Ashok has contributed to development and humanitarian work across various national NGOs, State Government and international aid agencies over 24 years. The sectors that he contributed range from Livelihoods, WatSan, Child Rights, Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation, Health & Nutrition and Quality Education. His demonstrated experience has been into partnership management, networking and advocacy, program design and impact assessment.
He has recently completed an Ironman 70.3 in Goa. He is also an avid trekker, cyclist, runner and swimmer.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashok-pingle-02b5606/
Twitter: @ashokpingle
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/ashokypingle/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/aypingle
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM so far?
A. I was development planner by education before joining M Phil – NRM course in IIFM. My batchmate and friend Harshavardhan Deshmukh persuaded me to join IIFM when we were working on a Natural Resource Management program in BAIF in Maharashtra. Job in BAIF was considered as a secured option with lot of autonomy and freedom to explore at comparatively lesser salary but because of security, people used to hang in with BAIF till they retire! Another parallel perception was if you stay with BAIF for more than 5 years, you get into comfort zone, and it becomes difficult to venture outside which is not good for career progression.
It was one of the best decision to join IIFM as it not only helped me to hone my knowledge and skills but brought professionalism, a great IIFM brand and network which helped me a lot in my career ahead. I have made friends for life from IIFM – Harshavardhan Deshmukh, Rajkumar Gade, Ganesh Sonune, Ripu Kunwar, Abhilash Chandran to name a few.
I got placed in AKRSP (I) as a Program Specialist (R & M) from IIFM. Both the organization and the role was very exciting. Many other esteemed alumni had worked in AKRSP (Sunil Padale Sir, Aseem Hasnain Sir, Vikas Nath Sir and more) earlier and were known for their contribution. It was nice feeling to join AKRSP where IIFM brand was recognized.
I learnt and contributed to Research and Monitoring of the projects in Saurashtra region. I was also part of the team that captured impact of AKRSP’s work in Drought Proofing, Drinking Water Supply, Micro Irrigation, Agriculture Development and Micro Credit. I also co-authored few research reports with Niraj Joshi then Manager – R & M. AKRSP was a great learning platform for me.
I got married in 2002 and for family reasons, had to shift to Maharashtra. A friend from TISS shared an opportunity to work with Government of Maharashtra’s Water Supply and Sanitation Department as a Social Development Advisor to a KfW Germany & World Bank supported program at Mantralaya, Mumbai. It was a very competitive position which required far more work experience but fortunately the interview panel had lot of regard for AKRSP’s contribution in NRM and I got through as the Principal Secretary. I consider myself fortunate to work with Sudhir Thakre (IAS) as he is among that special breed of official with highest commitment for development and true belief in community participation.
I got opportunity to conduct impact assessment of existing government initiatives and formulation of policies towards community owned, designed and maintained decentralized Rural Drinking Water supply schemes. This has been one of the largest World Bank grants for Drinking Water Supply to any country in the world. With government, I got to learn the dynamics of policy formulation, capacity building and execution of large-scale programs. We were also lucky to have Late Shri R R Patil as visionary Minister whose initiatives in Sanitation and Recognition based schemes (Total Sanitation Campaign, Sant Gadge Baba Swachhata Abhiyan, Nirmal Gram – Defecation Free Villages) were then picked up for national level policies. Unfortunately, Mr Thakre was transferred to other department so I left the job and took break for a month.
Further, I got good opportunity to diversify my sectoral experience of contributing to the relief and rehabilitation efforts of Save the Children(UK) as a part of it’s Tsunami Response Program (TRP) in Port Blair, Andaman Nicobar Islands. I was involved in grant making, reporting and monitoring of programs in the domains of Education, Early Childhood Care and Development, Women Empowerment, Child Protection, Disaster Risk Reduction and Livelihoods. Post Tsunami Response Program, I got an opportunity to lead Save the Children’s program in Maharashtra as a State Program Manager. Here, the program supported to bring around 1 Lakh children move out of child labor and continue their education with support from IKEA Foundation. During my association I expanded Save the Children’s program in all regions of the state and urban slums through 22 NGO partners. The program to address Child Labour through community organizations and Panchayati Raj Institutions exhibited huge potential with number of positive stories of community saying “No to Child Labour”. We were also able to contribute to the State Government in capacity building of the state officials in scheme like Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) and Right to Education Act. Unfortunately, the project could not continue for the planned 12 years and had an abrupt end. I also learnt a big lesson in life – single donor dependent projects carry huge risks.
The work with the funding organization for over 8 years was enriching experience but I wanted to be associated with ground level work where I can have more flexibility in decision making.
While working with Save the Children, I was on the advisory board of Gyan Prakash Foundation (GPF), a budding organization started by like minded group of industry stalwarts like Daljit Mirchandani, Deepak Satwalekar, Badri Agrawal, Rajeev Gupta, Abhay Bhagwat and Shridhar Shukla. GPF had a clear focus on improving quality of education with systemic change approach and a long-term vision. The board was also determined for raising funds where donor will offer freedom to operate. Daljit, after his retirement as a Chairman Ingersoll Rand had started GPF. On his request I joined GPF in July 2014. During my association, GPF emerged as one of the few organizations in Maharashtra to contribute immensely to systemic change in Education through data driven decision to support the needy child, ensuring community participation in education involving Panchayati Raj Institutions. We were instrumental partner of the state government in policy formulation regarding School Management Committees, Pragat Shaikshanik Maharashtra involving Panchayati Raj Institutions in Education in Maharashtra.
With the rich experience of organization building, I moved out of Gyan Prakash Foundation in Aug 2022 to support building Global Alliance for Sustainable Development (GASD), an organization started with my friends in 2010. GASD has done good work with support from NABARD and RBI in Maharashtra. I am currently working on GASD’s future, strategy and programs. Interestingly, two alums from IIFM: Harshavardhan Deshmukh and Rajkumar Gade have recently joined the board of GASD. We have chosen Climate Change, Education and Employability as areas of focus of GASD. We are keen to network with like minded alumni on above areas of focus.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to Share with us?
A. ● In my early career, I chose options of working in sectors that offer learning and are completely aligned to my interest than going for better paid jobs. That has played a big role in shaping my career.
● Agility to adapt to different settings – Government/NGO/INGO. There is a trend in NGO sector to blame government programs and policies. I was also hesitant to join Government but few of my friends pushed me to give it a shot and I did… It diversified my understanding of different settings. After working with government at the state level, I can say, despite loopholes, the leadership in government is comparatively much more accountable than it looks from outside.
● Dr Alok Rath was a dedicated leader often challenging the colleagues to push boundaries. He was also very meticulous and had an eye for details. Working with Alok made a foundation for leading projects in future.
● Mr. Sudipta Badapanda – learnt that the character of a leader is displayed by his conduct with the last person in the organization and not how he/she behaves with the supervisors. This taught me humility and being grounded.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. The multi-disciplinary approach and lot of emphasis on the field work during research project helped me a lot in my career. My field work experience with CARD was great as I spent 3 months in villages of Ghughari block in Chhattisgarh. I still remember deep involvement of the faculty and my guides Dr. R K Singh and Dr. D S Ravindran. Also Dr Amitabh Pande Sir also supported me throughout the field work and report writing. Lot of credit goes to IIFM for helping me in focussing on Research, Monitoring and Reporting in my career.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers? What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles.
A. I got guidance of several people in shaping my career. Special thanks to Dr. Amitabh Pande Sir who has supported me all through my career. The other names include Mr Sudhir Thakre, Dr Alok Rath, Mr Sudipta Badapanda, Mr Daljit Mirchandani and my friends Harshavardhan Deshmukh, Rajkumar Gade, Rajesh Patil.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. We had lot of fun in IIFM. We made best use of the resources and facilities including newly built swimming pool. Ganesh Sonune, my friend and batchmate had generously kept a bicycle in the campus and it was a common pool resource to visit market or have a free ride in the campus! The bicycle used to be in high demand on the weekends 🙂
I have a distinct memory of purchasing vegetables for the mess. It used to be great experience to use official vehicle and get involved in procurement of vegetables.
The field trips with Dr P C Kotwal Sir in the forests to explore wide life and learn about the forest species was fun filled.
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. The teaching and interactions with the faculty especially, Dr. Amitabh Pande Sir, Dr. RK Singh Sir, Dr. DS Ravindran Sir, Dr Suprava Patnaik Madam, Dr Manmohan Yadav Sir was very enriching.
We also used to have great camaraderie in our batch and had nice time with Harshavardhan Deshmukh, Ganesh Sonune, Ripu Kunwar, Soopriti Lal, Namita Sharma, Neena Koshy, Nirvana Pradan and Kiran Mali.
Q. Also what would be your advise for recent graduates who look for changing their sector
after working for couple of years?
A. As far as you are open to learn and adapt, changing sector is perfectly fine. It is all about working with people.
Q. What is your typical day at the work? And how does it look like while you are on a break?
A.● In all my jobs, chat over tea/ coffee or lunch table talks include discussion about fitness, travel, politics!
● During my association with GPF, we had an interesting initiative of setting run, walk, cycling goals for a year across all 70 odd employees. We had a tracker to monitor progress of all team. In total we had covered 70,000 kms during the year.
Q. And how about weekends, hobbies, family and anything else you want to add?
A. Usually, weekends include return bike ride from Pune to Lonavala or long run or a trek.
Q. How did your fitness journey begin? What motivated you to prepare for Triathalon?
A. I used to play a lot during childhood. Somehow, this could not continue in the college and early years of career.
In 2004 when I was in Kharghar, Mumbai, I started morning walk with my wife. Somehow this became part of our daily routine till 2012. In 2012, we joined a trekker’s group in Pune – Sahyadri Trekkers who has been organizing treks on no profit-no loss basis. The group organizes trek every Sunday to different locations near Pune in Sahyadri ghat for over 15 years. Interestingly, there has not been a single Sunday when they called off trek. Usually, the travel starts in the morning around 4 am from Pune and one returns to Pune by 9 pm. The group is extremely sensitive about environment and follow strict protocol not to litter or make noise/ play music that will affect wildlife. It’s a great break from city life into nature, which I and my wife followed for 3 years doing at least 2 treks in a month.
During these trekkings in Sahyadri, one of the trekking friend Dr Archana Thombare who is also used to trek in Himalaya, introduced me to the world of India Hikes.
I have done some interesting treks in Himalaya including “Goechala Pass” in Nov 2016, which is high mountain pass in Gyalshing district in Sikkim. The southeast face of Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain can be seen from the pass, which is also basecamp for those who are aspiring to scale the mountain.
The next one was Chadar Trek in Leh in Jan 2018 – it is renowned as one of the world’s most iconic and challenging treks, offering a unique and extraordinary experience for adventurers. Trekkers traverse the frozen Zanskar River, experiencing the thrill of walking on a solid ice sheet, transforming the river into a surreal frozen wonderland.
The other treks include Dayara Bugyal in Uttarakhand in April 2022 and Brahma Valley Trek in Kishtawar district of Jammu and Kashmir in June 2024.
I also got attracted to cycling in 2017 with a cycle purchased for my son but rarely used by him! I did 1000 kms cycling in a month with daily doing around 35 kms. This was a good reason to buy a more sophisticated hybrid cycle. I have cruised more than 25000 kms on bicycle since I started with several 100 km morning ride from Pune to Lonavala and back, participation in BRM events. BRM stands for Brevet Randonneurs Mondiaux, which are long-distance, non-competitive cycling events. The Audax Club Parisien (ACP) organizes and sanctions these events, which are held in more than 50 countries across the world. I have participated in several 200 km, 300 km, 400 km rides conduced by BRM group in Pune to Satara, Kolhapur, Nipani, Solapur, etc.
I like cycling but riding on highways and roads in Pune poses huge safety risk so this prompted me to the new challenge in the triathlon world. I got to know about Ironman event from my coach Michael Lehnig. The Ironman event includes swimming, cycling and running one after another which requires a very dedicated training schedule. I was good at cycling but was new to swimming and running so I started training in December 2022. This game truly challenges one to learn, unlearn and relearn, self- awareness and consistent endeavor to cross boundaries during the training and event. Training and completing in Ironman 70.3 in Goa last month has been one of the life changing experiences. And as my coach says, with money one can buy many things in life but not the Ironman medal, which one has to earn.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors?
A. Everybody Loves a Good Drought by P Sainath is my all-time favorite books. The other authors that I like include Murakami and in Marathi Dr. A H Salunkhe, Dr. Anil Awachat, V S Khandekar.
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students? Your engagement with IIFM Placement or OT/SI?
A. a. We are in the phase of relaunching our organization – Global Alliance for Sustainable Development. Since one of the areas of our focus in Climate Change and Natural Resource Management, we will be glad for both seeking support from alumni to collaborate and providing an opportunity to students through OTs/Summer Internship/Project Work.
b. After completing an Ironman event, 8 alumni have got in touch to explore the world of triathlon. I am excited to support them.
Q. What do you think is different at IIFM now vs when you studied there?
A. I have not visited IIFM even though I wish to… However, the initiatives like IIFMIGHT in focus every Sunday for 4+ years is amazing and the efforts of the alumni association over the period of the last 2-3 years are commendable to bring new energy within the alumni and building bond with the institution.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?
A. Rajkumar Gade as he has done lot of work globally in different organizations and is highly regarded for his contribution in emergency response. Harshavardhan Deshmukh who is Prof in Agriculture University in Maharashtra. Ganesh Sonune who is Assistant Municipal Commissioner in Pune Municipal Corporation.