Raju Kendre and his brother are first-generation graduates. They would cycle 12 km to school and grew up seeing their parents struggle to make ends meet.
Raju became one of the first students from the Warkari community in Pimpri Khandare — in Vidarbha’s Buldhana district in Maharashtra — to win the UK’s Chevening Scholarship.
His experiences and hardships led him to start the Eklavya Movement in 2018, an organisation that aims to bring mainstream education to the grassroots by providing the right guidance.
So far, Eklavya has helped over 300 underprivileged students pursue higher education and prestigious fellowships. Some have gone on to start their own enterprises.
Raju says he was unable to prepare for competitive exams due to a lack of financial support and mentorship. But he always studied with an aim to serve society.
When he started working at a call centre, he had a burning desire to do something more. So he began working with various organisations at the grassroots level to understand the problems faced by students.
He then pursued post-graduation in social work and rural development at TISS Tuljapur, where he worked for the education of children across various villages.
“My experience with TISS and working in Melghat left me with a better understanding of how much untapped potential there is in tribal communities,” he explains.
“Whether it’s sports or education, there’s a lot to unfurl at the grassroots, but the people belonging to these communities don’t have the right platform,” he adds.
Eklavya provides mentorship, training and guidance to first-generation learners from underprivileged communities with non-English medium backgrounds to pursue higher education.
Raju’s aim with Eklavya is to work with 1,000 children across Maharashtra by 2030.