Mera Gaon Meri Dunia

15/09/2026

Sometimes, you have to go far to understand where you want to come back to.

Surender grew up in Rewari, in a family with limited resources. He became the first graduate in his family, studied engineering, and spent nine years learning and working away from home.

Then, he decided to return.

Today, through Self Reliant India (SRI), he works to strengthen rural education with a simple belief: young people don’t have to wait for the future to make a difference. They can start shaping their communities today.

For Surender, coming back was not about giving up what he had built elsewhere. It was about bringing those experiences home and creating opportunities for children growing up in communities like his.

He went away to learn.
He came back to build.

This is Episode 3 of Back to Belonging ~ stories of people who found their way back to their roots and chose to build something meaningful there.

09/09/2026

05/09/2026

𝘼 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨, 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮.
When 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗵𝘆𝗮𝗺 𝗗𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗱 joined the government school in Devli village, Madhya Pradesh, in 2019, only 22 children were studying. Resources were limited. Some parents migrated in the search of work living the child behind. Others were pulled into livelihood activities. For many, simply staying in school was a challenge.

But Radheshyam kept looking for a way forward.
Today, 𝟳𝟬 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹.
He worked with parents, teachers and the village to rebuild trust in the school. He made regular PTMs a part of school life and built a relationship with the community strong enough for villagers to start contributing to the school themselves.

But perhaps his biggest effort is the time he gives his children.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀.
He stays back because some children need more time to learn. He visits the homes of children who need additional support. And whenever a family struggles to support a child’s education, he tries to help personally.

He has also introduced computer education, so that children in his school can learn the basics and become familiar with technology from an early age.

His classrooms are built around peer learning, group learning and leadership. He wants children to question, think, work together and approach problems with the confidence to find their own solutions.

And despite the challenges, he continues to look for solutions instead of reasons to stop.

“𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙚𝙙.” — 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙊𝙗𝙖𝙢𝙖

This Teachers’ Day we celebrate teachers like Radheshyam Dhakad ~ because sometimes the most important investment we can make in a child is a person who refuses to give up on them.

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆🙌🏻💫

24/08/2026

This Independence Day, the Gram Sabha of our 3 villages looked a little different.

For the Shrinkhala youth, 15 August was their first time stepping into a Gram Sabha and taking an active part in what was happening in their own village.

What stood out was the turnout. As the youth prepared to lead the Gram Sabha, they were surprised to see many villagers show up and take part. People came together, shared what was affecting them, and supported the youth as they brought these concerns forward. The youth also submitted applications signed by villagers to formally raise the issues.

For many of the youth, this was their first real experience of how a Gram Sabha works. Across the villages, the conversations were about things that affect everyday life: roads, education, cleanliness, street lights, water supply and school infrastructure.

What began as a Gram Sabha on 15 August turned into a learning experience that went beyond the day itself. The youth got to see that participation does not always begin with having all the answers. Sometimes, it simply begins with showing up, listening to people and being willing to take the first step.
For the Shrinkhala youth, that was their Independence Day this year. 🇮🇳

18/08/2026

ROOTS THAT HOLD | Mandi, Himachal Pradesh

Monsoon after monsoon, landslides hit our hills. This time, parents, teachers, and local leaders didn't wait — they planted vetiver grass (khus), whose roots run 3-4 metres deep, holding fragile soil in place.

This isn't just plantation. It's prevention.

23,000 saplings | 135 villagers | 6,750 social capital points earned

One sapling today, one less landslide tomorrow.
Social Capital [email protected]@azpfoundation
REACH India Collective TFIx
❤️

25/07/2026

Water around me through Projects In Mandi Himachal Pradesh 💧

We stepped aside the standard lessons and created the class with Water Detectives!

MGMD has launched its 1st Student Project led by our incredible Eco Sparsh leaders! with the idea of Social Capital Credit . Our young detectives headed out into the field to map water resources and audit water checklists right in their schools and villages. 📝

The impact is already massive: Student attendance shot up to a whopping 90% during the project! 🚀

One of the leaders shared "I wish we had a school like this in my time... Learning is surely fun like this!" also, a student from village Hulu shared "I got sad to know that if a tap is leaking, we lose 2280 drops of water in an hour! I will always take care of this." 🙌🏻

What do you think are ways to ignite inquiry in the classroom❔

14/07/2026

SAMTA Tournament : Playing for Equity and Education for All.

What if winning wasn't the first thing children talked about after a match?🥏

At the Samta Frisbee Tournament, every game ended with something unusual: A Spirit Circle.

Instead of walking away as winners and runner ups, both teams sat together and reflected on the game. They spoke about honesty, respect, encouragement, teamwork, and how they treated one another on the field. The conversation wasn't about who scored more points, but about the spirit in which the game was played.

That's what makes Frisbee different. It is one of the few sports where players take responsibility for the game themselves, without referees, making trust, fairness and mutual respect just as important as skill.

This year, 250+ students from 14 government schools came together in Mahidpur for the Samta Frisbee Tournament. Across matches, children played in mixed teams, learnt to listen to one another, resolved disagreements through dialogue, and experienced what gender equality can look like when everyone shares the same field.

The tournament was organised with the belief that sport can be a powerful medium for building confidence, strengthening mental well-being, and creating opportunities for young people to learn from one another beyond the classroom.

For us, the Spirit Circle is more than the closing ritual of a match. It reminds us that the values children practice on the field, fairness, empathy, accountability and respect are the same values they carry back to their classrooms, homes and communities.

This tournament was made possible with the support of Reliance Foundation, whose decentralised approach to funding enables organisations like ours to build long-term, community-led education systems .🙌🏻

03/07/2026

Some matches are won on the scoreboard, while others are won through the way the game is played. The Samta Frisbee Tournament was a celebration of both. 🥏

With 14 teams and over 250 students coming together, the field was filled with fast-paced games, loud cheers, moments of resilience, and plenty of learning.⛳

Congratulations to Team Azmabad for lifting the trophy after a closely contested final against Team Petlawad. Kudos to Team Bejnath for receiving the Spirit Award, and to Kanishka, whose outstanding performance earned the Most Valuable Player title. The tournament ended with a Spirit Circle. Players sat together, appreciated one another, reflected on the day's games, and reminded us that respect, honesty, and teamwork are as important as winning.✨

Thank you to every student, volunteer, teacher, and supporter who made the day unforgettable.🙌🏻

01/07/2026

New arrival books for Himachal Office Mandi - Part 02