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In Conversation With Nawneet Ranjan - Film Maker And Social Activist
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Nirmala Garimella
04/23/2026
Nawneet Ranjan, an award-winning filmmaker. Kora Kagazz (Tabula Rasa) is his first feature film which won Best Film Audience Award at Cinequest Film Festival, 2023 & Best Feature Film at Big Apple Film Festival, New York, 2023. His documentary, Slum Innovation, was shortlisted for the Student Academy Award, 2016. His films have been selected for prestigious global film festivals such as the Telluride Film Festival, the National Geographic Film Festival, and the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Along with this, he has received the Google Rise Award in 2017 for his social impact programs. (https://www.dharavidiary.org)
Please tell us how you became involved with Gyanoday.
My involvement with the Gyanoday Foundation is rooted in the mission to empower the next generation of innovators and leaders from underserved communities. As a filmmaker and social entrepreneur, I am passionate about storytelling and creating change, which aligns perfectly with the Foundation’s work. The mission is to inspire and educate children and youth from rural and urban slum/lower-income groups, giving them access to 21st-century opportunities. We use hands-on learning through STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Arts, Mathematics) methodology, design thinking, and leadership skills to help students become better-skilled and confident change-makers.
Why is this work critical?
Our work is critical because it directly addresses the educational and skill gaps faced by children and youth from lower-income communities in Mumbai, Pune, and Bihar. By providing experiential STEAM programs, we foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, which are essential 21st-century skills. This approach: Empowers Students: It enables them to discover a passion for experiential STEAM learning, storytelling, gender dynamics, computing skills, technology, and engineering, allowing them to realize their full potential. Creates Change Makers: Our engagement programs envision students becoming change-makers who will eventually participate in the decision-making of their families and communities, leading to better job opportunities and self-worth. Provides Access: We provide access to quality education, safe learning environments, and resources that many first-generation learners would otherwise lack.
Who benefits from your work in the Mumbai slums ? Our programs directly target lower-income communities in Mumbai, specifically Dharavi, Versova, and Mahim. The status and impact of the kids we serve include:
What is the most challenging part of your work?
The most challenging part of our work is securing consistent grant support to sustain and scale our experiential educational programs. Funding Gaps: During the pandemic, grant support from corporate funders like Google, NVIDIA, and IQVIA, along with individual donors, decreased significantly. Resource Depletion: To keep our educational and relief work running smoothly during that time, we utilized our funds, leaving us with limited resources to continue operating our programs.
Ongoing Need: We continually reach out to individuals, foundations, and corporations for the support needed to fund our learning centers, facilitators' salaries, utilities, and educational materials, ensuring the programs continue uninterrupted.
Can you share a human-interest story where the foundation made a difference?
- Ansuja Madival is 15 years old, attending class twelve. She is a first-generation kid who got a chance to go to school. She participated in our STEAM Program. She enjoys reading stories. She lives in the Dharavi neighborhood, Mahim, Mumbai. She lives with her mother who works as a domestic helper. She lost her father in 2013 in a road accident. She is keen to learn Technology and use it to solve their community problems. She earned her Master's in Mass Media and works at a corporate gaming company. We have several case studies like this.
How can readers help, and how can they reach you?
Readers can help by supporting our social impact programs to ensure children and youth from lower-income communities continue to have access to experiential STEM/STEAM learning and 21st-century skills. We are currently raising funds for various aspects of the program, including learning center rentals, facilitator and fellow salaries, and essential supplies. All individual and corporate CSR donations are eligible for tax exemption under 80G of the Income Tax Act.
Readers can reach us through the following channels:
You may also access this article through our web-site http://www.lokvani.com/
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