From grassroots initiatives to institutional engagement, Dr. Krishna Udayasankar discusses the Kshetra Foundation's holistic approach to dialogue-driven social change. 1.
What inspired the Kshetra Foundation's focus on dialogue as a catalyst for social change, and how has your approach evolved over time? Kshetra began its work inspired by the idea that empowering people to drive dialogue, rather than rely on mediators and specialists, allows them to craft sustainable solutions for themselves and their communities. This was why we developed the Dialogic Method: A way for everyone to effectively engage in dialogue. Our approach has certainly evolved since its inception.
While initially saw dialogue as a means of conflict resolution, we have come to recognize the potential for dialogue to do more: from problem-solving to organisational and team development in corporate contexts, to leadership, building policy narratives and catalysing collaborations. 2. Can you share a success story from the Kshetra Foundation's projects, highlighting how dialogue and collaboration led to meaningful community impact? One of our first “success stories” is a personal favourite: Mary (name changed), a social worker dedicated to empowering differently-abled women in rural Assam faced a complex challenge in supporting Lakshmi (name changed), a young woman with locomotor disabilities, who aspired for financial independence.
Using her experience from the Dialogic Method workshop as well as the real.