Nalanda Academy, Wardha, was formally established in 2013, but its journey began much
earlier, between 1995 and 1998, when our founder, Anoop Kumar, was a student at an
engineering college in Uttar Pradesh. During this time, he witnessed first hand the severe
caste-based discrimination faced by students from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled
Tribes (ST) communities. These experiences ignited in him a lifelong commitment to challenge social injustices and to ensure that students from marginalized backgrounds have equal opportunities to pursue higher education.
In July 2001, Anoop Kumar joined Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, for his postgraduate studies. There, he became an active member of the United Dalit Students’ Forum (UDSF), an Ambedkarite student organization. Driven by a deep commitment to educational equality, he set up a small library and computer centre in his hostel room to support students from rural and non-English-medium backgrounds – particularly those from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) – in strengthening their English and computer skills.
Building on these experiences, in 2004 he launched INSIGHT, a national student magazine aimed at amplifying the voices of Dalit and other marginalized students. The magazine quickly reached over 80 universities across India, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose among students striving for equal educational opportunities.
In October 2005, Anoop Kumar organized the first National Dalit Students’ Conference at JNU to bring together Dalit students and build a collective movement against caste-based discrimination in higher education. The three-day conference drew 80 student representatives from 20 universities across India.
After completing his studies at JNU in 2006, Anoop Kumar founded the Insight Foundation, an organization dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by Dalit and Adivasi students and ensuring them equal access to quality higher education. One of the Foundation’s key initiatives was the establishment of a National Telephone Helpline to provide guidance and support to Dalit and Adivasi students navigating their academic journeys.
From 2006 to 2012, Insight Foundation built a vibrant network of Dalit and Adivasi students across India by organizing workshops in universities nationwide. The Foundation actively supported students who were courageously challenging caste-based discrimination in higher education.
During this period, Insight Foundation encountered several tragic cases of bright Dalit students from India’s leading educational institutions who had died by suicide as a result of caste-based discrimination. Anoop Kumar and his team documented 22 such cases from across the country. In 2011 – 12, they produced a four-part documentary series titled ‘The Death of Merit’, which sought to bring national attention to the systemic injustices and harsh realities faced by Dalit students in higher education.
In 2013, Insight Foundation, in collaboration with TISS Mumbai, organized the first National Dalit and Adivasi Women’s Congress. The two-day event brought together over 300 women professionals, scholars, students, and activists from across India to collectively strengthen support systems for women students from marginalized communities and advance their participation in higher education.
The documentary on Dalit student suicides received wide coverage in both national and international media, prompting the Government of India to reach out to the Insight Foundation team. However, despite several rounds of meetings and discussions, no concrete action was taken. Even with clear evidence linking caste discrimination to student suicides, neither the victims nor their families received justice.
In response, Anoop Kumar decided to work directly at the grassroots level—providing mentorship and training to students, and building support systems to help them pursue higher education in leading universities and colleges. In July 2013, he moved to Wardha, where he began teaching rural students of Dr. Ambedkar College of Social Work as a volunteer.
In 2013, while teaching the final-year Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students at Dr.
Ambedkar College of Social Work, Wardha.
After 5 months of intensive preparation, 24 students from Wardha appeared for the TISS Postgraduate Entrance Examination in 2013. Of these, 11 cleared the written test, and 5 secured admission in the final selection. This was a landmark achievement, as all the students came from rural, Marathi-medium backgrounds. Through focused mentoring, they demonstrated their exceptional potential in a highly competitive national-level exam.
Inspired by this success, Anoop Kumar, along with Kapil Wankhede, an engineering graduate from Wardha, founded Nalanda Academy — a dedicated center providing free, high-quality training and mentorship to rural students aspiring to pursue higher education.
In June 2014, recognizing the community’s need for a dedicated study space, Anoop Kumar, with financial support from his friends, founded the Subedar Ramji Ambedkar Public Library. Guided by Sapna Jambhulkar and Meenakshi Jiwane, the library soon became an essential hub for learning, supporting both students of Dr. Ambedkar College of Social Work and learners from the local community.
With the growing number of students, Nalanda Academy required a larger space. In 2015, the local Buddhist community generously offered Anoop Kumar the premises of ‘Samyak Buddha Vihara’ free of charge, providing a permanent home for the academy’s activities.
By 2016, Nalanda Academy had begun attracting students from across India. Young learners from various states started coming to Wardha to join the Academy, drawn by its unique approach to mentorship, quality education, and dedicated support for students from marginalized communities. This marked an important phase in the Academy’s growth, transforming it from a local initiative into a hub for aspiring students from diverse backgrounds.
In 2016, Prof. Abhiyan Humane visited Nalanda Academy for the first time. Impressed by the students and the team, he soon became an integral part of the Academy. He began visiting regularly to conduct classes and provide guidance to students aspiring for higher education abroad.
In 2016, Abhiyan Humane, Anoop Kumar, and Mangesh Dahiwale jointly organized a two-day conference in Nagpur under the banner of ‘Nagpur Collective’. The event brought together over 200 young Ambedkarite professionals from across India, representing a wide range of fields and disciplines, providing a dynamic platform to promote dialogue, collaboration, and collective action.
Sanghamitra Collective, established in 2017, is a vibrant and empowering network of over 500 women students at Nalanda Academy. The collective is dedicated to supporting women from marginalized backgrounds by providing guidance, access to educational resources, mentorship, and a strong support system to help them pursue higher education and realize their potential. Over the years, Sanghamitra has grown into a pan-India community, with its members actively engaging in educational initiatives, social advocacy, and leadership programs across the country.
In May 2017, Prof. Abhiyan Humane organized a month-long Summer Science Camp at Nalanda Academy for local school students. The camp offered an engaging introduction to scientific concepts, allowing students to learn through hands-on experiments, creative projects, and interactive activities, fostering curiosity and a love for learning.
Following the success of the Summer Science Camp, Prof. Abhiyan Humane decided to leave his teaching position in Bengaluru and move to Wardha. In 2018, he established a dedicated Science Laboratory – Nalanda Labs- for school students, providing them with hands-on learning opportunities and fostering a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.
Since 2018, Nalanda Academy has been hosting the ‘Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule Education Fair’ in Wardha nearly every year. At the fair, Nalanda students enrolled in top universities provide personalized guidance and mentorship to thousands of attendees who come from across the region. The event is designed to inspire and equip rural and marginalized students with the knowledge, resources, and career guidance they need to pursue higher education and build meaningful futures.
Our dear friend Abhiyan Humane was a remarkable individual—a teacher, storyteller, mentor, artist, scientist, and change-maker. He consistently inspired the empowerment of marginalized communities by fostering scientific thinking and rational inquiry, and he had a profound faith in the curiosity and potential of young minds. After nearly a decade of study in the United States, he returned to India and joined Nalanda Academy in 2016. In July 2018, he established the Nalanda Labs in Wardha to ignite students’ interest in Science and Technology. Though he passed away on 8 February 2019, Nalanda Academy remains committed to honoring his immense contributions and enduring legacy.
Since 2019, Nalanda Academy has been operating community libraries in 15 Buddhist Viharas across Wardha, serving rural youth students. Named in honor of our late friend Abhiyan Humane, these libraries stand as a lasting tribute to his remarkable contributions to education and social development.
In response to the unprecedented challenges faced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nalanda Academy launched ‘Digital Nalanda’, a free online learning platform. Today, it is supported by a dedicated team of over 200 mentors, providing personalized online guidance to more than 18,000 students across the country.
In August 2020, the parents of our late friend Abhiyan – Ms. Kanta Humane and Mr. Shashikant Humane – generously donated 9.15 acres of land in Waifad, Wardha, valued at nearly ₹50 lakh, to support the construction of Nalanda Academy’s residential campus.
In 2022, the Samyak Centre for Interdisciplinary Research was established to foster a culture of research among students from marginalized communities. The centre also nurtures intellectual leadership in Nalanda students through workshops, seminars, and research initiatives, equipping them to think critically and contribute meaningfully to their fields.
Construction of the Nalanda Abhiyan Campus began in October 2023 with the compound wall, followed by the academic block and student hostels in March 2024. The first phase, expected to be completed by October 2026, will feature four modern classrooms, a staff room, an administrative office, a hostel and dining facility for 200 students, staff quarters, and sports facilities—creating a holistic environment for academic, social, and personal growth.
On 30–31 December 2023, Nalanda hosted the First Savitribai Phule Women Students’ Conference at Nagalok, Nagpur. Themed “The Real Changemakers: Celebrating Savitri’s Daughters in Higher Education”, the conference welcomed over 250 young women from the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, providing them a platform to connect, share experiences, and be inspired in their pursuit of higher education.
Director, Nalanda Academy
Academic Head, Nalanda Academy
Director, Nalanda Abhiyan Campus
Coordinator, Abhiyan Libraries Network
Librarian, Nalanda Academy
Administrator, Nalanda Academy
Account Head, Nalanda Academy
Coordinator, Nalanda Abhiyan Labs
Research Assistant, Nalanda Abhiyan Labs
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