On a sunny afternoon in Pune, a young woman walked into a modest home office clutching her mark sheets, unsure if she would ever study again. She had the grades, the determination — just not the money. Within minutes, her voice cracked as she told her story. And on the other side of the table, Prasad Narayan made a promise he has now kept for hundreds of students across India: “If you’re sincere, we will find a way.”

“I wanted to study further, to pursue what I loved, but my family did not have the resources. I felt like my dreams were slipping away,” recalls Monali Sharad Shelke, now a practising advocate in Pune. 

For many students from modest backgrounds, the journey to higher education is often blocked by financial constraints. In Pune, one man has dedicated himself to giving academically strong students a second chance at education, improving not just their futures, but the trajectory of entire families.

Prasad Narayan, a man whose full-time career as vice president of India operations for Leapfrog Technology is already demanding, founded ‘The Power of One Educational Trust’ in 2016 with the philosophy that sincerity, transparency, and commitment could change lives. 

“Initially, it was just my wife, Rekha, and I talking to friends and relatives about the trust,” he tells The Better India. “We didn’t have any structured fundraising or employees. But slowly, word spread, and people started contributing voluntarily, knowing their donations were reaching students directly.”

The initiative works on a zero-overhead model. He and his wife manage the entire initiative from the corners of their own home, with no salaries or expensive infrastructure. This allows nearly every rupee donated to reach students. 

“We deliberately chose to remain volunteer-driven. I believe this maintains the purity of purpose. There is no bureaucracy, no red tape, just helping deserving students,” he says.

Prasad’s journey began with the realisation that traditional NGOs often struggled with overheads, fraudulent practices, or inefficiency. He noticed that while many organisations solicited funds aggressively, a direct, individual-driven model could work better, provided there was transparency and trust. 

“I believe this model is more scalable than traditional NGOs,” he says. “Funds keep coming because people trust us. Some contribute on their birthdays, anniversaries, or randomly. It is not about the amount; it is about the sincerity of the donor.”

The trust initially focused on students in Pune, where the........

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