On November 1st 2025 we celebrated our silver jubilee. Yes believe it or not we are 25
If it were left to me, I would have had a small celebration much in sync with who I am. Those who know me will understand what I mean. But that was not to be. MM our feisty and spirited Board Member felt that we should celebrate big. And big we did!
For many months Project Why was buzzing with activity. Plans were made, programmes finalised, committees formed, logistics worked out all under the able stewardship of Shamika and Kiran. Everyone at Project Why was roped in to give suggestions and ideas. The programme for the event was promptly finalized. It was felt by one and all that we should have a dance drama showcasing 25 years of transformation. The show had to be professional so a choreographer was engaged and rehearsals started in all centres in earnest. Side by side, all other arrangements were made: hall booked, transport organized, trophies ordered, refreshments ordered. All went by like a clockwork orange.
The 1st of November dawned and the excitement was palpable. I reached the venue well in advance and was gob smacked and amazed to see how grand everything was: the flowers, the banners, the backdrop, the stage and the staff fluttering about in identical saris and shirts. I was pleasantly taken aback as I had no incline of this. I must admit that I had been told to take a backseat and that I would be sought in case of need. Needless to say I never was. I was also touched by the big photograph of my parents in a corner of the stage a big brass oil lamp next to it waiting to be lit as it is because of what I learned at their knee that I was able to undertake this journey.
We started on time. The tiny ones enthralled everyone with their welcome song. Two short films about Project Why were projected. But the piece de resistance was the 30+ minutes dance drama showcasing our 25 years journey aptly entitled ‘Saathi’. It was impeccably performed by 93 children from all centres who in spite of having rehearsed together only twice, executed the dance as true professionals without a single mistake. The show was moving, to say the least, and there was not a dry eye in the audience. In case you would like to see the performance click here.
All those who made this amazing journey possible were felicitated: the Board Members, the sponsors of the event, the major donors, and of course the staff. I was surprised to see that there was even a trophy for me.
There were speeches of course and I was asked to give the welcome address. Standing on that big stage with friends, parents and alumni present, I felt elated and humbled. I simply decided to share a memory and a realization. Way back in 1998 when I decided to embark on this journey many tried to dissuade me with the more cynical ones saying “India is replete with so many problems, how can you make a difference?” and my answer simply was: ”If I can change one life, it will be worth it”. Standing on that stage and looking around me I realized I had changed many lives be it the one of the little toddler who accidently fell in a boiling wok and who today stands tall as he lives his dream of making films, to the four boys who have made it to the IIT beating all odds and who were felicitated as they received full scholarships from the Adish and Asha Jain Foundation. That was the memory. Now for the realization. It was simply that miracles happen as Project Why has been a string of miracles. Each time we felt we had reached rock bottom an Angel appeared and conjured a miracle. Angels do not wear wings, they look just like you and me.
2025 had its own share of miracles conjured by yet another Angel – a donor who turned mentor -. He helped us put our house in order as we were a haphazard mom and pop shop that would not survive the demise of the mom! He told us that if we were to survive in the long term then we had to make some big changes to be taken seriously though he also warned us that change can be painful.
Project Why 3.0 had arrived.
The first change was an organizational restructuring. Till date, having grown organically answering one disturbing why after the other, we were running two parallel entities. The fist change was to bring the two together and create three branches: Programmes, Administration and Finance and Communication and Marketing – thus bringing structure to the Project. As our mentor mentioned change is necessary to survive but also difficult. He was right. But things slowly fell into place and by the end of the year we were on track.
The main objective of Project Why 3.0 was to make our children ready for the rapidly changing employment scenario as just teaching the 3Rs was in no way sufficient.T o this end we made some changes to our programmes. It was decided to put emphasis on English and computers. Today all children from class I to XII are learning English every day and have computer classes thrice a week. This has been very successful and appreciated both by parents and children.
Our digital learning programme has picked up momentum with over 300 high resolution videos, of high school lessons uploaded from our state-of-the-art studio to our dedicated YouTube channel Project Why Online. At the close of the year, we had 3700 subscribers. We soon hope to upload all subjects for classes X and XII. Children have also gone on phygital mode thanks to the tablets donated by our generous donors
The other lacuna identified was the quasi lack of communication about our work. To address this, we decided to record stories of transformation on our YouTube Channel Project Why 2000. If you have the time and inclination, please visit our channel. To date over 59 stories have been uploaded. It would be heartwarming if you watched some.
Another groundbreaking project we initiated in 2025 was the talent profiling of 213 students done by ProMytheus. It was amazing how many hidden talents these children have, ranging from performing arts, finance, sports to teaching, art, cooking, healing and many more. Some students got exceptional scores. We intend finding ways of nurturing these talents through workshops led by specialists in each field.
Post Covid the number of children in classes I and II dropped drastically. To encourage small children and motivate their parents in sending the children to the Project, we initiated a nutrition programme. This gave excellent results as the enrolment in these classes increased substantially.
Some staff left and some joined but what was heartwarming was that our 4 IIT boys joined as teachers as for the first two years, their classes are in hybrid mode. They are doing a great job and are also engaged in recording classes for our digital learning platform.
Parents are stakeholders in the education of their children. This is not always the case in underprivileged families. A Parents Partnership Programme was initiated this year and has proven to be a success. Parents committees have been formed in every centre and these dynamic parents have become our ambassadors in the community.
Monsoon 2025 saw the flooding of the Yamuna River. Our Yamuna centre children were forced to leave their homes and camp outside on the road. Thanks to Kabir Suri and Azure Hospitality we were able to provide a hot meal to the families.
In 2025 we got a new big donor. Mr. Mahesh Navani is now supporting the 400+ children of our Khader and Yamuna centres. A new member, Mr. Solanki joined our Board this year.
The year ended on a somber note as terrible pollution hit the city with AQI readings reaching 500 and more. The city choked on this unbreathable air and we remained helpless in the wake of a why we could not answer as we were unable to protect the birthright of every child to clean air.
But all in all, 2025 was an amazing year, that saw the transformation of Project Why into a well- structured entity with a vison for the future.
My gratitude to the children, the team, the donors and my Board who have stood by me steadfastly and believed in my dreams. It is all because of you.
May 2026 bring its share of miracles.
And yes Project Why makes that little difference!
Happy New Year
Anou