Dr. Shekhar Tokas
Founder
Assistant Professor of Urban Studies
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi
Ankush
PhD Scholar, CHS, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Specializing in Medieval History, his research interests lie in the history of society, urban history, and warfare during the medieval and early modern periods. He is interested in examining the active role of non-elites in state formation, warfare, and economic processes. Currently, his research focuses on rural–urban linkages, social populations, and subaltern urbanism in the early modern city of Shahjahanabad. Apart from his academic research, Ankush co-runs a social media platform called “TheHistoryBuzz.”
Pavi Beniwal
PhD Scholar, Urban Studies, AUD
Trained in Geography, her work lies at the intersection of emotional geographies and urban villages. She takes keen interest in uncovering and understanding the lived and embodied experiences. Her work examines the emo-spatialities of Delhi’s urban villages which is a sustained effort to revive and honour the stories of urban villages: stories of belonging, transformation, nostalgia and memory that remain overlooked in mainstream urban narratives of Delhi.
Khushwant Kumar
PhD Scholar, Urban Studies, AUD
Khushwant is deeply invested in the ponds of Delhi as living archives of vernacular history. With a background in Geography, he works at the intersection of ecology and social justice, pushing for geographies of inclusion that center women, queer people, and Dalits. Shaped by lived experience as a queer-Dalit person with a neurodivergent condition from a Delhi village, he knows how Delhi-Dehat is erased in mainstream narratives. His work reclaims that picture, showing the rural as a vital, contemporary part of Delhi’s identity.
Shalaish Baisla
PhD Scholar, Heritage Research and Management, AUD
Founder, Vanyāravali Foundation
A native of Kotla Mubarakpur village, Shailesh works to make heritage accessible beyond academic circles and relevant to local communities. Through the Aravalli Frontlines project, he has spearheaded public outreach initiatives that connect archaeology and conservation with everyday lived experiences, fostering greater community participation in heritage preservation.
priya Yadav
PhD Scholar, Urban Studies, AUD
With a background in Political Science, Priya is deeply interested in the experiences of women in Delhi’s urban villages and how gender shapes everyday life amidst rapid urban transformation. She is particularly drawn to understanding the ways women navigate changing social, economic, and digital landscapes while negotiating questions of agency, belonging, and opportunity. Through engaging with lived experiences and local narratives, she seeks to bring attention to voices that often remain at the margins of mainstream urban discourse. Her work views Delhi-Dehat not as a relic of the past, but as a dynamic and evolving space where histories, identities, and aspirations continuously shape the city.
