
Water is the heartbeat of civilization.
It is the single most important resource that will determine the prosperity of cultures, economies, and the global future of humanity.
Gurujal strives to foster Water neutrality through
integrated Water Resource Management
Water is the single most important resource that determines the prosperity of cultures, economies, and the global future of humanity. Gurujal, an initiative by Abhipsa Foundation, aims to make India water resilient by building flourishing ecosystems through holistic water management. We design and demonstrate innovative and localised solutions for groundwater recharge and management in arid and semi-arid regions of India.
Our key strategies include enabling sector-wide investment, capacity-building human resource for the sector and promoting evidence-based action.We are also a leader in producing empirical research and replicable informational resources on water conservation and restoration.
We are the bridge between policy and people
Our story began as a Special Purpose Vehicle for the District Government of Gurugram, tasked with improving water governance. Embedded within the system, we gained a deep understanding of policies and worked tirelessly to address gaps in implementation. From streamlining governance processes to addressing systemic challenges, our journey was rooted in collaboration.
However, we soon realized that water management demands more than governance—it requires a holistic approach. True change happens when communities, experts, corporations and government bodies come together to build solutions from the ground up. This realization led us to become autonomous in 2023, with a renewed focus on transparent governance, community-driven programs, and integrated solutions for multiple geographies.
Today we are deploying multiple innovative methods to restore groundwater, and scaling our solutions across the country. Through our fellowship focussed on hands- on learning, we are trying to build skilled leaders to tackle the challenges of the future. What began as a single drop is now a river of purpose, flowing with the resolve to make India water secure.
Leading the way

Ms. Shubhi Kesarwani
Founder & CEO

Dr. Fawzia Tarannum
Co-founder & Strategic Advisor

Mr. Avinash Mishra
R&D Advisor & Chair of Advisory Board
Trustees and Advisors

Mr. Ashok Kapur
Former Special Cabinet Secretary, GoI (Retd. IFS)

Mr. Ashish Dev Kapur
Leading Hospitality Industrialist

Ms. Elisha Suri
Former Director of SD Apparels

Mr. Upmanu Lall
Director, Columbia Water Center in the Earth Institute

Ms. Vandana Menon
Senior Design Architect,
VM Architects

Ms. Sameera Satija
Founder, The Crocker Bank for All Initiative

Mr. Lalit Arora
Former Chief Engineer at GMDA, Govt. of Haryana

Mr. Kevin Kwok
Ex-Head of HSBC ESG Advisory to Global Banking & Markets

Mr. Pradeep Monga
Ex-Deputy Exec. Secretary, UNCCD (Ex-IAS, GoI)

Ms. Ritu Malhotra
Former Regional Director (Asia Pacific, China, Oceania) - Booking.com

Mr. Ravi Pahuja
COO, Raman Kant Munjal Foundation (Hero Group)

Ms. Sarika Panda
Co-founder, Raahgiri Foundation

Dr. Amit Singh
Researcher, Guest Faculty at TERI School of Advanced Study

Mr. Avinash Mishra
Senior Fellow, CEDAR & Forest and Environment Service Analyst

Mr. Kapil Jaiswal
Accountant, Whitehat Hospitality
Executive Team

Ashita Mall
Communication consultant

Dr. Syed Maqbool Geelani
Senior Environment Engineer

Deepa Agarwal
Business Development

Jasin S
Assitant Manager - Research

Pulkit Sharma
Program Manager - Forestry

Faraz Ahmad
Assistant Manager- Communications

Anjali Singh
Community Resource Manager

Mr. Aakash
Senior Associate

Jitander Kumar
Project Associate

Ismail Ahmad
Associate

Deepak
Site Supervisor - Civil

Vinod
Site Supervisor – Forestry

Shallu Chauhan
Assistant Manager – CEOs Office

Manisha Malik
Program Manager – Governance
Awards & Recognitions

Kalagram Awards
Gurujal won the KalaGram Green Impact Awards 2024

Governor of Haryana
Gurujal won an award from Governor of Haryana 2020

World Environment Summit
Best presentation at the World Environment Summit 2020

Hero Group
Shubhi Kesarwani, Founder and CEO Social Impact Award for GuruJal from the Hero Group, 2022

Skoch Awards
GuruJal received the Skoch Award for Governance in ‘Gold’ category, 2019

Women on Top Magazine
Shubhi Kesarwani, a water warrior, received the Women On Top Award for her impactful contributions to the water sector.
Water binds us together
At Gurujal, we believe that true and lasting change is possible only when diverse stakeholders—civil society organizations, government bodies, corporations, experts, and communities—come together. We actively participate in fostering connections, driving collaboration, and working together to build a sustainable and shared future.