Atishi Marlena

Atishi Marlena is a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and is a member of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the party.^[1] She is currently the Advisor to the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, primarily on education.^[2] She has worked in the field of alternative education and curriculum. She was also instrumental in drafting the manifestos of the party in the Delhi Assembly elections. Marlena has been a Spokesperson of the AAP and is often seen on television debates representing the party.

The young leader is also spearheading the flagship Mohalla Sabha Project for the Government of NCT of Delhi. The effort to decentralise governance to empower every citizen was a major promise of the AAP before coming to power. Marlena refers to it as "localising, rather ‘peoplising’, the whole process because not all decisions need to be taken at the top level. There are some decisions that need to be made locally. However enlightened the government might be, they would not have an estimate of what every individual’s need is. We are the government which is taking inputs from the people."^[3]

Early life and education

Atishi Marlena was born and raised in Delhi by Marxist parents. After graduating high school from Springdale School, New Delhi, Marlena studied history at St. Stephen's College, Delhi. Soon after, she went Oxford University for her master's degree in education curriculum. After a brief stint as a teacher, in 2005 she went to Magdalen College, Oxford as a Rhodes scholar.^[4][5]

Professional career

Marlena spent some time teaching at Rishi Valley School in Andhra Pradesh before moving to a small village near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. There she was involved with such things as organic farming and progressive education systems, and she worked with several non-profit organisations, such as the Sambhavana Institute of Public Policy. While there she met casually with various members of the AAP, including Prashant Bhushan.^[4][6]

Activism

Although always interest in public policy, Marlena observed the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement as a sceptical outsider, believing that single-issue campaigns were ineffective. However, in January 2013 she became involved in policy formulation for the AAP, which has its roots in that movement.^[4] Marlena was closely involved with the Jal Satyagraha in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh 2015 and provided vital support to the AAP leader & activist spearheading the campaign Alok Agarwal during the historic protests, as well as during the legal battle that ensued.^[7]

She writes columns occasionally for The Indian Express, Millennium Post and The Huffington Post.

References