How artist Rouble Nagi built 800 learning centres for slum children

Mar 16, 2026 | 17:56 IST

From slum classrooms in Mumbai to community learning centres across 21 states, artist Rouble Nagi’s education initiative has reached thousands of marginalised children. The work has now earned her the $1m Global Teacher Prize, recognising grassroots teaching impact

It is a regular workday at the Dhobi Ghat in Cuffe Parade, one of the few such washing spaces still operating in Mumbai. Jeans, white linen and other laundry lie stacked beside tubs of soap foam.

Clotheslines stretch across the courtyard. On one bright blue wall, a message is painted in bold letters: ‘Dream Big, Work Hard, Never Give Up’.

TOI

TOI

How artist Rouble Nagi built 800 learning centres for slum children

From slum classrooms in Mumbai to community learning centres across 21 states, artist Rouble Nagi’s education initiative has reached thousands of marginalised children. The work has now earned her the $1m Global Teacher Prize, recognising grassroots teaching impact

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TOI

How artist Rouble Nagi built 800 learning centres for slum children

From slum classrooms in Mumbai to community learning centres across 21 states, artist Rouble Nagi’s education initiative has reached thousands of marginalised children. The work has now earned her the $1m Global Teacher Prize, recognising grassroots teaching impact

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