His fight against menstrual taboos took him to London School of Economics, now his organisation gets students into Oxford

“I was completely shocked,” said Nikam. “If something as basic as education could be snatched away so easily, I wondered what other socio-economic challenges these communities must be facing.”

Growing up in Pimpri, where his father worked at Hindustan Antibiotics and struggled with irregular salaries, Nikam believed that studying Engineering would be a pathway out of poverty. His father’s involvement in social work and the inspiring vision of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had already planted seeds of social consciousness in his mind.

In 2012, Nikam made a decision that was surprising to his family and friends; he left his engineering studies and enrolled in SP College to study Political Science, determined to address the educational inequalities he had witnessed.

With the help of faculty member Meena Ranpise, Nikam and his friends created a street play named after Roshni. Through these performances in colleges, they began raising awareness about education, gender equality, and youth empowerment.

“Street plays became our medium to reach people directly,” Nikam explains. “But we soon realised that awareness alone wasn’t enough. So my friends and I started guiding underprivileged students about gender equality, constitutional rights, entrance exams, college applications, and career choices.”

Nikam further pursued LLB and LLM degrees, and in 2020, secured a Chevening Scholarship, gaining admission to the Master’s in Human Rights and Politics program at the prestigious London School of Economics.

Today, Nikam’s work operates through ‘Samavesh,’ a non-profit organisation that emerged from the merger of his earlier initiatives: Project Roshni, which has focused on gender and youth development since 2011, and Project Samata, which began providing higher education mentoring in 2021.

Samavesh primarily operates in three core areas: providing free mentoring and coaching to students for entrance exams, academic writing, and university applications; offering legal documentation support; and facilitating scholarship access to eligible students.

Pravin Nikam after registering at London School of Economics. (Express Photo)

IIM Bangalore recognised Nikam’s work, and his non-profit organisation was incubated in 2023, providing institutional support and financial help. Students mentored by Samavesh have secured fully funded scholarships with an average range between Rs 40 to 50 lakh each at prestigious institutions, including the London School of Economics, Oxford, Ashoka University, Azim Premji University and others.

One particularly inspiring success story is that of Rie Raut, a transgender person from Pune, who is now pursuing a Master’s in Human Rights at University College London, a testament to the programme’s commitment to inclusive education.

Pravin Nikam (L) guiding students regardng higher education opportunities. (Express Photo)

Moreover, in December 2023, Samavesh started an ‘After School’ centre in Bhosari, accommodating 150 children. This centre helps students, particularly migrant children and those from underserved communities, by providing free academic support, digital literacy training, and foundational skills development.

“I have been closely associated and worked with organisations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), TERI think tank, BARTI, and Nehru Yuva Kendra, among others. These collaborations have provided me valuable learning opportunities, connections with domain experts, which have helped students, too,” he said.

Despite the success, Nikam acknowledges that challenges remain. Many students from migrant families, specially-abled individuals, and transgender communities still lack basic documentation required for accessing government benefits and educational opportunities.

“Documentation might seem like a small issue, but it’s often the biggest barrier between a deserving student and their dreams,” Nikam says. “Our role is to ensure no student is denied opportunities simply because they lack the right paperwork.”

With centres in Pune and Jharkhand, and association with educational institutes across Maharashtra, Nikam’s vision continues to expand. “The goal is to empower even more students, and with a team of over 20 dedicated fellows, we are contributing to the cause,” he added.