Dear friends,

Before you read our exciting report, I have some news to share with you.

Swami Veda Bharati (Pandit Dr. Usharbudh Arya), KHEL’s Co-founder with my mother, Lalita Arya, has been gone for almost a decade, and his memory lives on every day in the work we do. He was brought up in Dehradun where KHEL’s school is located; he and his family were very poor and his childhood was one of deep deprivations. Mrs. Arya, my mother who is fondly known as Ammaji, is now in her 90th year. Although she is no longer involved in running KHEL, she is our living inspiration. My paternal grandmother was a teacher at the local girls’ school in Dehradun. KHEL’s school, Lakshmi Devi Academy, was named in memory of her. My maternal grandmother also came from an educational background; she was a teacher and a school principal in Guyana, South America, where Ammaji was born and raised. When we settled in Dehradun in 1981, my parents wanted to do help the poor children of the community so they began educating kids who, for a variety of social and economic reasons, were unable to go to the local public schools. You can read about that journey on KHEL’s website, which holds an archive of our Annual Reports and other writings.

As I head into my 6th decade, plans are in place for KHEL to continue to thrive in future years. My parents, other family members, and I have done the work necessary for the next generation to continue in our stead. We have a well-educated and committed staff of 24 employees all of whom come from the same community as our kids. With this transition in mind, Ammaji and I resigned our official positions at KHEL (India) in 2024. Our resignations are not a negative reflection on KHEL; rather the opposite since we would not do this if we weren’t completely confident in the team. I’m still ‘working’ (I’m in India, writing this), but it’s time for those who have shown a serious commitment to KHEL to take the reins. This team is vibrant and capable, and together they have decades of community service advocacy and professional development, both of which will serve them well as they take KHEL forward. Each one of them was either already a KHEL Board member or has supported KHEL for a long time with professional guidance or volunteering. All of them are intimately connected to KHEL. Please join me in welcoming KHEL India’s Board of Directors:

Shruti Pushkarna, President: Shruti, a former journalist, is a Disability Inclusion Advocate and a Global Advisor at Billion Strong. She has 2 decades of experience in mainstream media and non-profit organisations. Shruti is a lifelong volunteer with KHEL, an organisation she has closely seen grow from early childhood. She is Swami Veda’s grand-niece. You can read her articles here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/shruti-pushkarna/ and read more about her here: https://www.axschat.com/shruti-pushkarna/

Neena Pal, Vice President: Dr. Neena is a pediatric physician who served with the Delhi Government as an administrator and also at the grassroot level. She was World Bank Aid Programme Coordinator with a focus on the health of underprivileged residents living in Delhi’s slums. She is retired but continues to serve various charities. Neena’s extended family have known Swami Veda since he was a teenager.

Beni Prasad Bhatt, Secretary/Executive Director: Beni has worked for KHEL since he was 17 years old and is now in his late 50’s – that’s 3 decades of KHEL experience! During Covid, he demonstrated a remarkable capacity for leadership with compassion. As the most experienced and qualified person from the KHEL community, the role of handling legal, financial, and long-term decision making naturally falls to him. In 2024, Beni was awarded an Honorary Doctorate and the Rashtriya Samaaj Sewa Award in the fields of social work, education, and community service by IPAC (Iconic Peace Award Council of India).

Bhagwat Sharma, Treasurer/Manager: Bhagwat has been part of the KHEL community for decades. He worked for the Arya family and as KHEL grew, he naturally progressed to an official role. As LDA’s Manager during Covid, he helped Beni keep KHEL functioning and worked closely with our teachers to make sure our kids continued their studies. His decades of experience are an asset to KHEL and the community.

Bhola Shanker Dabral, Executive Board Member: Bhola Shanker is a certified yoga teacher with ERYT500 and YACEP credentials. He holds a master’s in yoga science, a PhD in Yoga Philosophy, and advanced degrees in business management and digital communications. He manages yoga retreat centers in Nepal and Bali and serves on various NGO boards. Bhola served Swami Veda for many years.

Prabhjot Singh, Executive Board Member: Prabhjot is a second-generation KHEL Board member. His late mother, Sukhwans Kaur, was one of KHEL’s 1st Board members. Prabhjot is an accomplished entrepreneur and is involved in social projects that provide equal opportunity to underprivileged children in education, sports, music, theatre & art, and STEAM based learning. Prabhjot has been instrumental in helping KHEL upgrade its technology and advises on this, and other, aspects of KHEL.

G.S. Ahluwalia, Executive Board Member: Mr. Ahluwalia is retired and comes from a pharmaceutical marketing and administrative background. He and Ammaji met decades ago, and since then he has enthusiastically supported KHEL’s vision. He’s always ready to lend his knowledge, experience, and support to KHEL’s senior staff.

 

Sumedha Pushkarna, Special Invitee: Sumedha is a homemaker and a natural manager. Before KHEL was even formed, she has been part of making it a reality. Sumedha personally deals with disability and chronic illness, and her optimism and never-give-up attitude brings innovative perspectives to problem solving at KHEL. She is Swami Veda’s niece.

 

Sanjay Maini, Special Invitee: Sanjay has 3 decades of professional experience in accounting and finance. For over 28 years, he has been closely associated with KHEL, providing financial and accounting advice and support. He is the Senior Accounts Officer at Wynberg Allen School, Mussoorie, overseeing financial management compliance. Sanjay has a deep understanding of KHEL’s finances and how to best utilise KHEL’s resources from an accounting and finance viewpoint.

Your support of this organisation that my parents founded so long ago means so much to all of us. In each child who gains an education, their legacy of education as self-transformation lives on.

With best regards and with many thanks for your continued support of KHEL,

In service,

Stomya A. Persaud, Global Advisor

***

KHEL ANNUAL REPORT 2024

KINDNESS

Use of Funds: KHEL provides 285 children from preschool through 8th grade with education and support. Prior to the pandemic, we noticed a trend in our community: there are pockets of relatively well-off families who can afford to pay slightly higher tuitions and fees. In 2024, most of the negative economic effects of the pandemic have been mitigated by explosive growth in Dehradun. For our community this is, overall, a good thing but we’ve seen two challenges emerge. One is that our costs have increased, and the other is that the very disadvantaged children are being left even further behind. To continue supporting these students, we have increased our fees for students who can afford it to ₹5,000 per year ($61/€53). Most parents pay considerably less, or in some cases, nothing. KHEL has 24 employees and 4 professional consultants.

  INR ₹ US $ Euro € Particular of EXP
4,64,897.00 5,059.72 4,661.76 Financial/Legal/Travel/Office Regulatory /Taxes/ Audit and accounting
38,45,478.00 47,505.83 43,769.42 Salary and Other Compensation
9,85,876.00 12,022.88 11,077.26 Government required Retirement Funds EPF
2,09,879.00 2,559.50 2,358.19 Government required Medical Insurance ESIC
4,29,816.00 5,241.66 4,829.39 Overhead /Maintenance/Furniture/Constructions
2,17,875.00 2,657.01 2,448.03 School supplies/Non-medical
1,61,852.00 1,973.80 1,818.56 Leprosy Colonies: Emergency aid/Dry food Ration
59,442.00 724.90 667.89 Medical Aid
4,16,875.00 5,083.84 4,683.99 Security
98,700.00 1,203.66 1,108.99 Higher Education/Scholarship
1,55,842.00 1,900.51 1,751.03 IT
70,46,532.00 85,933.32 79,174.52 Total Use of Funds

 

‘My daughter Aksha, who is in Kindergarten, loves her school. She enjoys every activity and is growing in such a positive and engaging environment.’ Aksha’s Mother, Tasver

 

 

Administrative Updates: Changes to KHEL’s Board. Anirudh was appointed LDA Assistant Manager, Suman as Digital Media Coordinator, and Nikita as Office Administrator. Renovations, Repairs, Required Upgrades: Painted classrooms, repaired or replaced desks and chairs, enhanced outdoor seating. Community Aid and Activities: Winter clothes for our kids, LDA served as voting center for general elections, voter registration, parent/teacher association meeting, ‘Good Touch, Bad Touch’ workshop to promote personal safety, self-defense classes for girls, food rations and medical aid to 4 leprosy colonies, cleanliness drives in the community around LDA. We hosted a volleyball tournament in which 10 teams from local district participated. The school was honored to welcome Ammaji after four years, a visit filled with inspiration and blessings. Her insights on life values and character-building left a lasting impact, adding a spiritual touch to the school’s vibrant culture. Condolences: We deeply mourn the loss of Raghubir, our driver and assistant, who was a member of the KHEL family since the late 1980’s. His absence is felt by everyone in our community.

 

HEALTH

Health Events, Medical, Camps, Aid: RDI-HIHT organized a general health camp and workshop for girls with a focus on breast cancer awareness and menstrual health. The girls received sanitary pads and were happy with the new information. An eye health clinic was organized in collaboration with AGS Eye Care center to ensure students received essential eye care and awareness about good vision practices. Three staff members, Asha B, Nikita, and Suman, participated in a three-day session on yoga and exercise at RDI. We provided supplemental nutrition and health supplies to our community.

‘The menstrual hygiene workshop was really helpful. I learned so much about my body and feel more confident discussing these topics.’ Tammana, Class 8

 

 

 

EDUCATION

Educational Aid: KHEL provided free and subsidized education to 285 students, while continuing to support young adults in university and technical education programs. LDA Activities: inter-school competitions, environmental education, science projects, drawing competition, jewelry making class using items that would otherwise be thrown away. Teachers: Our teachers have continuing education requirements. We help them as needed and offer them free use of internet and laptops at LDA, as well as a quiet space away from their homes where they can study.

 

‘The General Knowledge competition was so exciting! It challenged me to learn more about the world while competing with my friends.’ ~ Kavya, Class 5

 

 

LAUGHTER

Celebrations, Commemorations, Other Activities: Beni, KHEL’s Executive Director (India), was awarded an Honorary Doctorate and the Rashtriya Samaaj Sewa Award in the fields of social work, education, and community service by IPAC (Iconic Peace Award Council of India). We are proud to celebrate Pranjal’s achievements! After completing a Bachelor of Commerce from CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Pranjal began a promising career as an Associate in US Taxation. Together we celebrated Republic Day, Rakhi, Holi, International Women’s Day, World Health Day, Earth Day, Mothers’ Day, Menstrual Hygiene Day, Independence Day, Harela Festival, Rakhi, World Photo Day, Janmashtami, Gandhi Jayanti, Diwali, Teachers’ Day, Sports Day, Children’s Day, Christmas, Teej, and Karwa Chauth. Our older students were invited by Raphael Ryder for a Fair organized by them to let kids enjoy fun, games, and gifts. We welcomed visits from our friends from Germany and Canada.

‘It’s great that KHEL has friends all over the world and we get to spend time with them.’ Raghav, Class

 

 

 

THANK YOU

Thank you to our friends and visitors including Ganesha’s Kinder (Swami Tat Sat and our German friends), our Italian friends in Florence and elsewhere in Italy, Pierre, Mina, and the Canadian group, Randall, Jay, John P., Sudhanshu and Kelly, and Mary T. Special Thanks to KHEL’s Boards in India and the US, City Councilors Kamli Bhatt Parshad and Haji Iliyas Ansari Parshad, Maithili and RDI/HIHT, Raphael, Saumya and Urban, Rajender, Zakir, Avi, the Leo Club, AGS Eye Hospital, Victor and his friend, Prateek, KHEL staff, and Ammaji and Stomy for their overall guidance and support. Special thanks to Beni and Bhagwat for shouldering an enormous burden and making it look easy. We serve in memory of Mahamandaleshwara Swami Veda Bharati (Pandit Dr. Usharbudh Arya), who grew up in Dehradun and dedicated his life to helping others. Special thanks to Anirudh, Suman, and Nikita, who, with the support of Beni, Bhagwat, Manju, and Stomy, crafted this Annual Report.

 It takes a global village to educate our kids. With your support, we provide Kindness, Health, Education, and Laughter — the tools they need to thrive in life.

In Service,

Beni P. Bhatt, Executive Director (India), Board Secretary (India)

Bhagwat Prasad, KHEL Manager, Board Treasurer (India)

Manju Maurya, LDA Headmistress

Anirudh Bhatt, LDA Assistant Manager

Stomya A. Persaud, Global Advisor