Under The Tree

Every exam season brings its own kind of nervous energy to Under The Tree.  

This year, we added something new to the morning rhythm — a quiet ritual of milk and fruit.

It began simply. Many of our children arrive without a proper breakfast, their stomachs as empty as their notebooks are full of questions. So we thought: Why not give them a little extra strength before they face their exams?  

And just like that, mornings changed.

You should have seen their faces — tiny hands wrapped around warm cups of milk, eyes lighting up at the sight of fresh fruit. For them, this wasn’t just food. It was comfort. It was care. It was someone saying, “Go on, you’ve got this.”

But every good thing comes with its own adjustments.  

Two rounds of food distribution stretch the day. The children already have a two‑hour window before lunch, and now an extra fifteen minutes slip quietly into the schedule. Volunteers shuffle their timings, routines bend a little, and the day stretches just enough to feel it.

Still, that’s the thing about community work — you gain some, you lose some, and you keep going because the children gain the most.

And that makes every extra minute worth it.

Screens may glow, but books still light up the soul.

In a digital world where knowledge bursts at our fingertips, the simple joy of turning a crisp page remains unmatched. So when our dear friend and Under The Tree patron Anisha Verma invited us to visit Noida, our hearts were full of gratitude.

Today, a small group of Under The Tree children stepped into this beautiful space for the very first time. Welcomed warmly by Chief Librarian Ms. Misbah, they were soon transported into a universe of stories, ideas, and endless imagination.

For the next couple of hours, they wandered through books of every kind — completely absorbed, wide‑eyed, and mesmerised. For many, it was their first-ever library visit, and the experience felt nothing short of magical.

The Library is a delightful haven — a place that nurtures curiosity, calm, and quiet wonder. It offers not just books, but an environment that inspires learning, reflection, and meaningful pauses in a busy day.

Grateful to for creating and sustaining this sanctuary of knowledge, and to the team that keeps it so welcoming. Thank you for opening your doors for the Under The Tree children.

A little update from Under The Tree…

After our Hungarian guests spent time with the children last Friday, we asked a simple follow‑up question: “What is the capital of Hungary?”

Ten children took up the challenge. They went home, searched online, watched videos, and returned the next day excited to share what they had discovered.

Seven of them wrote the correct answer — Budapest — and even added a small note about the city.

For children whose world is still very small, this was a moment of pure discovery. Your interaction sparked their curiosity, and that spark carried them all the way to a new country on the map.

Ready to give them a new weekly challenge? They’re absolutely ready to take it.

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And today brought another reason to celebrate.

We marked the birthdays of Viraaj, grandson of our mentor Satish K. Bansal ji, and Shubham, son of our patron Lt Col Saurabh Panday (Retd) — with a special lunch for all the kids.

Small moments. Big joy. Growing curiosity.

This is how learning blooms.

As AI reshapes our world at a breathtaking pace, the ways we teach and learn are evolving just as quickly. At Under The Tree, we remain committed to bringing the best learning tools we can—despite our limited resources—to the children and communities that need them most.

Delighted to share that we’ve launched two new English‑learning apps, created at our own Jyoti EdLabs especially for underserved learners. We dedicated these apps today to the children at our open study session, which resumed after the Holi break.