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Our Story

A Home, a Family, a Future for Children from North East India

Six parts of what Ishwarpuram actually is: not a list of programmes, but a daily, lived commitment to the children who call it home.

A True Home

Daily Care

Our Roots

Togetherness

Beyond Learning

Our Journey

A Home, Not Just an Institution

Founded so that distance would never cost a child their future

Ishwarpuram is a residential home for children from North East India — built around one idea: that talent shouldn’t go unsupported just because a family is far away.

  • Founded in 2002 by the late Shri Vikas Bhagwat, with Shri Prashant Joshi and the late Shri Mukund Godbole
  • A residential campus in Phulgaon, near Pune, owned and run by the Ishwarpuram Trust
  • Students are supported through their schooling, with the aim that they return home one day to contribute to their own communities
Everyday Care & Well-Being

Steady, practical care behind every ordinary day

Daily life at Ishwarpuram runs on consistency — a safe residence, regular meals, health attention, and routines that support a child’s wellbeing, not only their studies.

  • A resident caretaking team looks after the students' day-to-day needs
  • Health and medical care are a standing part of residential life
  • Regular wellness routines, including yoga practice
  • Small, recurring rituals like students praying together before exams reflect quiet, everyday emotional support
Culture & Identity

Roots carried forward, performed with pride

Students bring their tribal culture with them to Maharashtra — performing it on real stages, not just preserving it quietly — while also taking part fully in the festivals of their new surroundings.

  • Traditional tribal dance and dress performed at public cultural programmes
  • A shared festival calendar lived through the year — North Eastern and Maharashtrian traditions, side by side
  • National occasions are marked with student participation, echoing the institution's founding emphasis on identity and unity
A Community That Shows Up

Held up by people who keep choosing to care

Ishwarpuram isn’t self-contained. It’s supported by a circle of local families, villagers and well-wishers who have stood by it consistently, year after year.

  • Local guardian families in Phulgaon and Wagholi regularly welcome students into their homes, especially during festivals like Diwali
  • Villagers from Phulgaon and Wagholi have long been a source of goodwill and support
  • An ongoing working relationship with partner community organisations
  • A steady base of recognition and visits from public figures over the years, reflecting broad, lasting goodwill
Growth Beyond the Classroom

Confidence built through sport, exposure and skill

Alongside basic schooling support, students grow through sport, exposure trips and skill-building — experiences that build confidence as much as competence.

  • Regular sport, including football and inter-school competitions, as part of campus life
  • Educational exposure trips to institutions, science parks and other learning environments
  • Structured skill-development and training programmes aimed at building self-reliance
  • Basic academic support — tuition, materials and growing access to computers — treated as one part of a student's wider development, not the whole of it
A Journey That Continues

Still building, with more students in mind

Ishwarpuram’s work doesn’t stop at today. The Trust continues to invest in the campus and is planning new initiatives for the students still to come.

  • Governed by a Board of Trustees; registered with 80G and 12A certification, CSR approval and DARPAN registration, with support from the Governments of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh
  • Steady, ongoing investment in campus infrastructure over the years
  • A new residential building is planned to expand capacity for more students currently in the design and approval stage
  • A new community nutrition initiative is being planned to support local government school children nearby

Our Vision

A future where every child from the North East has a place to belong and the confidence to build a life of their own choosing.

Not shaped elsewhere, not changed beyond recognition just given the room
and the roots, to grow.

Be Part of the Story

Every part of this is held up by people who choose to care

Whether through a visit, a donation or simply spreading the word — there’s a place in this story for you too.

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