There’s something disarmingly real about the way Kalki Koechlin speaks. No performative polish, no distant celebrity gloss — just stories, reflections, and lived truths woven together by her unmistakable voice. And when she talks about education, it’s not as an ambassador reading off a cue card; it’s as a woman who’s felt the impact in her bones — as a child, an advocate, and now, a mother.
“I still remember laying bricks for a new classroom in 2015,” she says, speaking of her first visit to a P&G Shiksha-supported school in Delhi. “Back then, they were impacting 4 lakh children. And today, it’s more than 50 lakh. That kind of scale... it’s powerful. But what really gets me are the individual stories.” She pauses, reflecting on a film she just watched about Bindiya, a girl who’s grown up with the initiative. “Seeing her journey — 20 years of it — just hits you. You feel the change. It’s real. It’s in their eyes.”
And while advocacy has long been a part of her public life, motherhood has deepened her understanding in ways she hadn’t imagined. “My daughter’s school has this rule where every parent has to volunteer 20 hours a year,” Kalki explains. “We list out our skills — I put down acting, speech therapy, swimming— and they call on us. I ended up teaching swimming to a bunch of sevenyear-olds. Let me tell you, I learned on the job.” She laughs, but there’s something tender behind her words. “Disciplining, keeping it fun, figuring out rewards… it gives you such a real sense of what it means to teach. And suddenly, you’re not just a parent — you’re part of their world. You know who their friends are, what their day looks like. It’s beautiful.”
But it hasn’t always been easy. Kalki’s own childhood came with its share of labels and barriers — especially when it came to language. “I didn’t speak English when I started school. I spoke French and Tamil. And the little English I did speak? I had a thick French accent.” Her eyes light up at the memory, but not without a trace of the pain it once held. “I struggled with the word ‘cucumber.’ I used to say ‘kum-kum-bur.’ The kids would mock me, over and over. It made me shut down for a while.” What changed everything was one English teacher who took the time to see her — to sit with her, read with her, and help her fall in love with the language that had once silenced her. “That’s why P&G Shiksha resonates with me so deeply. Because I know what a label can do. And I know what it means when someone chooses to see past it.”
Parents today are way more aware. There’s this shift toward gentle parenting, and while you still need structure and boundaries, there’s a real understanding now of how words — and even silence — can shape a child.— Kalki Koechlin
Ask her about how classrooms have changed, and she doesn’t romanticise or overstate — she simply observes. “Parents today are way more aware. There’s this shift toward gentle parenting, and while you still need structure and boundaries, there’s a real understanding now of how words — and even silence — can shape a child.” She recalls how common physical punishment once was. “It was normal when I was growing up. But today, it’s rare — and when it happens, people are shocked. That awareness and psychological sensitivity— that’s a huge change. And it’s making classrooms and homes more humane places.”
Where the future is concerned, Kalki dreams wide, big, and beyond survival. “We have the workforce. What we don’t always have is permission to dream. Too many children are told— this is your lane, stay in it. Learn to survive.” Her voice sharpens, not in anger but in urgency. “But what if a kid from a marginalised background wanted to be an architect? Or an artist? Not just a plumber or electrician because that’s what their ‘background’ allows.” She smiles again, softer now. “That’s where initiatives like P&G Shiksha come in. They’re not just about what you learn — they’re about how you feel while learning. That emotional layer… that’s what shapes the future.”
What changed everything was one English teacher who took the time to see her — to sit with her, read with her, and help her fall in love with the language that had once silenced her.
And as the conversation winds down, you realise that Kalki isn’t just talking about change — she’s living it. Whether she’s laying bricks, teaching swimming, or quietly rewriting the narrative around education, she’s always doing the same thing: reminding every child — and every adult — that their story isn’t set in stone. It’s still being written. And they get to hold the pen.
Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com
X: @rupsjain