Bipin Dhane left a successful engineering career in Singapore to work with communities in Majuli, Assam, building an education movement rooted in opportunity, livelihoods and local ownership.
After the success of The Hummingbird School, Ayang Trust was formally registered in November 2017 by Bipin Dhane along with his co-founders, Dharamjeet Kumar and Aswathy Preetha Jayakumar. The word “Ayang” means “love” in the local Mising language, reflecting the organisation’s core philosophy.
Together, the founding team envisioned an organisation that would work alongside local communities to improve education while addressing the interconnected challenges of livelihoods, environmental resilience and long-term opportunity.
In an exclusive interview, Bipin Dhane traces his journey from an engineering career in Singapore to Majuli, a flood-prone river island in Assam. Through Ayang Trust and The Hummingbird School, he is working to expand educational opportunities while addressing the livelihood and environmental challenges that shape children’s futures.
From Satara To Singapore
Bipin Dhane grew up in Satara, Maharashtra, and became the first engineer in his family. His academic journey took him to IIT Kharagpur, opening the door to a successful corporate career in Singapore.
For three years, Dhane enjoyed professional stability and financial security. Yet, the lifestyle increasingly felt disconnected from his values. The contrast between his comfortable life and the inequalities he saw in India pushed him to question conventional ideas of success.
He realised that professional achievement alone could not provide the sense of purpose he was searching for.
In 2016, Dhane left his job and returned to India, driven by a belief that every child should have access to meaningful opportunities regardless of their socioeconomic background or geography.
Finding Purpose In Majuli
Dhane’s search for a place where his work could make a tangible difference led him to Majuli, a river island on the Brahmaputra in Assam.
Communities in the region face recurring floods, erosion, limited livelihoods and gaps in access to quality education. For Dhane, Majuli reflected the systemic inequalities that often determine a child’s future long before they enter adulthood.
After spending time with local families, he realised that any sustainable intervention had to be developed alongside the community rather than imposed from outside.
That belief eventually led to the creation of The Hummingbird School in 2017.
Villagers donated land and contributed bamboo, resources and labour to build the school. What emerged was not simply an educational institution but a community-owned effort to create better opportunities for children.
In November 2017, Ayang Trust was formally registered with Dhane and co-founders Dharamjeet Kumar and Aswathy Preetha Jayakumar. The word “Ayang” means “love” in the local Mising language, reflecting the organisation’s core philosophy.
Education Beyond School Walls
Education remains at the centre of Ayang Trust’s work, but Dhane believes learning cannot be separated from the realities surrounding a child.
The Hummingbird School focuses on creating an environment where children can develop curiosity, confidence and critical thinking rather than simply memorising textbooks.
The Trust has also expanded learning opportunities through mobile library sessions and engagement with government schools, taking books and educational activities to children in remote communities.
The objective is to ensure that geography does not decide the quality of opportunities available to a student.
But years of grassroots work revealed another challenge. Even when children had access to education, unstable household incomes could threaten their ability to continue learning.
Connecting Livelihoods And Learning
Ayang Trust therefore expanded its work to support livelihoods, particularly among economically vulnerable women.
The organisation works with women farmers and artisans, helping build skills connected to handloom, food processing and bamboo crafts. By strengthening household incomes, the Trust hopes to create greater stability for children’s education.
Dhane’s approach recognises that poverty and educational inequality are deeply interconnected.
When families face economic uncertainty, children may be pushed to prioritise work over school. Supporting parents and strengthening livelihoods can therefore become an important part of keeping children connected to education.
This dual-generational approach working with children while supporting adults has become central to Ayang Trust’s model.
Building Resilience Along The Brahmaputra
Living in Majuli also means confronting the recurring threat of floods and erosion.
Environmental disruption can damage homes, destroy livelihoods and interrupt children’s education. Recognising this reality, Ayang Trust has incorporated disaster resilience and sustainable agriculture into its work.
The organisation supports initiatives such as food forests and resilient farming practices aimed at helping communities better withstand environmental shocks.
For Dhane, education, livelihoods and climate resilience cannot be treated as isolated issues. Each shapes the conditions in which a child grows and learns.
This interconnected approach has allowed the organisation to respond to the broader realities of communities rather than focusing on a single development challenge.
The Challenge Of Working In Remote India
Building a long-term social organisation in a remote region comes with significant obstacles.
Dhane identifies the shortage of trained professionals willing to commit to years of work in underserved areas as a major challenge. Social impact work may appear inspiring from the outside, but meaningful change requires patience, consistency and a willingness to remain present through difficult conditions.
Funding is another concern. Dhane believes Northeast India often struggles to attract adequate corporate social responsibility funding despite the region’s significant development needs.
For grassroots organisations, sustaining programmes while building strong local teams can therefore require years of persistence.
Yet, the journeys of students provide powerful motivation.
Children who once had limited educational opportunities are now progressing academically and accessing institutions that once appeared beyond their reach. Their stories reinforce Dhane’s belief that talent exists everywhere, even when opportunity does not.
Reaching 100,000 Children By 2030
Looking ahead, Ayang Trust aims to reach 100,000 children by 2030.
Dhane’s vision, however, extends beyond expanding the number of schools. The organisation wants to create a support system that accompanies students from classroom learning to higher education, skills and career opportunities.
The aim is to ensure that education translates into long-term socioeconomic mobility.
For children growing up in remote communities, a classroom can be the beginning of the journey. Mentorship, career guidance and access to employment pathways are equally critical in shaping their futures.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Bipin Dhane’s journey demonstrates that meaningful social change rarely begins with grand solutions. It often starts with listening, building trust and recognising the interconnected realities that shape people’s lives.
Through Ayang Trust and The Hummingbird School, Dhane has moved beyond a charity-driven model to build initiatives rooted in community participation and local ownership.
His journey from Satara to Singapore and eventually to Majuli reminds us that conventional professional success is not the only measure of achievement. The deeper question is how skills, education and opportunities can be used to expand possibilities for others.
In our own personal and professional lives, how can we move beyond passive concern and use our abilities to create meaningful opportunities for communities that have historically been left behind?
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