Lata Shrikhande

Lata Shrikhande is the president of the Shelter Associates Trust. Born and raised in Bombay, she was very involved in extra-curricular activities in and out of school. She received her Junior BA in Psychology, her BA in Economics, and her MA in Sociology, all from Mumbai University. Lata’s husband was in the Indian Navy, and they moved to Pune in 1975 when he took his retirement. Beginning in the 1980s, Lata became very involved in issues of garbage and recycling, initiated with the Kanchan Galli Experiment of 1980. In 1982, Lata played a pivotal role in the Save Pune Citizens Community to stop the Bombay/Bangalore Highway from running directly through the city. Comprised of retired engineers, commissioners, and high-profile public servants, this movement caused the plan to be scrapped, drastically reducing carbon emissions for the city. Lata was central to this group that represented a pioneer of its time in taking on environment and city planning issues. A lot of credibility for NGOs came through with this work, and across city alliances were formed between Mumbai and Pune. Since then, Lata has been closely associated with other movements such as the Environmental Education and Research Center, WWF, and International Coastal Cleanup. Through her expertise on garbage segregation and vermiculture, Lata became associated with Shelter in the 1990s, ultimately becoming a trustee and the eventual President of the SA Trust.