From global boardrooms to classrooms: one founder’s journey to educate 10,000+

A child’s education can look very different depending on what a family can afford. For Ashish Kumar, schooling was never a given. He grew up with his family of six in a single rented room, with a carpenter father and carefully planned household expenses.

“Education felt like a privilege, not a certainty,” Ashish recalls. Some months were tougher than others, and the fear of having to stop studying stayed close. His story reflects a wider truth in India: many children do not stop learning because they lack ambition, but because daily life makes it difficult to continue.

That gap—between dreams and the practical support needed to sustain them—became central to the work of Kushal Raj Chakravorty, founder of the Lotus Petal Foundation.

A stable start, and a career built at scale

Kushal’s early life was marked by the kind of steady support every child deserves. He grew up in Ranchi in a family that valued education and consistency. “I had everything a child needs to grow, including schooling, support, and three meals a day,” he told *The Better India*.

He studied at St Xavier’s and went on to pursue electrical and electronics engineering at BIT Mesra, graduating in 1996. That same year, he began working with HCL. After a brief stint, he completed an MBA from IIM Lucknow and, by 1999, was firmly on the corporate track.

His professional journey took him through organisations such as BPL and Amway, and later to IKEA in 2005. Over more than a decade in global roles, his work spanned cities and countries, building his experience in systems thinking, team management and long-term planning.

These are not just corporate skills; they are often the difference between a small initiative and a sustainable institution. The ability to design processes, plan resources and keep a mission steady over time becomes vital when working with children and communities that need consistent support.

Choosing the classroom: from six children to a larger mission

At some point, Kushal’s focus shifted from the predictability of a global career to the uncertainty—and meaning—of grassroots work. According to the account shared by *The Better India*, he left his corporate path and began by teaching just six children.

That modest beginning is important. It suggests a model of change that is practical rather than performative: start with what is possible, learn what the community actually needs, and then grow responsibly.

Over time, the work expanded into the Lotus Petal Foundation, which now supports learning for 10,000+ children. The scale matters, but so does the idea behind it: children stay in school more easily when learning is supported by structure—space to study, encouragement at home, and confidence that a setback will not end their journey.

For children like Ashish, interventions of this kind can make the difference between a temporary struggle and a long-term dropout. The story also highlights something India’s social sector repeatedly shows: when professionals bring discipline, planning and empathy to education, outcomes can expand far beyond the first classroom.

A quiet reminder of what access can unlock

This is not a story about instant transformation. It is about patience—of a founder who began small, and of families who keep choosing education despite financial uncertainty. It is also a reminder that access often matters as much as talent.

When learning is made reliable, children are better placed to build skills, aim for stable careers, and contribute to their communities. And when such work grows sustainably, it creates a ripple effect—one that reaches classrooms, homes and future workplaces.

**Why it matters:** When committed individuals build steady education support systems, children are less likely to drop out for reasons beyond their control—helping families, communities and India’s future workforce move forward together.