About Us

Naina Adhikari is the Founder and Director of the Pravahini Foundation. She is one of India’s pioneering women in whitewater kayaking and the country’s first and youngest competitive female whitewater paddler.

She has represented India at two World Championships and two World Cups. She is also a two-time winner of the Ganga Kayak Festival International Kayak Championship.

She is a recipient of the Teelu Rauteli Award, which recognized her contribution and leadership as a woman achiever in a male-dominated sport.

After spending over a decade breaking barriers in adventure sports, she wanted to use her journey to create access and opportunities for those historically excluded from the sport, specifically underprivileged girls.

She describes starting as a "shy and tearful 13-year-old" on Nim Beach who questioned her place in kayaking, but who eventually evolved into a leader. She uses this story to illustrate that believing in oneself can create the impossible.

Ganga Girls is a movement and initiative that began in 2023 as India’s first all-girls kayaking expedition. It is now the flagship initiative of the Pravahini Foundation.

Ganga Girls was started and is led by Naina Adhikari.

It marked a historic moment for women in Indian adventure sport by launching the country's first all-female kayaking expedition.

In 2024, the team completed the Bhagirathi to Nim Beach expedition, reinforcing their vision of courage, sisterhood, and river-led leadership.

The film Ganga Girls won the Kayak Session Short Film Awards 2024, tying for first place with Svalbard Raw. This was a first for Indian paddling sports on a global platform.

It is a Section 8 non-profit organization founded by Naina Adhikari. It is the umbrella organization that manages initiatives like Ganga Girls.

Ganga Girls is the flagship initiative of the Pravahini Foundation. The Foundation provides the structure and support to turn the expedition into a sustained movement for building confidence and leadership.

Its mission is to empower young women from underserved communities through kayaking and river-based outdoor education, using the river as a teacher to build resilience.

Naina Adhikari is the central link: she is the Founder/Director of Pravahini (the organization) and the Leader of Ganga Girls (the specific project). She uses the Foundation to execute the vision of Ganga Girls.

The Foundation is preparing to launch Project Shakti, a targeted program for survivors of human trafficking. It will use the Ganga as a space for healing and recovery, expanding the Foundation's work beyond just sports training.