'Khula Aasmaan' giving wings to Kashi's underprivileged children

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 5 : Kashi, as famous English author Mark Twain describes, is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and books twice as old as all of them put together. Kashi showers light of knowledge since ages through divinity, physical and spiritual paradigms on its inhabitants and its sacred ghats that have witnessed greats like Tulsi Das, Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, Shehnai player Ustad Bismillah Khan and many more are now witnessing the uniqueness of 'Khula Aasmaan.'
Khula Aasmaan which means- an open sky, is a school of 55 students that takes place every day on the stares of the beautiful Ravidas ghat of the city. This school is for those who somehow cannot afford their education and for those who left their education due to any reason. Besides education, students get here training of Karate, Martial art, Yoga and many other activities free of cost.
This school has been running for the last two years and is open daily from three in the afternoon to seven in the evening. Students, from lower kindergarten (L.K.G.) to class 10th, are being taught in the school according to their school syllabus.
Roli Raghuvanshi, who is the founder of Khula Aasmaan, said that the school started in a room during the COVID pandemic and now it is conducted in on the ghats in an open sky.
"Khula Asman is an institution that was built in a locked room and it is the vision of a woman who thinks that education is for everyone and so these children too have equal rights. We try to empower them through education," said Roli.

This school aims to connect the deprived to the mainstream.
"Here in our society, there is a huge gap between rich and poor people, but that should not prevent anyone from their fundamental rights. We are divided into many classes, but here in Khula Aasman, we are equal as students from different castes and communities such as Brahman, beggars, sailors, and others too come here," Roli further said.
Om Prakash, who aims to become an engineer, said, "We learn many other things along with our academic subjects like paintings, taekwondo and etc."
"We are properly taught here," A student from the school said.
Now, the founder of Khula Aasmaan, Roli Raghuvanshi is looking forward to connecting women too to this initiative of learning.