Mandala

Mandala

August 2023

Educating the underprivileged 

We often lament seeing children loitering  around without any education but do  nothing about it. But some like Rohit  Kumar from Delhi are concerned and strive to  make a difference to the lives of such children 

Rohit’s journey began  when he first started  teaching 25-odd children  from the slums of Anna Nagar near Indraprastha,  Delhi. In 2015, he  established Let’s Educate  Children In Need  (LECIN), a non-profit  organisation working  in the education sector.  

Initially, he did face some  challenges like convincing his family about the merit  bof making a career in 

the development field, raising funds, making a  donor base, and learning  

how to give his best to  he children. Subsequent  family, friends, and some organisations which  are also working in this area, such as Pravah  and Wipro Foundation, held his hand during  challenging times. 

Support from donors and friends from all over  India, coupled with  Rohit’s passion for  bringing a change  in society made him  enter the development  sector, and now the  same passion keeps  fuelling his desire  to make the lives of others better. There are many moments  that make him feel it is all worth it. In May  2016, he completed one year, and he  celebrated it on a  grand scale by booking an auditorium to  celebrate the first  annual cultural  years saw the expansion  phase when the organisation’s dedicated  volunteers started impacting the lives of over  1,000 children across the Okhla and Mansarovar  Park areas of the city. The team organised regular  remedial classes for children between the ages of  4 and 15.  

“The more I witness the change happening, the  more I am inspired,” says Rohit with pride. His  Unnati, with the children.  Rohit is confident that he and his team will be  able to bring about a positive change in the lives  of these children. With his zeal and passion, we  are certain that many children will get educated  and empowered. 

Kudos, Rohit, for all that you are doing to make  the lives of others better. 

- By Jamuna Rangachari 

Spreading  the  fragrance  of his  forefthers 

Pranav Kapoor: Curating fragrance tourism 

It is very rare to see young people inspired  

by their ancestors. One such person is  Pranav Kapoor from Kannauj, who became a  perfumer due to his lineage. His inspirations are  his grandfather and his ancestors before him, who  have carved a niche not just for themselves but  Kannauj as well.  

Being an eighth-generation perfumer, Pranav was  always surrounded by fragrance while growing  up. It’s literally part of his DNA. With his family  history in the fragrance industry spanning 200  years, it was natural for him to take this forward  and to the next level. He always had a strong nose  and an affiliation with flavour. We all know that  smell and taste are related (COVID has taught  everyone that). So he pursued culinary arts,  graduated, and set up his own firm which delved  in both, fragrance and flavour. 

The idea of creating tourism around perfume  came to Pranav on a holiday in Jaisalmer. With  Kannauj’s rich historic background in perfumery,  it only made sense to turn it into a tourist  destination through the medium of fragrance.  With this thought, he founded Perfume Tourism,  which promotes the fragrance of his region. This  was conceptualised in 2017 and launched in 2023.  His late grandfather is his hero. Even though it’s  been a decade since his passing, Pranav remembers  him always as he supported him at every step and  helped his dream take shape. Today, he feels his  grandfather’s presence more than ever and is sure  he would be proud of the path he has chosen.  

The initial challenges were to make people,  including the government, understand that  Kannauj has the potential to be a tourist  destination. He hopes to change the face of  Kannauj by giving it back its once-shining glory.  He wishes to uplift the livelihoods of the people  of the city and make it an example for the world  to see how things can turn around for the best.  Putting Kannauj on the global map as a preferred  destination for experience-based travel is his next  wish. “It’s highly ambitious, but not impossible,”  he says, and we are sure he will succeed.

- By Jamuna Rangachari 

TEACHING the world how to live

The story of Veeranna Madiwalar, who  hails from Kaliwal village in Belgaum,  Karnataka, is truly remarkable. His  father was a daily wager, who worked hard  but earned just enough for basic sustenance.  His uncle looked after his schooling. At all  stages, despite the formidable adversities,  Veeranna never stopped dreaming of providing  a good education for all. On completing his  schooling, he worked as a daily wage earner at a  construction site for many months.  

As his dream was teaching, Veeranna funded  his studies and took a diploma in education.  He went back to his district and joined an NGO  that worked for the rejuvenation of lakes and  wildlife. He worked hard and saved as much  as he could. He did a master’s in English and  Kannada as learning languages had always  been his passion. At last, his dream to become  a government school teacher came true in 2007.  Subsequently, he was made the headmaster of  

Veeranna Madiwallar: A dream teacher 

Nidagundi Ambedkar School in 2016. As the  school was in a rundown building and the lack  of infrastructure was reminiscent of his own  childhood, he wished to work towards changing  the situation. 

Veeranna started small using his own money.  Realising that funding was necessary, he posted  details about his dream online on various  platforms. “I was thrilled that many people  came forward to help,” he says. There were  donors from many regions of Karnataka and  from abroad also. 

Veeranna left no stone unturned to make the  school better in all ways. The challenges that he  faced as a child motivated him a lot to work hard  for his school. He still remembers his primary  school teacher, Shri P M Kyatannanavar, who  motivated him to have big aspirations in life  and showed him the way to achieve them. 

Veeranna wanted to become a software engineer  but could not fulfil his ambition because of his  economic condition. Nevertheless, he is proud  to have supported his student, Vidhyashree, in  all ways with the help of donors and enabled her  to become a software engineer who is currently  working for Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T). 

Veeranna is still striving to make his school better  and hopes to get more support from education  lovers for his kids and school. He loves to read  and write, and hence, expresses his concerns in  his poems and writings. His commitment to the  education of the marginalised is laudable, and  one can only hope he inspired scores to follow  in his footsteps. 

- By Jamuna Rangachari