Our Team

Anindya Chatterjee

Meditation Teacher and Managing Trustee

Anindya Chatterjee is a scholar of Buddhist psychology and philosophy, and a meditation practitioner for over 30 years. A student of the late meditation master Venerable Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, he has studied and practised in Tibetan Mahayana, Thai Forest and Burmese Theravada traditions.

As a meditation teacher, he brings in his personal experience and scholarship to deliver a clear and practical exposition of the complex tenets of Buddhism. He encourages participants to meditate regularly and experience the results for themselves.
He is a psychiatrist and has worked internationally for many years as a global health expert. He now lives in Kolkata.

“Meditation is something you have to do yourself. All we can do at the Dhyan Kendra is to give you time-tested instructions, a safe place, support of spiritual friends, and good advice on how to practise.”

Ujjaini Srimani

Education Programme Coordinator

The EPC is a key administrative and spiritual role responsible for organising and managing the Dhyan Kendra’s study, meditation and retreat programmes.

As part of this role, Ujjaini Srimani assists students with the study material, guides beginners in setting up a meditation practice and helps newcomers find the right introductory classes. She assists our Teacher with the sessions, and teaches the Basic Buddhism course with guided meditation.

Ujjaini entered the Buddhist path a decade ago and is a dedicated practitioner in the Mahayana tradition. Before committing herself fully to the mission of Atish Dipankar Dhyan Kendra, Ujjaini worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist and Narrative therapist in Kolkata. She brings her clinical and therapeutic understandings, and her lived experience as a queer woman into helping people integrate Dharma in their daily living.

Dibya Jyoti Bhadra

Trustee

Dibya Jyoti Bhadra has been an adherent of the Buddhist path, especially the way shown by Atish Dipankar, for more than 15 years. He is involved in all areas of the Dhyan Kendra’s activities and is keen on helping more and more seekers find the way of the Buddha. A retired civil servant of the Government of India, he lives in Bangalore.

Sarmistha Gupta Basant

Trustee

Sarmistha Gupta Basant has been a seeker of the Buddhist way of life, particularly on the Tibetan Mahayana path, for around a decade. Inner peace and self-knowledge are the areas in which she strives for growth — a journey that she hopes others will also be benefited from. A public service broadcaster, Sarmistha has recently retired from the Chinese Language Unit of All India Radio, which she helmed.

Pallavi Banerjee

Trustee

Pallavi Banerjee is a meditation practitioner, primarily in the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist tradition. She feels fortunate to have met and received inspiration, blessings and guidance from accomplished teachers in the Buddhist path.
Professionally, Pallavi works as a psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapist, based in Kolkata. She aspires to attain inner peace and freedom by practising and realising the teachings of the Buddha, so that she can help others heal deeply. She is committed to helping the Dhyan Kendra become a safe and inclusive space for people of diverse persuasions to gather, meditate together and live harmoniously.

Reshmi Sengupta

Trustee

Reshmi Sengupta encountered the Buddhist path during a brief stay at a Zen monastery in south India a decade ago. Later, she started formal studies and meditation practice in the Tibetan Mahayana tradition under Dr Anindya Chatterjee. She deeply appreciates the efficacy of practising with a community of like-minded practitioners, and her aim is to help anyone seeking inner peace come in contact with — and benefit from — the Buddha’s teachings just as she has been.

Reshmi is a journalist and editorial leadership consultant, having worked at The Telegraph, Kolkata, for 20 years as a writer and editor. Her approach to storytelling and understanding of people’s lived experiences have been invigorated by her training in Narrative Ideas and Practices, and are now being informed by Buddhist philosophy and psychology.

Partha Sarathi Dasgupta

Trustee

Partha Sarathi Dasgupta brings with him more than two decades of corporate acumen. Parallel to his professional life, Partha’s inner journey progressed from mindfulness exercises to meditation, and ultimately into the study of Buddhist teachings. Experiencing first-hand the peace and calm born of these practices, he is dedicated to supporting Atish Dipankar Dhyan Kendra’s mission of sharing mental well-being and contemplative wisdom.

Jayanti Basu

Former Trustee (2022-2025)

Jayanti Basu is interested in studying philosophy, spiritual texts and meditation practices in general, and Buddhism in particular. Being a teacher of Applied Psychology, she is especially keen to learn the concepts and applications of alternative models of the mind of the ancient Indian spiritual systems.
The Dhyan Kendra has offered Jayanti the opportunity to learn authentic Mahayana Buddhist principles. She is motivated by the interactive presence of fellow members and appreciates that the Dhyan Kendra caters to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. She prays that the centre becomes a spiritual haven for all earnest seekers.