Headmaster at Nine: The Remarkable Story of INK Fellow Babar Ali Bringing Education to the Forgotten

In 2002, in Murshidabad, West Bengal—one of the most underdeveloped districts in India—a Class V student named Babar Ali started a school in the backyard of his home, under a guava tree. He was just nine. With no roof or electricity, he borrowed broken chalk, shared his own books, and strung up his mother’s sarees to shield his eight students from the sun.

Babar’s own school was 10 km away, and he traveled by bicycle, bus, and foot. Along the way, he saw boys his age working in fields or shops, and girls forced into domestic work or early marriage. He realized how lucky he was—his parents, though only educated up to Class VIII, ensured all four children got an education. That sense of privilege turned into purpose.

The Home of Joyful Learning
The young headmaster named his school Ananda Siksha Niketan—The Home of Joyful Learning. Creating blackboards from terracotta tiles, he asked villagers to donate rice, which he sold to buy books. His teacher saved up discarded chalk for him. A turning point came when he walked 4 km to the nearby Sargachi Ramakrishna Mission to ask for help. Impressed with his grit, the Principal, Swami Jnanalokanandaji, encouraged Babar and gifted him Sobar Swamiji, introducing him to Swami Vivekananda’s ideals.

Fighting for Her Right to Learn
Inspired by Vivekananda’s belief in gender equality through education, Babar began a door-to-door campaign to bring girls to school. Today, over 60% of his students are girls. More than 8,000 children have passed through his school, which now teaches Classes I to X and is accredited by the West Bengal Board. Six of its ten teachers are former students, including his sister Amina, now a postgraduate. Students get uniforms, meals, a library, computers, and joyful learning through music and sports to reduce dropouts.

The school runs on award money and donations. “When I became an INK Fellow in 2015, it opened up new doors. I am so grateful to the INK community for their unstinting support,” says Babar. “But I need so much more to grow this school and open new ones.”

Babar dreams of setting up skill-based learning centers in other rural areas, and continues to challenge flawed policies like the “No Detention.” His story of grit and purpose–at age 16, he became a TEDx speaker and was recognized by the BBC as the youngest headmaster in the world–is now taught in school textbooks in several states as a lesson in grassroots leadership and youth-led change. A biopic on his life is also in the works.

And so, Babar Ali walks on—with courage and a vision for every child.

Reach out to us if you’d like to support his mission.

Watch Babar’s first INK Talk: https://lnkd.in/g4xzREg5

Watch Babar’s talk at the INK Salon: Education that Uplifts presented by IPEL: https://lnkd.in/g2_Dpjvx