We provide the relevant connections, learnings, and guidance to unilaterally elevate the quality of life for the people living within the Liluah Landfill.
Welcome to the Bagheera Project, we are excited to have you be a part of our journey! The Bagheera Project was established to empower the community living within the Liluah Bagar (Landfill), on the outskirts of Kolkata, India. The 5,000 member community was originally inhabited over forty years ago by migrants from Bihar seeking an escape from starvation, caste oppression, and economic deprivation
20/10/2017
Wonderful trip to the Indian Museum. While some students were more engaged than others, we all enjoyed a nice respite in the greenery. Biggest take aways were the Mummification process and the diversity of animal life around the globe.
22/09/2017
Proud of our students for taking a step closer to Law School and participating in their first interview at National University of Juridical Sciences with IDIA- Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education. A great experience we hope to build on to blaze a path to better opportunities and create strong role models for the Baghar community.
14/09/2017
Very honored by our students' surprise Teacher's Day Celebration! Plenty of cake, decorations, dance, and laughs to make us feel especially loved!
05/09/2017
Congratulations to the newly certified Tailors! All graduates receive their own sewing machine. This marks the third and final batch from Father Mathew George's program. Next is a push to form a Self Help Group, working together to fill larger orders and go to market with their wonderfully crafted kurtas and blouses.
30/08/2017
Debate Month! Our students have demonstrated their proficiency in understanding and discussing complex global and local challenges. We have held a series of debates reflecting the realities and implications of policy decisions ranging from the banning of beef to the shunning of 'love' marriages. It is wonderful to see active engagement, discourse, and a desire to research further.
15/08/2017
Big shout out to our co-founder Gayatri VS who will be representing Bagheera Project at UNLEASH over the next two weeks in Copenhagen!
She will be brainstorming with leading companies, research institutions, foundations, non-profits, and investors to provide next generation solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals.
We wish her the best of luck!
https://unleash.org/
UNLEASH - A Global Innovation Lab for the Sustainable Development Goals The world needs innovators to create solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals and to create a better world by 2030. UNLEASH makes it happen!
01/08/2017
Last week, the West Bengal Chapter of IDIA- Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education was on site to conduct a screening for their tremendous program. Law schools in India often lack diversity as access to quality education, cultural capital and affluence, and financial constraints pose significant barriers. IDIA aims to make this process more democratic through preparing and sponsoring economically disadvantaged students throughout the entire admittance and schooling process. We had planned for three of our students to take the screening, but were pleasantly surprised when all 15 decided to partake.
15/07/2017
Sometimes it feels our world is bursting at the seams; with unprecedented levels of urbanization, poorly planned infrastructure, and a top down approach to development our cities are sick. Check out our co-founder, Gayatri VS thoughts on what it takes to remedy this dire situation.
http://bagheeraproject.strikingly.com/blog/from-fragility-to-resilience
From Fragility to Resilience The world is urbanizing at unprecedented rates, with millions absorbed into the urban population every year. Adding to the pressure are more than 30 million displaced people driven from their homes by climate change and violence. Naturally, some of the fastest growing cities today are also some...
04/07/2017
Last week we held our first 'Cluster Meeting' with the NGOs operating in Baghar. With this we will pursue a unified vision for development, share resources and opportunities, and give the community more autonomy and leadership in the range of decisions that directly affect them. Special thanks to Don Bosco School, Park Circus, H.E.L.G.O. e.V., The Hope Foundation, and Magic Bus for their willingness to come on-board.
26/06/2017
Check out our latest blog from our wonderful volunteer Tamralipta Patra. She discusses the process and conclusions from her class on climate change and toxic waste.
http://bagheeraproject.strikingly.com/blog/summer-at-baghar
Summer at Baghar! Summer has come and Mysore University, where I am pursuing my masters, closes for a month on account of summer holiday. Here I am, travelling to Kolkata to spend the holiday with my parents. This time it’s going to be slightly different; apart from spending time with my family, I will be...
20/06/2017
Our formal introduction to goal setting and crafting a plan for our youth leaders' futures. We will begin a diary and journaling initiative to track progress as well as provide the needed support and connections to help them achieve their goals. Some of the goals listed are careers and economic security (lawyer, doctor, railway, footballer), schooling (graduation), and new cities.
30/05/2017
Our session with Arnab from IDIA (Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access www.idialaw.com), inspiring our youth leaders to pursue Law as a profession. IDIA democratizes the admittance process into India's top National Law Universities by providing intensive preparation for the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test), as well as paying for all school fees, stipends for internships, and legal aid support to disparaged communities. We have high hopes for our students, and four of them will be applying in the coming years.