Meet the NainiNow Team!
From students to seniors, local citizens to remote volunteers, NainiNow is powered by a vibrant community of storytellers, photographers, writers, and changemakers who care deeply about Nainital. Get to know the people behind the stories, images, and ideas that bring this platform to life.
Meet the NainiNow Team!
From students to seniors, local citizens to remote volunteers, NainiNow is powered by a vibrant community of storytellers, photographers, writers, and changemakers who care deeply about Nainital. Get to know the people behind the stories, images, and ideas that bring this platform to life.
Utpal Pande
Designer & Design Educator
Born and raised in Nainital, Utpal is an alumnus of St. Joseph’s College and a graphic designer from NID Ahmedabad. In 2010, he returned home to start PANDESIGN, a visual communication studio that helps build meaningful brands through design and storytelling.
With over 15 years in the field, he’s worked across education, branding, digital media, and teaching at NID, MICA, and FLAME University, and speaking at TEDx and design festivals like Pune Design Festival and RGB. His work has appeared in The New York Times and international exhibitions from Peru to Japan.
Driven by a deep love for his hometown, he started NainiNow, a space to document, celebrate, and protect what makes Nainital special. He hopes it becomes a shared platform for locals and well-wishers to connect, reflect, and take action.
Dr. Vishal Singh
Research Lead & Advisor
Vishal Singh holds a PhD in forestry and calls himself a translational ecologist—someone who brings research out of labs and into real-world practice. For over two decades, he has worked across the Himalayan region, partnering with communities, researchers, and decision-makers to address environmental challenges.
His focus areas include forest disturbances, urbanisation, water security, and climate change adaptation. Vishal is passionate about making science accessible, breaking down complex ideas so they can inform better decisions. He strongly believes in co-creating knowledge with citizens and managers, encouraging shared responsibility for natural resources.
At NainiNow, he brings this mindset to the table, helping shape local conversations on sustainability, resilience, and the ecological future of Nainital and its surroundings.
Dr. D C Pande
Writer & Visual Storyteller
Dr. D.C. Pande is a retired professor of Economics from Kumaon University and a lifelong resident of Nainital. A former student of Birla Vidya Mandir, he has spent most of his life in the lake town, observing its changes, challenges, and quiet charms. Though formally trained in economics, Dr. Pande has always been a storyteller at heart, reflecting on people, places, and the passage of time with warmth and clarity.
In his writing, he often weaves personal memories with social commentary, offering rare insight into the town’s evolving character. His essays, reflective articles, and photo stories present Nainital not just as a destination, but as a lived experience.
Now in his senior years, Dr. Pande continues to write, share, and engage, with the same thoughtful curiosity that marked his academic life. At NainiNow, he offers a deeply personal lens to the town’s past and present, and reminds us of the quiet wisdom that comes with watching a place grow and change.
Nitin Joshi
Software Developer
Born and raised in Nainital, Nitin may now be based in Ohio, USA, but his heart never left the hills. A tech-savvy professional with a passion for web development and app innovation, he brings valuable remote support to the NainiNow team. Whether it’s improving the site, exploring AI tools, or simply cheering us on from afar, Nitin is deeply committed to helping his hometown thrive. His love for Nainital runs deep, and he’s here to ensure its beauty is preserved, celebrated, and led by the people who cherish it most.
Nidhi Chhimwal
Voice-over Arist & Anchor
A proud Nainite and true pahadi at heart, Nidhi may live in Thane now, but her soul still walks the lanes of Nainital. With over 23 years in the media industry, she brings a rich mix of experience as a freelance anchor, voice-over artist, and poet. Nidhi lends her voice, words, and creative energy to NainiNow, whether it’s crafting content, polishing stories, or simply cheering from afar. Her love for travel, people, and the poetry of everyday life helps her keep Nainital close, no matter where she is.
Dr. Asmita Sah Bajaj
Poet, Writer, Editor
Dr. Asmita carries books and stories wherever she goes, but her heart is firmly anchored in Nainital. A pahadi by spirit and inheritance, her connection to the town is both emotional and enduring. After a brief stint teaching English at D.S.B. Campus, Kumaun University, she chose the contemplative life of a poet, editor, and literary freelancer. Fog, thunder, and lake-lit mornings speak to her in familiar tones—each a reminder of what Nainital was, and what it could still be. Through her words and quiet resolve, she hopes to help preserve the soul of the place she calls home.
Milam Shah
Visual Communication Designer
Milam Shah has a deep-rooted love for Nainital, the town she proudly calls home, even from across the world! With a Master’s in Visual Communication Design from Kent State University, Ohio, and over five years of experience in branding, digital media, and web design, Milam blends creativity with strategy in everything she does.
Before joining Northern College as Communications Coordinator, she led inclusive initiatives for international students, organised cultural events, and helped redesign the college website. Her work reflects a passion for storytelling, inclusivity, and cultural connection.
Milam has also explored design through research on Aipan folk art and illustrated a children’s book on Tibetan culture. Whether creating digital experiences or building communities, her work is thoughtful, detail-driven, and human-centred.
At NainiNow, Milam brings her international perspective, technical skill, and mountain spirit to the platform—reconnecting with her hometown through design, dialogue, and a shared love for the place she never truly left.
Shaurya Upreti
Architect & Storyteller
Shaurya Upreti is an architect, filmmaker, and storyteller shaped by the hills she once called home. Born in Nainital, her memories of the town are steeped in wonder—for its landscapes, silences, and the quiet rhythm of mountain life. Though now living elsewhere, she returns through story, joining NainiNow to document what remains and mourn what’s quietly fading.
Shaurya’s practice blends architecture with visual storytelling—through film, sketch, and written word. Her work invites others to not just observe a place, but to feel its spirit. Rooted in the bugyals and forests of Uttarakhand, her narratives evoke memory, meaning, and a longing for reconnection.
She believes we are not meant to live in conflict with nature—yet that is the direction we’re headed. Through her film for NainiNow, she hopes to awaken a deeper awareness, and gently challenge the systems that threaten what’s left. For her, storytelling is both a memory and a call to action.
Pradeep Adhikari
Businessman & Social Worker
Born and brought up in Nainital, Pradeep runs a neighbourhood grocery store and is known for his warm, community-first approach. Outside of work, he’s passionate about caring for the environment and supporting civic efforts that make Nainital a better place for all.
He’s an active social work associate with Save WATER—Save EARTH, and enjoys spending time outdoors, whether it’s planting trees, exploring the hills, or helping citizens with everyday issues. A proud Kumaun University graduate, Pradeep brings heart, experience, and commitment to the NainiNow platform.
नैनीताल में जन्मे और पले-बढ़े प्रदीप, एक स्थानीय व्यवसाय चलाते हैं और अपने आत्मीय, “शहर सबसे पहले” दृष्टिकोण के लिए जाने जाते हैं। काम से अतिरिक्त, वे पर्यावरण की देखभाल और नागरिक प्रयासों को समर्थन देने के प्रति समर्पित हैं, जो नैनीताल को सभी के लिए एक बेहतर स्थान बनाने में योगदान करते हैं।
“जल बचाओ — धरती बचाओ” अभियान से सक्रिय रूप से जुड़े एक सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता के रूप में, उन्हें पेड़ लगाना, पहाड़ों में घूमना, या नागरिकों की रोज़मर्रा की समस्याओं में मदद करना बेहद पसंद है। कुमाऊँ विश्वविद्यालय के एक गर्वित स्नातक, श्री प्रदीप अपने अनुभव, समर्पण और संवेदनशीलता के साथ NainiNow मंच से जुड़े हैं।