Category Scholarships, Success Stories

# Scholarships | Success Stories

Success Story of Naina

Naina’s Journey: Illuminating the Path to a Brighter Future through Gyanoday’s Scholarship Programs

Naina’s story is a testament to the transformative power of education and the vital role of scholarship programs in facilitating access to quality education for underprivileged students. As a 4th year BA LLB student, Naina has been associated with Gyanoday Vatika for the past decade, a period during which she has witnessed the impact of Gyanoday’s scholarship programs on her life and the lives of her peers.

Through its unwavering commitment to empowering underprivileged children and youth, Gyanoday has sown the seeds of dreams in countless young minds, providing them with the resources, guidance, and support they need to pursue their academic and professional goals. At the forefront of its vision is a deep-seated desire to put a happy smile on the faces of the underprivileged, illuminating the path to a brighter future.

However, transforming lives demands a collective effort, one that requires the support and commitment of all those who share in Gyanoday’s vision. By joining Gyanoday’s efforts to empower underprivileged children and youth, supporters can make a meaningful impact in the lives of those who need it most, enabling them to break the cycle of poverty and transform their futures.

At Gyanoday, we understand that true transformation takes time, effort, and a sustained commitment to empowering underprivileged communities. Through our scholarship programs and other initiatives, we aim to be a guiding beacon that leads underprivileged children and youth to their destinies, providing them with the momentum they need to achieve their full potential.

We invite all those who share in our vision to join us in our constant endeavor to bring smiles to the faces of many more innocent children and youth across India. Together, we can transform lives, one smile at a time.

Mr. Avinash Singh Alag

Founder, Gyanoday

Advisor

info@gyanoday.org.in

Avinash Singh Alag , is an accomplished and seasoned Educator. As Founder Headmaster of Blossoms School, Meerut, since its inception on 1st February 1996, he has set a high benchmark in the field of holistic human development through engaging and experiential all round education, which has produced alumni faring exceedingly well, all over the world. The NGO Gyanoday, founded by him on 26th September 2001 has empowered over a million marginalized children and their families in UP, Uttarakhand and Delhi to break their shackles of poverty and deprivation, by providing them every possible opportunity and support, to regain their dignity and live prosperously. A Personal Breakthrough Expert, uplifting the interiority of people, he, currently as a Youth Transformation Coach, is bringing about remarkable sea changes in the lives of countless Youth, all over the world, through his mentorship and training. He is a proven game changer for countless many. He feels that ‘I Can’ is far more powerful than IQ and asserts that the key to success is ‘Action.’ The motto of his work is: Know Yourself. Recreate Yourself. Elevate Yourself. Make A Difference. He is an alumnus of The Doon School and has worked as a Counsellor at the University of New Hampshire, USA, has been a Lecturer at Indian Military Academy Dehradun and at Fort William, Kolkata. He has practiced as a Lawyer at the Bar Council Of Delhi and has received many prestigious awards, among which, to name a few are:The International Duke Of Edinburgh’s Gold Award, personally from His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, The ‘Master of Wisdom’ Award for rendering distinguished services in the field of Education and upliftment of the less privileged, from His Holiness , Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of Art of Living, The National Award for contribution towards Education, from Mr. Ashok Ganguly, Chairman, CBSE , The Social Entrepreneur Of The Month Award from DASRA, Mumbai and several Rotary and Lions International Vocational Awards for distinction in the field of Education and Youth Empowerment. He is a prolific and versatile Speaker and Author and has spoken at several distinguished platforms, including TEDx, as also, various conventions and conferences. He has close to 400 YouTube Videos on varied subjects in his channel. He also regularly conducts live sessions on Facebook and Instagram, to inspire and lead the Youth of the world to their highest best versions.

Mr. Manoj Pant, IFS (Retd)

Indian Forest Service (IFS) Officer

Advisor

info@gyanoday.org.in

An Ex Indian Forest Service officer of 1986 batch, Mr. Pant has had a long and distinguished career spanning over four decades. Masters in Physics from IIT Roorkee, Mr. Pant served in the state of Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department besides serving in the Ministry of Health and family welfare, Govt of India, as Joint Secretary, as Chief Vigilance Officer in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, a Maha Ratna Public Sector Undertaking of Govt of India and as Director Youth Services and sports and Secretary State sports Council in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to joining Indian Forest Service, he was on the faculty of The Doon School, Dehradun where besides teaching Physics and Electronics upto Secondary classes, he was actively involved in various sports and other extracurricular activities.In the Environment and Forestry Sector in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, he worked in different capacities at various levels in the field of Environment and Forests, Climate Change and mitigation of global warming, Forest administration, Community participation in afforestation programmes, Zoo and Zoological Park management, Eco tourism promotion, Habitat management of key wildlife species, Promotion of medicinal plants on wasteland, etc. As Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of India, he dealt with issues pertaining to Health Research, Community Health, Externally aided Projects, Emergency Medical Relief, Creation of health research infrastructure besides administrative matters of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and Bhopal Memorial Hospital and research Centre (BMHRC) Bhopal. As Chief Vigilance Officer in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), he initiated streamlining of procurement and infrastructure development procedures, Updating of internal procurement and engineering guidelines of the organization besides various activities of Preventive, participative and Pro active Vigilance . After his retirement on superannuation in August 2018 as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Jammu and Kashmir, he joined National foundation for Communal harmony (NFCH), an Autonomous Organisation under Ministry of Home affairs, Govt of India as Secretary. The Foundation is engaged in providing assistance in physical and psychological rehabilitation of children affected by communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence besides promoting cultural, academic and educational activities across the country in collaboration with various partners at different levels. The Foundation till date has provided assistance to about 14000 children across the country for their education and rehabilitation.He has travelled extensively within India and abroad as member of different delegations of Govt of India, Ministry of Health and family Welfare and Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Mr. Arun Kapur

Educator

Advisor

info@gyanoday.org.in

Arun Kapur is an educator with more than four decades of experience in the private as well as public education spheres. He has been actively engaged in building learning environments catering to a diverse group of learners – rural and urban, students with special needs, and students who have fallen outside of the formal schooling system. Mr. Kapur’s very first experience as a teacher was at the Doon School, Dehradun. Thereafter he taught in the United Kingdom and on his return to India he was the Principal of the British School, Delhi. Since Vasant Valley School was conceived, in the late 1980’s, he has been at its helm, as the first Head of School and as the Director of the school. Mr. Kapur is currently the Director of The Royal Academy. In 1990, Mr Kapur became the founding Headmaster of Vasant Valley School. He nurtured the school to become India’s leading co-educational day school. Under his leadership, Vasant Valley School laid emphasis on the wholistic development of the students centred around actualization of one’s potential instead of a narrow focus on academic standards. Mr. Kapur is the Chairman of Ritinjali, a non-governmental organization he set up in 1995. Ritinjali works for community development through education and employment opportunities among marginalized societies across India. Through education, both formal and vocational, the organization has empowered youth on the fringes of our education system and given them a second chance. Over the years, Mr. Kapur has been working through Ritinjali on a variety of initiatives and with varied community groups in many educational and development related endeavors. While based in Delhi, Ritinjali’s efforts have reached areas as far-flung as Rajasthan, Tripura, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Orissa, Karaikal, Kargil, Leh, Bihar and Uttaranchal. Ritinjali’s work with the government schools of Delhi and Rajasthan complements its mission of providing quality education through the rejuvenation of the government schooling system. Ritinjali is providing quality education to marginalized children in various slum clusters in Delhi. Ritinjali’s Second Chance School in Mahipalpur, New Delhi, a school for young adults who were deprived of a chance at education, provides vocational training, apprenticeship, and entrepreneurship development programmes as well as schooling through the National Indian Open School system. Ritinjali’s work in mainstreaming young people, who are on the periphery of society and give them a second chance at living lives of honor and dignity, has been very successful. Mr. Kapur initiated Ritinjali’s work in Tihar Jail, New Delhi, which is Asia’s largest jail. Ritinjali is involved in providing free legal aid and conducting counseling, rehabilitation and income generating activities for juveniles and women inmates and their children in jails 5 and 6 respectively. The jail authorities have acknowledged these efforts and Ritinjali was awarded the ‘Best NGO of the Year Award’ in 2003. Ritinjali’s Night School is an evening programme that imparts basic education and life skills training to boys who work as coolies at the INA Market, New Delhi. In 2001, Mr. Kapur started Pallavan, a chain of Pre-Schools spread over the National Capital Region. There are currently three branches and the Pallavan Pre – Schools have consistently been among the top play schools in the capital city. In 2006, Mr. Kapur founded Pallavanjali, an organization dedicated to promoting inclusive education responding to the diverse needs of all learners. The ultimate objective of Pallavanjali is to design, develop, sustain, and replicate a paradigm of inclusive education for all learners. To achieve this goal, Pallavanjali runs a School, an Open School (accredited by NIOS), an Intervention Centre (to identify and assess the child’s special needs at the earliest stages of development), and also conducts programmes for Career Training. Pallavan in Jhalawar, Rajasthan is another institution set up by Mr. Kapur, which is proof of how high-quality education based on wholistic development can be provided in a rural setting at low cost. Set up in July 2008, the school caters to students largely from Jhalawar and the adjoining districts. It has adopted cutting edge educational practices and technology, rooted in Indian culture and traditions. Its aim is to promote global citizenship in the context of the changing world scenario. Additionally, Mr. Kapur has contributed to multiple forums on education planning and policy formulation and been actively involved in various Education Committees set up at the State, as well as at National level. He has been a Member of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), as well as the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT). He has also worked as Member of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) set up under the Right to Education Act, 2009 as well as the Executive Committee of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). He was also a Member of the Chief Minister’s Advisory Council, Rajasthan working in the areas of Education and Skill Development. He is currently a Member of Board of Governors, the Doon School, and the Scindia School. In 2013, Mr. Kapur established the Centre for the Escalation of Peace. As the Chairman and Founding Member of the CEP, he has worked to create platforms and establish programmes, which encourage the free exchange of ideas across borders, with a distinct focus on empowering young minds. The work of the CEP revolves primarily around the three ‘pillars of calmness: Youth and Education, Trade & Sustainable Development and Society and Culture. Some of the initiatives of the organization include the ten rounds of the India-Bhutan Track II Dialogue, the India-Bhutan Youth Summit, and the IndiaBhutan Cultural Exchange and Art Camp which help enrich the people-to-people relationship between the two countries and create a pool of potential ambassadors, in both countries, who will carry forward the friendship. The initiatives also include Conferences to explore the life and legacy of Guru Padmasambhava, Asia Pacific Schools Initiatives which brings together students and teachers of the Asia-Pacific region to create a network of future leaders, Philosopher’s Retreat and numerous public sessions and panel discussions as a constant effort to bring together thinkers and leaders to share ideas and contribute towards humanity in the ever-changing world. Mr. Kapur currently spends his time between India and the Kingdom of Bhutan. He is the Director of The Royal Academy, an initiative of His Majesty the King of Bhutan. The Royal Academy draws its vision from His Majesty the King of Bhutan who has always recognised the importance of education in enriching the lives of his people and society; nurturing successive generations of leaders; narrowing emerging economic and social disparities; and building a strong, secure, and prosperous nation, and has always prioritised the development of the education system in Bhutan. The Royal Academy aspires to stand out as a center of excellence, one that leads in thought and creates new standards in education worldwide. This vision of The Royal Academy is actualised through a continuously evolving curriculum and innovative pedagogy encapsulated in inter-connected centres of the School, the Education Research centre, and the Teacher Development centre. The curriculum at the Royal Academy is based on Mr. Kapur’s concept of the ‘Five Areas of Development’, first expressed in his book ‘Leading Out’ (2011). The Five Areas of Development framework endeavors to promote the wholistic development of all learners and help them actualise their potential and be leaders in their own rights. This unique learning framework has received worldwide acclaim and was chosen as one of the global innovations shaping the future of education continuously for the last three years by HundrED, a not-for-profit organization based in Finland. He is also the Executive Director of Pallavan Learning Systems, an educational research organization. It specializes in creating education centres of excellence with innovative learning spaces and systems so that learning takes place seamlessly. It conducts research, seminars and conferences for the creation and dissemination of new knowledge so that what it does remains current and relevant to the rapidly changing times. Mr Kapur conceived and developed Paradise Valley Private School. Powered by Pallavan Learning Systems (PLS) and under the supervision of the Ministry of Education in Oman, it is a new inclusive school of the highest educational standards, encouraging learners to actualize their potential and become exemplary practitioners of inquiry, rigour, compassion, reflection, and creativity. All students are nurtured to achieve their best, regardless of their background or levels of ability. Mr Arun Kapur is the Advisor to the Board of Directors. Arun Kapur has authored the books Transforming Schools: Empowering Children (Sage Publications, 2007) and Leading Out: The True Purpose of Education (Ritinjali, 2011), which focus on his educational philosophy of wholistic development in Five Areas (Cerebral, Emotional, Physical, Social and Spiritual), and describes self-directed learning as the ideal basis of education for actualizing one’s innate, dynamic potential. His book, Serene Strength (Ritinjali, 2020) explores the role of education in the making of a Person of Substance tempered with Serene Strength. His latest book Unlearning: Augmented Intelligence and the Role of Technology in Education is a collection of 13 articles encompassing his theories on education and the increasing role of technology in shaping education in the 21st century. Arun Kapur has worked with learners from all age groups and all sections of society, and with his deep understanding of learners and conviction that education is the best route to self-actualization, he has made tremendous contributions to the global field of education. His curriculum of The Five Areas of Development has been recognized by the HundrED organisation of Finland as one of the 100 most inspiring global educational innovations for five consecutive years since 2017. In December 2019, Arun Kapur was awarded the Druk Thuksey Award by His Majesty The King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck for his rich contributions to education in Bhutan.