Yogendra Kumar Sapru

Founder Chairman

A visionary leader who transformed personal compassion into a pioneering movement in cancer care.

As the Founder of CPAA, Mr. Y.K. Sapru laid the foundation for one of India’s earliest and most respected cancer support organisations. His philosophy of 'Total Management of Cancer' — from Awareness to Advocacy — continues to guide CPAA’s work and has been the cornerstone of CPAA's philosophy all these years.

A seasoned pharmaceutical professional, Mr. Sapru began his career in 1963 with John Wyeth & Brother, rising from Medical Representative to Marketing Director. He later served with Johnson & Johnson for 17 years across their pharmaceutical and diagnostic divisions, retiring as Executive Director in 1999. His corporate experience strengthened his strategic thinking and commitment to structured, sustainable impact.

His journey with cancer patients began in 1969 at Tata Memorial Hospital, where he encountered a young girl battling leukemia without the means for treatment. Mobilising support with friends, he helped raise the required funds. The child recovered — and CPAA was born.

Over the decades, Mr. Sapru has received numerous awards and recognitions, reflecting his determination, integrity, and enduring commitment to accessible cancer care.

Siloo Jasdanwalla

Founding Member, Honorary Secretary (1969 - 2025)

A visionary community mobiliser who helped build CPAA’s foundation through courage, conviction, and unwavering belief in the cause.

As Honorary Secretary and a key founding member, Siloo Jasdanwalla played a pivotal role in shaping CPAA’s early identity and outreach. At a time when cancer support services were limited and awareness was low, she brought structure, credibility, and vital public engagement to the organisation’s mission.

Prior to CPAA, she worked with Mr. Y.K. Sapru at John Wyeth & Brother as a Family Planning Officer, where she gained valuable experience in public health communication and community engagement. Recognising her strength and integrity, Mr. Sapru invited her to join the newly formed CPAA in 1969.

Siloo organised CPAA’s very first fundraising programme — a concert by the legendary Begum Akhtar — setting the tone for future cultural and film premiere events in aid of the organisation. Early on, she understood the importance of engaging respected public figures as ambassadors, opening doors that seemed firmly closed.

She passed away in September 2025, leaving behind a legacy of determination, leadership, and institution-building that continues to inspire CPAA’s work today.

Rekha Sapru

Founding Member, Honorary Joint Secretary (1969 - 2025)

A compassionate communicator who transformed awareness into action for cancer patients and their families.

As a founding member of CPAA, Rekha Sapru played a defining role in shaping the organisation’s early years. While her husband, Mr. Y.K. Sapru, founded CPAA in 1969, the responsibility of nurturing and managing the fledgling organisation rested largely with her. She provided steady leadership, structure, and empathy at a time when cancer support services in India were limited.

Rekha brought with her rich experience as a columnist with Dharamyug and Eve’s Weekly, and as a radio and television artist associated with Doordarshan. Through her widely read column, Upchar Samachar, she responded to readers’ medical queries—an experience that deeply informed her ability to guide cancer patients and their families with clarity and sensitivity.

Her lifelong exposure to social work shaped her belief that information and emotional reassurance are as vital as treatment itself. She approached every interaction with patience, dignity, and a deep sense of responsibility.

In recognition of her contributions to social service, she was honoured with the Giants Award (1999) and acknowledged by Giants International on Founder’s Day.

Rekha Sapru passed away in April 2025, leaving behind a lasting legacy of compassion, courage, and service.

Dr. Shashi Bakre

A general practitioner by profession, Dr. Bakre was well-known for her social work despite her growing practice. She joined CPAA in 1971 when its activities were expanding from just aid disbursement to including preventive aspects of cancer. She initiated CPAA's first cancer screening camp and has seen it grow from clinics at the Sophia College Medical Centre to St. Elizabeth Nursing Home, Adams Wylie Hospital at Agripada and Naigaon and most recently at Prabhadevi.

Manju Gupta

Manju Gupta was the first newscaster and newsreader with Bombay Doordarshan, presenting programmes in both Hindi and English. In 1974 she moved to US and worked at Cornell University Medical College during the day, attending a course in Television and Film Production at night. When she returned to India in 1982, she joined Doordarshan again, a move that would eventually bring her to CPAA. She joined CPAA in 1984 and as her first assignment created 5 low cost audiovisuals for CPAA. These were greatly appreciated and raised awareness about CPAA activities. She then took charge of the newly sanctioned Adams Wylie center where the Red Cross had given space to CPAA, for rehabilitation and employment of cured cancer patients. The Rehabilitation Centre started under her tutelage with just one person and a single machine. Manju has used her initiative and creativity to develop the centre with a capacity to accommodate almost 100 persons, who can be trained in various arts and crafts like tailoring, painting, book binding, etc. Her contribution towards creating this oasis for cancer patients has been awarded with multiple awards and citations. Over the years, Manju has contributed many articles to the prestigious “Dharmyug”, a Times of India Publication, has been a ghost editor of “Janssen News”, a Phychriatric News Magazine of Johnson & Johnson, and been a member of Council for Fair Business Practices, Consumer Affair Cell, Film Censor Board, Agroha Vikas Trust, Shri Hari Satsang Samiti, Akhil Bhartiya Agarwal Sammelan, FICCI Ladies Wing and IMC Ladies Wing, Mumbai. Manju is particularly proud of creating the “Salonè Diyè” range of diyas, Candles and Gift Products, exclusive Hotel Linen items for the Taj Group of Hotels which are regularly supplied all over India and abroad, and an indigenously developed hand-made Breast Prosthesis made by cancer patients for mastectomy patients Salonè Diyè and Gift Articles have been show cased every year in multiple National and International Exhibitions, and have won allocades from one and all.

Dr. Shubha Maudgal

Dr. Maudgal, a PhD from IIT Mumbai, has worked as a Resident Research Associate at NASA, USA; Technical Services Executive at Johnson & Johnson, Mumbai; Scientist at Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bangalore and Research Scientist at National Physical Laboratory, London. When she joined CPAA in 1999 her first task was to help set up CPAA presence on the World Wide Web through an informative and exhaustive website. Having seen, what this relatively new medium could achieve abroad, Shubha felt that this was a project worth pursuing. The website provided a means to make CPAA’s activities known to a wider audience, helped network with similar organisations globally and made it easier to reach potential customers of products produced by the Rehabilitation Centre, thus making us economically self-sufficient. Today she spear-heads the Special Projects team by applying prevailing technology, ideas or issues to take the organisation forward and upward.

Shailja Singh

Shailja Singh is the Executive Director, Resource Mobilization and Events at Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA). She holds a Master’s degree in Economics and has been working with CPAA for over 2 decades. Her current assignment is raising and mobilising funds; networking with different stake holders for fundraising projects; conceptualizing, organizing and managing various fund raising events for total management of cancer and spreading awareness of the activities of the organization; organizing events for the patient and their families with corporate participation and involvement. Ms. Singh has participated in several national and international conferences and presented papers on sharing her experiences for the critical activity of fund raising for cancer patients. She has completed her UICC APCASOT Fellowship at Cancer Council Queensland, Brisbane, Australia in 2009 on her study on Fundraising Strategies. She has presented papers on ‘Income Generation’ at the UICC World Cancer Congress, at Montreal, Canada, in 2012 and ‘Fundraising Strategies’ at UICC World Cancer Congress 2018 at Kula Lumpur. Ms. Singh has also completed a UICC Masters course in Effective Collaboration to address the Challenges of Cancer.

Dr. Noopur Khare

Dr. Noopur Khare, an accomplished scientist, specializes in oncology, drug design, molecular biology, gene expression, and chemo-sensitization studies. Her extensive work in chemo-sensitization to combat multidrug resistance in chemotherapy has significantly contributed to improving cancer treatment. Her affiliation with the Birla Institute of Technology, numerous presentations at national and international conferences, and multiple publications in renowned journals reflect her active engagement in the scientific community and her contribution to disseminating knowledge in oncology. Dr. Khare is at the forefront of cutting-edge research methods, particularly in cancer studies and innovative procedure development. In July 2023, she joined Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) as a Director, prioritizing awareness, education, and prevention initiatives for cervical cancer. Through CPAA’s Eliminate Cervical Cancer Program, she dispels myths, educates communities about lifestyle factors, and organizes screening and vaccination camps in diverse settings, contributing to both immediate challenges and long-term health improvements. Her passion lies in breast and cervical cancer research and immunology, where she aspires to make substantial contributions thereby positively impacting the healthcare landscape. Moreover, Dr. Khare has played a pivotal role in assisting renowned companies in establishing their molecular and cytology labs. Her expertise in this area has been instrumental in advancing their research capabilities and expanding their scientific endeavours.

Niharika Raina

Niharika Raina has a bachelor’s degree in Arts and Diploma in Interior Designing. She started working with CPAA’s Delhi Branch as a volunteer in 1980 and full time thereafter in 2000. She was responsible for organising cancer screening and awareness camps and in managing day to day operations of the branch. She now heads the New Delhi branch and is deeply involved in spear-heading and supervising it’s activities.

Aditi Bapat

Aditi has a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Economics from Mumbai University and a Diploma in Software Technology and Systems Management from NIIT. She has successfully completed her UICC APCASOT fellowship at the Queensland Cancer Fund, Brisbane, Australia. She joined CPAA in 2001 and currently heads the Information Technology Services of CPAA. She is responsible for overseeing technology operations and evaluating them, devising and establishing IT policies and systems, planning, implementing, and managing computer networks and software to mobile devices and cloud computing in order to harness emerging technologies to improve efficiency and create new opportunities for the organization. She conducts regular training and upskilling sessions for all employees on information technology policies and procedures to ensure compliance. She also manages CPAA’s digital platform and oversees branding and related collaterals.