IKEA executive quits corporate job to build school for 1,200 children in Gurugram

Gurugram: A cold morning in 2011 changed Kushal Raj Chakravorty’s life. The then-IKEA global executive saw two children without sweaters or shoes at a bus stop and traced them to a temple school with 250 students lacking basic needs.

That moment led to Lotus Petal Foundation

Starting in 2013 in a single rented room with 6 students, Kushal built a fast-track programme to help children years behind in school catch up to Class 12, with vocational and digital skills. He used his savings and took a Rs 40 lakh loan. In 2016, after the first batch cleared CBSE exams, he quit IKEA to run it full-time.

A campus was built in Gurugram in 2017

Today, the school serves 1,200 students from KG to Class 12. It provides meals, healthcare, counselling, and charges Rs 1,500/month — returned as scholarship if parents stay engaged.

The foundation now also runs Vidya Sahyog, supporting 275+ schools across 16 states and 10,000+ students.

For students like Ashish Kumar, who once feared dropping out, it meant stability. “Education changed my life. It also changed my family’s future,” he said.“Sometimes, it begins with noticing. And then — choosing to act,” Kushal said.