When 17-year-old Sachin Yadav, a Std XII student from Juinagar, Navi Mumbai, began looking for books related to competitive exams, he was shocked by the high cost of books. “The lowest rate I was getting was Rs 800 per book,” he said. For a student from a modest background, this was discouraging. That is when a friend gave him an unexpected lead. “Try asking Tripta aunty in Kharghar,” the friend said and shared her contact number. Sachin was puzzled. How could she possibly help?

Sachin decided to reach out. “I was amazed when she said she had the books,” said Sachin. “Aunty not only had all the books I needed but also gave them away for free — with just one condition. Never sell the books as raddhi [scrap]. If you don’t need them, return them or pass them on to someone who does,” recalled Sachin.

That simple rule is at the heart of 80-year-old Tripta Sharma’s mission, ‘Padega Bharat Toh Badega Bharat’. What began as a small gesture during the COVID-19 lockdown has now grown steadily, driven by her conviction that no child should be denied education due to a lack of resources.