With a firm belief in the transformative power of education, Kumari and SD Shibulal started their philanthropic journey 25 years ago, growing the reach of their programmes and nurturing their success
Both of us come from middle-class families. I come from a lower middle-class family, and when I was growing up, education was not that important for parents. They wouldn’t encourage it much because livelihoods got in the way,” recalls Kumari Shibulal, who was born to farmer parents in Ramamangalam, a small village in Kerala. “I remember when I was going to school, during harvest time, half the children would be absent from classes.” Her own parents, however, although uneducated, were very progressive. “They figured out that only through education we can make any improvement in our lives or in future generations. So, they forced us to go to school and study. That is the reason we are here now, talking to you.”
(This story appears in the 09 February, 2024 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)