Meet the Devis! 

Earlier this year, Parmita Sarma’s Akshar School, located in Assam, made education more accessible to locals by accepting bags full of plastic waste instead of school fees. Parmita’s ‘green school’ initiative was justifiably lauded across the world, as this teaches students to take responsibility for their surroundings and to strive to improve them. Akshar's revolutionary model improves the performance of government schools, by teaching underprivileged students all the skills they need to build productive lives for themselves. The educational model enables customised learning through e-books, exercises, videos, lectures, documentaries and learning games. The Akshar Foundation is also on a mission to reform 100 government schools in five years.

The Devi Awards will be held for the first time in Kolkata on 31st August at the ITC Royal Bengal.