Joginder holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a postgraduate diploma in management. He came up with the idea for Sanskriti with his elder brother. He loved books in his college days, but they did not have a good library in their city Bahadurgarh (Haryana) and felt the lack of it deeply.
Thus, when his career stabilised, even though his brother had unexpectedly passed away by then, he revisited the dream they had dreamed together, and it took shape in the form of Sanskriti in 2007. Joginder started a small free public library in their own home in July 2007.
Many kids were attracted to the library and would visit to read and learn. They eventually developed more discipline and interest in the subject matter they were learning. The library became a sanctuary of learning and enlightenment for the young minds of Bahadurgarh.
In 2009, destiny led Joginder to far-off lands – Chile and Belgium – for his job, but distance couldn’t sever the bond he had forged with Sanskriti. Even from afar, he continued to collaborate with his friends, knowing that they were creating something extraordinary and meaningful.
Joginder’s determination knew no borders. He reached out to like-minded souls, even from foreign lands, seeking support for his educational project. Sanskriti had become more than just a library; it was a beacon of hope and empowerment for the community it served. In 2013, he came back to India and decided to fully dedicate himself to Sanskriti. He left his job abroad to focus on both Sanskriti and his own startup called ETechDreams. However, life threw a major challenge his way when his father was diagnosed with cancer and sadly passed away. Despite this difficult time, he found new strength and continued his work on Sanskriti and his rural IT startup, ETechDreams.
Inspired by the positive impact of his library in his hometown, he now had a big dream – to create similar libraries all across India. It was definitely tough but not impossible.
As of today, Sanskriti Initiative is doing something amazing! They are opening free libraries in rural areas with interesting and high-quality books. They want to give students a nice place to study. They work together with individuals, government rural schools, and other organizations already involved in education.
Their mission is to reach children in rural areas and give them access to a wonderful library. To start, they provide around 150-200 excellent children’s books, along with some furniture like tables, chairs, bookshelves, and cupboards to set up the library. The books they offer come in Hindi and English and cover different types like fiction, non-fiction, and inspiring stories. Their goal is to build a strong passion for education and reading in children from rural areas.
The idea is to provide good quality books and a safe place to study for the children. The impact of these libraries is clear when you see the happy and excited faces of the children visiting the libraries. At present, they have more than 110 free libraries all over the country. The most important thing for them is the quality of the books they provide. They make sure to have books suitable for different reading levels. In our country, there are cases where children are in higher classes but cannot read well. So, they choose books that match each child’s ability, helping them learn and grow.
They work with people and organizations that are already involved in education. They search for potential partners on social media or in their own network and carefully check them before forming a network of libraries. This way, they can have a bigger impact.
Through books, they empower children and create a positive and long-lasting effect on their lives. Reading in a safe space is essential. Sometimes, in rural areas, children can’t come to school because they have to take care of household chores like taking cattle for grazing. Joginder aims to help these children too. So the library becomes a safe place to study for such children.
Joginder’s another initiative, ETechDreams Solutions, promotes rural IT in the country. They train and employ rural educated youth into IT workforce. This initiative is in action for more than 5 years an generating employment for the young minds in India. In its 5 plus years of journey, ETechDreams has served clients from across the world wherein some team members working from the rural parts of the country.
Whether it’s technology or social entrepreneurship, Joginder is on the mission to make an impact in as many lives as possible through his initiatives.
Brief Profile:
- A social and tech entrepreneur with more than 17 years of experience working in different parts of the world
- SDG Goalkeeper awardee by United Nations Development programs and Govt. of Uttarakhand. Felicitation by Chief minister of Uttarakhand Shri. Pushkar Singh Dhami Ji
- Have opened more than >110 free libraries for underprivileged children across the country benefitting thousands of children for good quality books and reading space; working on mission 1000 free libraries now
- Top 100 Inspiring Men of India by Shining Star India Awards
- IMT -CDL distinguish alumni award for Social service
- CIO Insider top 10 tech entrepreneur 2020 awardee
- Forbes Asia 30 under 30 leaders nomination invitee
- Felicitation by Govt. of Uttarakhand for being execution team of Startup Yatra Uttarakhand, 2018 ( A state and central government initiative).Interacted with more than 5000 students across Uttarakhand state to spread awareness about Startup and entrepreneurship.
- Published author of 3 books – @Dreams, A silly wild cloud and Art of Starting up (Amazon Bestseller)
- Featured and published/broadcasted on major national dailies like Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran, Hindustan, Dainik Haribhoomi etc along with Radio and Television for social, tech and literary initiatives
- Featured on online platforms like The Better India, YourStory, Nexus of Good, The Quint etc.
- Recognised by – UNDP, Govt of Uttarakhand, Ministry of Culture Govt. of India, Haryana Govt., IMT-CDL, Shining Start awards etc.
Such an inspiring story impacting thousands of life. The missions are so noble and enriching for humankind… Hope these dreams are fulfilled which will make the world a little better place in its own way
Thank you, Mridusmita ! Appreciate your every word.
Your story always inspire to dream and work hard for your dream .
You are my Guru sir .
Thank you, Dharambir. Happy that my story inspires you. Wishing you the best for your journey !