Amitabh Soni worked in a London-based company after earning a degree in International Business for several years. He could not derive satisfaction from his work and wished to return to India. He finally quit his job in 2014 and came back to India to work on his dream mission. Today, he provides free education to the tribal children of Kekadiya village in Bhopal.
Bhopal: Amitabh Soni was making lakhs from his job in London. He had aspired for a job like that for years. However, one fine day, Amitabh quit from his job and returned to India in 2014. Today, he is social worker and provides education to the children of Kekadiya tribal village. Let’s find out what inspired him to take this bold step.
Quitting the job
For Amitabh, taking the decision of quitting from his job was not an easy task. At the age of 30, he relocated to London. After spending a few months there, he decided to come back. However, within a year, his wife joined him in London. Time flew by and five years passed quickly. Amitabh considered returning home, but his wife urged him to continue working in London, and just like that, another 7 years passed.
Taking a divorce
Amitabh always had a sort of uneasiness in his heart. He loved his country and wanted to return back anyhow. He just didn’t know how to make the move as his family members had assumed that Amitabh was living his dream life. He made a trip back to India in 2011 and after six months he convinced himself that he would not come back to India. However, his destiny had different plans for him. In the year 2014, he finally returned to India for good. However, in the whole course, his relationship with his wife grew bitter and the couple took a divorce. His wife currently lives in London.
Spending holidays in India
While most people living abroad, choose to travel to European countries for their holidays, Amitabh Soni had a different approach. He preferred to spend his holidays in India instead of travelling to other countries. He recalls that in 2014, he determined to make a strong move because he had previously decided to stay in India but ultimately had to return to his foreign residence.
Working with the tribes
Amitabh had received excellent education in his life. And so, he wanted to make the same kind of education accessible to every child. He came back to India with just an idea in his mind. He did not know where to start from. After discussing with a lot of people, he learned about the Kekadiya village of Bhopal. He visited the village and started off with his work.
Support from social media
Amitabh Soni frequently shares about his life experiences on his social media account. Similarly, he shared about his visit to the village and a desire to teach young children. His family and friends supported him and spread the word for him. With the massive support he received from his followers, he formed an organization named ‘Abhedya’. Presently, many young people are associated with his team who contribute to teaching tribal children free of cost.
Working with sponsors
Children in Kekadiya village no longer have to worry about school fees. The village has a population of approximately 1200, and earlier there were only three educated people in the entire village. But now with Amitabh’s efforts, more than 500 people have received education. Amitabh himself ensures the funding for the further education of these children who wish to pursue studies in colleges. Some people sponsor fees ranging from Rs 20 to 25 thousand per year; this helps him ensuring that 100 students get benefits from it. Amitabh shares that he does not personally profit from this endeavour, and he encourages others to support and sponsor children’s education fees.
Amitabh’s background
In his childhood, Amitabh Soni used to live at his maternal home in Indore. His father, who was an army officer spent most of his time relocating to different cities. Due to this, Amitabh got the opportunity of meeting people from all backgrounds. After completing his schooling, he earned a degree in International Business. Following his education, he embarked on a career in a London-based company. During this time, he also dedicated his efforts to working with the British Government's Social Welfare organization. Despite being far from home, Amitabh always held a deep connection to his homeland.
Building IT labs
Amitabh Soni initiated the transformation of the tribal village by renovating it and providing modern facilities. His free schools look like well-built private schools of cities. Moreover, he established an IT lab within the village's community hall, offering computer education to the children. To ensure a consistent power supply, a solar plant was installed. Over time, changes could be observed as young children willingly showed interest in learning about the computers and started attending their classes regularly.
Testimonials to Amitabh’s efforts
Mukesh Tomar, one of the students who benefited from Amitabh’s free schools, is a graduate from National Law University, Bhopal. Presently, he is preparing for the judiciary exams and helps the foundation in legal matters. He is also the secretary of the organization. Other young students look up to him for inspiration. Amitabh first met Mukesh when he was resolving some land related matters. He supports Mukesh in his preparation for the judiciary exams.
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