Ashok Kumar Gopala, aged 50 years, was born and brought up in Delhi and presently lives with his wife (Sheila) and two daughters in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. In past he has also lived in Noida and Dehradun. During his professionally active days (1994-2007), he worked as an IT professional. From 2008 to present he is engaged as an Organic Farmer as well as Facilitator for Jeevan Vidya workshops. His school & University education was done from The Army Public School New Delhi, IIT Delhi & Kakatiya University, Warangal.

During his days in IIT Delhi (1988-92), Ashok discovered that he was not inspired by the options offered by the mainstream (modern, urbanised) way of life. Fortunately for him, he soon came across Jeevan Vidya (JV) in 1993 through his professor, Dr. Yash Pal Satya. After an initial examination of Jeevan Vidya he started believing that this was the path he wanted to explore further.

Under the guidance of Shri A. Nagraj (original propounder of Jeevan Vidya) the process of understanding JV was then undertaken together by the husband-wife team of Ashok & Sheila. This has been a journey of 24 years, and has brought many changes in their personal, family and social life. In this process they have at various points in their lives, made several choices based on their understanding of JV and moved towards a more harmonious & sustainable way of life. The choices made have been in the domain of relationships, parenting, occupation and health.

The family is now based in Raipur, Chattisgarh, while engaged in the educational programs of JV. They have two small farms in Roorkee, Uttarakhand & Bemetara, Chhatisgarh where organic agriculture is practiced through natural farming techniques. These farms provide their family and friends with organic food. As a part of their sustenance, they also produce some healthcare products at their home.