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
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
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