Through times and trials: journeys of purpose, persistence and resilience

Introduction

The sixth panel discussion of the Wipro Education Fellows’ Meet, taking place on November 29, 2025, focused on journeys of working in the education sector over decades to understand questions related to purpose, persistence and resilience. The panel included Tultul Biswas (Eklavya Foundation) and Sujata Noronha (Bookworm Trust). It was moderated by Hriday Kant (Hardy) Dewan.

Sharing by the panelists

Tultul Biswas, Eklavya Foundation: Tultul bumped into Eklavya quite by accident. After the Union Carbide accident, there was a period of holidays imposed by schools. During this period, she came across a compilation of newspaper articles on the disaster by Eklavya. Around the same time, she was also introduced to the Eklavya library.

After Tultul became a regular visitor, she became a ‘guinea pig’ for the various books that were being developed at the time. Her opinions on them were sought. Her views were taken seriously, despite her young age. She soon became a volunteer in many of Eklavya’s initiatives.

When Tultul was young, she wanted to become a teacher. She taught for a year and enjoyed it. But she did not fit into the larger structure of the school. Therefore, she quit and joined a master’s program. While being enrolled in the program, she started doing part-time work for Eklavya with the editorial team of ‘Chakmak’. She became sure about continuing on a long-term basis only after three to four years.

Over that period of time, Tultul became interested in children’s literature. The publication work of Eklavya evolved organically. She spent twenty years in publishing there and created a team for that work. After that, she started working in teacher education in the organization. She started working with the SCERT and the DIETs. The work involved both material creation and teacher training.

For the last two to three years, Tultul has been working as Eklavya’s director. She has always felt trusted and supported in the organization. There have been informal spaces for sharing, even for personal sharing, all this while. Seeing the teachers’ shift and contributing to the maintenance of organizational spaces for openness and conversations, have also been important sources of sustenance. All this has helped her in the journey.

Sujata Noronha, Bookworm: Sujata’s context demanded a space for children. She thought she would start a library, make it functional and leave. That’s not how it turned out. The library work has shaped her. The key has been to pick up an idea and staying with it.

Those who stick around for long periods of time in an initiative, do so for many reasons. A big reason consists of all the micro moments of joy. It’s also curiosity that keeps people going. One must try it, trust it and just be there.

Post-panel discussions

To a question related to FLN and digital modes of learning, Tultul responded by saying that the FLN discourse has limited objectives. Digital resources cannot replace teachers. They can, of course, play a supportive role.

To a question related to the functioning of Boards in CSOs, Sujatha shared that Bookworm’s Board is active. It meets every month. The Board also meets the organization’s team members on a regular basis. All this has helped in the work of the organization.

In conclusion

The moderator summarized the sharing and discussions saying that it is important to provide spaces for a civil airing of conflicts and different ideas. One must enjoy what one is doing. Both these are critical for long-term work.

Boards also have an important role to play in making the work sustainable and effective. Their role is not to run an organization. They have oversight and responsibilities related to this. The Board’s role is to ensure that the CSO does not slip into choices and makes conscious choices.