It Began With A Simple Observation
About five years ago, after retiring, I moved from Jaipur to Ramgarh hoping for a quieter and more peaceful life. Over the next few years, as I met local families and became part of the community, I began to see a problem that was difficult to ignore: bright and ambitious children were being held back simply because they did not have access to the educational opportunities that children in the plains often take for granted.Two encounters in particular stayed with me. First a girl having to move away from Ramgarh for her NEET Dream and second an Innocent dream of a young boy to Enroll in the Navodaya Vidyalaya.
Two Encounters That Changed My Thinking
The NEET Dream
A young girl wanted to pursue NEET, but without proper coaching or guidance she was unable to perform as she had hoped. She eventually had to move nearly 50 kilometres away to Haldwani, spending around ₹1.6 lakh on coaching and another ₹6,000 a month on accommodation. That made me realize that, for many families in Ramgarh, access to good coaching is not merely a question of convenience — it can determine whether a child gets a fair chance at all.
The Navodaya Dream
A Class 5 boy I met in Ramgarh told me that he wanted to enter Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Class 6. However he—and his family—did not realize how competitive the entrance examination is.For many families, simply filling in the application form feels like taking the first step towards selection. Not realizing that lakhs of children compete for a very limited number of seats, and children who have access to good guidance and preparation have a considerable advantage.The boy's innocent belief that “I will fill the form and then see what happens” stayed with me. It made me realize that talent and ambition alone are not always enough. A child also needs someone to guide them, prepare them and give them a fair opportunity to compete.And this is what the Trust aims at: Bringing good guidance and preparation opportunity to the children in Ramgarh.
So I Decided To Do Something
I realized that if these children were to get a fair chance, someone had to bring good guidance and opportunity closer to them. So I decided to begin with what I could do myself. I started teaching a few children and helping them with their studies and aspirations. I also helped a nearby school by providing a microscope and some financial assistance when it was needed.These were small beginnings, but they strengthened my belief that much more could be done — if we could bring good teachers, proper guidance and the right learning opportunities to the children of Ramgarh.