Sivaraj Thekkayil

Sivaraj is the Managing Director of Uravu Eco Links Ltd. He coordinates all the company’s activities – construction, bamboo trading, construction training and workshops, and community tourism.

He has 20 years of experience in the bamboo sector and is one of the founding members of the charitable trust Uravu Indigenous Science and Technology Study Centre (Uravu). He has been a Trustee since 1996 and is currently Uravu’s secretary. He is also a member of the Kerala State Bamboo Mission and serves as an advisor in the Maharashtra Bamboo Development Board.

Sivaraj also played a vital role in the formation of the Uravu-Kabani Homestay project of Thrikkaipetta, which has been operating successfully since 2008. As former member of the Steering Committee of the Responsible Tourism Initiative in Kerala, he maintains close ties with the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS), as well as with Kerala’s Department of Tourism. Sivaraj also co-operates actively with governmental, industrial and civil society stakeholders.

Manoj Kumar

Manoj is a director of Uravu Eco Links Ltd. He is in charge of its overall marketing and public relations activities, as well as looking after bamboo procurement and sales.

Manoj played a vital role in setting up the Uravu Bamboo Grove Resort, applying his experience in the tourism sector. He has been working in the field of social entrepreneurship for more than 20 years. Before joining Uravu Eco Links Ltd., he worked for Vikasana (Institute of Rural Development), Vishwa Seva Educational Trust and Equations (Equitable Tourism Options).

Corinne Karlaganis

Corinne is a director of Uravu Eco Links Ltd. and the Head of Sustainable Tourism. She coordinates Uravu Eco Links’ tourism and community involvement activities. In addition, Corinne is responsible for concept formulation, marketing and project overview. She has been involved in studies and research projects on tourism initiatives in Kerala, alongside her work as Outreach Associate for an in institute of the University of Bern, Switzerland. She was part of a research team studying responsible tourism in Kerala and India and focuses on the various standards and initiatives on sustainable tourism.

M. Baburaj

Baburaj is one of the directors of Uravu Eco Links Ltd. He is responsible for coordinating the village activities. Baburaj is an Uravu trustee and an organic farmer. As a local of Thrikkaipetta, he is well connected to the community and was instrumental in initiating the Uravu Bamboo Village programme.

Sadanandan E.C.

Sadanandan manages the Uravu Bamboo Grove Resort and coordinates the tourism activities offered to our guests. He interacts with all the different members of the community working with the Uravu Bamboo Grove Resort such as cooking teams, guides, drivers, etc. Besides managing the Resort, Sadanandan is also an artist and he coordinates the art related programmes and workshops of Uravu Eco Links. He is a founding member of the Wayanad Art Cloud.

Sadanandan was born and raised in Southern India. His interest in art began in his childhood and he taught himself how to paint at a very young age. After degree studies in Statistics, Sadanandan dedicated his life to his true passion – creating art works. Over the past ten years, he has explored new kinds of canvases –  including bamboo. He is drawing inspiration from nature incorporating modern interpretation. Sadanandan is creating his unique style of visual art drawn from his emotions and thoughts aiming to interact with changing societies.

 

Sriram Ganesh

Sriram is the project architect for design and implementation of construction projects and workshops of Uravu Eco Links. Born in Palakkad and raised in Chhattisgarh,Sriram completed his B. Arch. at Dignity College of Architecture in Chhattisgarh. After his studies he joined ALM Designs. Sriram has a keen interest inappropriate, low-cost and sustainable construction for rural communities. During his studies he initiated a project in Chhattisgarh where he supported a village community in developing structures and systems to improve their livelihood.

Joushith

Joushith is the digital marketing strategist of Uravu Eco Links. He was born and brought up in Calicut, Kerala. Joushith is experienced in website designs and digital marketing.

He was working for Uravu Eco Links and Uravu Indigenous Science and Technology Study Centre in its starting years up to 2008. Afterwards he had built up his digital marketing company in Calicut.

In his free time Joushith is passionate about photography and chess, where he has a FIDE rating.

Saira Pavithran

Saira is the Bookings Manager of the Uravu Bamboo Grove Resort. She coordinates the tourism activities offered to our guests. She organises tour programmes for international and domestic tourists and can be contacted with any inquiries about tourism.

Saira joined the Uravu Bamboo Grove Resort’s team in 2016, after eleven years of professional experience in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, as secretary to the CEO of a multinational company. The Uravu Bamboo Grove Resort is happy to be able to benefit from her managerial skills, as well as her friendly and always welcoming attitude.

Muhammed Ali TK

Muhammed is responsible for finance and administration at Uravu Eco Links Ltd. He is a graduate in economics and has completed the CA intermediate. He has seven years of experience in finance, accounts and taxation in numerous firms based in Bangalore and Calicut.

Sheeja V.S.

Sheeja works as the financial assistant of Uravu Eco Links Ltd., where she is in charge of day to day financial transactions. She has been working for Uravu Eco Links Ltd. since 2005 and before that she worked for Uravu.

Sheeja completed her Bachelor of Commerce in Sulthan Battery. Before joining Uravu, she worked as an instructor at Deccan Computers, a computer institute in Kalpetta, Wayanad.