Diksha Poddar holds over 10 years experience working at the praxis of grassroots peacebuilding, gender and development in South Asia. She is currently a Research Scholar at the Centre for South Asian Studies, School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, where she is studying the processes of narrativization around youth, peacebuilding and arts in South Asia for her PhD thesis. Diksha is associated with WISCOMP (Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace), an initiative of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, New Delhi, as a Consultant. At WISCOMP, she engages with their initiatives on women, peace and security in South Asia and youth countering violent extremism where she designs and facilitates workshops and discussions with women and youth in conflict through art. Currently, she is leading an award program on women building peace at the grassroots in South Asia. As a scholar-practitioner, Diksha explores creative solutions to peacebuilding with women and youth at its core and, therefore, uses innovative methodologies to produce creative outputs in the form of online portals, webpages, coffee-table compendiums and multimedia presentations. Diksha has also published widely on issues of women, youth, peace and security. 

Participant in: August 2024 Fellowship: The Arts as a Tool for Peacebuilding