Vidyadhan Comes Forward to Support Kaushik for his Higher-Education

Vidyadhan, a flagship higher-education program under the aegis of The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives (SFPI) on Wednesday announced that it would support the higher education of Kaushik Acharya (15), a differently-abled boy residing in Kanchikar Pete in Bantwal district near Bengaluru (Karnataka). Kaushik will receive a scholarship from Vidyadhan starting from class 11th until he completes graduation in any stream of his choice.

"We are humbled to have Kaushik join the Vidyadhan family and glad to support him further in achieving his dreams. By overcoming his physical challenges with sheer hard work and determination to clear the board exams with exceptional marks, he has exemplified that one can conquer all difficulties if one wants to. Such meritorious students who overcome all odds serve as an inspiration to us all," said Mrs Kumari Shibulal, Founder and Chairperson, The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives.

The scholarship offer letter was handed over in person to Kaushik on August 12th, 2020 by Vidyadhan’s State Coordinator Vishwanath K S, on behalf of the foundation.

“I am very happy and proud to receive the Vidyadhan scholarship. This will help me to pursue my higher education and fulfil my dream of becoming a government officer. It will be a huge help for my parents since this is not just a one-time scholarship but will be available to me until I complete my studies. I am very thankful to Vidyadhan and promise that in the future I will also help students like me who need support to the best of my abilities," said Kaushik. His parents believe that  apart from the scholarship, mentoring and training provided by Vidyadhan will help Kaushik to make the right decisions regarding further studies.

Kaushik didn’t let his inability become a hurdle in studies and wrote the SSLC final examination with his toes without taking help from anybody else. He passed in the first division by excellentmarks, thereby becoming a role model for all those who rise above difficulties in pursuit of knowledge and education. He even received praises from Mr. S Suresh Kumar, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education (Govt. of Karnataka), who personally commended his efforts by visiting him and lauded his achievement on social media as well.

Vidyadhan is currently supporting over 800 students from underserved backgrounds in Karnataka to help them pursue their studies in a field of their choice. The application process to avail the scholarship for this year is currently open and eligible students can apply through their website at www.vidyadhan.org.

About The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives:

Born out of a sense of responsibility to society, the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives has been actively supporting those in need through initiatives in education, healthcare and organic farming for the last 20 years, starting from 1999.

The Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives started with a focus on education, based on the simple belief that the founders – Mrs. Kumari Shibulal and Mr. S.D. Shibulal achieved what they did because of it. All its initiatives such as Vidyadhan, Ankur, The Samhita Academy, Vidyarakshak, ShikshaLokam, EduMentum are based on the premise of uplifting the underserved communities and providing them with the opportunity to build a better future.

Mrs Kumari Shibulal is the Founder & Chairperson of the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives. Passionate about doing her bit for the underserved communities, her vision (and that of the Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives) is to spread knowledge and create an environment focussed on social change through a solution-oriented approach.

About Vidyadhan:

Vidyadhan is the flagship higher education scholarship program ofThe Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiatives. We identify students in need of financial assistance after matriculation, to support them through senior school and graduation of their choice. We have given over 17000+ scholarships through this initiative. Many have gone on to become productive citizens after completing the program over the years. 4300 students across 10 states are currently in the program.

To make this program more scalable and self-sustainable, a new model has been introduced called ‘Each One, Teach One’. The primary mission is to bring together academically brilliant but financially weak students and individuals and corporates interested in supporting these students to achieve their dreams. Launched in May 2015, this initiative facilitates need-based financial assistance to those pursuing degree courses such as medicine, engineering, nursing, etc.  The SFPI has pledged their support to Each One, Teach One’s vision is to increasing the impact from 17,000 scholarships in 10 States to 100,000 scholarships in all States in the next 5-7 years. Vidyadhan was launched in Karnataka in the year 2014 and currently has around 800 students in the state.