A few years ago, I travelled with my mother to a small village in rural Uttar Pradesh, where she was working on one of the Iyer Foundation's school projects. I thought I was simply going along for the journey.
I came back carrying something much bigger.
Two children. One country. Different chances.
I got a chance to visit a government school with my mother who has been involved in an endeavour to improve eduction for unprivileged students for many years. As I walked through the school, I met children who were almost exactly my age. We laughed together, spoke about our favourite games, and smiled at one another just as children do.
But there was one difference I couldn't ignore.
When lunchtime came, I looked at what they were eating. It was so little. I remember thinking how different it was from the meals I had always taken for granted.
Then I noticed their school bags. Some were torn. Some had broken zips. Their shoes were worn, faded and falling apart.
I looked down at my own shoes. I looked back at theirs. And for the first time, I truly understood what it meant for life to be unfair.
A turning point
A promise to myself.
That evening, I couldn't stop thinking about them. I kept asking myself the same question: Why should two children, born in the same country, have such different chances in life?
I couldn't change everything. But I knew I couldn't pretend I hadn't seen it.
That day, I made a promise to myself. I would do whatever I could,no matter how small,to help other children dream a little bigger, learn a little more, and smile a little more often.
What I believe
What I believe every child deserves.
I believe every child deserves more than just an education.
The chance to discover who they are.
To walk into school with confidence.
To read books that spark their imagination.
To play without worry.
To learn without limits through digital means
To believe that their future matters just as much as anyone else's.
The journey has only just begun.
This journey has only just begun, and I know I have so much to learn myself. But if I can brighten even one child's day, help one school become a happier place, or inspire another young person to choose kindness, then I know I'm walking in the right direction.
One day, I dream of an India where the place a child is born never decides the size of their dreams. Where every child, whether in a bustling city or a quiet village, has the same opportunity to learn, to play, to grow, and to become everything they are capable of becoming.
Until that day comes, I'll keep doing my little bit. Because I believe that some of the biggest changes in the world begin with the smallest acts of kindness.
— Chiraditya Iyer
Inspired to make a difference?
Join Chiraditya and the Iyer Foundation in giving every child the chance they deserve.