About Awakening India Foundation
Dignity, empathy and care for every life
The foundation was established in 2015. Its earliest work grew around support for underprivileged and underserved communities — ENT assistance, general healthcare, and psychiatric and psychological care for people who had very little access to any of it.
Working closely in those communities made another need impossible to ignore: the condition of the animals living alongside them. Our scope now also includes animal welfare, through feeding, rescue, sterilisation and preventive care.
Both areas are held together by the same idea — that care should reach where it usually does not, and that it should arrive with dignity.
Who we are
A foundation built around service
We are an Indian non-profit working in animal welfare and human welfare. Rather than describing scale we cannot yet evidence, we prefer to describe our purpose clearly and let our documented work speak as it accumulates.
Vision
An India where access to care, a grounded mind, dignity and empathy help every person and animal face life with greater safety and hope.
Mission
- Reach overlooked livesWork where care rarely arrives, and stay long enough to matter.
- Enable access to careRemove cost, distance and information as barriers to essential care.
- Protect vulnerable animalsFeed, treat, sterilise and shelter animals who have no one.
- Awaken community participationInvite people to take part, because compassion is a shared practice.
Leadership & governance
The people responsible for our work
Dr. Niyati Dhawan
Founder & President – Animal Welfare
Dr. Niyati Dhawan is the Founder and President of Awakening India Foundation, where she leads the organisation’s vision for compassionate and structured animal welfare. With more than nine years of experience in the healthcare field, she brings a strong understanding of well-being, behavioural care, and community support to the Foundation’s initiatives. Her work is driven by the belief that animals deserve dignity, timely medical attention, protection, and humane treatment. Under her leadership, Awakening India Foundation works on animal rescue, feeding programmes, sterilisation, vaccination, medical treatment, rehabilitation, adoption support, and public awareness.
Dr. Niyati also focuses on building sustainable systems rather than limiting welfare work to emergency intervention alone. She believes effective animal welfare requires collaboration between citizens, veterinarians, volunteers, organisations, and local authorities. Through Awakening India Foundation, she continues to work towards creating safer communities where animals are treated with compassion, responsibility, and respect.
Prof. (Dr.) B. P. Tyagi
Vice President & Director – Healthcare Initiatives & Medical Advisor
Prof. (Dr.) B. P. Tyagi is the Vice President and Director – Healthcare Initiatives & Medical Advisor at Awakening India Foundation. A Gold Medalist with an MS in ENT from MGIMS, Sevagram, he has built a distinguished career in otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, and specialised ENT procedures. His areas of expertise include head and neck oncology surgery, obstructive sleep apnoea surgery, cartilage tympanoplasty, endoscopic sinus surgery, and general ENT care. He has also been recognised by the Limca Book of Records for performing 55 eardrum surgeries in 17 hours and 23 minutes on World Health Day in 2015.
At Awakening India Foundation, Dr. Tyagi guides healthcare initiatives and helps the organisation design and conduct medical outreach programmes for underserved communities. His involvement strengthens the Foundation’s ability to connect social welfare with professional medical expertise. He strongly believes that quality healthcare should be accessible irrespective of financial or social background.
S. K. Tyagi
Governance & Administrative Advisor
K. Tyagi serves as the Governance & Administrative Advisor at Awakening India Foundation. A retired senior Government of India officer, he has extensive experience in public administration, financial management, procurement, governance, and institutional operations. During his government service, he worked at various senior positions and handled responsibilities related to internal divisional finance, procurement, administration, and overall departmental management. His experience in managing public systems has given him a strong understanding of accountability, financial discipline, structured implementation, and responsible administration.
He has also been recognised for his contribution to public service and has received an award for Meritorious Service from the Prime Minister of India. At Awakening India Foundation, he provides guidance on governance, administration, documentation, processes, and organisational discipline. His experience helps the Foundation strengthen internal systems while maintaining transparency and accountability. He continues to contribute his knowledge towards building a professionally managed organisation capable of creating sustainable and long-term social impact.
Suneet Kumar Singh
Director – Strategy, Communications & Outreach
Suneet Kumar Singh is the Director – Strategy, Communications & Outreach at Awakening India Foundation. As a serial entrepreneur, he has experience across education consulting, academic services, advertising, digital businesses, and wedding planning, along with active involvement in social initiatives. His professional background gives him extensive experience in business strategy, branding, communications, digital outreach, partnerships, marketing, and project execution. At Awakening India Foundation, he uses this experience to strengthen the organisation’s visibility, outreach, fundraising communication, community engagement, and strategic growth.
Suneet believes that social organisations can create greater impact when compassion is supported by strong systems, effective communication, and wider public participation. He is actively involved in developing campaigns that bring attention to animal welfare, healthcare, humanitarian support, and community causes. His focus is also on using digital platforms and storytelling to connect supporters with the real work being done on the ground and encourage greater participation in the Foundation’s initiatives.
Parul Chandok
Director – Animal Welfare Program Lead
Parul Chandok is the Director – Animal Welfare Program Lead at Awakening India Foundation and a dedicated advocate for the protection and care of street and community animals. Alongside a successful corporate career spanning more than a decade, she has developed extensive hands-on experience in animal rescue and welfare. After relocating to Vrindavan in 2020, her involvement in animal welfare expanded significantly. She began actively participating in rescuing, feeding, treating, sterilising, vaccinating, rehabilitating, and supporting abandoned and injured animals across the Mathura-Vrindavan region.
At Awakening India Foundation, Parul helps guide animal welfare programmes focused on rescue, veterinary treatment, rehabilitation, recovery boarding, feeding, sterilisation, vaccination, and community awareness. She is particularly committed to improving access to emergency veterinary care and structured rehabilitation facilities for vulnerable animals. Parul believes sustainable animal welfare requires collaboration between communities, veterinarians, volunteers, NGOs, and authorities, with compassion supported by consistent and organised action.
Ajay Sharma
Chief Editor – Digital Media & Public Affairs
Ajay Sharma is the Chief Editor – Digital Media & Public Affairs at Awakening India Foundation. He is a senior journalist, television anchor, author, documentary filmmaker, media strategist, and political analyst with nearly two decades of experience across journalism, broadcasting, public affairs, and social communication. He began his journalism career in 2008 with Hindustan in New Delhi and has since worked across print, television, documentaries, digital media, and editorial leadership. He has also been associated with Doordarshan and has produced and directed approximately 50 documentaries covering social, cultural, religious, and public-interest subjects.
At Awakening India Foundation, Ajay leads digital editorial communication and helps the organisation present social issues, welfare initiatives, and community concerns through responsible storytelling. His experience in journalism and public affairs strengthens the Foundation’s ability to raise awareness, engage with wider audiences, and communicate its work with credibility. He remains committed to using media as a platform for social awareness and constructive public dialogue.
Sweta
Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation Lead
Sweta is the Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation Lead at Awakening India Foundation, bringing more than five years of hands-on experience in animal rescue, rehabilitation, adoption, and community welfare. Her work focuses on helping animals affected by abandonment, accidents, illness, neglect, abuse, and lack of timely medical care. Over the years, she has been actively involved in coordinating rescues, arranging treatment, supporting rehabilitation, facilitating responsible adoption, and working with communities to improve awareness about animal welfare.
At Awakening India Foundation, Sweta plays an important role in strengthening the organisation’s rescue and rehabilitation efforts. She works closely with volunteers, caregivers, veterinary professionals, and community members to ensure that distressed animals receive appropriate attention and continued care. She believes that rescuing an animal is only the beginning of the process. Recovery, rehabilitation, safety, and responsible long-term placement are equally important. Her approach is guided by empathy, perseverance, and the belief that every animal deserves to be treated with dignity and compassion.