Shining Lights
Arbind Prasad
Coming from a very needy family, Arbind was in 2nd year of college when he joined the computer classes of Light a Lamp. A quick learner, he grasped the details quickly enough to start assisting the trainer during the sessions.
He soon enrolled for Light a Lamp’s Spoken English classes as well as Health and Spirituality workshops which helped boost his confidence and secure an internship with CDAC.
Arbind now works with an e-commerce company and he is able to support his family as the sole bread winner.
Sagar Das
Sagar was introduced to Light a Lamp through his circle of friends who had already benefited from some of its programmes. At that time, he had no working knowledge of computers and his proficiency in English was low. After attending the computer classes, his confidence received a big boost and got his first job. Coming from a financially-strained family, he valued this moment immensely, saying, “The Art of Living and Light a Lamp have helped me so much. I have a chance for a new beginning!”
He now works at an advertisement agency and is settled in his career.
Aarti Singh
Aarti is one of the longest associated students of Light a Lamp. When she joined as a little girl 9 years ago, she was very poor in the English language. But with consistency, hard work and the help of her mentors she has improved to become one of the most fluent in the language. She even helped with the scripting and direction of an English play, in which she acted along with some more selected Light a Lamp students.
Having scored a phenomenal 87% in the 12th standard board exams, she is now pursuing graduation at the prestigious Sri Sri University, making her parents feel very proud.
In her own words :
“I am from a poor family and I wanted to learn English as it is an international language. I used to feel very nervous initially but my mentors gradually increased my self-confidence. It is not just about learning English but learning a lot important life lessons and values like caring and sharing. Before the classes start, we meditate for some time, because of which we are able to concentrate for at least 2 hours. The mentors are so good here. They never scold us and try to teach us in a manner that we can understand.”
Protima Das
Having constantly undergone financial struggle since childhood, Protima only had her determination and hard work to rely on. And it was through her sheer hard work that she completed MA in Political Science.
Having a pulse on the current trends, Protima realized that she didn’t have any computer skills but was unsure about enrolling at a training centre due to the high expenses involved. She was eventually guided to join the computer classes at Light a Lamp. Apart from gaining practical experience from these classes, she also gained an enormous self-confidence when she was selected by CDAC for their digitisation project, which was beyond her dreams.
Today Protima runs tuition classes and is able to have a decent income to support her family of father, mother and younger sister.
Jayprakash Rai
For over 5 years, Jayprakash has been a dedicated student at Light a Lamp’s Spoken English classes. He also underwent several Health and Spirituality workshops which saw his personality shine over the years. In the 12th standard board exams, he scored over 75% and set a tall example for his peers. With very limited financial backing and no guidance at all from his family, this was an admirable feat. He is now pursuing graduation and aims to prepare for civil service examinations.
In his own words:
“When I first joined Light a Lamp, I was afraid of the English language. Now, in college, I have selected English as my medium of learning. If I would not have joined Light a Lamp, this would not have happened and I wouldn’t have gotten whatever I have today. You need to join these classes to see the result yourself“.
Priyanka Mondal
The eldest child of a single parent, Priyanka was raised in a harsh world. Her mother worked tirelessly as a maid to make ends meet for her children, who would also try to help in any way they could. But Priyanka did not lose her smile and her dream – to earn a college degree and to get a job. Light a Lamp helped her to hope.
With years of association with Light a Lamp classes and several Health and Spirituality workshops, Priyanka started to blossom in her confidence and abilities.
A graduate now, Priyanka has finally found financial stability in recent years by working in the loan recovery department of HDFC bank. She now dreams to move her mother and siblings to a better locality and have a permanent dwelling for them.