Where Passion Meets Education
Building a community of lifelong learners!
Timeline
BOLD & COURAGEOUS SPIRIT
Rupanjali was born and raised in a small town in Assam. As the middle child of 8 kids in a family with limited resources, she had no choice but to take care of herself and her younger siblings. From an early age, she learned to dream big, be bold, and take courageous action. She enrolled in the National Cadet Corps and was recognized as an expert rifle shooter at the Republic Day Parade. For her, no mission was too big and no goal was impossible if you simply worked hard and refused to give up.
Pursuing her dream
Rupanjali’s first job was working as a school teacher at St. Mary’s school in Assam where she discovered that she loved helping young children. Shortly after she graduated with a Masters degree, she got married and moved to Mumbai. She had never left Assam before but she set off on her new journey excited to write the next chapter in her life.
As a young married woman in Mumbai, she knew nobody in the city and had nothing to her name. She wanted to build her own identity and create impact in the world. Her father-in-law Dr. J.N. Barua encouraged her to pursue a professional career. With her family’s support, she headed off to a Montessori Training program and realized that teaching was the path for her.
Bold moves
In 1979, Rupanjali took the bold step of starting her own school - Little Stars Nursery. She believed that she could make a difference in the community by bringing a leading-edge technique to unlock the potential in children. Rupanjali crafted a curriculum to foster intellectual development, designed extra-curricular activities to boost personality development and created a highly diverse environment to promote positive social interaction.
making little stars
Students gained best-in-class education but also learned valuable life skills such as confidence and courage. The school accepted students that were differently abled and helped everyone integrate effectively. With a strong foundation at an early age, the students went on to a lifetime of success. It didn’t take long to build a reputation for excellence and become the best school in the community. Today, there are 350 students in this school.
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Dr. J.N. Barua Primary School
In 2010, based on popular demand, Rupanjali founded an educational trust and expanded to a primary school named after her father-in-law: Dr. J.N. Barua Primary School. Since there wasn’t enough space in the original location, Rupanjali rented a new space and opened the primary school. She designed a program that was very unique in its ability to bring out the best in students. Very soon, this school expanded to 200 students a year.
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steadfast dedication
What started with just 5 students in 1979 has now become a leading pre-primary and primary educational institute that graduates 550 students every year. Rupanjali started this journey 38 years ago with no money, no resources and no team. All she had was a clear mission – “to provide the best education in a quality learning environment”. She has faced insurmountable hurdles along the way - financial setbacks, social pressures, and personal issues but every challenge only made her stronger and even more determined to achieve her mission.
KEEP DREAMING BIGGER
Rupanjali lives the motto: “Dream big, be bold, never give up”. She has built a great organization, developed best-in-class capabilities, created many jobs and given back selflessly to her community. She is continuing to dedicate her resources to help marginalized communities gain access to education and opportunity. Rupanjali is determined to live her mission of unlocking the potential of every little star.