Core Team
Team Members
Mentor Alumni
“While teaching my domestic help’s son, I realized that there is a huge gap between what kids from low-income schools know and what is there in books. That was a shock to me! With no guidance from parents or teachers, many lose interest in studies and get involved in substance abuse, gambling, cybercrime and so on. The idea of Light a Lamp was born to help these kids
Light a Lamp is a gift to me by the divine. It has been a life-transforming experience for me. Being with these kids has touched me somewhere deep which cannot be described through words. Just seeing their eyes light up when they see me melts me completely. I do not feel I am doing anything special for them; rather it is their presence which is making my life so much richer!”
Sujala Roy Dhar
Senior IT Professional and Program Manager
Art of Living Faculty
“This initiative is a way for us to care for, bond with and bring out the best in these kids. We are there for them in every possible way. The shared bond between the mentors and the kids has kept Light a Lamp going for all these years.
Whenever I feel weighed down by the ways of this materialistic world, the kids of Light a Lamp give me new hope and purpose. They are the rays of light for me and Light a Lamp has been my lifeline.”
Chandrani Biswas
Senior IT Professional
Art of Living Faculty
“When I volunteered to join Light a Lamp 11 years ago, I only did so with the thought of being a support in any way required. It’s hard to believe that time flew by so quickly and the person I am now is such a different version. I feel that I have received much more, from this association of caring mentors and the students themselves, than my contribution to this cause. It is an endless reserve of inspiration!”
“It has been an inspiring, educative and very fulfilling experience and being a part of this initiative has helped me to grow as a person. Light a Lamp is a group of extraordinary people whose enormous dedication and sincerity motivates me to try and give my best.
Designing a course for them has also been a very big learning curve for me as we had to specifically keep in mind the background that these students come from and the unique challenges that they face in their learning. The aim is to formulate the course contents suitably to make these students feel at par with the more privileged children and youth in our society.
I am enormously grateful for being a part of this enriching experience.”
Anuradha Daing
Senior Trainer – Montessori school and Spastic Society
“Light a Lamp is a wonderful platform to contribute to society by educating the underprivileged children. I am blessed to be a part of this amazing team of dedicated mentors/volunteers. I am learning and growing every moment through this association and wish to continue my service as a part of this beautiful family that shows unconditional love. I hope Light a Lamp will grow even bigger to illuminate many more lives through knowledge, awareness, yoga, meditation and human values. In this way, we can make this world a truly beautiful place through this noble initiative.”
“Being a retired professional, I like to keep myself occupied with activities I like. Teaching is one of them and my technical background helps me teach a variety of logic-based subjects apart from English. When I joined the Light a Lamp team about 10 years ago, little did I know that my journey would turn out to be so long and fulfilling. The close-knit team of mentors feels like a family and the joy derived from interacting with and guiding these promising children is unparalleled.
For me, being a part of Light a Lamp feels as essential as oxygen itself!”
Devasish Sengupta
Retired Mechanical Engineer
“Having been associated with Light a Lamp since inception, I have seen myself evolve so much as a person. My interactions with these wiser-than-their-years children and our family of selfless mentors has been very humbling experience for me in this 11-year journey”
Samir Mukherjee
Retired Aeronautics Engineer
“My association with mentors from diverse educational and professional backgrounds, who all share the same vision, has been a very enriching experience in my life. In my 11 years of teaching children at Light a lamp, I have often felt that they are giving me important life lessons. This is a great opportunity to contribute to society by bringing light to the lives of these urban slum children.”
Sarika Saboo
Chartered Account, Business Entrepreneur
Art of Living Faculty
“The Art of Living and Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar have given me this wonderful opportunity to rejuvenate myself. I am very grateful to be a part of the Light a Lamp family. It has been a memorable 3-year journey with these kids who I have gotten very close to and consider being like my own.”
Sunanda-Chatterjee
Senior Technical Writer
“It’s been an overwhelming journey so far. Light a Lamp not just provides guidance and coaching to underprivileged children but also helps empowering the current generations of such families to create their own future. Being totally volunteer-driven, all its members are highly dedicated towards this common cause. Working with Light a Lamp fills me with deep sense of gratitude for every blessing I’ve received and helps me continue working ahead with stronger resolute and dedication.”
“Having been associated with Light a Lamp for about 5 years, this is one of the most satisfying experiences. It gives me a high to see the students grow in knowledge, confidence and skills. They are happy and content in their circumstances and willing to spend time with us. The bond we share is very special.”
“The sheer joy of sharing, whatever little I know, with the less fortunate part of our society can’t be expressed in words. I have learnt a lot from the kids through the process of teaching. I love interacting with the students every week; just meeting them uplifts my spirits. Being a part of light a lamp has been one of my most enriching experiences.”
“Being a mother of two, I love spending time with children and young adults; their smiling faces make my life worth living. Thanks to Light a Lamp, my love for children and the passion to give back to society gets perfectly blended together. Kudos to the Light a Lamp family for their guidance and support! Our collective efforts have helped many of our children show positive behavioural changes and increased inclination towards education.”
“It has been a wonderful journey with Light a Lamp till now. I feel blessed to be able to serve by sharing the knowledge I have gained. My best wishes are with team Light a Lamp”.
“It’s been great learning experience for me, interacting with the children during the various workshops that we have conducted from time to time. Now, as a regular mentor, my journey of sharing and learning gets deeper. I am grateful to the Light a lamp team for giving me the opportunity to be one of the mentors.”
“It’s has been a total eye opener. Being a part of this initiative is the single thing that always makes me realize how blessed we all are and how gratifying it feels to be thankful for what one has. When the world has so little and when we have the power to help out, then we all need to do our bit to help these little kids turn into responsible independent individuals.”
“My work requires me to travel very frequently and I am unable to stay in Kolkata for long durations. However, my amazing experience with the students and fellow mentors at Light a Lamp for the last 6 years has encouraged me to contribute whenever I am in town. I look forward to many more memorable years with this wonderful team!”
“It has been a wonderful journey with the children of Light a Lamp. Not only teaching them but connecting and associating with them closely have been a learning experience and provided me with a huge exposure to the different facets of life.”
“I am really blessed to have this opportunity to be associated with Light a Lamp for over 2 years. I feel humbled and enlightened to have had this experience!”
“Light a Lamp is an initiative which helped me realise how each one of us can contribute and help transform others’ lives, all the while evolving into better people ourselves. Meeting the lively and bright children here has been like fresh breeze being pumped into the monotony of my life. In just a year of my association with Light a Lamp, I have experienced a remarkable transformation in myself”.
“Light a Lamp has helped me realize the purpose of my life. Sujala Di, Chandrani Di, and the entire team are loving, motivated, cooperative and share the same joy of giving. I joined Light a Lamp hoping to give something back to society, and in return, I have earned more than I had ever dreamt of. The children here are great teachers already, and I believe they’ll find their purpose as they grow up and will be the guiding light of many.”
“My outlook towards life has changed, and this association has made me see that everyone is capable of helping and uplifting one another. Light a lamp gave me the opportunity to impact the lives of little girls at Salt Lake Orphanage. I absolutely fell in love with the girls and am extremely grateful for it all.”
“It has been a great experience being with these kids for almost 3 years. They aren’t the regular kids; rather they view the world from a surprisingly mature perspective. This has taught me a lot and can never be matched with my interactions with more privileged kids.
Spending time with Light a Lamp students has become a part of my regular life!”
“Being associated with Light a Lamp from the age of 15 years has been an indescribably amazing journey for me. I am so glad that I was given this opportunity to teach these kids who are unfortunately tagged “underprivileged” but whose intellect and wisdom are beyond comparison. They’ve made me see beauty even in the ugliest and show that everyone is capable of love and friendship. Every child is special; it’s just that a few require some extra love.”
Avinav Ghosh
College Fresher