(April 5, 2022) She dares to be different. At a time when the spotlight is on stem-based subjects, Mahira Jain prefers to turn the focus on non-stem subjects. Specifically on Indian art, culture, and history. The freshman pursuing bachelor of arts at Duke University launched FunWagon, a social project, in 2019 to promote the significance of non-stem subjects. The young changemaker has been using the platform to introduce youngsters to India’s history, culture, and architecture, which she feels are oft ignored. The 18-year-old received the 2021 Diana Award for her initiatives to promote desi culture.
Mahira Jain, founder, FunWagon
Making history fun
“FunWagon is a social enterprise that caters to children between the age of six to 16. Our mission is to organise exciting and interactive cultural activities, which promote experiential learning through excursions and experiences,” says the young changemaker, who launched FunWagon while still a student at DPS, RK Puram in Delhi. “We also discuss the importance of non-stem subjects by providing students a platform to emphasise and engage with different forms of humanities – culture, history, sociology,” adds Mahira in a conversation with Global Indian.
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While these sessions are conducted both online and offline, the group has conducted various excursions to places like the National Museum, India Gate, and other monuments that celebrate India’s rich history. “We’ve partnered with 11 NGOs. Since the pandemic started, we moved FunWagon’s activities online which helped us to give exposure to many more people,” says the teenager, who wishes to study innovation in entrepreneurship, visual arts, and media studies.
Thinking out of the box
The young changemaker, who was always inclined towards history, sociology, visual arts, piano, photography, and classical music, feels strongly about the lack of importance given to non-stem subjects. “We usually hear people say you should pursue stem and become a doctor, engineer, or scientist. There is hardly any importance given to the prospect of becoming a historian or sociologist. I’ve seen a lot of my friends being pressured into pursuing subjects they didn’t want to,” says Mahira, whose parents encouraged her to follow her interests and, pursued humanities instead. “I think that’s how every parent should be. I realised it is very important to emphasise on non-stem education and its benefits,” she adds.
FunWagon has so far created a successful network of cultural educators who inform youngsters on the full range of humanities learning options available in India. “Apart from excursions, we have been popularising non-stem subjects through panel discussions and expert talks. Our biggest event was an offline conference that I organised in 2019 with speakers from different backgrounds and a live audience of 80,” explains Mahira.
It all started when…
Mahira’s interest in humanities was kindled when she attended a six-month Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA) programme in 2017 by businesswoman Namita Thapar. YEA is aimed at transforming middle and high school students into confident entrepreneurs. “I was told to come up with something that I was passionate about. That is how FunWagon was born,” she adds.
“I realised that students too often shied away from humanities since they think it involves rote learning. There has been a lack of enriching recreational activities that make humanities interesting. That’s when I decided to organise events that are specially curated for students to provide them experiential learning outside the confines of the classroom,” adds Mahira whose venture has so far catered to 1,550 children.
Inspirations in the family
Incidentally, Mahira draws her inspiration from her parents, both established entrepreneurs. Her father, Nitesh Jain, the MD of Best Group, has expertise in the areas of manufacturing, EV, education, and high tech. Her mother Swati, on the other hand, is committed to empowering women to get back to the workforce with The Banyan, her chain of childcare centres. Her older sister works with a PR agency in Delhi and her younger brother is in the ninth grade.
Mahira with her family
“While both my parents are my inspiration, I’m also inspired by MS Dhoni. I admire him for his humility and how he carries himself more like an individual than a sports star,” says the youngster, who hopes to become an entrepreneur.
It was not a cakewalk
While FunWagon has managed to find its moment in the sun, the journey from inception was an uphill task. Getting parents to involve their kids in humanities outside the classroom was no mean feat. Building logistics and trust for the excursions too took a great deal of effort. Her father supported her financially and logistics wise, while her mother’s belief kept her going.
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The high point came when Mahira was able to convince 11 NGOs to partner with her cause. She also went on to publish a paper “Why the arts matter: an aesthetic exploration of India’s cultural diversity” in the International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research.
All set for future
“I hadn’t been very actively organising FunWagon activities since I moved to the US last August for my studies at Duke University. But I will soon begin working towards it from here,” says the youngster, who is currently enjoying her new innings as she explores new avenues and experiences.
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