Back To School

Nikhiya Shamsher was 12 years old when she gave her old school bag to Roja, the daughter of her family’s house help. Nikhiya didn’t think much about her action until she received a thank you note from the young girl.

- Apeksha Shetty

“I learnt that Roja had never owned a school bag and that it had made her more confident and eager to go to school. I had no idea my old school bag would mean so much to somebody,” recalls Nikhiya.

Wanting to spread this joy on a larger scale, Nikhiya, who lives in Bengaluru, decided to set up an initiative called Bags, Books and Blessings in 2015. As a part of the initiative, people send in their unused or reusable school supplies; these are then passed on to underprivileged kids through their schools.