by anouradha bakshi | Mar 21, 2026 | Uncategorized, Whats new
I came across this beautiful article recently. What caught my eye was the title:”When joy becomes simple, life becomes extraordinary“. I read it and was drawn to every word as it resonated with everything I have gone through. If you have time, read it.
It took me a long time trying to find an image to illustrate this post. I waded through the hundreds of pictures I had and fell on this one. This is my darling Popples bathing in a five star swimming pool for the first time. A simple joy indeed but at that moment life for the tiny soul was nothing short of extraordinary.
It was time to take a walk down memory lane. True I am a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and my life has had its share of ups and downs but did it ever feel extraordinary. The answer is NO!
What has made it extraordinary is the last 25 years of Project replete with simple joys: the trusting smile of a child, the sticky sweet put into my mouth by a child who has just passed her exams, the pride of children who have come to share their exceptional result, the loud GOOD MORNING MA’AM of the little creche kids as I pass by their class, Manu feeding me with his grubby hands, Utpal taking his first step, my special needs kids dancing with abandon, the child who has had a heart surgery walking back to class, and I can go on and on. And all these are the simple joys that have made my life extraordinary.
On a more personal note I also understood why I became a recluse in my golden years. The author ends with these words The deepest journey of life is always inward, towards the unmasked self, waiting quietly within. Now I understand that your one and only lifetime long best friend is YOU. I did not become a recluse; I just found my best friend.
by anouradha bakshi | Mar 17, 2026 | Anou's Blog, Uncategorized
In his famous 2007 “Last Lecture”, Randy Pausch spoke about the importance of creating a platform where childhood dreams can take flight. That platform, he reminded us, is not merely a physical place. It is a mindset built on encouragement, perseverance and the belief that every child has possibilities waiting to be discovered.
I have often felt that this was at the heart of Project Why.
At one time, I had even suggested the byline “Where Children Dare to Dream”. The final choice was “Because It Makes a Little Difference”, a phrase I have always loved. Yet somewhere deep within me, Project Why was always about dreams—about giving children the courage and the opportunity to imagine a future beyond the limitations imposed by poverty and circumstance.
One of my favourite authors, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, wrote in Flight to Arras: “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”
When I first imagined Project Why, I saw only a rock pile. But within that rock pile I carried the image of a cathedral: the dreams of children waiting to be fulfilled. Project Why became the platform that Randy Pausch described—the place where children could begin to believe that their dreams were possible.
The early years of Project Why were simpler. The dreams were clearer, the path ahead easier to understand, and the world seemed more predictable.
Today, everything feels different.
We are living through a time of extraordinary change. Artificial intelligence is already transforming the way we work and the skills we value. Many of the jobs that we know today may look very different tomorrow. The professions that parents once considered secure may no longer offer the same guarantees.
So how does one dream in such uncertain times?
There is no crystal ball to look into, no fixed roadmap to follow. The dreams that parents have carried for their children for generations may need to be reimagined. Yet, in the midst of all this uncertainty, there are millions of children who cannot afford to wait for the future to reveal itself.
They need guidance today.
They need opportunities today.
They need someone to help them understand the possibilities that lie ahead and to prepare them for a world that is changing faster than anyone imagined.
I know this personally. For over four decades, I worked as a language interpreter and translator—a profession that once required specialised skills and experience. Today, artificial intelligence tools can perform many aspects of that work within seconds. The world has changed, and it will continue to change.
Many believe that entrepreneurship will continue to thrive in this changing world. New models of education are already emerging, using technology and artificial intelligence to personalise learning and develop skills beyond traditional academics. Some of these ideas are exciting, although many remain far beyond the reach of the children we work with.
But the question remains: how do we prepare our children for a future we cannot fully predict?
At Project Why, we began by focusing on what we knew would always matter. A strong foundation in language, especially English, and confidence with computers are essential tools in today’s world. We have therefore started introducing these skills from the earliest classes.
India has one enormous advantage—the energy and potential of its young population. In the coming years, millions of young Indians will enter the workforce while many developed countries face ageing populations. The ability to communicate, learn continuously and adapt will become among the greatest assets a young person can possess.
Yet skills alone are not enough.
The future will still need people who can care, create, connect and understand. Many professions will continue to depend on qualities that machines cannot easily replace: empathy, human relationships, responsibility, creativity and the ability to solve problems in the real world.
Nurses, therapists, caregivers, teachers of young children, counsellors, social workers, creative professionals and many others will continue to play an essential role. The future will not belong only to those who know the most; it will also belong to those who understand what it means to be human.
So where is my cathedral?
It lies in the dreams of the children of Project Why—the dreams they dare to have, the dreams they discover and sometimes even the dreams they have not yet imagined.
My role today is not to decide their future for them. It is to give them the tools, confidence and courage to build it themselves. Sometimes that may mean helping them pursue a dream that seems impossible. Sometimes it may mean gently guiding them towards a different path when I fear their chosen road may lead nowhere.
But perhaps that is the true meaning of education. Not to give children a ready-made answer, but to help them discover their own possibilities.
When I first looked at that rock pile called Project Why, I could only imagine the cathedral I hoped to build. After all these years, I realise the cathedral was never a building, a centre or an organisation.
The cathedral was always the children themselves.
And my task remains the same: to help them dream, to help them believe, and to help them find their way in a world that none of us can fully predict.
I may not know exactly what tomorrow holds.
But I still believe in the power of dreams.
by anouradha bakshi | Mar 6, 2026 | Anou's Blog, Uncategorized
After 25 years of leading Project WHY, I faced the challenge every founder eventually confronts: how to ensure the organisation would survive beyond me. This is a story of resilience, hope and the people who helped secure its future.
For every founder of a social organisation, there comes a difficult question: What will happen when I am no longer here?After 25 years of building Project WHY, that question became deeply personal for me. This is the story of uncertainty, faith,
This post is a little personal. I beg your indulgence.
Over the past 25 years of my Project Why journey I have faced many challenges, witnessed many miracles and realised that there are many good people in this world. Over these years we created a wonderful network of people from all over the world who became part of the Project Why family. I was blessed with an amazing team that stood by me and believed in my dreams.I also realised that there there was someone watching from the heavens above who I fondly called the God of Lesser Beings. He conjured miracles every time we were in need or distress. However for over two decades we lived from hand to. mouth. Today I understand that it was His way of testing me !
I knew we had a sound model the proof being the umpteen success stories that came our way and filled our hearts with immense pride but our funding model was fragile and depended on me. I was no spring chicken and every year that went by brought its share of grey hairs and worry lines. On this journey I was alone and rapidly ageing. My dream was to see project why live beyond me and though I held on to it tight I was unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
There were many sleepless nights and in the dead of those nights I knew that were I not able to ensure sustained and long term funding I would rather close Project Why when it was still thriving than have it die a slow and painful death after my demise.
The darkest hour precedes dawn and mine came in 2020 not only because of the pandemic that hit the world and turned it on its head but also because I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The end that was till then hypothetical became a stark reality but I knew I would soldier on till my last breath.
That is when the God of Lesser Beings decided that I had passed his test and decided to intervene. A series of events would shape the future. A desperate plea at a Board meeting; an email, a visit and the rest is history.
In today’s world heroes do not wear capes, and Angels do not have wings. They look just like you and me but with one difference : they are answers to your prayers and messengers of God!
Mine were Adish and Asha Jain and their beautiful family. The very first time Adish And Asha Jain visited our Okhla centre in March 2022 they decided to. adopt us not for a year or two as most funders do but for as long as we would exist. When God sends its Angels it is with a divine plan. They did not just sign a cheque with multiple zeroes. That is easy. They took it upon them to transform what I call my mom and pop shop and make it XXIst century savvy as only then would we be able to accede to long term funding. They asked one simple question; was I willing to accept change even though it may be painful as it would entail stepping out of our comfort zone. My answer was a loud an unequivocal YES!
The journey of transformation began and yes it was not easy. But change we did one step at a time from becoming a sound administrative structure, to changing our teaching approach and incorporating the skills needed to succeed in the XXIst century: English. computer skills, digital learning and so on. We did all as best we could.
March 5th 2026 will remain the most important day of my journey as Adish and Asha Jain brought their entire family to visit our Project. Before I go further I would like to say that in my 74 years of existence I have never met such a beautiful family. We were honoured to have Samir, Shailavi and their beautiful children Kavya and Milan, and Sapna and Bhupesh. Each one a testimony that good and kind people do exist in this sometimes incomprehensible world. I somehow felt that I had always known them: they were family.
My deepest gratitude to each one of them and to the Lord who heard my desperate plea. You will always be in my heart.
I have often been asked to define the essence and spirit of Project Why and I always quote a line from St Exupery’s Little Prince:”It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye”. The Jain family sees with their heart.
You may ask how have they impacted Project Why. The answer is simple: they gave a nearly dying organisation wings to grow and soar into the future.
by anouradha bakshi | Mar 3, 2026 | Uncategorized, Whats new
In my almost three decades with Project Why, there have been many moments that have made me proud—a child passing an examination, a successful heart surgery, a young person overcoming seemingly impossible odds, and everything in between.
But today, my heart is swelling with pride, my throat is choking and my eyes are moist.
Aman, one of our alumni, has just made a donation of ₹10,000 to Project Why.
Aman’s story is, in many ways, a miracle.
He was a student at our Khader centre when we discovered that he had a remarkable talent for art. He also had a dream: he wanted to become an artist.
His family, however, was not convinced. They wanted him to take the commerce stream.
But Aman’s heart was not in it.
We managed to convince his family to allow him to pursue art and helped him enrol at the Delhi School of Art. A kind soul supported and mentored him, and Aman completed his BA.
Then came another dream.
He wanted to pursue a master’s degree.
And once again, Lady Luck smiled on him. He was admitted to the Delhi School of Art.
The journey was not always easy. Aman struggled for a while before finally finding a job as an art director in a budding company.
And then he did something that moved me deeply.
He donated ₹10,000 to Project Why.
But Aman’s connection with Project Why had never ended.
During his studies, and afterwards, he spent his Saturdays at the Project teaching art to the children. He also took on the task of mentoring students who needed someone to guide them.
When I created Project Why, I wanted to give wings to the dreams of my children and give them the opportunity to dream big.
Aman did that.
But there was another dream—one I barely ever expressed.
I wanted to see our alumni come back.
I wanted them to remain part of the Project and of the family they had grown up in.
Aman did more than that.
He became a donor.
Even I had not dared to dream of that.
Aman is a wonderful child—yes, to me he will always remain a child, my child. He is gentle, kind and always smiling.
I wish that every single dream he has comes true.
And, as some of you know, I believe in miracles.
So I know they will.
Aman, you are a blessed child.
And today, you have made me very proud.
May God always bless you.
[Meet Aman here.]
by anouradha bakshi | Feb 20, 2026 | Uncategorized, Whats new
Twice everyday a haunting melody is heard from the street below.. It is the flute and toy vendor who peddles his ware in our rather upmarket colony. Street vendors still ply across the city though much less than some decades ago. The flute vendor in our street has a cycle where his flutes and toys are displayed as you can see in the picture above. There are so many things that he cannot ride his cycle but has to push it the whole day.
The tune he plays is soul stirring. I often wonder how many flutes he sells in a day and actually who buys flutes in this day and age.
Before I started Project Why and crossed the invisible line that exists between us and them, street vendors were anonymous and invisible, their lives a far cry from mine. It is only when I began my work in the slums and came across daily wage workers be they selling vegetables or flutes, that I came to know about their lives and their struggle. I remember, in the very early days of Project Why, wondering why the woman next door sat woefully every evening staring at the road. When I enquired about this, I was told that her husband was a vegetable vendor and she waited for him to come back and give her money to purchase what was needed for the family’s dinner. Depending on what he gave, the family would eat a good meal or a frugal one.
Whenever I hear my flute vendor’s tune, I wonder whether his family would eat or not. How many flutes or poor quality plastic toys do you sell in. a colony like ours where people would go to Hamley’s to purchase toys, It’s a matter of prestige. And with the total disappearance of servant quarters where families could be lodged together and there maybe some child needing a cheap toy. But today the erstwhile servant quarters have been spruced up transformed into rentable spaces. All about money, honey! When I rebuilt my house I insisted to the horror of my contractor that I wanted servants quarters to be a space where I could live too. Sadly in today’s day and age servant quarters in all upcoming builders flats are either so tiny that they barely fit a bed for one, or some flimsy structure in the parking lot replete with toxic fumes and scant privacy.
One forgets that those who work for us within our homes or sell vegetables at your doorstep are persons just like us with dreams and hope for a better life for their children. As I am now aware of their struggle, these vendors who for long time remained invisible have become part of my life and yes I buy the occasional flute or toy.
I still am the little 3 year old whose granny organised a bear dance for her but who only saw the man in a threadbare coat asking for something warm. Even then I did not give up and wailed till the man was founded given a coat.
People write off such souls not realising that they make our life easier each and everyday.
So next time, if you hear a haunting tune on a flute, stop and acknowledge that the person exists.
by anouradha bakshi | Feb 14, 2026 | Uncategorized, Whats new
India recently hosted the India AI Impact Summit! Anchored in the principles of People, Planet, and Progress, it envisions a future where AI advances humanity, fosters inclusive growth, and safeguards our shared planet. AI is here to stay! Some go as far as saying that it will take over the world by 2050. But we are not there yet. However we have to accept the indubitable fact that AI has transformed the job scenario. And to succeed children will have to be taught a whole new set of skills that are a far cry from what we are teaching them today.
Before I go further, I will just like share my own experience with AI. A few weeks back I did not know much about AI. I decided to take a short online course. After the course I tiptoed into this new world and lo and behold was left gobsmacked at the amazing power of this tool. Each day was a new discovery as I ventured into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and more. Jobs like mine – translator/interpreter – have already vanished. Write a text and any of the AI assistants will translate it in seconds to another language. You can have a conversation with these assistants and they can be quite witty! You want to write a report, a proposal anything and AI will do it for you. It performs, analyses, and generates complex content. The catch is to use the correct prompts. That is what needs to be mastered. I can see how you can get drawn into this world.
In an article entitled Ten 21st-century skills every student needs, the World Economic Forum states: The gap between the skills people learn and the skills people need is becoming more obvious, as traditional learning falls short of equipping students with the knowledge they need to thrive. Today’s job candidates must be able to collaborate, communicate and solve problems – skills developed mainly through social and emotional learning (SEL). Combined with traditional skills, this social and emotional proficiency will equip students to succeed in the evolving digital economy.
So the new skills needed are : Learning and innovation skills: critical thinking and problem solving, communications and collaboration, creativity and innovation. Digital literacy skills: information literacy, media literacy, Information and communication technologies (ICT) literacy Career and life skills: flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural interaction, productivity and accountability.
At present children are stuck in the traditional curriculum created by the British with the aim of making obedient pen pushers. The new skills are the exact opposite as they want people to think out of the box. As I have often said, children do not have the time to wait for policies to be changed. By the time new policies are put in place a whole set of children would be out of school and propelled into the work world armed with useless skills.
We at Project Why cannot let this happen. It is time to act.
Now you cannot navigate the AI universe without two basic skills: computer knowledge and a command of English. So the first step we have taken is to have computer and English classes from class one itself! The children are loving it. A little girl shared very proudly that she now knew how to start and shut a computer. Her eyes lit up when she told me that. Give a few years and she will master both.
The bigger challenge was to work out way of incorporating these new set of skills into the present curriculum. How do you weave skills like critical thinking or creativity into the subjects being taught. My incredible team has worked out a way to do so from class I itself. We are at present training and getting the teaches onboard as they are the main stakeholders. Then we run a pilot and come April 1, we go all guns blazing.
We intend to handhold the little ones till class V but then we want to steer the children towards self learning and independent studies so that by class IX children can study independently. We also want to accustom the children to digital learning and make them comfortable with this approach. Thanks to the Adish and Asha Jain Foundation we have a state-of-the-art recording studio where we have already recorded lessons for classes IX and X and plan to do it for all classes. We want our children to be comfortable with taking online classes as that would enable them to increase their skill sets.
This may sound ambitious but needs to be done if we want our children to be ready for the ever-changing work scenario. There will be resistance I know from both teachers and kids as I am pulling them out of their comfort zone and throwing in the deep end of the pool. But them at Project Why we have never shied away from a challenge.
We are at crossroads but I know that we will overcome. Wish us luck!
