Support in Motion

Dance Ojai serves as the fiscal sponsor for this work, providing a trusted pathway to support teacher continuity, community-rooted education, and long-term stability as the learning centers grow.

Kalbeliya Community, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

Who Kalbeliya Are

Kalbeliya of Rajasthan, India, are known for expressive movement, music, and vibrant cultural traditions. Once nomadic, they pass down knowledge through daily experience, family ties, and shared responsibility.

Learning happens through presence, practice, and participation, with values and skills carried across generations. Over time, the community has adapted creatively to changing conditions while sustaining its distinct ways of living and learning.

Why Community-led Learning Centers Emerged

As village life became more settled, families recognized that children needed learning environments aligned with their language, pace, and home routines.

Formal schooling often overlooks Kalbeliya backgrounds and modes of learning, creating barriers that impede participation. Limited public investment and caste-based exclusion deepen these challenges.

In response, the community established learning centers that support children in building academic foundations while remaining connected to family, culture, and daily life. These centers build on existing learning methods rather than replace them.

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Kalbeliya Learning Center 1

Kalbeliya Learning Center 2

The
Learning Center Model

Led by Kalbeliya women and supported by trained teachers, the centers blend education with everyday life. Children learn in small groups through lessons and creative activities shaped around their needs.

They deepen their first language, Marwadi, while learning Hindi, English, and math. Movement, music, and storytelling, central to Kalbeliya heritage, are woven naturally into instruction.

Classes run six days a week with meals provided, keeping education close to home and integrated into family life.

For many families, the centers provide a strong foundation, with some children later transitioning into government or private schools when families choose that path.

How the Centers Are Held

Kalbeliya women lead the centers as founders and stewards, overseeing daily operations, meals, care, and communication with families. Trained teachers work alongside community leadership to provide consistent instruction across multiple years.

This work focuses on two independently run learning centers within the same village. Each center holds its own rhythms, shaped by the children and families who gather there.

Raki Kalbeliya

Founder, Learning Center 01

Raki is a Kalbeliya dance performer, teacher, and craft artisan. She established the first learning center in 2015 and hosts its daily life welcoming children, preparing meals, coordinating care, and staying closely connected with families.

Yajvendra Singh

Teacher, Learning Center 01

Yajvendra has taught at the center since 2016, guiding children with steady instruction and long-term care. His consistency and relationships with families offer continuity across multiple generations of learners.

Morya Sapera

Founder, Learning Center 02

Morya is a Kalbeliya dance performer, teacher, and craft artisan. Since opening the second center in 2023, she has held it as a steady community space supporting children, organizing daily needs, and working closely with parents.

Christina Gomes

Learning Center Supporter

Christina, based in the USA, has worked alongside the Kalbeliya community for over a decade. She supports the centers through organization, communication, and connection to wider resources, helping strengthen their long-term sustainability while keeping them community-led.