, or even 1:1 virtual chai sessions to reflect back. Incase members are in the same city and find it safe, we would encourage you to do some of the sesion from the same space.

An offline retreat may be curated at the end of the year, depending on circumstances. This retreat will be optional to the members and there will be an additional participation fee for this. 

Is there a participation fee?

No, there is no participation fee for the online leg of the journey. The offline retreat, if it happens at the end of this year given the circumstances, may have a separate fee but would be completely optional.

What is expected from an Agamishaala participant?

Specific expectations and time commitments include:

  • Full and engaged participation during the 6 months. 
  • Approximately five to six hours each month for sessions and activities, including mentor sessions, and wellbeing check-ins from mid-May to mid-November 2021. 
  • Active communication with Team Agami as needed between monthly check-ins.
  • Annual surveys, testimonials and data collection through December 2021- March 2022.

What if I want to apply for more than one idea that I am interested in advancing?

We suggest that you apply for the area you are most committed to advancing. On evaluation of your application, if we feel you may fit another cohort better, we will ask and move you to it. However, most of the activities between all cohorts will be the same, so not much cause to worry. 

Think you'd make a good fit for Agamishaala?

Apply Now!