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Niwas Kumar comes from a remote village in Bihar and was a part of age-old public school education. Later when his family moved to a bigger town, he went to an all-boys school till he finished high school. The current education system never interested him and he decided to do his graduation from an open university where he could travel, research and explore. During this time he realised that contrary to his belief, he was actually very interested in education and wanted to change the ideology and methodology of the very education system. During his post graduation from Azim Premji University, he found that the effects of gender-bias is far more acute for children experiencing gender dysphoria. They don’t find a safe space to study and feel difficult to socialise.
Shivani also belongs to a small village in Jharkhand and went to a co-education public school. The patriarchal culture in her village did not allow her to interact with boys in school and she was always subject to gender discrimination in school as well as other public places. When she went to NIT Jamshedpur for engineering, she found it extremely challenging to open up to the fellow students.
Niwas and Shivani met during an internship and realised that they share a unique but common dream. Thus was laid the foundation of ANANTMOOL – India’s first ever gender neutral learning centre which addresses the issue of gender diversity and inclusion by questioning existing norms and introducing an alternative system where gender no longer exists as a stereotype. Here binary students and those with gender dysphoria are treated as equals. With gender diverse facilitators, gender-free toilets, seating and group activities, Anantmool is also keen on changing their curriculum into a more practical one. This one of a kind learning centre focusses on holistic development of children including physical, social, emotional and intellectual. They both believe that this dream would not have been possible without the help of leaders from Kanthari, an international institute for leadership and entrepreneurial activities. Anantmool is open for donations and the cost to fund the education of one child is just Rs. 500 per month, which , I am very sure most of you will agree, is what we spend at a coffee shop these days. You can find more about this on the Milaap website below. https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-niwas-kumar#
During this small yet powerful conversation with Niwas and Shivani, I learned as well as unlearned perspectives and I am looking forward to join them at Anantmool for a volunteering session in the coming days. Join me in this endeavour.
Small Big Wins started in middle of 2020. The primary objective has been to talk to people who are not so famous or known but have done exceptional work. Most of these conversations are with people who have done some real solid social good, while also holding up their selflessness. Their wins in their own words. You be the judge, whether Small or Big.
Coming to my latest conversations with Swami Atmananda Saraswati ji, I would first share in a few words my own journey of searching the higher. This started somewhere in 2012, from reading, listening to Osho, then spending months at Isha Foundation Ashram doing everything in the book there, listening to some globally “famous” masters, I ended up at home. Home meaning our own timeless Indian scriptures – Bhagwad Gita, RamCharit Manas, Upanishads, which reveal that, where only a few blessed revel. I learnt about Adi Shankaracharya and his contribution to Sanatan Dharma. Hearing discourses from different masters, once I came across a discourse on “Atma Bodha” by Swami Atmanada Saraswati. When I tried to google him, I could not find anything. Somehow deep down the searches, I found some co-ordinates to reach him. This resulted in increased interactions and my knowledge seeking got a definite direction. If at all, these conversations would be valuable and known, it would be for Swami Atmananda Saraswati.
It is my great fortune to bring “Who is My Charioteer” to the audiences. For someone Small like me this is a Big win! The Part 1 of this series is titled “Fundamental Understanding about Life”. You will find these conversations starting Episode 59. Just search for “Who is My Charioteer” in the title.