I Returned to Learning Late — and It Changed Everything
For most of my life, learning was never my priority.Of course, life teaches you many things through experiences, failures, and the people you meet. But formal learning, the kind that happens in classrooms and institutions, always took a back seat for me. Ironically, I began my career as a teacher, a profession I had never […]
Education in the Aftermath: Children Finding Safety and Dreams Again
In the shadow of conflict, hope often feels impossibly distant. But for a group of children displaced by ethnic violence in Manipur, hope did not fade — it transformed. Their story is one of courage, resilience, and the quiet, powerful way education can heal fractured lives and unite divided communities. These children lived in peaceful […]
When a School Comes Back to Life at the Edge of India
A cold February morning; the year, 2022. I woke up to the sound of someone knocking at my door. It was a villager. She was holding a basket of eggs and laipatta. “For you and Athisa ma’am,” she said. Outside, the mountains were covered in glistening white snow. “Why, it’s like a fridge inside this […]
When Compassion Becomes a Way of Life
There are moments in life when passion meets purpose, and for me, this moment came with Sunbird Trust. From the first day, I knew I’d stepped into something extraordinary — a place where compassion isn’t just an idea, but a way of life. My journey with Sunbird Trust began as the Executive Assistant to Col. […]
Why Education Means More Than Books to Me
I was born and brought up in the quiet, rugged hills where life was simple but full of limitations. Education was scarce, opportunities were few, and our living conditions were just enough to fill our stomachs — often with food that carried very little nutritive value. Growing up in such an environment, dreaming beyond survival […]
Bringing Dreams Within Reach
I was born and raised in Kabuikhullen village, Noney District, Manipur. Growing up as the fourth child in a family of seven siblings, life was always full of joy, laughter, and the occasional quarrel. Being part of a big family meant there was always someone to lean on, and we learned to help one another […]
What Development Looks Like from the Last Village
My story is nothing sort of a fantasy but it’s a reality of the underdeveloped Northeast India. Born in the hills of Manipur and raised in a small town called Tahamzam in Senapati district, I grew up thinking I knew these landscapes, these people, these roads. My work takes me to places where Google Maps […]
A House, Sunlight, and the Wisdom of Children
Finding a house on rent in Monigong village of the newly carved out district of Shi-yomi, Arunachal Pradesh, can be a daunting task, much like finding pine trees in a desert. I was beginning to lose hope, stuck in my current underground abode with no sunlight and perpetual moisture. But I refused to give up […]
The Quiet Lessons of Distance
Aben is a small village situated in the hills of the Tamenglong district. The village is home to about 80 odd households of the Zeme Naga tribe. During the monsoon or after any heavy rainfall, the village becomes completely cut off, and for a good part of the year, it remains without electricity. The people […]
Lesson from a School That Refused to Close
The Road to Papikrung starts with a bend so sharp that makes you want to reevaluate every decision that has brought you there. The mountain doesn’t simply rise. It leans asking, do you really want to? My scooty struggled uphill, but its engine remained tough and loyal. The air grew cooler as we climbed up, […]
Reflective Journal on My Journey at Sunbird
The Sunbird Community The Sunbird community embodies adventure, fun, empathy, and love. What sets us apart is our collective spirit of self-drive and motivation to create meaningful impact through our work. At Sunbird, every member brings a unique passion and dedication, fuelled by a shared commitment to making a difference. The atmosphere encourages collaboration and […]
The Long Walk to a Brighter Evening
It’s been about two years and a half since I became a Sunbirder and needless to say my life has been full of learning and adventures ever since. From the very start, I was thrown into the heart of the action, travelling to places in the north-east that I’d never been to before despite being […]
The Warmth of Haijang : A Village That Feels Like Home in Manipur
“The Next time you come, you’ll have to stay in our homes and not return on the same day ! ” This was the warm request my students from Lyzon Friendship School, Singngat, Manipur made during my last visit to their village — Haijang, almost ten months ago. The school is part of the School […]
When Fiction Meets Reality: Freedom comes as Education
A few weeks ago, I started rewatching Game of Thrones. I’m now in Season 5, where Daenerys Targaryen frees the people of Meereen from their masters. In one episode, the freed slaves come back to Daenerys, requesting permission to return to their masters. That scene brought back memories. It reminded me of something I had […]
Beyond Roads and Rain: Building a School
As I started my journey again from Umrangso to Mualdam in a hired pickup truck with sacks of rice and inauguration material in the carrier, I had enough time to think about the last four years in Mualdam. I was returning to the village after four months, for the 79th Independence Day celebrations, combined with […]
The White Elephant Corridor of Education
For the last two days, I was visiting schools in the Udalguri district of Assam. At the start of this year, my organization, Sunbird Trust, partnered with a donor to begin a project in Udalguri. As part of this project, we had to identify six schools in the district and work on improving their infrastructure. Since […]
Loneliness and Livelihood Development
Former Sunbird Trust Programme Manager Ankita Phalle writes about how she facilitated a Livelihood Development Project with the women of a small village neighboring Ijeirong- Puichi. She beautifully articulates her learnings through this experience in the following story. When I left Bombay to start work in the Naga hills of Manipur, I had taken a huge […]
Facing Emotional Challenges While Working In Manipur
Letting go of a comfortable life back in the city and coming and living in a remote village in the North-East of India is definitely not a piece of cake. But with the right attitude, courage and the will to make a difference, even mountains can be moved. Our former Programme Manager Ankita Phalle was one […]
One Day All Children
During Aug 2017, former Sunbird Trust Programme Manager Ankita Phalle was detailed to conduct an appraisal of the feasibility of building a school at the extremely remote and barely accessible Kadi group of villages in Tamenglong District of Manipur. Together with our Project Manager Amos and “Chief Engineer” Konish Naidu, she trekked over 80 kms […]
Mixed Emotions
Sunbird Team member Konish Naidu lucidly narrates his experience of living in Ijeirong, a beautiful, remote village tucked away in the lush green hills of Manipur. Read on to know about how there is so much more than meets the eye. Tucked away deep in the Manipuri hills is a beautiful village comprising a total […]
Sungchum Friendship School Puichi Manipur
Sneha Phalle; sister of our former Programme Manager Ankita Phalle, lent a helping hand in setting up a new school from scratch in the village of Puichi. She writes about her learnings and experiences. My sister, Ankita had been working with Sunbird trust in Manipur for nearly a year. I had been fascinated by her experiences […]
Hope
Sunbird’s very own “Chief Engineer” Konish Naidu writes about his encounter with a beautiful couple who started the ‘Hope Foundation’ to take care of the educational needs of kids in the village of Tamei. Read on to know more about how this couple made a big difference to one life and many. Hope is a […]
Shomrorphi
Rucha Deshpande, our Media co-ordinator, writes a story about how Sunbird’s first and proudest achievement, Shomrorphi. Read on to know more. A middle-aged man, about 50 years of age, was seen going up and down the streets of Shirui village in the Autumn of 2010. White hair, tall and fair; this man looked like he […]
Welcome Home You
Team Member, Rucha Deshpande, writes about her very first impression about her place of work, Ijeirong – a quaint little village hidden away in the lush green hills of Manipur. I arrived in Manipur on the 1st of March, this time only intending to stay for 15 days. But naturally, my first instinct was to be […]
Changing Lives One Book at a Time
Rucha Deshpande writes a story about 2 interns who came from a far away part of the country to these remote villages of Manipur to set up libraries in association with The Open Door Project. The project is as interesting as it seems, if not more. Here is why and how. Mumbai, 9:30 am.It was […]
All Starry Eyed
Rucha Deshpande, Team member, writes about the balance between harsh realities and the beautiful daily in her everyday life in Ijeirong. I came to Manipur exactly 9 months ago. 9 really short months ago. It seems just like yesterday when I met Tracy and her baby Rining (who has now started walking and gibberish-talking btw!). […]
A gem called ‘Diamond’.
Team Member, Rucha Deshpande, visited the Happiness Home, a Home for children and adults infected and affected by the HIV. Here she spent some time with a very special girl, Diamond. Read on to know more about what she has to say about this very special person. She’s more precious than any diamond I’ve seen. ❤️ […]
Sense The Tone
Sunbird Trust, in collaboration with The Open Door Project, is helping set up first libraries in some of the remotest villages in North-East India. Poorva Deshpande, an intern who came by in February 2020 for this project, went to 4 different locations to help set up libraries. She beautifully narrates her experience in Mukalini, a […]
2021 and the reinstated belief in ‘Anicca’.
2021 has been challenging for me physically. I have had many firsts this year- an injured ligament, dengue, multiple deficiencies, tones of blood tests (boy, do I hate needles!), an accident- to name a few. I have been on medication for many months now and my body has not been taking it too well. It […]
An experience of Living and Learning – With Sunbird Trust
As a part of Rural Living and Learning Experience (RLLE) program designed by my university, I visited Kachai village in Ukhrul district of Manipur under the guidance of Sunbird Trust. The learning has been immense and this experience will be cherished lifelong. I was very excited about this wonderful opportunity to go to Manipur, a […]
Bee Curry
If there’s one thing people from Kachai love more than bees, it’s soccer. I squeezed in beside everyone else in Gloria’s bedroom, careful to avoid the stuffed animals engaged in discussion, and fixed my attention to the small tv in the middle broadcasting the game. Moments later the tv flickered off, along with the rest […]
Kachai Reflection
When I landed in Imphal I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Stepping out of the plane it was almost surreal seeing the small airport set against the towering mountains in the background. The ride to Kachai was just as remarkable. The brilliant colors of the sunset stood in stark contrast to the dark hills […]
Journey to the center of… nowhere.
Where the stones are heart-shaped and the time has stopped! “Don’t you fret it, William! I am more than used to bad roads. I’ve lived in the North-East, I will be okay!” I boast as William apologetically tells me about the bad road conditions.Little do I know what he REALLY means and what I am […]
A hike in the eastern Himalayas
It was the month’s second Saturday and a school holiday. There was an opportunity to go on a day-long hike and we grabbed it. It was an overcast day, large misty clouds passing through the mountains throughout the day, not allowing a glimpse of the sun yet sufficiently spreading its light around – and wetting […]
The Trials and Charms of Papikrung
Life in Papikrung has a charm of its own. We live amidst the mighty Himalayas on a mountain slope. Right out the door, across a deep valley, is a series of mountains peaking one above another, with snowy peaks calling from the distance (on a clear sky day). The air is as pure as it […]
One Quarter Down!
Hey, hi! I’m a girl from Pune city. With the hustle and bustle of urban living, the most supportive family and friends that kept all the worries at bay surrounded me day in and day out, and you know what? I adored every bit of it. Then I don’t know why, I took a leap […]
Connectivity woes at Papikrung
Lack of internet connectivity is a major drawback for the school, and for the village in general. To access appreciable internet, we need to visit the local leader’s house about 45 minutes to an hour away by foot. There is no vehicle in the school, so hiking is often the only option left, except on […]
A testing trek hard to forget
Papikrung is a remote village surrounded by forests atop a mountain close to the India-China border. Transport options are limited; a few households have motorbikes. No person owns a car here. The only car present in the region belongs to a local political leader who resides in a bungalow in the neighbouring village. Any other […]
A community school indeed
It is heartening to see the villagers’ keen investment in the functioning of the school in Papikrung. They do not shy away from offering help with school maintenance when required. Prior to school reopening for the academic year 2023-24, and in the absence of the school watchman due to accidental injury, when requested, the parents […]