Janta of Mantra Diaries

Mantra will soon be completing ten years, and our Mantra family has grown over the past decade; # JantaofMantra diaries aim to bring stories of our Mantra family. Here is Rafi's account, reminiscing the last five years at Mantra.

I recently completed five years with Mantra and thought I'd take this time to relish the memories and wish a bunch of colleagues.

It has been an incredible journey so far. It doesn't feel five years yet. Initially, I joined Mantra to work here for two years and joined as a community engagement lead (Designation was STL- but I believed I could do only community engagement then) at Goripalaya, a slum in Bangalore. Now it has taken a long way. I was very clueless as to what to share and what not. Hence I went through google photos and shared a few here. I believe pictures can tell more than words, and here are a few memories.

This is what five years have been so far...

This is where it all started... Goripalaya. See our first CRC and technology intervention (Genie App of EkStep). Spot me teaching pre-primary and Santosh along with officials of Goripalaya.

LRTT visit to Mantra. These photos have gained me a lot of popularity in my village. A few of them still believe my job is teaching foreigners. It was an excellent experience. The fun was taking them in a queue through Goripalaya roads, where everyone would be looking at them with curiosity, and these guys will be taking photos of each buffalo on the road with more interest.

Onboarding Punjab has its own story. Being in Punjab for the initial two weeks was eye-opening to deep diving into the system. The first photo shows dept officials on a gallery walk as part of presenting solutions.

Work from the office soon after Covid's first wave looked like this, and being alone in the office was a challenge on its own.

Representing Tumkur in front of the entire district officials and education minister.

Finally, last week witnessed another milestone in the DETP journey. The entire team of DETP, around 35+ people from 4 organizations, came together to understand each other and the programs they offer to the district. Each member will represent DETP as a whole, and DETP will evolve into its 2.0 journey.

I look forward to making many more memories as fun, learning, brainstorming; I'm thankful for the constant support and motivation provided by the Mantra Family.

Signing off on this final note.