The Story of KEWS

Where It All Began

Every meaningful journey begins with a single, courageous step. For Kartikay Educational and Welfare Society, that step was taken on 15th February 2018 — when the Society was formally registered under the Registrar of Societies, Madhya Pradesh Act of 1973, with its home at 243, Panchvati, Sarvottam Nagar, Ward No. 48, Parasia Road, Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.

From a modest address in the heart of Chhindwara, a vision was born — a vision that dared to believe that every child, regardless of ability, background, or circumstance, deserves access to quality education, dignified care, and the freedom to grow into their fullest potential.

The Society was founded as a non-profit, non-governmental organisation with a clear and urgent purpose: to address two of the most pressing challenges facing Indian society — education and literacy for children, and meaningful support for children with disabilities. In a district where access to specialised services for differently-abled children was severely limited, Kartikay stepped in not with grand resources, but with unwavering resolve.

The Founding Philosophy

The founders of Kartikay Educational and Welfare Society carried with them a belief that was simple but profound — that there is uniqueness in every child. Not some children. Every child.

They believed that children with disabilities were not lesser. They were not burdens. They were not problems to be managed. They were — and remain — shining stars, each carrying within them gifts and strengths that the world had simply not yet learned how to see.

This philosophy shaped everything. It shaped the way the Society designed its programmes. It shaped the language its staff used with children and families. It shaped the atmosphere it worked so hard to create — one where a child with autism or intellectual disability or cerebral palsy could walk through the door and never feel different, never feel inferior, never feel invisible.

The Society’s founders also understood that awareness was as important as intervention. Myths, stigma, and misinformation surrounding disability cause as much harm as the disability itself. Kartikay set out not just to serve children — but to change the way communities think about disability, childhood, and human potential.

Building Block by Block — The Early Years

In its earliest days, Kartikay Educational and Welfare Society operated with limited infrastructure but unlimited commitment. The team began by offering educational and rehabilitative support to children with disabilities from Chhindwara and surrounding areas — many of whom had never received any professional intervention before.

Families who had spent years searching for answers, for support, for someone who would simply listen and help — found in Kartikay a place that understood them. Word spread quietly, as it does in communities where genuine help is rare: this place is different. These people care.

Alongside its work with children with disabilities, the Society also established Hamara Ghosla Educare — an English medium school offering quality education from Pre-Nursery to Class 8, grounded in Montessori principles, activity-based learning, and an environment that treated every child as capable, curious, and worthy of the very best. Affordable fees ensured that quality education was not a privilege reserved for the few.

AAKAAR — A Wing Born from the Heart

Of all the Society’s initiatives, none is more central to its identity than AAKAAR — the special wing dedicated entirely to children with disabilities.

The name itself carries meaning. AAKAAR — form, shape, structure — reflects the Society’s belief that every child, given the right environment and support, can find and give shape to their own extraordinary life.

AAKAAR began with a straightforward but deeply human intention: to teach, and to spread a little happiness in the lives of children who had often known more struggle than joy.

From the beginning, AAKAAR offered a comprehensive range of services under one roof — Special Education, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Remedial Classes, Child and Parent Counseling, IEP-based teaching, IQ assessments, home-based training, and early intervention services. Children with Mental Retardation, Autism, Learning Disabilities, and Multiple Disabilities — who had previously had no dedicated professional support in the region — finally had a place built specifically for them.

AAKAAR did not just serve children. It partnered with families — recognising that parents and caregivers are the most powerful force in a child’s life, and that no intervention is complete unless the family is supported alongside the child.

Kartikay Institute of Rehabilitation and Training Centre — Creating Professionals, Multiplying Impact

As the Society’s direct services grew, its founders recognised a deeper challenge: India had a critical shortage of trained Special Educators. Without qualified professionals, no amount of good intention could create the scale of change that children with disabilities urgently needed.

In response, the Society established the Kartikay Institute of Rehabilitation and Training Centre — offering the D.Ed. Special Education (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) programme recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).

This was a transformative step. By training Special Educators, Kartikay was no longer just serving the children who came through its own doors — it was creating a ripple effect that would reach children and families across Madhya Pradesh and beyond. Every graduate who left Kartikay Institute carrying an RCI-recognised qualification carried with them the Society’s values: dignity, patience, evidence-based practice, and an unshakeable belief in every child’s potential.

The Institute offered two media of instruction — Hindi and English — making it accessible to students from diverse linguistic backgrounds, and opening the doors of a professional rehabilitation career to young people from across the region.

Growing in Service — Health, Therapy, and Community

As Kartikay’s reach deepened, so did the breadth of its services. The Society introduced Regular Health Checkups — recognising that a child’s physical wellbeing is inseparable from their ability to learn and develop. Medical professionals began conducting periodic assessments covering general health, nutrition, vision, hygiene, and developmental indicators — ensuring that health concerns were caught early and addressed promptly.

Structured Therapy Services — including Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Remedial Support — became cornerstones of the Society’s intervention model. Qualified professionals worked not just with children but alongside parents, building family capacity and ensuring that therapeutic progress extended into the home and community, not just the therapy room.

Through all of this growth, the Society never lost sight of its founding conviction: that social awareness is as vital as professional intervention. Awareness camps, community outreach, and parent education remained woven into everything Kartikay did.

Growing in Service — Health, Therapy, and Community

As Kartikay’s reach deepened, so did the breadth of its services. The Society introduced Regular Health Checkups — recognising that a child’s physical wellbeing is inseparable from their ability to learn and develop. Medical professionals began conducting periodic assessments covering general health, nutrition, vision, hygiene, and developmental indicators — ensuring that health concerns were caught early and addressed promptly.

Structured Therapy Services — including Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Remedial Support — became cornerstones of the Society’s intervention model. Qualified professionals worked not just with children but alongside parents, building family capacity and ensuring that therapeutic progress extended into the home and community, not just the therapy room.

Through all of this growth, the Society never lost sight of its founding conviction: that social awareness is as vital as professional intervention. Awareness camps, community outreach, and parent education remained woven into everything Kartikay did.

Where We Stand Today

More than seven years since that founding day in February 2018, Kartikay Educational and Welfare Society stands as one of Chhindwara’s most respected and trusted institutions in the field of disability, rehabilitation, and inclusive education.

Today, the Society operates:

• AAKAAR Special School — serving children with Autism, Intellectual Disability, Learning Disabilities, Cerebral Palsy, and Multiple Disabilities through Special Education, Therapy, Counseling, and Early Intervention
• Hamara Ghosla Educare — providing quality English medium education from Pre-Nursery to Class 8 in a nurturing, child-centred environment
• Kartikay Institute of Rehabilitation and Training Centre — training the next generation of Special Educators and rehabilitation professionals under RCI recognition

Hundreds of children have been served. Dozens of professionals have been trained. Countless families have found in Kartikay not just services — but hope, understanding, and a community that stands with them.

Kartikay Educational and Welfare Society does not measure its success in numbers alone. It measures success in the child who spoke their first word after months of speech therapy. In the parent who finally understood their child’s diagnosis and knew what to do. In the young graduate from Kartikay Institute who now runs a special education classroom in a rural government school, giving children something they never had before — a teacher who truly understands them.

The road ahead is long. The need in India is vast. But the Society moves forward with the same spirit it has always carried — the courage to take the first step on an infinite staircase, one step closer to a more inclusive, more compassionate, more just world for every child.