25 Years, A Lifetime of Dreams, and a Changemaker Award

On the evening of 18th September 2025, I stood on a stage and accepted the Changemaker of the Year Award in Education.

What made it even more meaningful was being recognized as one of nine changemakers honoured at the Better India Showcase 2025. It was humbling to be in a room filled with extraordinary visionaries whose work is transforming millions of lives across India.
Read more about the Showcase here.

Starting With a Question

As the applause washed over me, the moment felt both surreal and deeply grounding.

Surreal, because when we began Dream a Dream 25 years ago, there was no master plan, no certainty of impact. Only a simple but powerful question:

What if every child, no matter their background, could have the chance to dream and thrive?

Grounding, because this journey has never been about me alone. It has always been about relationships, about shared vulnerability, about walking together.

The Journey Was Never Linear

These 25 years have not been a straight line of success. They’ve been messy. They’ve been filled with doubt, despair, and personal struggles I continue to carry even today.

And yet, there have also been unforgettable moments of clarity.

• Like the evening after a football session, when a young boy who had endured immense hardship looked at me and said: “Anna, today was the first time I felt free.”

• Or the nights when I lay awake wondering if I was strong enough, or if the work itself was strong enough to make a real difference.

Those questions never fully go away. They are part of me. And maybe that’s the point — the struggles, the uncertainties, and the brokenness sit right alongside the hope, the laughter, and the beauty.

What This Award Means

So this award is not an endpoint.

It is a reminder.

A reminder that the work continues. A reminder that even the smallest acts of dignity, a moment of laughter, or a few words of encouragement can carry unimaginable power.

And it is a reminder that Dream a Dream has never been a solo journey. It honors my co-founders, my colleagues, my family, my mentors, and the countless invisible hands that carried me through the years. Most of all, it honors the young people who have trusted us with their dreams.

The recognition through the Better India Showcase 2025 strengthens our shared vision:

A Thriving Life, For Every Child.

Not just survival. Not just opportunity. But a life of dignity, joy, and possibility.

To make this real, we must also change ourselves. We must challenge our apathy, confront our indifference, and dismantle our prejudices and biases. We must work to create a society and a planet truly worthy of young people — not just for today, but for the next seven generations.

The Work Continues

This award belongs to all the children who dared to hope.

It belongs to every person who held me when I stumbled.

It belongs to all of you who continue to believe that change is possible.

May this recognition ignite in us more kindness, more courage, and more imagination — not just in the programs we build, but in how we choose to live every single day.

Because in the end, this is not just about me. It is about every child who deserves not just to survive, but to thrive. In Gratitude! 

Walking as Healing

Discipline around my physical health has been my achilles heal for the longest time. I had a story in my head which had become a limiting belief that I just can't commit myself to a physical activity discipline. Support has come in many ways. Encouragement to go for yoga classes, join a gym, accompanying me on my walks, offering to come join me in a sport, treks, hikes, etc. 

I sometimes tried, got exhausted and let it go. Many a time, I even refused to try giving an excuse or another. I would start a regime of going on walks and then be exhausted after a few days and give up. I would have something or someone to blame. Living with mental health challenges further bundled with a host of physical issues has always been a good reason to not try or give up quickly. 

In the middle of 2024, we had found solutions to most of my physical ailments - be it medications, therapy, physiotherapy, stress-free enviroment, reduced workload, learning to say 'NO', CPAP machine, etc. Yet, I didn't feel well enough. I felt the doctor was still missing something. My doctor, a remarkable woman, said, 'Vishal, I am clearing you. There is nothing more I can offer you. Now, its upto you. You have to take charge of getting better because now its all in your head.'

For sometime, I was very angry with her. How can she just give up on me? I don't feel well. I believe she is not listening to me anymore. As I calmed down, reflected, I realised I must feel elated and joyful. This is a moment of celebration. The challenges I was carrying for over a decade and believed will never be solved were now getting solved. I had finally received a clean bill of health. Wow! It was a strange realization - Who am I if not for my illness which has become my identity? What will I tell myself, my family and friends now? Sharing stories of how ill I am had become a badge of honour that I wore with pride and shame. How can I suddenly let go of the identity that had defined me. Slowly, I relaxed, let go and finally breathed a huge sigh of relief. I cried with joy and felt lighter.

Soon after, I don't remember the exact moment but one fine morning, I woke up at 5 am (thanks to my cat, Mishtu who believes his core existence is to ensure I am woken up at 5 am), I didn't feel irritated or angry and I decided to go for a walk. My partner had been recommending audible. Downloaded it, got a book, 'The Autobiography Of A Yogi' and my journey had begun. 

4-5 kms a day, listening to Ben Kinsley narrate the book, embracing the beauty of spring in Bangalore. Watching the gorgeous grand, old trees; taking in the mixed perfumes of the spring flowers in full bloom; my mind and body finally in sync. I began walking daily. 

Yesterday, I completed 31 days of walking (out of 34) wherein I completed my daily goals. I have walked 398,876 steps. Now, as I wake up every morning, my body urges me to step out and get going. Feeding the cats, finishing morning chores, getting supplies ready for the cook and I am off. 

I completed the book, got onto another book, paused a bit and started listening to the 'On Being' podcast by Krista Tippett and on some days relished my playlist of songs. 

I am healing! I am getting better! I am beginning to feel it in my bones and I wanted to celebrate this moment.