India, Sept. 8 -- Lalitha Raman, a 60-year-old resident of Aarey's Ganesh Nagar and daughter of a dabbawala, had to drop out of school in Class 8 to work with her mother. Several decades later, in 2023, she walked into an evening learning centre run by NGO Masoom, intending to enrol students from her Adivasi community. But so inspired was she by the teaching methods and the supportive environment that she decided to enrol herself instead.

"After 43 years, I picked up my books again," she said. "It was the happiest moment of my life." Raman's determination had a ripple effect, and soon her son Dinesh and daughter-in-law also joined the centre and cleared their Class 10 exams. Dinesh, now 32, is preparing for his Class 12 exams and dreams ...