About Adhvan
At Adhvan, we envision a world where every child has access to good quality education that fosters their development as complete human beings. We work to support the education of marginalized children through democratic library centric interventions that raise readers, support literacy, and enhance life skills; empowering them to discover their voice, realize their potential, and build their agency. Through the Adhvan Library Program, we support the holistic learning and development of children living in child care institutions and through our Training Program, we reach out to educators in schools, NGOs, and other organizations to build their capacities to run vibrant library programs in their own geographies.
Why we do what we do
Death, poverty, violence, and abuse leave children vulnerable and when families are unable to or are unfit to care for children, Child Care Institutions take on this responsibility. Children, who live in Child care institutions like orphanages and shelter homes, are rarely sent to formal schools due to resource constraints and safety concerns. They are enrolled in the open schooling system generally and receive private tutoring within the walls of the institution from hired teachers or volunteers. The private tutoring they receive is usually geared to make them pass exams and to ensure their ability to access vocational training opportunities and gain entry-level jobs. Unfortunately, learning, in the real sense of the term, falls to the wayside. Child care institutions continue to run the same way as before. Not much has changed in the domain of education. Research shows that children who have lived in Child Care Institutions are usually ill equipped for life beyond the institution. They struggle to find or hold onto jobs and have difficulty in maintaining interpersonal relationships. Their poor literacy levels coupled with underdeveloped life skills set them up for failure.
Children come to institutions from different parts of the country and at different ages. Many of these children have received poor education in the past or have dropped out. Poor command over language makes it difficult for them to cope with academic mandates and they fall further behind. Their inability to cope with stress, low self-esteem, and difficulty coping with emotions add to their struggle with academics and increase their likelihood of leaving educational pursuits altogether.
Though Child care institutions are far from perfect, they are the only port in the storm for many children. They play an invaluable role in supporting some of the most vulnerable and marginalized children. Hence, we, at Adhvan, strive to support and strengthen the education provided in Child care institutions through library programs that create free and democratic space where children can read, express, question, and exercise their choice; a stimulating space where they can learn and grow in a non-pressurized environment.
Across India, there are millions of marginalized children, who need similar library interventions to support their education and holistic growth. Hence, we run Library Training Programs to support educators to set up vibrant libraries in their own unique contexts.
Our Approach
Adhvan offers two programs. The Adhvan Library Program (ALP) enriches the education of children living in care institutions through weekly library sessions that foster a love for reading, supporting language development, and enhancing life skills. The Adhvan Library Training Program (ALTP) builds the capacity of schoolteachers and other educators as library educators. The ALTP draws on insight and best practices learnt from the Adhvan Library program and years of experience. It helps schools, child care institutions, and non-profits set up and run vibrant libraries in their own contexts.
Through the Adhvan Library Program, we collaborate with child care institutions and run weekly library sessions for children aged 3-18. The gender make-up of the group depends on the enrolment structure of the child care institution. At present, the ALP is being offered only in Mumbai. We hope to expand it across Maharashtra in the next five years.
Currently, we are running 2 batches of the Preschool Library Program and 2 batches of the Children’s Library Program in 1 child care institution in Mumbai. Due to the pandemic, 1 child care institution closed down temporarily. The program with them is on hold until they reopen. Currently, 70 children are being served through the ALP.
We carefully document our curriculum, process, and lessons and continue to refine our approach. We share our insights and expertise with other schools and other non-profits through the Adhvan Training Program to equip them with the skills and perspective to set up and run their own library programs, so that their children may also experience the benefits of vibrant library programs.
In the past, all our training workshops have been conducted in person. Due to the pandemic, we attempted online library trainings with Anganwadi teachers in Kashele village in Maharashtra. Through 4 Zoom workshops, we worked with 30 Anganwadi teachers. However, we felt that due to cultural barriers at home, challenges with internet connectivity and phone usage, the programs weren’t as effective as we would have liked. We have decided to put these trainings on hold until we are able to restart conducting them in person.
This year, we also began a reading circle with 12 Library Educators from 4 NGOs. Every week, we met and discussed exceptional children’s books as a way of strengthening an educator’s perspectives around books and how they can be opened up for children. These sessions were extremely successful online and enabled us to connect, despite being in different cities. We will continue this engagement next year as well.
Plan for the Next 1-3 Years
We would like to grow our team at Adhvan over the next 3 years and expand our outreach to more child care institutions in India. We would also like to invest in the professional development for our educators to enable them to work with greater autonomy and clarity. We hope to enhance the digital expertise of the team and use the lockdowns strategically for professional development, curriculum design and review, and reviewing assessment strategies. This year, we learnt that due to the unique challenges faced by child care institutions during the pandemic, it was impossible for us to run our Library Program digitally. Accepting that reality, we now have a protocol in place through which we can continue physical engagement without actually being present. Over the next few years, we will continue to train Anganwadi teachers in rural Maharashtra. We will continue to build the capacity of Library Educators by supporting the ‘Library Educator’s Course’ offered by Bookworm Trust. We will continue to expand capacity-building efforts with schools and organizations working with marginalized children.
Wipro Foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) entity of Wipro Limited. Going back over two decades, we focus on social initiatives in the domains of Education, Primary Healthcare, Ecology, Disaster Response, and Cities & Public Spaces.
Sachin Bansal heads finance function for Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting in India and South Asia.
He moved to Wipro Consumer Care in 2022 and prior to that was the head of finance of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN). He joined WIN in 2007 and over the last 15 years has essayed several roles including Plant Finance, India Hydraulic Business Finance, Global Operations Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions.
A qualified Chartered Accountant and a Black Belt in Six Sigma, Sachin has led several successful initiatives to streamline and strengthen the Finance function. As part of the leadership team of WIN, he played a pivotal role in driving profitable growth with improved focus on ROCE, Productivity and Cost Optimization.
Isaac George has held several positions at Wipro across Sales & Marketing, Consulting, and IT Operations for over two decades. Since 2014, he has been leading People Function and Employee Relations at Wipro Infrastructure Engineering. Isaac also heads the group’s social initiatives efforts and works towards creating an inclusive environment for Persons with Disabilities.
Samir Gadgil is the Head HR for the Chief Growth Office and all Corporate Functions at Wipro. He is also Wipro Cares’ Pune Location Head.
Previously, Samir has worked as Head – HR for Digital Operations & Platforms and managed multiple initiatives under HR and People Supply Chain Functions, including Talent Acquisition, Talent Transformation, Workforce Management, Facilities & Transport.
A seasoned professional, Samir has also served as the Global Head- Compensation, and Benefits at Wipro and worked with best-in-class Manufacturing, Consulting, Financial, and IT Service Companies in a career spanning over two decades.
Narayan P S is the Global Head of Sustainability and Social Initiatives at Wipro Ltd. He is also the Managing Trustee at Wipro Foundation, the social initiatives arm of Wipro Ltd. He has been instrumental in the creation of Wipro’s sustainability initiative and has stewarded it since its inception in early 2008. Wipro’s sustainability charter is built on the core principle that business and social purpose must reinforce each other in addressing several key challenges around ecology and the environment, education, and communities.
In addition, Narayan is Visiting Faculty at the Azim Premji University where he teaches ‘Ecology and Development’ in the MA ( Development) program. He is also a Visiting Faculty at Xavier School of Sustainability, Xavier University, Bhubaneswar. Narayan also conducts learning sessions regularly on Sustainability at IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore.
Narayan’s interests center around (i) the broad interplay between Ecology, Economics, and Humanities (ii) the role of the business sector as a change agent in sustainable development (iii) Sustainability in Education, and (iv) Sustainable and Inclusive Cities.
Prior to the current role, Narayan was the Global Head of Information Systems for Wipro’s IT business, when he was chosen as one of CIO’s global 25 Ones to Watch.
A graduate in Electrical Engineering with a post-graduation in Management, Narayan has more than twenty-seven years of cross-disciplinary experience in Business Development, Enterprise Systems, and Corporate Sustainability. He is also involved in sustainability advocacy as a member of several industry forums on sustainability. He is currently the Chairman of the CII-GBC Greenco forum for Bangalore.
Vikrant has recently joined to lead the human resources function for Wipro Enterprises which includes Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN) and Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting businesses.
Vikrant comes with 25 years of diverse global leadership experience in Strategic Talent Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Organization Design, Cultural Transformation & Change Management, D&I, and Leadership Coaching & Development across Services, Manufacturing, Retail and Technology industries. Besides Human Resources, Vikrant has also led roles across Finance & Audit.
With a career spanning L&T, GE Healthcare, Nike, Accenture, HCL, and Harman International, Vikrant has a distinguished track record and is an alumnus of the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune.
Aparna C. Iyer is Wipro’s Chief Financial Officer.
Aparna joined Wipro in 2003 and over the years has held several finance roles, including Internal Audit, Business Finance, Finance Planning and Analysis, Corporate Treasury, and Investor Relations (IR).
Most recently, Aparna was Senior Vice President and CFO of Wipro FullStride Cloud, leading finance operations for one Wipro’s fastest growing global business lines.
Prior to taking over as CFO of Wipro FullStride Cloud, Aparna was the Corporate Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations for Wipro Limited. As a part of that role, she was responsible for building and executing forex risk management framework, investment of surplus cash, working capital management, customer credit risk evaluation, driving capital allocation decisions, managing balance sheet exposure as well as investor and analyst relationships.
As the Head of Treasury & IR, Aparna devised Wipro’s forex strategy, aiding the operating margin performance of the company, and driving improved predictability.
Aparna is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and was a gold medalist of the CA 2002 batch.
Saurabh Govil is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Wipro, and a member of the Management Team. He leads all Wipro’s HR functions, including talent acquisition, talent engagement, and learning and development programs.
Saurabh has been a HR practitioner for over two decades, and has worked with organizations like ITC and GE. Since joining Wipro in May, 2009, he has been instrumental in transforming the organization. His work with people, processes, and organizational structure over the last three years has contributed significantly to Wipro’s growth, improving operations and introducing many new initiatives.
Saurabh is an alumnus of XLRI, Jamshedpur where he completed his master’s in human resources. He is on the advisory board of SHRM India. Saurabh has been a regular speaker at NASSCOM’s HR summit. He also contributes to NHRDN’s journal as an author.
Anurag Behar is the Chief Sustainability Officer of Wipro Limited & Vice-Chancellor, Azim Premji University.
Anurag is a member of the Committee that has developed India’s National Education Policy (2019), the first comprehensive education policy for the country, since 1986. He has been deeply engaged with efforts to improve education in India, for the past seventeen years.
He has been a vocal advocate for the critical importance of public systems, in particular the public education system. His many years in business have given him an insider’s view of both the possibilities and limits of markets. For the past few years, he has also been engaged with environmental and ecological issues. He writes widely, including a fortnightly column for the national newspapers Mint & Hindustan, and other publications.
Anurag has earlier played leadership roles in business. As the CEO of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, he led the business from being No. 20 in the world to being the No. 1 in 5 years. He has also been responsible for many corporate functions for Wipro including Brand, Quality, and Innovation. He continues to provide oversight to the social and ecological initiatives of the Wipro Group, as its Chief Sustainability Officer. He is a member of Wipro’s Group Executive Council.
Anurag has served on various boards including that of Wipro GE Healthcare Ltd, The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences, and of the TERI University. He serves on many government & sector councils, such as MHRD’s EQUIP, the National Mission on Teachers and Teacher Education, the Government of India implementation committee for the Justice Verma Commission, Karnataka Knowledge Commission, and with the CII’s National Climate Change Council.
He has an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and a BE in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Trichy. Both institutions have honored him with their Distinguished Alumnus award. He was elected as a ‘Young Global Leader’, by the World Economic Forum in 2008. He enjoys long-distance running.
Narayan P S is the Global Head of Sustainability and Social Initiatives at Wipro Ltd. He is also the Managing Trustee at Wipro Foundation, the social initiatives arm of Wipro Ltd. He has been instrumental in the creation of Wipro’s sustainability initiative and has stewarded it since its inception in early 2008. Wipro’s sustainability charter is built on the core principle that business and social purpose must reinforce each other in addressing several key challenges around ecology and the environment, education, and communities.
In addition, Narayan is Visiting Faculty at the Azim Premji University where he teaches ‘Ecology and Development’ in the MA ( Development) program. He is also a Visiting Faculty at Xavier School of Sustainability, Xavier University, Bhubaneswar. Narayan also conducts learning sessions regularly on Sustainability at IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore.
Narayan’s interests center around (i) the broad interplay between Ecology, Economics, and Humanities (ii) the role of the business sector as a change agent in sustainable development (iii) Sustainability in Education, and (iv) Sustainable and Inclusive Cities.
Prior to the current role, Narayan was the Global Head of Information Systems for Wipro’s IT business, when he was chosen as one of CIO’s global 25 Ones to Watch.
A graduate in Electrical Engineering with a post-graduation in Management, Narayan has more than twenty-seven years of cross-disciplinary experience in Business Development, Enterprise Systems, and Corporate Sustainability. He is also involved in sustainability advocacy as a member of several industry forums on sustainability. He is currently the Chairman of the CII-GBC Greenco forum for Bangalore.
