Est. 2018 · Jodhpur, Rajasthan

The story behind Chalkoi

Chalkoi was founded in 2018 by Vikram Singh Rathore and Sunita Devi Bhati - a retired IAS officer and a rural schoolteacher - who shared a single conviction: that geography should not determine destiny.

The name Chalkoi means "let us walk" in Rajasthani - an invitation, not a directive. We walk alongside students, communities, and traditions, not in front of them.

founders · Jodhpur, 2018

Students Supported

Villages Reached

Manuscripts Archived

Years of Service

Our Journey

Seven years of quiet persistence

2018

Foundation Registered

Chalkoi Foundation established as Section 8 company in Jodhpur with seed capital from 6 founding trustees.

2019

First 28 Scholars

Inaugural cohort of 28 merit scholars selected from Barmer, Jaisalmer, and Jodhpur districts.

2021

Heritage Archive

Marwari Heritage Oral History Archive inaugurated - 1,200 oral testimonies digitally preserved.

2024

10,000th Scholarship

A landmark disbursement: 10,000 scholarships across Class 10 through postgraduate programmes.

Stewards

People behind Chalkoi

founder

Vikram Singh Rathore

Founder & Trustee

Former IAS officer, 22 years in rural education policy. Awarded Padma Shri 2022 for contributions to vernacular language preservation in Rajasthan. Established Chalkoi after retiring from government service with the conviction that policy without community is paralysis.

founder

Sunita Devi Bhati

Co-Founder & Director

Educationist and community organiser from Barmer district. Recipient of the National Teacher Award 2020. Leads all scholarship programme operations and maintains direct relationships with every school in the network.

team

Dr. Priya Sharma

Programme Director

2020-present

team

Rohit Choudhary

Heritage Archivist

2021-present

team

Meera Kanwar

Field Coordinator

2022-present

team

Arvind Joshi

Finance & Compliance

2019-present

team

Lalita Rathod

Communications Lead

2023-present

team

Suresh Vyas

IT & Archive Systems

2021-present

Advisory Council

Prof. Hari Singh Bhati

Professor of History

University of Rajasthan

Dr. Meena Kumari

Educational Planner

NUEPA, New Delhi

Shri Ganesh Lal Meena

Former IAS, Education Dept.

Govt. of Rajasthan

Ms. Sunita Vyas

Rural Development Expert

SRIJAN Foundation

Dr. Ashok Raj Tawde

Open Education Specialist

IGNOU, New Delhi

Work with us

Want to support the next cohort?

We welcome schools, CSR teams, family trusts, researchers, and alumni partners.

Template preview