Raju Kendre

organization overview

Eklavya India Foundation empowers first-generation college students from historically marginalized communities, including the Dalit, Adivasi, and nomadic and denotified tribes, as well as other classes.

Eklavya fosters the growth of underrepresented leaders, empowering them to champion their own narratives and issues. Through tailored programs such as awareness initiatives, exposure, mentoring, coaching, and scholarships, Eklavya increases access to top-tier higher education and leadership opportunities both nationally and globally. After breaking cycles of poverty, students return to their communities as leaders for transformative change. Eklavya’s movement confronts disparities caused by underrepresentation, amplifying marginalized voices for an equitable, just society.

Personal Bio

Raju Kendre is the founder and chief executive officer of Eklavya India Foundation, a passionate social entrepreneur, an educator, and a development scientist. Raju founded Eklavya after experiencing educational inequality and socioeconomic challenges in a nomadic tribe community in India.

Raju merges academic excellence with practical experience to advance higher education and leadership among marginalized communities. His envisions establishing an interdisciplinary university in central India. He is involved in action-based research, aiming to theorize his experiences on caste-based discussions in diversity, equity, and inclusion within education and development sectors.

Raju holds a master of science in development studies from the University of London, which he obtained on a Chevening Scholarship. He is an Ashoka Fellow, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and an Inlaks Fellow. His talks and work have been featured across global and national platforms, including Forbes 30 Under 30, TEDx, BBC, The Hindu, and many more. He aspires to spend his lifetime working toward a more equitable and just India for historically underserved communities.