This past year, when I was working my first job out of college, I always looked forward to the weekend. It was my chance to fully reset. The days were slow, intentional, and reflective—a perfect pause from the chaos of the office. I’d wake up late, enjoy a slow breakfast, and catch up on whatever I’d ignored during the week. Now, my weekends look a little different.
Each Sunday, I wake up early, pack a lunch, and give myself fifteen extra minutes to get to work. Instead of turning into the alley that leads to our office, I wait at the corner with my coworkers. Somewhere between our complaints about the cold weather and inquiries into what each other brought for lunch, our bus arrives. We head 15 minutes out of town to the village of Samarpada, driving through stretches of beautiful farmland on our way to the Aashramshala. Here, between fields of cotton and corn, we spend the day working on digital literacy with children of all ages. The bus plays a critical role in this operation.
Our bus doubles as a Multipurpose Mobile Resource Center (MMRC), meaning that it is fully equipped with an array of educational resources: a carefully curated library, laptops, audio-visual tools (including a smart TV for digital learning), a pull-out stage for performances and public speaking, board games, and many other materials relevant for well-rounded growth. This comprehensive set up ensures that we are able to bring flexible learning opportunities directly into schools and communities, and can transform any space into a child-centered learning environment. The idea behind this initiative is perhaps best explained by my host organization, Shaishav, whose philosophy is informed by their 32-year legacy of child empowerment:
“The bus represents an inclusive learning model that respects children’s individuality and ensures education adapts to them, rather than the other way around,” (Shaishav).
While the aforementioned MMRC was introduced earlier this year, the vision for this resource dates back to 1996, when Shaishav’s first MMRC was inaugurated in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, where the organization is headquartered. Between 1996 and 2009, the MMRC program impacted the lives of 18,000 children across 36 government schools and 50 communities in Bhavnagar (Shaishav). By providing educational support to first-generation learners, non-school goers, and child labourers, the bus served as a bridge between marginalized youth and a supportive learning setting.
With this legacy in mind, the MMRC that my coworkers and I ride to Samarpada every Sunday was envisioned. Although the bus has only 25 seats, each week it reaches over 2,500 children across 16 Aashramshalas in the villages surrounding Dediapada. The goal of this program is simple: to improve access to educational resources and create a productive learning environment that supports children’s holistic development. If we are to embrace inclusive values, then we must also work toward ensuring educational opportunities themselves are inclusive. Accessing a quality education should never be a burden placed on the child, and it is our collective responsibility to eliminate the structural barriers that make it one. Through small but consistent interventions like the MMRC, we can help ensure that geography, infrastructure, or circumstance no longer dictate a child’s potential.
The digital literacy lessons each Sunday have become the highlight of my week. Amid all the changes I have encountered since arriving in India, one thing has remained consistent: I love the weekend, arguably now more than ever before. Having the opportunity to step out of the office and interact with the students is something that I do not take for granted. It is remarkable not only to see a resource like the MMRC in action, but to witness the children’s excitement, dedication, and impressive ability to absorb new skills with such speed.
As I continue to visit different Aashramshalas, I hope to gain perspective on how to translate my work from the desk to the field. I look forward to learning from each new community I encounter and letting those experiences guide me toward more thoughtful and impactful contributions.
Learn more about Shaishav’s MMRC here!
References
Shaishav. MULTI-PURPOSE MOBILE RESOURCE PROGRAMME, 2025.
