Senior Kabir Bagai’s vision takes shape
In 2017, a University School of Nashville student envisioned a way to provide young adults in rural India with vocational skills. With the help of the Bhuvana Foundation, Kabir Bagai '21 launched the Rural Technology Center outside Coimbatore in South India. Its first class of students will graduate soon.
By Neal Bagai, Class of 2022
Vidya Vanam is a school for children from tribal and underprivileged families in rural India. The school is located outside the city of Coimbatore in South India. Parents of the children who attend the school are either illiterate or have had no formal education; hence, the sons and daughters represent first-time learners. Established in 2007, the school is an initiative of a Nashville non-profit, Bhuvana Foundation.
However, several of the school's students either drop out or fail to meet the academic standards for the 10th grade. As a result, these students are left without future opportunities and no means of obtaining gainful employment. To ensure their development and future success, Kabir Bagai '21 developed the idea of the Rural Technology Center with the help of Bhuvana Foundation's founder, Subramanian Sriram.
Kabir's vision was to give young adults from underprivileged andtribal families an opportunity to learn vocational skills. These skills would then provide a sustainable means of income for themselves and their families and help them become productive members of their community. Kabir initiated a GoFundMe drive in 2018 to raise funds for the building of a low-cost geodesic dome where he envisioned classes being held, and the RTC opened later that year with seven students. In 2019, Kabir conducted a local fundraiser to raise funds for ongoing expenses for the RTC. What's more, Kabir sought out corporate sponsors to meet ongoing expense needs. He prepared and presented comprehensive presentations for prospective donors to secure significant funding, including emergency funds used to ensure students receive meals during the non-school period during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are 18 students enrolled in the program, which offers courses in fabrication, construction, basic carpentry, engineering drawing and casting, electrical, motor rewinding, survey technique, solar and biogas energy, sewing, food processing, rural laboratory work, agriculture, and animal husbandry.
Additionally, students learn English and computer skills from staff and teachers of Vidya Vanam. Students engage in "learning while doing" and also provide services to their local community. The RTC offers an alternative to formal college education by providing skills for these underprivileged youth, who would otherwise be left behind.
The first class of the RTC will graduate this year. What started as an idea at the breakfast table in 2017 to help underprivileged youth has finally taken shape thousands of miles away.
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Vidya Vanam is a school for children from tribal and underprivileged families in rural India. The school is located outside the city of Coimbatore in South India. Parents of the children who attend the school are either illiterate or have had no formal education; hence, the sons and daughters represent first-time learners. Established in 2007, the school is an initiative of a Nashville non-profit, Bhuvana Foundation.
However, several of the school's students either drop out or fail to meet the academic standards for the 10th grade. As a result, these students are left without future opportunities and no means of obtaining gainful employment. To ensure their development and future success, Kabir Bagai '21 developed the idea of the Rural Technology Center with the help of Bhuvana Foundation's founder, Subramanian Sriram.
Kabir's vision was to give young adults from underprivileged and
There are 18 students enrolled in the program, which offers courses in fabrication, construction, basic carpentry, engineering drawing and casting, electrical, motor rewinding, survey technique, solar and biogas energy, sewing, food processing, rural laboratory work, agriculture, and animal husbandry.
Additionally, students learn English and computer skills from staff and teachers of Vidya Vanam. Students engage in "learning while doing" and also provide services to their local community. The RTC offers an alternative to formal college education by providing skills for these underprivileged youth, who would otherwise be left behind.
The first class of the RTC will graduate this year. What started as an idea at the breakfast table in 2017 to help underprivileged youth has finally taken shape thousands of miles away.
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Nashville, TN 37212
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Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.