The dichotomy of urban India and rural India was gnawing at the back of his mind. Being associated with academia, what set him thinking was the glaring fact that while urban India is shining, the rural India remains deprived of the fruits of the progress. And he poignantly puts it as ‘an urban India and rural Bharat! So, Gulab Jani, 75, who used to teach economics at Saurashtra University, made up his mind to do something about it.

    Realising that education can prove to be a liberating force, Gulab Jani and his wife Usha Jani floated in 1994 what they call ‘School on Wheels (SOW) project’ which seeks to empower rural schools and educate the children in marginalized areas.

    “We wanted to bridge the gap and bring quality education to the rural school children,” says Gulab Jani. What lends distinction to the school on wheels project is its vision of imparting education in a holistic manner,....