Education beyond Schooling - Manoranjan, GM '12

Story of Change: EK PAHAL 

Inspiration on days comes in the form of zealous youngsters passionate to bring about a change. Manoranjan, an alumnus of Gramya Manthan 1 and currently a student at IIT Kanpur is one such example. Young and driven, Manoranjan showed keen interest in Education right from the moment he joined us. He went on to start his social initiative Ek Pahal, an after school learning centre in Nalanda Bihar.

Talking about Education System, he feels “ lot of gaps unfilled in tapping the true potential of students and it is this belief that keeps me going”.

  Ek Pahal works with the commitment of impacting the lives of students significantly, enabling them to maximize their potential by reforming education, providing a platform to the local youth where they are allowed to nurture their creativity, be inquisitive, and see the world in new ways. As short term goal, they are in the process of launching two programs within Ek Pahal, first is establishing a library cum computer centre and the second is an 8 month engagement program "EDUCATION BEYOND SCHOOLING.”

Manoranjan says-“I can say Gramya Manthan was one of the turning points of my life. I can see a huge change in myself in many dimensions. Most important is that I started to see a strong sense of possibility in everything. I started to believe in myself & my ideas. I feel that before YA I was somewhere losing my originality in this world. I met some of the most amazing people in my life here. I wonder sometimes when I look back at my life & see its impact. It's just wow.”

As any organization in its nascent stages, Ek Pahal too is struggling with the issues of funds, logistics and registration. But a strong will and a dedicated team keeps the spirit alive. We will continue to give our regular support, guidance and care to them and wish all the luck and success to this brilliant initiative.