Dahiya, Shirin.
Heritage School
31 May 2024
Manzil, an organization founded initially to create an afterschool aid for children, with time became one of the biggest changemakers in Delhi, NCR. Made to help students excel in the subjects they needed help in, established in Khan Market, Manzil was born. It had three founders at the time, namely Mr. Ravi Gulati, his mother Mrs. Indira Gulati, and their family friend Dr. Geeta Chopra.
Six beneficiaries of Manzil’s experimental education were Anurag Hoon, Preeti Arya, Reshma Arya, Niti Pandey, Manik Kaushik, and Shahbaaz, all of whom were united by a love for music, specifically the all-unifying music of Sant Kabir. Three of them earned themselves a scholarship in the U.S.A., but one of the clauses of that scholarship was for the then students to indulge themselves in social work upon their return. This is when the vision for Manzil Mystics was born – they realized that they could do something to improve the availability of music in India, which was close to zero, especially in government schools.
With 4.4 million students in Delhi alone, the availability of music to even 1/4th of those students was a huge task. The newly conceived band, Manzil Mystics, soon founded a non-profit by the same name, to increase the accessibility of music and create channels by which education and the positive message of Kabir, Gandhi Ji et al can be delivered. However, as Craig D. Lounsbrough rightly said, “The path to success is often paved with failure.”
Social work is a challenging sector, particularly in the early stages of a non-profit. Many co-founders faced opposition from their families, who were often deeply concerned about the difficulties and uncertainties of their chosen path. The non-profit’s first operational base was an empty room in Anurag’s uncle’s house (technically not empty – there was one plastic chair). Additionally, the organization was operating at a breakeven point. The six mystics often took on part-time jobs or projects to support themselves. Much of the material for Manzil Mystics was sourced through small donations from friends and well-wishers. Despite the importance of financial planning, the founders, with little prior experience, managed to handle each challenge with determination, which has brought them to where they are today. The joy they saw on the children’s faces fueled their passion and kept them going.
One of the first incidents where they realized that they were starting to achieve results was when they were seed-funded by Unlimited India (UI) in January 2018. UI then incubated Manzil’s organisation which was one of their biggest moments yet. The founders would be a part of training sessions on topics such as how an organizational structure is built, entrepreneurship, leadership sessions, and more.
But as everything changes with time, the founders not only saw the size of Manzil Mystics scaling into something much bigger but also expanding on its core values. The already ingrained idea of giving back to the community was an unsaid rule – these people had been given the most life-changing opportunities from Ravi Gulati’s NGO. Gratitude was embedded into the DNA of everyone who founded Manzil Mystics and out of that gratitude has grown a joyful organization that aims to spread joy to those who most need it.
After all, Manzil Mystics is both the teacher and the learner, who must set a good example for all around it. All in all, Manzil Mystics has come a long way, from a sense of ever-thankfulness to a band, to an NGO, to a force for good to be reckoned with!