Samir and Jackie Deokuliar have been the pioneers of Dwaar since day one. They have been kickstarting and supporting churches, communities, and non-profits for over three decades in India and beyond.
Samir leads the Dwaar team. With an engineering degree and a global rep as a speaker, he’s known for changing lives with his talks on faith, human behavior, and team-building. He also had a nearly decade-long gig hosting the gospel show “Ek Nayee Zindagi” on Colors TV.
When he’s not busy being a guru, Samir is a corporate consultant for bigwigs at PwC, Mott McDonald, WHO, World Bank, and EFICOR. Oh, and he wrote the hit self-help book Getting There: Ten Nuggets for Long-Term Success. Check it out here.
Jackie, on the other hand, is the glue that holds everything together with her warmth, hospitality, and counseling skills. Her prayer life is a cornerstone of the community. Outside of church, she’s a homemaker extraordinaire and has a knack for creative decor.
Together, Samir and Jackie inspire Jesus’ followers to spread peace in the NCR. They also have two grown-up kids, Akshay and Rachna.
Allen and Divya Samuel have a deep passion for loving and serving Jesus. Allen may be a Chennai boy at heart, but growing up in Delhi has made him equally at home with both idli sambar and chole bhature. Divya, on the other hand, hails from Goa, and together they add to the beautiful multicultural vibe to Dwaar.
Allen’s a bit of a scholar, with a master’s in Bio-Technology from IIT, his journey has taken him all over India—Delhi, Chennai, Tumkur, Guwahati, and Karnal. He works in the government sector, focusing on warehouses and commodities, but still makes time to volunteer and help out at Dwaar.
Allen’s a total bookworm, and rumor has it he might be “borrowing” a few too many books from the Church library. But hey, if it inspires people to read, no harm, right? He’s also a die-hard fan of biryani, Chennai Super Kings, and 90’s western music—a fun guy to have around.
Divya, who finished her schooling and commerce studies in Goa, has a keen interest in historical architecture and sites. She might not be a fan of cooking, but Allen more than makes up for it with his love for eating—an interesting combo, right?
Divya’s got a creative streak, loves singing, and jamming on the keyboard, and does freelance gigs in social media management, graphic design, and admin support. Her bubbling personality is perfect for helping little ones learn about Jesus.
Allen’s a solid teacher of God’s Word, he helps out with the youth team and the overall administration at Dwaar. Together, Allen and Divya are an asset to all that God is doing in Dwaar and Delhi.
Chandan and Esther Ghatani are basically the superheroes of kindness and compassion. They’ve spent their lives showing genuine love and care for those in need, and they do it all with such ease.
Chandan is from the hills of Darjeeling, and Esther from the beautiful state of Manipur. Their love story kicked off at a YWAM training base in Himachal Pradesh, where they decided to team up for life and for service. They started out at the Disciple Training Center, but that was just the beginning.
These two have a huge heart for kids, which led them to become program managers and house parents at a children’s home in South Delhi. For over nine years, they were like the coolest parents ever to a bunch of kids who still see them as family. Some of those kids are all grown up now and are even part of Dwaar today.
But Chandan and Esther didn’t stop there. Now, they’re working with refugees, making sure they get education, counseling, and anything else they need.
On top of all this, they’ve racked up some serious credentials, like University of Nations DTS, School of Frontier Mission, and even a Master’s in Christian Counseling. So, they’re pretty much experts at what they do, whether it’s pastoral care, worship, or just being there for people.
And let’s not forget—they’re also parents to three awesome kids: Anand, Kripa, and Nivedan.
A2/5, Safdurjung Enclave, 1st floor, above Hyundai showroom, Opp Bhikaji Cama place, New Delhi 110029
