Sometimes when someone asks me
How is Gramin Bharti running
I go silent

Not because there is no answer
But because there are too many emotions standing at the edge of my throat
Pride pain gratitude exhaustion hope disappointment belief all mixed together

Gramin Bharti is not just an organisation
It is a journey
It is a responsibility
It is a promise we made to ourselves and to the villages we come from

We started Gramin Bharti Social Services in 2019
At that time we were students of rural development
Sitting in classrooms learning theories of development livelihoods education governance and policy
But outside those classrooms we had already seen reality

We had seen villages in Jharkhand where education was a luxury
Where children walked miles for school
Where livelihoods were uncertain
Where schemes existed only on paper
Where support never reached the last person

We did not want to become professionals who only spoke about change
We wanted to be people who worked for change

When we secured first prize in Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan at the university level
Something shifted inside us
That moment was not about a certificate or recognition
It was a mirror showing us what was possible

We gathered and decided that we would not limit ourselves to classrooms libraries and assignments
We decided to step into the communities where resources were limited and voices were unheard
That decision gave birth to Gramin Bharti

In the beginning everything was raw
There was no roadmap
No funding
No experience in running an organisation
Only belief
Only commitment
Only the courage of young students who wanted to do something meaningful

What followed still feels unreal

Our fellow RKMVERI students stood with us
They believed in us before the world did
At one point we had more than two hundred volunteers
Students from different disciplines giving their time energy skills and hearts

Starting so early in life and working at the grassroots was the best experience we could have asked for
We grew the organisation like a baby
Slowly carefully passionately

We were the decision makers
We were the implementers
We were the ones answering phone calls writing proposals organising events travelling to villages and sitting with communities

Our impact was visible on the ground
People saw it
People felt it

Villagers trusted us
Parents trusted us
Students trusted us

Many times people would stop and say
I cannot imagine students doing such great work
Work that even top NGOs with crores of funding are unable to do

Those words still echo inside me

Everything felt organised and smooth
We built systems
We built teams
We built programs
We built credibility

Our online presence grew
We reached students across India
Many colleges recognised us
Students from different states wanted to intern with us
They wanted to learn grassroots work
They wanted to contribute

We organised rural winter camps learning camps trainings workshops and community events
Each program was designed with sensitivity and context
Nothing was copied
Nothing was superficial

The volunteers who joined Gramin Bharti did not just volunteer
They transformed

They learned how real development work happens
They learned humility
They learned leadership
They learned accountability

Today many of them are working in reputed organisations institutions and sectors
They still tell us how Gramin Bharti shaped their thinking and values

One of our most impactful initiatives has been the Higher Education Mentorship Programme
Through this we have helped hundreds of students
Students from rural and marginalised backgrounds
Students who had dreams but no guidance

We helped them secure admission to top universities in India and abroad
We helped them with applications statements interviews and confidence
For many families this was the first time someone went to a university outside their village or state

But if there is one program that truly carries the soul of Gramin Bharti
It is the Gramin Bharti Nishulk Ratri Pathshala

This program is still running
This program has kept Gramin Bharti alive

In the remote tribal areas of Khunti Jharkhand
Where students struggle the most
Where education stops after sunset
We decided to start free night classes

We do not just teach curriculum
We do not just prepare students for exams

We work on holistic development
Confidence communication curiosity discipline values dreams

We sit with the students
We listen to them
We walk with them

For many of these children this space is the first time they feel seen
The first time someone believes in their potential

Running this program has never been easy
But it has always been worth it

As the years passed reality also started showing its harsher side

Funding became a constant struggle

We tried everything
Writing proposals
Meeting people
Building networks
Applying for grants

Sometimes the person who promised support disappeared
Sometimes documentation became a barrier
Sometimes the system itself felt designed to exhaust small grassroots organisations

Recently we struggled even to renew our 12A and 80G registrations
Something that is essential for any nonprofit
Something that should be a facilitative process

But it required financial investment
It required navigating a system where things rarely move without middlemen
For an organisation working honestly at the grassroots this was heartbreaking

We do not have crores
We do not have corporate backers
We have integrity and impact

There were moments of deep disappointment
Moments where we questioned whether passion is enough
Moments where silence from supporters felt louder than criticism

We always believed that people who were part of Gramin Bharti in its early days
Who saw its growth
Who benefited from it
Would come back one day

In that hope we continue
In that belief we continue

Gramin Bharti today may not look as active as it once did
But it is not dead
It is breathing
It is surviving
It is holding on

Every night class that runs
Every child that learns
Every student that dreams
Is proof that Gramin Bharti still matters

When someone asks how Gramin Bharti is running
I want to say this

It is running on belief
It is running on memories of impact
It is running on unpaid labour and silent sacrifices
It is running on the love of volunteers who never forgot
It is running on the trust of communities who still open their doors

It is running because giving up would mean abandoning everything we stood for

We may not have funding today
But we have credibility
We may not have numbers
But we have depth
We may not be visible everywhere
But where we are present we are rooted

Gramin Bharti is not a project
It is a lived experience

It taught us that development is slow
That systems are unequal
That intentions are tested constantly

But it also taught us that young people can lead
That students can create impact
That grassroots work is powerful

This blog is not a complaint
It is a reflection
It is a reminder
It is a call to conscience

If you believe in education
If you believe in rural development
If you believe in tribal empowerment
If you believe in honest grassroots work

Gramin Bharti exists for you

We are still here
Still trying
Still believing
Still working

And maybe someday when someone asks
How is Gramin Bharti running

I will smile
And say
It is running because people still care

Because change does not always shout
Sometimes it quietly survives and waits to rise again