Vandana
Vandana is one of our Senior Coordinators here at Manzil. She recently graduated from Delhi University’s School of Open Learning, where she learned educational tools that she’s brought with her here to Manzil. She’s been a student at Manzil for the last nine years, taking both English and Math classes during her time here. She credits Manzil for the being the most influential part of her academic life, as well as teaching her a variety of other skills that she uses on a daily basis.
Reena
Reena is a Senior Coordinator and the Coordinator of the English program here at Manzil. She recently finished her Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University and has been a member of the Core Team for the last year. She began as a Math student here at Manzil in 2006, and by 2008 was teaching English to our younger students! Her favorite aspect of Manzil is its familial structure, and for her, it feels like a second home.
Tulsi
Tulsi is one of our Senior Coordinators here at Manzil. Over the last nine years she has served a variety of roles here, including student, teacher, volunteer, and, finally, Core Team member, which she has been since April. She left her job as a computer operator to come work here at Manzil full-time because she found her other job unfulfilling, whereas here at Manzil she feels like she’s learning something new every day and is working among people she truly loves. She is thrilled to be able to explore and grow as a person every day. She graduated from Delhi University with a Bachelor of Arts. Tulsi’s favorite part of Manzil has been teaching our learners, and she still teaches computers on top of serving as a Core Member.
Anil
Anil is our Accountant and Computer Coordinator here at Manzil, along with running our facilities. He has received his Bachelor of Computers from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), and is current working on his Masters of Computers at IGNOU as well. Anil has been here at Manzil for 17 years, starting as a volunteer in charge of training the computer teachers, along with teaching before joining the Core Team at its inception 10 years ago. Anil has spent so much of his life dedicated to the learners at Manzil, and his daughter, Tusharika, is currently a student here as well.
Ravi Gulati
Ravi Gulati is the person behind everything we do or have learnt in life. A co-founder of Manzil and a graduate from IIM-A, Ravi has given his life to transforming the education system by simply opening the doors of his home in Khan Market to learners. After transforming thousands of lives of people in Delhi, Ravi is now working with government school principals to enhance their capacity of work and effectiveness by facilitating their learning. At present, there are 250 children and youngsters in Manzil between seven and twenty-seven years of age who explore what they want to learn through multiple classes at various levels in English, mathematics, music, computers, painting, dance and theatre. Structured classes with a fixed timetable and schedule are held after school hours. No fee is charged, but one is fined for coming late because in Manzil there is no fee for learning, only not learning! Through this system, Manzil seeks to stress punctuality, and teach students the literal value of time. Another key feature of Manzil is the collective sharing of knowledge and expertise among the participants, which fosters a sense of communal learning that helps people of all skills and disciplines collaborate and grow together.
Uma Rawat
Uma Rawat is new addition to our team here at Manzil, recently stepping into the role of Events Coordinator for us. Her time at Manzil started in 2009 when she joined the English program after completing 12th class at a government school. From there, she began volunteering as a volunteer at various Manzil events before starting to head the initiatives team in 2013. Through Manzil, Uma was nominated for the International Visitor Leadership Program sponsored by the U.S Embassy, where she explored civic participation. Alongside her work here at Manzil, Uma is a manager of operations at the lighting consultancy firm Design Matrix. She also works with Delhi Magic Tours and Travels as a tour guide. Uma credits Manzil with helping inspire her love for traveling, Kathak dancing, and helping her develop skills as an organizer and team manager. And she also cites her time at Manzil as a key factor in developing her love for helping people, something she does on a daily basis for all of the students here.