How India is embracing SEL and Life Skills – A Showcase

Karanga Monthly Community Call 

Across India, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Life Skills are increasingly being recognized as essential to helping young people navigate complexity, build resilience, and lead meaningful lives. While the field continues to evolve, a diverse set of practitioners across the country are developing deeply contextual approaches that integrate SEL into classrooms, communities, and creative spaces. In this month’s Karanga community call, we spotlight three such organizations whose work reflects the richness and diversity of SEL practice in India.

Apni Shala, Shiksharth, Saturday Art Class and Dream a Dream represent four complementary pathways through which SEL and Life Skills are being brought to life. Apni Shala works to build social and emotional competencies among children, educators, and communities through experiential programs and whole-school approaches that nurture skills such as self-awareness, empathy, relationships, and responsible decision-making. Shiksharth works closely with tribal and rural communities, creating learning spaces that center local culture, creativity, and holistic development for children growing up in some of India’s most underserved regions. Saturday Art Class integrates visual arts with SEL, offering children—especially from low-income communities—safe spaces to express themselves, build confidence, collaborate with peers, and develop the skills needed to thrive. Dream a Dream integrates SEL & Life Skills into National and State level curriculums, pedagogies and assessment frameworks shifting the fundamental purpose of education towards Thriving of every child.

Together, these organizations illustrate how SEL in India is not a single model but a living ecosystem—rooted in relationships, creativity, community wisdom, arts-based practices and culturally responsive practice. This conversation will offer a window into how practitioners across diverse contexts—from urban classrooms to rural learning environments to systemic change initiatives —are reimagining education to support every child’s well-being, agency, and ability to thrive.

Presenters –

Manasi Mehan, Cofounder & CEO, Saturday Art Class

Suchetha Bhat, CEO, Dream a Dream

Rohit Kumar, Co-Director & CEO, Apnishala

Ashish Shrivastava, Cofounder & Program Head, Shiksharth