Stories from the Field | Children | Communities | Change

There is a story at Literacy India that began with a failed idea.

A few years ago, we trained women in telecalling, hoping to create a new employment pathway—perhaps even a remote one for communities in places like Ladakh, where conventional jobs are few.

The training happened. The women were ready.The jobs never came.

The company we had hoped would hire them could not take them on, for reasons that were never quite clear to us. So, like many well-intentioned plans, that one quietly came to an end.

Or so we thought.Because somewhere along the way, three women who had been trained for a job that did not materialise found themselves doing something nobody had originally planned for.

We decided to create helpdesk of our own.

Hidden away on the Bajghera campus, they began answering calls, following up with our centres, working on M Cube, preparing reports, sending emails and solving the small, everyday problems that keep a large organisation moving.

They became our invisible support team. And then, perhaps inevitably, we started calling them our “Lapata Ladies.”Not because they were lost.

But because if you were looking for them, you might not immediately know where they were—or quite how much they were doing.

Their stories reminded us of Laapataa Ladies: ordinary women, carrying very different lives and responsibilities, who slowly discover their voices, their capabilities and a little more of themselves.But unlike the film, these women weren't waiting to be found.

They were finding themselves. And this is their story.

At 42, Laxmi, a mother of two, had once started learning computers while preparing for the SSC examination. Marriage, motherhood and her daughter’s heart condition put those plans on hold.Years later, she came to a Literacy India centre looking for a tailoring-teacher job. There was no vacancy. Instead, she found an opportunity to learn IT.

From basic computers to telecalling, CRM, Excel, email writing and job-readiness, Laxmi rebuilt her confidence and entered the workforce. Her husband was initially hesitant about her working, but seeing her learn, earn and contribute gradually changed his perspective.

Today, her earnings support her children’s education and household needs. She has also saved ₹61,000 towards her children’s graduation and competitive-examination preparation.

For Laxmi, empowerment is simple: learning can restart at any age—and earning can give a woman the confidence to contribute on her own terms.

At 40, Reena, a History Honours graduate and mother of three, had once dreamed of working in a school. Financial circumstances had left that dream unfinished. At Literacy India’s Chhawala centre, she enrolled in an IT course and learned computers, telecalling, CRM, Excel, email writing and professional communication.

For an introvert, speaking to strangers on the telephone was a challenge. One unexpected call even left her unsure how to respond. But she remembered her trainers’ lesson: not every conversation follows the script—learn to handle it. Call by call, Reena found her voice and confidence. The patience and listening skills she developed at work also began reflecting in her family life. Today, her son is pursuing a computer course at the same centre.

One opportunity gave Reena confidence. She is now helping the next generation recognise theirs.

Neetu’s journey with Literacy India began when she was a student. After marriage and motherhood, she stepped away from work.

Years later, when she wanted to return, there was no vacancy at Vidyapeeth. Rather than walk away, she enrolled in a computer course and expressed her interest in new opportunities.She eventually joined the HelpDesk, where she learned that effective communication is not about speaking more—it is about knowing what to say, how much to say, when to speak and when to listen.

The experience brought back her confidence and helped her become clearer in both professional and personal life. There was

another quiet ripple: the laptop provided for her work became a learning tool for her children too.

Neetu came looking for a second chance. She found not only work, but a way to keep learning—and to open that door for her children too.

When Mukesh, a 13-year-old Class V student at GyanTantra Vidyapeeth, Bajghera, began the session, Mathematics was difficult for him—especially concepts like Average. He was also quiet in class and hesitant to read or participate.

Something began to change when learning became more than just textbooks and answers.

Through GyanTantra’s digital learning programme, Mukesh could revisit concepts, practise at his own pace and learn through activities, assessments and peer interaction. His teachers used his learning progress to understand where he needed help and gave him the encouragement and support to keep trying.

Slowly, the child who hesitated began to participate.

He became more comfortable with language activities, sentence formation and classroom discussions. Learning became something he could enjoy—with a little technology, a little teamwork and, of course, some masti along the way.

His academic progress followed. His assessment score rose from 36.5 to 83, but the more meaningful change could not be captured in marks. It could be seen on a stage.

On Independence Day, Mukesh confidently portrayed Shaheed Bhagat Singh, delivering his dialogue, “Inquilab Zindabad!” The boy who once hesitated to participate was now standing before an audience with confidence.

But his learning journey went beyond academics.

Through GyanTantra’s Value Education sessions, Mukesh explored ideas of equality, discrimination and respect. One thought stayed with him: everyone deserves to be treated equally—regardless of whether they are a boy or a girl, fair or dark, thin or fat. He even took this learning home and shared it with his younger sister.

That is the real promise of learning. Not just a better score, but a child who begins to believe in himself.

Mukesh’s journey is a reminder that when technology, teachers, peers and opportunities come together, learning can open a much bigger door—the door to confidence, curiosity and the courage to be heard.

The three-month art programme reached approximately 120 students across seven Literacy India locations, introducing them to the richness and diversity of Indian traditional and folk art forms. From these, 52 students who showed sustained interest, participation and enthusiasm continued with a more structured learning journey.

The programme was designed not simply to teach children how to draw, but to help them look at the world around them and turn what they see into art. Children explored elements from their everyday surroundings, nature, community and cultural heritage, and learnt how these could be expressed through different Indian artistic traditions.

Their learning included lines, patterns, borders, colours, motifs and composition, along with exposure to traditional styles such as Madhubani and other folk-art influences. They experimented with motifs such as flowers, birds, fish, trees and the sun, as well as human figures and scenes from everyday life.

As their confidence grew, children moved from following examples to creating their own interpretations. They observed objects, people, nature and places around them and translated these observations into drawings and compositions, bringing their own imagination and perspective into the artwork.

The programme also encouraged children to present and explain their work, helping them develop confidence, patience, observation, concentration and self-expression. Outdoor observation and exposure to heritage spaces and museums extended the learning beyond the classroom, allowing children to experience art and culture in a more meaningful way.

The most valuable outcome was the shift from “learning to draw” to “learning to see.” Children began noticing details around them and discovering that everyday life, nature and their own experiences could become subjects for art.

Through this journey, traditional Indian art became not just a skill to be learnt, but a medium for children to observe, imagine, interpret and express the world in their own way.