Gurugram, Sept. 25 -- It began under a tree, with three children and a woman determined to teach them.

It has been 17 years since Monika Sharma, 44, started holding classes in Gurugram's South City-1 for children from underprivileged families, including those of migrant workers. What began as a small effort has now grown into a school from nursery to class 12 having more than 500 students.

Sharma founded Sugam NGO in 2009 in the narrow lanes of Moti Vihar in Gurugram, home to thousands of migrant workers, where children had limited access to formal schooling and educational support.

Sharma recalled that one of the biggest challenges in the initial days was the constant stream of children who never stayed long enough for the classes to ...