PeopleDharmalaya Institute is founded and managed by a group of people committed to creating a more compassionate and sustainable world. Our multi-disciplinary, international team brings together a diverse array of skills, experiences, and sensitivities that, together, guide the course of our activities. The Dharmalaya community is also comprised of all our friends and supporters — local, regional, and global — who choose to participate. All who aspire to cultivate compassion are welcome to join us.
Ashwani Kumar, from the town of Bir, is a skilled artisan specializing in earthen work.
Bhagpati Devi, from Dhanaari, helps prepare delicious meals that keep everyone happy and healthy.
Hariyali Devi, from nearby Bari village, manages our kitchen and prepares delicious and healthy plant-based meals.
Jogeshwar, from Dhanaari, does a little bit of everything, always with mindfulness and kindness.
Lata Devi, from nearby Ghornala Panchayat, is an ever-cheerful member of our hospitality team.
Pushpa Lata Thakur, from the local hamlet of Dhanaari, Pushpa, is our main gardener, and is also a skilled artisan and mason.
Raj Kumar, from Bari, specializes in earthen building, particularly renders and finishing.
Surveer (‘Gilla’), from Bir, is an all-rounder member of our building team.
Kanmani is our chief nature consultant and style advisor.
Mark Moore: Cofounder, Instructor & Facilitator (+view bio)
Mai-Linh: Cofounder, Instructor & Facilitator (+view bio)
Sourabh Phadke: Instructor & Facilitator (+view bio)
Daphne Charles: Instructor & Facilitator (+view bio)
Naresh Kumar Sharma: Foreman, Earthen building advisor, Facilitator (+view bio)
Shivraj: Instructor & Trainer (+view bio)
Tsunma Kunsang Palmo: Meditation Retreat Facilitator (+view bio)
Surya Nimmagadda: Engineer/Project Manager/Facilitator (+view bio)
Pushkar: Permaculture Facilitator (+view bio)
Ellie Gilchrist: Facilitator (+view bio)
ADVISORS & COLLABORATORS
Didi Contractor (in memoriam): Renowned, award-winning architect specialising in traditional eco-friendly earthen construction methods of the Himalayas. Didi kindly volunteered her architectural services to design Dharmalaya Institute’s main building, and thereafter collaborated with Dharmalaya cofounder Mark Moore to establish Dharmalaya Institute’s Internship in Vernacular Eco-Architecture. She was the principal faculty member for the first three years of that program, from 2014 to 2017, after which she retired from teaching but continued to serve as an advisor to Mark and to the Institute until her passing in 2021.
Major Girish Bedge (ret’d): Founder of a village-based education project in Wayanad, Kerala, Girish brings approximately three decades of experience across military and corporate positions to inform his support of Dharmalaya Institute on its Board of Directors.
Chitra Vishwanath (Advisor): Principal Architect at Biome Environmental Solutions (Bangalore)
Parmjit Jutla: Collaborator in establishing the olive groves at Dharmalaya Institute (France)
Savita Paul: Retired Principal and Cofounder of Billing View Public School (Bir, HP)
Savneet Kaur (Occasional remote collaborator for Dharmalaya’s architecture internship): Principal Architect at Imarat Architects (Karnal & Chandigarh)
Sidney Rosario, Ph.D.: Professor of Computer Science and agriculturalist (Mangalore)
Vinay Mamgain: Sustainability entrepreneur and plant-based chef (Delhi and Uttarkhand)
Studio Lungta: Website design and management
JOINING OUR TEAM
There are currently no job openings at Dharmalaya Institute, but we do offer unpaid internships.
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