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Located in the Southern Indian State of Telangana, is its capital Hyderabad.

It's the fourth largest Indian city, and home to nearly seven million people.

It has been a wealthy center of diamond mining and trading for centuries.

The Telugu language film industry or Tollywood, based in Hyderabad, is the second largest producer of films in India.

And its epicenter, Ramoji Film Studio is the largest film studio complex in the world.

Since the late 1990s, the Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy City or HITECH City, has been a rising presence in the global tech scene.

We came to this bustling metropolis to talk to an old friend of mine about an even older problem, education.

But first things first, street food.

[music playing] [music playing] Every destination should start with street food, and Hyderabad is no exception.

That's my old pal, Harish.

He's the one working on the education problem.

We'll get to that.

For now, he's showing us where to get the best masala dosa and a good kebab.

They did not disappoint either.

Hyderabad has an incredible blend of traditional Indian flavors, steeped in the heavy Islamic and Persian influences of the old trading routes.

You can't go wrong.

And after stuffing ourselves, it's time for a drink and a personal history lesson.

All right, cheers guys.

Thank you, Harish so much for joining us.

Thank you.

I remember when Earl first told me about you.

How did you guys-- He's a big deal.

Man, I mean, Harish and I have known each other since grad school.

We went to the University of South Carolina at the time, the best international school program and then we wrecked it.

Yeah.

Kind of converged around the dot.com thing.

We also wrecked to that dot.com thing.

You seem to have that trend.

Right.

Because all the stuff that you and I have done in the middle-- Yeah.

Doesn't really explain where you came from, and where you're at.

Yeah, 2012, I went to India to run a banking institution for one of my clients on the wealth management side.

And that was a temporary assignment for two months, which went on for 11 months.

And this institution was essentially lending money to affordable, low cost private schools in India.

And had would always heard about sort of the challenges in this education sector in India.

Right.

But I walked into a school after 32 years, and nothing had changed.

Those kids were copying from the board, and copying it one more time at home.

And this essentially was the education.

Rote memorization.

Yeah, really bothered me a lot and that's from my own personal experiences.

I thought we could make a difference, and it was really about the strong sense that we could actually change something.

After that, we actually bought our first school in 2013, built a team around it and-- Just to be clear, I mean, this is a private school that you guys bought.

Yeah.

So what's the issue?

I mean, why do you need a private school?

There's about 215 million school going students in India, it's a huge number and government cannot accommodate all of them.

So this whole private school industry has come out.

They're estimated to be under 350,000 private schools in India.

Wow, wow.

There are 100 million kids going to these schools.

It's funny because, one of the top things that you always hear from anybody in most countries around the world is that, no matter what, they just want their kids to be educated.

Yeah.

Isn't it true a lot of Indian families see their kids, want them to go one or two directions, engineering or medical?

Yeah.

And if you're going to get there, then there's a logjam for the really good top schools in India.

So the pressure cooker we saw in Hyderabad, there are some kids that I think had-- just didn't get the scores that they needed to get into the top school, ended up committing suicide.

Yeah, most parents see education as a way out of poverty.

Right.

So can you imagine, they're putting their hard earned money towards the education of these kids, we charge [inaudible] about $300 a year.

Right, but that's a lot of money for a lot of the parents.

Yeah.

So they're sacrificing to send their kids to school.

If they don't make it, if they don't get to the right schools, or at least they think they haven't gotten to the right school.

And I struggled through school, I failed until 12th grade and-- Guilty.

Guilty.

So when parents asked me, how are you qualified to run a school?

Well, most of these kids are struggling.

Right, and I was in the same boat.

I can relate to what they're doing.

Why they are struggling, what the challenges are.

And we want to figure out, what do we teach them, that'll help them?

Maybe it's not the school work, the education.

Can we teach them something else that'll sort of spark something?

So we train our staff to say, let's keep them engaged.

Let's keep them in school, they'll find their way somewhere.

Yeah.

If it's not engineering, it could be a business.

It could be art, it could be something.

So you just want to make that environment where they don't feel defeated when they come to school.

And we have that environment where they feel like, hey, I can do my best.

And now learn that we'll sort of figure out where they need to be in their own education.

And that's the thing about India for me.

I mean, India is much more than just the engineers and the medical profession.

The reason why we love India, is the food, the drink, the culture, the music, the colors, the vibrancy.

And the storytelling.

And the storytelling.

I mean, some of the great movies are from India.

Yeah, I mean, you've got all of these things, but yet everyone feels like, OK, we're going to either do this or that.

And your story was not ending up in engineering or medicine.

And I can tell you my father tried very hard.

He's an engineer, and he would come and try to teach me math after school.

And he really gave a true effort, but it just was not happening.

It just was not an interest.

I was not going to do it, and then I found my own way.

Like I said, I didn't do well till 12th grade.

And then once I got to college, I was like, oh, accounting.

Out of all the subjects, right?

Yeah, found that interesting and-- [interposing voices] No one finds accounting interesting.

Yeah.

An accounting major to education entrepreneur, Harish understands that not every kid's journey is the same.

Today we're taking a tour of one of Harish's schools, to see the difference that their brand of private education can make.

We did a couple of times, so.

Now we make contact.

On the way, we stop to check out an archaeological treasure.

And between traffic, cows, and a few close calls, it took us a minute to get there.

There's no way we're going to die on this [?

truck.

?]

Once we arrived though, we could see why Golconda Fort has the reputation it does.

It started as a simple defensive outpost of mud walls, before being fortified into the massive granite citadel that you see today.

As we walk through the gates and archways, it's easy to see why some of the most precious jewels in the world have been safeguarded within its walls.

This didn't keep Earl from goofing around though.

Still there?

Can you hear me?

I can hear you.

So what's your ATM PIN?

We may have a-- we have a bad connection.

[laughs] Use your back.

Slowly.

OK, did I get it?

Right, there it goes.

I don't think it goes.

All right, yeah.

Let's try it together.

All right, ready?

One, two, three, yeah.

You get half a job.

After the Fort, Harish suggests a quick stopover for a favorite Indian refreshment on a hot day.

Sugarcane juice over ice, delicious and refreshing.

And now we're off for the school.

Harish is now the founder and director of SEED Schools, a small collection of private schools that puts the physical, emotional, and social health of their students front and center, so as to better prepare them for the changing workplace.

He introduces us to one of his classes, before showing us around.

He may have regretted that decision.

[interposing voices] So I'll show you, Mr. Bridges.

Here I am, my glasses.

That's me.

That's him, in the glasses.

Smile.

Yeah, and this is-- [laughter] Mr. Martin.

There's people that are doing good, good things everywhere.

So education is important for everything.

This is all a good journey that we're on.

And so we thank you very much for letting us come in and get to meet you, get to see the school.

Any questions?

No, does anyone want to practice their English?

No.

What is your name?

Varun.

What is it?

Varun, I'm Craig.

Now, will you tell us who's the worst kid?

Who's the worst and misbehaving kid?

Oh!

[laughter] Oh, my goodness.

No.

When I was a young kid, I was the worst kid.

Everyone can change.

Thank you, bye-bye.

Thank you.

[speaking telegu] Thank you.

[speaking telegu] Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, Goodbye.

Rather than the repetitive rote memorization techniques, and emphasis on medical and engineering fields of traditional Indian public schools, the SEED School focuses on creativity, innovation, and critical thinking.

Their approach emphasizes English language comprehension.

[inaudible] [students reciting] Technology, literacy, hands-on learning, and extracurricular activities, to prepare individual students for the 21st century workplace.

It's an education system designed for all types of students and it works, but not without a lot of commitment.

Why do you do this?

Like why in the world?

Temporary insanity is the-- right.

[laughter] It's difficult.

It's not easy by any means, and especially commuting back from the US to India, every other month being away from home.

But when I get to the school, and I see the kids and what we're supporting, we have seen a dramatic change.

And we've actually introduced some new things.

Normally you go to class, kids are just sitting there.

Teacher's writing on the board.

They kind of-- Right.

The kids actually ask us for this digital classroom, love going to these classes.

I see these kids that are engaged, their hands are up.

That are giving answers, wrong answers.

They're helping each other, that's what excites us.

Right, but still I feel the brick and mortar schools are very-- Well, you're not giving up on the teachers at all.

So it's edtech, plus teachers.

Yeah, 5% to 10% of the students within the school will be self-motivated.

They'll get to the point of teaching themselves.

Right, then we have-- probably have another 20% that'll get there somehow.

Remaining 75% or so, are really struggling.

We have to motivate them.

We have to coach them.

We have to guide them.

We have to make it exciting for them.

That's where our teachers come in, right?

Yes, tell us how you wound up in the US, and why your story is important to the work you do today.

Yeah, so my dad got a green card and those days, they were looking for engineers to come to the US.

So he came the summer of 80, 1980 and sort of got things settled in.

And having to restart at that age, and with kids and responsibilities, he didn't feel comfortable.

So for his own peace of mind and my mother's, he's like, I'm not going.

So came back and told us that we're not going.

Like no, no, no.

You're not going, I'm going.

I want to go.

So my father called my uncle here and said, Harish wants to come.

And so my uncle agreed, and somehow things didn't work out and the option was for me to go back.

No, sir.

I'm not going back.

It was because of the education system.

That's the one reason you didn't want to go back to India?

The only reason, but it was very difficult.

I'm on my own.

I'm 14 years old.

I left my uncle's place.

I kind of worked in motels late at night, 12 hour shifts, went to school during the day.

During high school.

During high school.

And struggled, some nights I slept in a car, some nights-- but just managed.

In the summer times, I worked multiple jobs.

In the summer before my senior year, became friends with this family.

Their son and I became good friends, and the first week of my senior year, they invited me to come live with.

And it was a game changer.

I mean, to literally take me off the streets.

And trust me to live with them, it's a big step.

Huge, huge step, yeah.

And never expected anything out of me, just supported me.

You have an immigrant story.

Yeah.

You actually-- you came to this country from elsewhere, because you wanted to be here.

As a 14-year-old.

I know, I can't believe that.

You took ownership of your own life at a really early age, what does America mean to a kid that-- at 14 years-- what does it mean?

Yeah, what does America mean to you?

Beauty of the US at least in my mind, was when I came, you can work in a McDonald's and I did that.

Work in a restaurant, I could pay for my college.

I could pay for my car, pay for a place to stay and all of us did that.

I'm not sure that's possible today.

People are working two, three jobs.

And if our community is not strong, we're not going to enjoy the benefits.

And I'm seeing that similar scenario in the US, is what's in India.

So there is a huge divide, it's a huge gap.

Wow.

Yeah, exactly.

I mean, we talk about this digital divide in other countries, what?

50% kids don't have access to internet in the US.

Oh, gosh.

Right, so the issues are there everywhere and the magnitudes are different.

I think the number of kids that don't have it in India, they don't have the support system, those issues are here as well.

People who don't have those same facilities, and the same access to the conveniences, those are fighting back.

And I think it's-- we're seeing some of that in the US, right?

Yeah, exactly.

So to me, it's very important for me to take care of my neighbors.

And like this one-- the Ray family that took care of me, I mean, they made my life.

If you looked at me when I was in India at 14, 13, 14 years old and you have said, "Can Harish make it on his own at 14?"

The answer would have been absolutely no.

But once I came to the environment, I wanted to do it.

This is what I wanted.

I was willing to sacrifice.

I was willing to-- my parents sacrificed a lot, probably more than me.

If I look at how much they sacrificed, it's very-- now very important for me.

We don't know what we can do until we sort of push in that environment, and keep trying.

It's not easy.

Sometimes it is extremely difficult, and you're going to be put in a situation that you don't even really know how you're helping or if you're helping.

When I started SEED Schools, I said, I'm just going to go do it.

I'm going to figure it out.

Right.

Right, if I look at it too deeply, there'll be enough reasons for me not to do it.

Oh, sure.

Right, and we've had hiccups.

We've had funding issues, but we've sort of said, the desire was there to do it.

You had something inside of you that was a drive, and you just said-- and maybe it's dumb luck, and maybe it's just-- Hey, you have to make it sound so bad.

Like you said, some of it is just like, it's a 14-year-old mentality of like, the world's my oyster.

I don't care who you think I am.

This is who I'm going to be.

And I always look at India and I say, how is it that one kid stands above any other kids in 250 million?

So kids either go to one of the top schools, or they feel like they've completely failed at such an early age on that.

What does that look like for your schools?

I mean, you're offering them opportunities to be successful and not follow maybe a traditional Indian trajectory.

Yeah, I'll give you an example.

So we had this one student, came and shook my hand and said, welcome back sir.

Good to see you.

No one in the whole classroom had even-- had the courage to come talk to me, because-- You're an intimidating figure.

Yeah, whatever.

Right, but he had the courage to do it.

So I told the principal, I said, hey, this kid came and talked to me.

She said, oh, he's a lousy student.

Doesn't do his work.

So that afternoon, I went to his class and then kind of listened to him.

And I said, hey, I'm going to just raise a point.

I said, the way this student came and spoke with me this morning, was the way you should be addressing people and you should go do that.

All of a sudden, this kid in the classroom really-- his whole posture changed, and demeanor changed.

And so that afternoon I'm waiting for the cab to come in, and this line of this entire class.

And I'm on the phone, they're like, welcome back sir.

Good to see you.

So I was like, hey, I got to call you back.

I put the phone down, and could I address all of you?

So think about it.

Right, now this one kid, his confidence level changed, because we want to find that something, some spark where there's that just ability to come and talk to you.

Or go do arts, or go do something on product development.

So those are the differences we're making.

Also-- Yeah.

But we're doing-- we're trying to do our part, but again, phenomenal team, a lot of supporters along the ways.

Harish's story was inspiring, but it's important to note that he always points back to his team and project partners.

No one person or program can solve the problem of education for India.

Or for that matter, the world.

Overcrowded, underfunded school systems are not a new or unique problem.

But with the second largest population on the planet, India faces larger hurdles than most other countries.

We experienced the sheer volume of people, just before our flight back to the States, when we went to see the iconic Chaminar monument and mosque.

The Chaminar is one of the most recognizable structures in India.

And at over 400 years old, it dates back to the founding of the city.

Like the four pillars of the Chaminar anchor structurally, education is only one essential component to creating a stable community, but it's critical to the future mitigation of India's growing income gap.

Back in the States, we discuss the philosophy, efficacy and future of SEED in the shadow of one of the most elite, and expensive private schools in Virginia.

So the interesting thing about private schools everywhere is, you try to get into the best school that you possibly can.

Right.

You sacrifice as a parent, go without so that your kids could go to a school like this.

True.

Your network of friends and people that you're with, will stay with you forever.

Which I guess is part of the whole proposition for education anyway, right?

And to your point, if you go to a certain school, it's a sort of recipe for success, not necessarily true.

Right.

I mean, you have more opportunities.

In my case, in my earlier days, there's no way I was going to make it to engineering, right?

Right.

I mean, I didn't go to any prestigious schools.

So I think that you have to create your own opportunity.

Yeah.

Regardless of where you start.

It's really hard work.

It goes to the shoulders of the student, right?

Absolutely.

You can go to school like this-- Right.

And still be a failure in life.

Absolutely.

So what-- if you guys are successful, what does the world look like?

What does it look like for India, or these kids that go to your schools?

I think it's finding your desire, right?

Yeah.

So if you ask what's success for us?

Success for us is to give these kids that opportunity to find what they want to do.

Right.

Have the courage to do things.

Yeah.

You can talk about all the ideas in the world, but if you don't take the next steps and actually go execute, start building it out-- Right.

It's not going to happen.

How is that different than what you'd get at a public school?

I keep emphasizing on the philosophy and the culture of the school, to me is the most important thing.

Right.

Everything else is the same.

Right, so if we can bring the right kind of mindset into the school, and the children understand, hey, they have to work hard.

We have to do things honestly.

We have to do things ethically.

Right.

We have to take ownership.

Those are important components that we're trying to teach our students.

Yeah, so here's the hard question.

I mean, if it is not so much different from one school to the other, why is what you guys are doing important?

Yeah, in a lot of schools, there is shortage of funds.

The right kind of operators aren't there.

So if you start solving those problems, you give them the right skillsets.

Yeah, and that's what you guys are doing, is you're basically solving those problems.

Absolutely, for example in our school, they have a computer lab with 30 computers.

Right.

And now we're actually building curriculum for the computer classes, that's relevant to this work.

Not RAM, [?

das, ?]

you know.

They're irrelevant, right?

Yeah.

And that kind of investment is not being made in the sector.

I mean, it's interesting, because you have to have the infrastructure, et cetera.

But once you guys are successful and it's in place, these kids-- Yeah.

Will have a better opportunity for-- Yeah, so if we get the right leadership, Yeah.

Who now work with the children, with the right mindset, that's the opportunity.

To give them the right kind of tools to go out there.

Give them all the probability for success, and hopefully a lot of them will capture it.

So it's the team that we put together, the way we handle the academic support.

The way we have teacher training, that's going to be the game changer for us.

I mean, you've got a model that you can replicate and the passion behind it to make it happen.

Although still a small operation, Harish hopes to scale SEED to the point of being a broader option for parents across India.

But as SEED continues to grow, so does the stress being placed on its educators and the importance of building the right team for every school.

SEED Schools did not have the facilities or resources of the elite private schools in the United States or India.

But then again, $300 is a far cry from the tens of thousands of dollars that these elite private schools can cost.

But SEED is still providing real change for the students that have access to it Harish is the moral story of someone who saw a need fulfilled in his own life, and found his true passion in fulfilling that same need for others.

[music playing] There's so much more to explore, and we want you to join us on The Good Road.

For more in-depth content, meet us on the internet at, thegoodroad.tv.

Hear more great stories, connect to organizations and make sure you download our podcast, Philanthropology.

Funding for The Good Road has been provided by.

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Tomorrow's breakthroughs start with the determination and inspiration of today.

AMD helps solve the world's toughest and most interesting challenges, by creating high performance computing technologies.

And by Uncommon Giving, The Generosity Company.

At Plow & Hearth, we believe that the place you are, could become the place you want to be.

Philanthropy Journal, stories about bold people changing the world.

[music playing] Make that money, run home down the line.

Make that money, run home down the line.

Make that money, run home down the line.