Life stories

I met Riya Hembrom, a bright and curious seven-year-old, on my way to Sundrafalan village in Dumka district, Jharkhand, during my three-month stay as a Development Apprentice. The program focuses on making choices based on first-hand experiences and begins with exploration through an immersive phase, where one lives in a village, observing, reflecting, and gaining a deeper understanding of rural life. Riya was easy to talk to—full of questions, quick to smile.

Pitaji always used to tell me “Mehnat karo, ache se padhai karo, aage jaa ke Engineer banna hai”. My childhood at Ganj Kishangarh Bas in Alwar district of Rajasthan was full of dreams and dedicated efforts to realise those dreams of becoming an Engineer. I hardly missed a class in my school at Khairthal, a few kilometres away from my native village.