CHENNAI: “What difference have the classes made?” The deceptively simple question posed by the orphanage’s management in Chennai, where the three friends had been teaching children during their few spare hours for a handful of weeks, stripped away their comforting illusion that showing up for the kids was all that mattered. Well past the blank stare and silence, the why of it lingered.
For weeks since the Independence Day morning in 2006, the three — Dr K K Prahalathan, an ophthalmologist; Ayyanar Elumalai, a supply-chain professional; and Harishankar Namasivayam, a corporate professional — valued their time spent at the orphanage, sharing their skills and passing along their knowledge to the children. They wanted to teach the kids who had fewer opportunities than most. However, the question made them realise that just good intentions could not make up for a lack of objective.
That haunting question turned into the seed from which the idea of Bhumi, a non-profit organisation, germinated. Twenty years on, the nonprofit has become one of the country’s largest youth volunteering movements, engaging over 1.5 lakh volunteers across nine cities, partnering with over 150 corporate firms, and reaching nearly 95,000 children every year.
During the foundational years, Bhumi was a household name in Chennai’s shelter homes. Every weekend, volunteers arrived with stories, games, and books, helping children read their first English sentences, solve math problems, draw pictures, and build confidence. Today, these weekend classes continue through 58 Bhumi Clubs, reaching children in over 200 shelter homes across cities, including Chennai and Tiruchy.
After introducing STEM learning to the kids, the organisation realised the need to educate the children on climate change, which paved the way for its Eco Champs programme, where students learned about waste segregation, recycling, and environmental awareness. More than 3,000 children from shelter homes have benefited from these learning spaces. The nonprofit’s Whole-School Transformation programme brings together teachers, headmasters, and parents to train the kids in foundational literacy and STEM education.
When the world was hunkering down during the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisation launched a two-year fellowship programme, Bhumi Fellowship, targeting young graduates. The first batch in Chennai, which had five fellows, focused on foundational learning. Later, the fellowship was expanded to Coimbatore and Tiruchy. In 2026, it entered its first rural block in Anaimalai near Coimbatore. The organisation wanted to further its reach beyond graduation, and now, through its Skill-Ed programme, it has trained over 20,000 youth in technical, non-technical and soft skills. More than 3,400 students have secured professional jobs in fields like IT, engineering, and healthcare.
“Bhumi was founded with the vision that every child should receive equitable access to education,” said founder Dr Prahalathan. “To fulfil that vision, we want every Indian to start volunteering,” he added. The very belief continues to shape the nonprofit’s future, as it aspires to engage 10 lakh volunteers by 2030.
(Edited by Thamizhamudhan Sekar)