Our History

The Living Earth Foundation India (LEAF) was established in 2021 by two young, heady environmental lawyers who wanted to make a difference at the grassroots level.

LEAF was founded as an environmental legal aid non-profit that was created to support vulnerable communities by engaging with the law and policy. We were determined to promote accountable engagement with government authorities, administrative bodies, policymakers, and the judiciary to advance environmental protection and justice.

Several years have passed. We’re not young any more, but remain youthful by all accounts. We’ve managed to remain optimistic and idealist. As long as we have the law, we can fight for justice and an equitable future for all.

Our Vision

A future where people affected by massive development projects are allowed valuable dialogue, where their voices can be raised and are heard;

where environmental harm and displacement is fairly compensated for;

where traditional knowledge and practices are preserved by preserving the way of life of people who are making a living off of their traditional crafts.

Our Mission

TO EMPOWER vulnerable and marginalised communities with knowledge of the laws that govern them.

TO PROMOTE participatory environmental democracy, as enshrined in the 2019 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Hanuman Laxman Aroskar v. Union of India.

Meet the Team

  • Sreeja Chakraborty

    FOUNDER-DIRECTOR

    Sreeja is the LEAFer-in-chief. She’s the founder-director, and the blood, sweat, and tears of the organisation, having built it from the ground up with a clear sense of purpose and long-term vision. She is deeply passionate about environmental law. Her straightforward approach brings conviction, compassion and honesty to LEAF’s work. Our advice? Don’t mess with her. Although, she’s a lot less terrifying than she looks.

  • Prerna Venkatesh

    CO-FOUNDER-DIRECTOR

    While formally a lawyer and director, Prerna’s work is less about titles and more about support—playing advisory roles, policy thinking, conversations, and steadying the ground so meaningful work can happen. She has worked with organisations across fields that work for human rights—such as environmental protection, sexual violence, mental health, and ecological living. She likes work that combines care, connection, and humanity, with the skills she’s gained working across the board.

  • Raju Datta Tandel

    COMMUNITY PARALEGAL

    Raju is our field officer from the coastal fishing community of Uttara Kannada. When he is not out at sea, he is responsible for on-ground coordination, document collection, drafting Right to Information applications. Not restricted by any one role, he acts as the key liaison between LEAF and the communities of Uttara Kannada, and he ensures that voices of the affected communities are heard and represented before various stakeholders across various forums. His work is informed by lived experience, and he brings a nuanced understanding of the coastal environment and its challenges.

  • Aishwarya Krishnan

    PROJECT MANAGER

    Aishwarya has a background in environmental science and sustainable development. But it was her organisational skills that made her project manager. What started as an interest in ecosystems and communities quickly evolved into timelines, spreadsheets, and moving parts. She enjoys working closely in the wild exploring participatory approaches to knowledge sharing, and coordinating research so ideas, people, and information don’t get lost in chaos (or email threads).

  • Natasha Rego

    CONTENT STRATEGIST

    Natasha worked as a print journalist for over ten years, covering topics related to climate, environment, and conservation. She then decided to give up that singular role for a more multi-faceted approach to nature communication and education. She speaks social media, albeit the old-school way. She’s a book designer, quiz maker and video editor. She’s also learning to speak plant, and hoping her audience learns to speak plant alongside her.