In Gurugram, innovation, hope and learning take centre stage

The not-for-profit organisation VIDYA marked 40 years on Saturday with a commemorative event at its school on Sector 24. From science exhibitions and robotics demos to cultural performances and an art fair, the event brought together students, educators, industry experts, and community members.

Started in 1985, VIDYA works for the education, empowerment, and transformation of lesser privileged children, youth and women through micro-level intervention.

Rashmi Misra, founder of the initiative, said she started VIDYA by teaching five girls outside IIT-Delhi nearly four decades ago. “We have grown from a modest initiative into a nationwide movement of learning and empowerment. VIDYA is not just a school — it’s a revolution in access to opportunity,” she said.

Misra also announced plans for a ₹20 crore Centre for Discovery and Innovation Hub that will house a STEM lab and incubation space, helping students turn their ideas into tangible solutions.

TG Sitharam, chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), was the chief guest at the event. “VIDYA is not only educating underprivileged children, but it is nurturing future leaders and changemakers,” he said.

The exhibition featured the science expertise of the students. Prashansha Chaubey, 13, along with her classmates Suhana Parveen and Ved Prakash — all from classes 9 and 12 — presented a model based on bio-stabiliser microbes, which are organisms that bind soil particles to improve water retention. “We read research papers to understand how this can help farmers in Haryana. It’s our dream to give back,” a student said.

In another show of talent, Shubham Kumar Tamta, Khushi Kumari and Shreya Pathak explained their model on multimineral soluble bacteria — highlighting how it could make essential nutrients more accessible to plants.

VIDYA School in Sector 24 today supports nearly 1,200 students from pre-nursery to class 12. With branches in Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Goa, Lucknow and Dadh (Himachal Pradesh), the organisation has reached over 8 lakh individuals through schools, women empowerment programmes, and community learning initiatives.