He Left His Global Career to Teach 6 Children. Today, 10000+ Learn Because of Him

“Education felt like a privilege, not a certainty.”

Ashish Kumar says this because, for many years, school was never guaranteed for him.
He grew up in a single rented room with his family of six. His father worked as a carpenter, and every expense at home had to be thought through carefully. Some months were harder than others.

“There were times when I felt I might have to stop studying,” he says. “We were just trying to manage daily life.”

Ashish wanted to study. But wanting to study is not always enough. A child also needs school fees, books, time, support at home, and the belief that tomorrow will be a little easier than today.

Without that, falling behind becomes easy. Catching up becomes harder.

Years later, Ashish would become living proof of what Kushal Raj Chakravorty, founder of the Lotus Petal Foundation, had come to believe: many children do not drop out because they lack dreams. They drop out because no one helps them hold on to those dreams long enough.

A life of structure, until reality interrupted it 

Kushal built his life on a very different foundation. He grew up in Ranchi in a family that valued education and consistency. “I had everything a child needs to grow, including schooling, support, and three meals a day,” he tells The Better India. 

After studying at St Xavier’s, he pursued electrical and electronics engineering at BIT Mesra, graduating in 1996. He began working with HCL the same year, and after a brief stint, went on to complete his MBA from IIM Lucknow. By 1999, he had stepped firmly into the corporate world.

His career continued to grow. He worked with BPL and Amway before joining IKEA in 2005, where he spent more than a decade in global roles. His work took him across cities and countries, and he learnt how to build systems, manage teams, and think at scale. 

“Leadership, for me, always meant setting a vision and building systems that outlast individuals,” he says. 

At that point, nothing suggested he would leave it all behind.

A cold morning that refused to fade

In November 2011, on a cold morning in Gurugram, he stood at a bus stop with his daughters. He had just returned from travel and, as always, chose to drop them off at school himself. 

They stood bundled in warm winter clothes. “I was still wondering if they were warm enough,” he recalls. That thought stayed only for a moment.

Then, two children walked past him.

“They had no sweaters. One of them did not even have footwear,” he says. The image unsettled him immediately. 

“I kept thinking their parents must want the same things for them that I want for my children. The only difference is that I had opportunities they did not.” He did not brush the thought aside. 

Kushal traced the children to a small school running out of a temple near his home in South City 1. When he walked in, he saw — not two or 20 — but 250 children! 

“They were bright, eager, and trying. But they lacked the basics,” he says. He started with what he could do immediately; he bought shoes, socks, and winter wear for them. 

But once he had entered that space, it became difficult to look at the problem as a one-time need. The children needed warm clothes, but they also needed a way to stay in school, catch up on learning, and build a future beyond daily survival. “I realised that if I truly wanted to change their lives, I needed a long-term approach,” he says.

That thought slowly became the foundation of his work. He registered the Lotus Petal Foundation to create a system that could support children year after year, rather than help them once and disappear.

“It gave me a sense of fulfilment I had never felt before,” he says. “When you experience that, you want to do more.”

A year later, when he decided to check on the children again, he noticed something far more troubling. “I saw a 12-year-old in Class 3 and a 15-year-old in Class 5,” he says. “They were stuck in the system.” 

He could see the future that often follows: limited opportunities, low-paying work, and a cycle that would repeat. “If nothing changed, they would become what their parents are, and stay there for life,” he says.

Building a way back for children left behind 

That realisation pushed Kushal to think of a better solution. “Education is not something you fix in a day. You have to work with a child year after year,” he says. 

By April 2013, he launched the first fast-track learning programme in a single rented room tucked inside a bustling shopping arcade in Gurugram. “I used my savings and even took a loan of around Rs 40 lakh. I wanted to make sure this initiative could run consistently for at least a few years without depending on uncertain support,” he explains.

He began with just six students, each of them years behind in their education. “The idea was simple,” he explains. “These children had already fallen behind, even though they had potential; life had given them fewer opportunities. My goal was to help them catch up, to give them a chance to be on par with others, not to leave them where they were.”

The rented room was humble, but he saw potential everywhere, in the children’s eager eyes, in their curiosity, and in the resilience that came from growing up with so little. “It was humbling. I realised that even a small space, when filled with care, attention, and structured learning, could become a place of change,” he says.

The model challenged conventional thinking. Kushal designed a five-year programme in which older children could complete their education up to Class 12, along with vocational and communication skills and digital literacy. 

“We focused on outcomes,” he says. “Teaching mattered, and so did where the child reaches.”

Convincing parents proved difficult. “They would ask, ‘How can my child complete so much in so little time?’” he says. Still, he went door to door, speaking to families, explaining the vision, and slowly building trust.

Finding teachers came next. “We needed teachers who believed in the child’s potential, along with the syllabus,” he says. A mathematics teacher joined first and stayed with the organisation for more than ten years. Soon, other teachers began to join, initially through word of mouth, drawn by the foundation’s vision and the children’s eagerness to learn. Many started as volunteers, contributing their time and skills without hesitation.

Even in that one room, the founder introduced systems. “I installed a biometric machine,” he says, smiling. “People laughed. But I believe systems build discipline.”

All of this unfolded while he continued his global role at IKEA.

Leaving a global career for a classroom 

By 2016, the first batch of students had cleared their CBSE board examinations. That moment gave Kushal clarity. “It showed me that the model works,” he says.

In September 2016, he resigned from his job at IKEA. “I knew I had to give this my full time,” he says. “You cannot build something like this halfway.” His decision strengthened the foundation’s credibility. Donors began to take notice, and the organisation started growing faster.

In 2017, with support from an IIM Lucknow batchmate, he acquired land and built a campus in Gurugram. Today, the school serves around 1,200 students from kindergarten to Class 12.

But the foundation does far more than provide education.

“We take care of everything a child needs to learn well,” Kushal says. Students receive two nutritious meals daily, designed to meet their nutritional requirements. They have access to healthcare, counselling, digital learning, and life skills training.

“If the child is unwell, emotionally unsupported, or worried about home, learning will not happen,” he says.

‘We charge Rs 1500; then return it all’

Despite serving underprivileged families, the foundation charges a monthly fee of Rs 1,500.

“We want parents to contribute, because it gives them dignity,” he says. Most parents work as drivers, electricians, domestic workers, or in similar roles. The contribution builds ownership and commitment.

“It also guarantees that families stay engaged,” he says.

The foundation also offers scholarships. “If parents stay involved and children show positive change, we return the full fee,” he explains. “It teaches children that effort brings reward.”

What it takes to help a child keep learning 

Today, the foundation is run by over 250 team members, including more than 120 teachers and counsellors. The teacher-student ratio stands at 1:14.

“Our teachers are like super-parents,” Kushal says. “Because many children do not get support at home.” Counsellors work closely with students and families, addressing emotional and social challenges. The school maintains strong systems for feedback, evaluation, and improvement.

“We keep asking, how can we do better for the child?” he says. An independent assessment by KPMG found that every Rs 1 invested creates Rs 3.64 in social value.

For Gudiya Kumari, the change began with confidence. “I was very underconfident, and I did not believe in myself,” she says. Today, she works as a software quality assurance and project coordinator. “This journey taught me to speak, to think, and to dream bigger,” she says. “It changed everything for my family and me.”

Ashish reflects on his journey with determination. “Earlier, I studied because I had to,” he says. “Now I study because I know where I want to go.” He now works as a technical support advisor while pursuing his degree. “Education changed my life. It also changed my family’s future,” he adds.

Chanchala, who once hesitated to speak, now teaches others. “I used to doubt myself,” she says. “Now I want to help others grow.” She adds, “I did not just want success for myself. I wanted to uplift others.”

When one student became a doctor

Among the most powerful moments in the foundation’s journey came in 2024.

One of the first six students became a doctor.

“She joined us at 14, studying in Class 4,” Kushal says. “In six years, she reached medical college.” He pauses before adding, “That moment felt like a dream. It proved what is possible when you give a child the right opportunity.”

From one campus to schools across 16 states 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation expanded its reach. “We asked ourselves, why do we exist?” the founder says. The answer led to action.

The team launched the Vidya Sahyog programme, using digital platforms to teach students remotely. Today, it supports over 275 schools across 16 states, reaching more than 10,000 students.

“We had experimented with hybrid teaching earlier,” he says. “That helped us move quickly.”

The foundation has since delivered over 90,000 hours of teaching, supported improvements in more than 50 government schools, and trained over 2,600 young adults in vocational skills.

What keeps him going?

For Kushal, the work remains deeply personal. “When I meet our alumni and see how their lives have changed, that is what matters,” he says. He speaks of students who now support their families, save money, and build stable futures.

Across every story, a shared belief emerges.

“Your speed does not define your future,” Chanchala says.

“You are not late. You just started from a different point,” Ashish adds.

And Kushal, reflecting on that cold morning in 2011, says, “If you want to give, you can do it anywhere.”

Sometimes, it begins with noticing. And then — choosing to act.

All pictures courtesy Lotus Petal Foundation.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thebetterindia.com