Community Work and Grassroots Engagement
March, 21 – He volunteered at Banwasi Seva Ashram, a Gandhian institution working among tribal and forest-dependent communities in the Renukoot region of Sonbhadra district. During this engagement, he studied extreme poverty, access gaps, and structural inequities affecting Adivasi households, and observed first-hand the environmental degradation caused by industrial activity in the region, particularly the impact of fly ash and effluents from aluminium and thermal power operations on land, water, and public health. The visit informed his understanding of development–equity trade-offs in public economics and reinforced the case for context-specific, time-bound state interventions in regions where extractive growth has outpaced welfare delivery.
January – May, 18 – He volunteered with the Khaab Foundation, a Lucknow-based youth-led organisation working on mental health awareness and creative expression. He assisted in the mental health campaign “Let’s Speak Out”, which sought to reduce stigma around emotional well-being among college students, and supported “Siyahi – Open Mic”, a recurring platform for poetry, spoken word, and youth creativity. His role spanned event logistics, participant coordination, and on-ground execution across multiple sessions.
November, 16 – He participated as a social work volunteer with Harijan Sewak Sangh, the Gandhian organisation founded in 1932, during the “Peace Cycle Yatra” from Kokrajhar in Assam to Srinagar in Kashmir. The Yatra traversed several conflict-affected regions of northern and eastern India, and his role involved supporting riders with logistics, daily operations, and on-route assistance. The engagement contributed to a grassroots peace-building initiative aimed at fostering dialogue across communities in regions historically marked by ethnic and political tensions.
October, 16 – He worked as a volunteer and programme assistant with Bewajah, a Lucknow-based cultural collective, during the “Ahinsa Festival”, an event organised around themes of non-violence, dialogue, and civic engagement. He coordinated pre-event activities, assisted in programme management, and supported participants through the duration of the festival. This was his first formal volunteering experience and shaped his early interest in social-sector and grassroots work.
