What if education were less about grading students and more about helping every young person discover and realize their potential? In this episode, we sit down with Mekin Maheshwari (02:00), who helped build Flipkart before stepping away in 2016 to co-found Udhyam Learning Foundation. Today, Udhyam works through India’s government schools to nurture agency and entrepreneurial mindsets among young people, reaching 4.7 million students across 15 Indian states in 2026. In this first episode of Season 6, we explore the foundations of Udhyam (04:25) and dive into a big question: What is the true purpose of education? At 14:00, Mekin challenges the idea of education as a grading and selection system, opening up a conversation about how we can put student growth, agency, and meaningful learning at the center. We then look at what Udhyam is working on and the thinking behind its approach (20:44).

How do we know whether students are truly learning and growing to reach their potential in life after school? At 36:44, we unpack Udhyam’s evaluation and assessment processes and what students experience through these activities. At 48:00, we explore a mixed-method, quasi-experimental study through the lens of action research. Then, at 59:39, we zoom out to examine the wider education ecosystem—schools, teachers, principals, communities, and policy—to understand what’s working, what isn’t, and how stronger connections can support student growth. Finally, at 01:09:00, we wrap up with Mekin’s reflections and a heartfelt recognition of the Action Research team, Syeda Asia, Lakshay Talwar, Kunal Mishra, Shivangi Gupta, Prasann, and Samantha Traves whose collective action research efforts are supporting the larger Udhyam teams to bring their vision to life. Tune in for a thoughtful, energizing conversation about reimagining education and creating opportunities for every young person to thrive!

Thank you Mekin for sharing your time and work with us.

And thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Action Research Podcast, created by Joe Levitan, Shikha Diwakar, Cory Legassic, Vanessa Gold, and Adam Stieglitz.

Produced by Shikha Diwakar.

Subscribe to our podcast on most major podcast distribution platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. How have you found yourself in the world of action research? Want to be interviewed or share one of your projects? Get in touch with us.

Resources

https://udhyam.org/

https://scertuk.blogspot.com/2025/04/kaushalam-program-study-findings.html

https://www.mcgill.ca/channels/channels/news/joseph-levitan-dise-presents-kaushalam-program-study-results-scert-uttarakhand-364896

[Hindi only] https://scertuk.blogspot.com/2026/09/2026.html?m=1