Rising Beyond Limits: A Day with 300 Young Builders of Tomorrow

Last Saturday, on November 22, I walked into the Shankara Foundation in Bangalore expecting to observe a Qualifier round of EL Build. What I didn’t expect was to witness a quiet revolution—one being shaped by the hands and hearts of nearly 300 young students who gathered from underserved communities across the city.

These were children who, on paper, have every reason to be held back—by circumstance, by stigma, by society’s invisible ceilings. And yet, as they sat around their LEGO kits, pencils, charts, and plans, I saw something unmistakable in their eyes: ambition without apology.

Leadership Begins Long Before a Title

In just 90 minutes, these students were asked to collaborate, ideate, assign roles, build structures, solve problems, and reflect on their choices. It wasn’t just a challenge; it was a mirror into who they are becoming.

What moved me most was not the finesse of their final build, but the spirit that filled the room:

Teams that divided tasks seamlessly, as if they had been doing this for years.
Children cheering loudly not only for their own teammates, but for rival teams.
Groups who finished early—because their collaboration was so sharp—and then quietly walked over to help others still building.
Young minds embracing critical thinking, adaptability, and emotional maturity far beyond their years.

Here were children, whom society often labels as “underprivileged,” yet their behaviour reflected a richness many adults struggle to attain—grace in competition, humility in success, strength in teamwork, and compassion in every interaction.

This wasn’t just a qualifier.
This was leadership in its rawest, most honest form.

Defying Stigma, Rewriting Futures

Throughout the morning, one thought kept returning to me: How many of these children have been told—directly or indirectly—that their dreams are too big for where they come from?

But there they were—defying social barriers with clarity, confidence, and creativity.

They weren’t competing for marks on a sheet.

They were competing against the boundaries their environment once set for them.

And winning.

Their courage whispered a powerful truth:

Leadership is not reserved for the privileged. It grows wherever children are given the chance to try.

This Is What Education Should Feel Like

As I watched these children reflect on their builds, I felt a deep realisation settle in.

Our formal education system often misses the most essential lessons—collaboration, empathy, problem-solving, resilience. But here, in this vibrant Build session, those lessons were alive in every gesture, every conversation, every block placed with intention.

These children weren’t just building structures.

They were building identity, confidence, community, and hope.

The Future Looks Like Them

When I left the venue, I carried with me an overwhelming sense of optimism.

Because in those 300 children, I saw the leaders our world desperately needs—leaders who will not only imagine better futures but work together to build them.

Their dreams are no longer bound by circumstance.
They are learning to Defy the Impossible.

And that gives me hope—not just for their future, but for all of ours.