About Us

We didn't come to change the village.
We came to believe in it.

Varitra — Sanskrit for ‘Umbrella’ — is a youth-led organisation built on one stubborn conviction: that when communities are believed in, equipped, and trusted, they become the most powerful engine of their own transformation.

Our Vision

To empower people to participate towards building a just society through collective efforts.

Our Mission

To create platforms and opportunities for individuals and communities to enhance their capacities towards leading collective, path-breaking and sustainable solutions.

Our Goal

Transforming 100 villages over a period of 20 years. Starting with karnal district — building education, youth leadership, and gender equity ecosystems that sustain themselves long after we leave.

How we work

We act as a facilitator — not a provider. Youth changemakers, communities, development organisations, and government are all at the table. We work with the people, never for them – from identifying the problem, to co-designing the solution, to handing over ownership for long-term sustainability.

1.TRUST

We build trust, hold commitment and stay transparent and open in sharing of vision, ideas and information

2. RESPECT

We value our people, treat each other with respect and dignity and stand by each other

3. EMPATHY

We lead from the head & the heart and strive to make better choices and maintain an open and inclusive environment

4. COLLABORATION

We believe in leveraging collective intelligence, experiences and contribution to do good and do better

5. LEARNING

– We recognize each individual’s uniqueness and constantly work on challenging ourselves, improving ourselves and learn new things

The people behind the umbrella.

Advisors

KL Mukesh

Venture Partner
Unitus Ventures

Gayathri Vasudevan

CEO LabourNet

Ulhas Vairagkar

Founder- Investor, Vanguard Business School

Dr. Ramji Lal

Educationist & Political Analyst

Amit Lahiri

Dean’s Doctoral Initiative Scholar, University of waterloo

Naghma Abidi

Consultant, Pravah/ISDM

Core team

The Varitra team is a dynamic force of 31 highly driven young individuals, united by a singular passion for change. With tireless dedication, they channel their diverse talents into building a better, brighter world for the children of tomorrow. They are the engine of innovation, working relentlessly to turn vision into reality.

Varitra Ambassadors

Varitra ambassadors are talented young leaders from India and around the world who help Varitra build a shared space of diverse expertise and experience. We are proud to work alongside people inspired to help build this youth-led community — creating momentum of positive change for children and women in need. In India and around the world, we are bringing people together to end the lack of access to education and socio-economic empowerment faced by under-served communities.

PDF for Varitra ambassadors

Ayeshna & Baljeet
Co-Founders, Varitra Foundation

Founders’ Story

Growing up in rural settings of Haryana, studying in some of the best universities in our country, and later working as young CSR professionals — these are some of the commonalities both of us share.

We are also passionate believers in the power of quality education to transform lives and families — our own included. We felt a huge gap in how our children and youth access these opportunities across urban and rural India.

Due to lack of proper education, lakhs of rural children and youth — especially women — are denied higher education and employment, leaving them vulnerable to social and financial setbacks.

With a purpose to change this, and to follow our stubborn passion for working with the under-privileged at the very grassroots — we quit our jobs, moved to Haryana, and established Varitra Foundation in January 2018.

We consider ourselves lucky that at every step, we were joined by an amazing bunch of people — especially our youth — who have today become a big family.

We continue to move towards equality, peace, and justice in our society.
One child at a time.

About Varitra Foundation

Varitra Foundation is a grassroots nonprofit organization based in Karnal, Haryana, dedicated to transforming rural education, empowering youth, and advancing gender equity. Founded in 2018, the name “Varitra”—derived from Sanskrit—means “umbrella,” symbolizing its mission to foster synergy, collaboration, and inclusive development.​

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