Prakhar Rajasthan: When an Entire State Dropped Everything to Read
When we talk about education, we often speak of exams, grades, and achievements. But at its core, education is about something far more fundamental: the ability to read, understand, and imagine. Reading is not just a skill, it is the foundation upon which curiosity, critical thinking, and lifelong learning are built.
It is with this spirit that the Government of Rajasthan, under the visionary guidance of the Honourable Education Minister, embraced the mission of strengthening Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, India’s flagship program that recognizes reading as the cornerstone of learning. Rajasthan’s journey of turning this vision into action is a story of leadership, innovation, and commitment of teachers, parents, children, and communities. I have been privileged to witness this transformation up close, and it is truly inspiring.
The Vision: Making Reading a Habit
The Honourable Education Minister of Rajasthan has consistently underlined the importance of operationalising the FLN mission in the state. His vision is simple yet powerful: every child, whether in a bustling city school or in the remote sand dunes of Jodhpur, should experience the joy of independent reading. By aligning Rajasthan’s efforts with the Government of India’s FLN Mission, he has ensured that foundational learning is not just a policy slogan but a lived reality across the state’s 65,000 government schools.
This vision was not about creating yet another program. It was about igniting a movement, one that makes reading not a task, but a culture.
Leadership that Translates Vision into Action
Vision needs leadership to come alive. The success of Rajasthan’s reading campaign owes much to the remarkable leadership of Mr. Avichal Chaturvedi (IAS), State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha. His ability to set up strong governance mechanisms, mobilize resources, and secure financial support ensured that this campaign did not remain confined to paper.
Avichal ji’s approach combined strategy with empathy. He ensured every stakeholder, from senior officials to Panchayat Elementary Education Officers, teachers, and parents, felt ownership of the campaign. His leadership created accountability at every level, but more importantly, it created hope that reading could truly become a habit for every child.
I remember a story Avichal Ji once shared while we were planning this campaign’s strategy. He shared the story of a blind child who dreamed of reading, not held back by any inability but lack of right tools and resources that could have opened the world of books to him.
It was a powerful reminder of how barriers lie not in people, but in the world around them. And he wanted to design the campaign with an inclusive approach, where children who can’t see should also participate with the same intensity and gravity.
A Campaign Rooted in Pedagogy and Innovation
No campaign of this scale can succeed without a sound pedagogical foundation. Here, Room to Read India Trust played an extraordinary role. Their evidence-based products, innovative learning materials, and child-friendly pedagogical approaches ensured that the campaign was not only inspiring but also effective.
One such approach that gained prominence was the “I do, we do, you do” model. Traditionally limited to a few schools in Rajasthan, this practice, where teachers first model the act of reading (“I do”), then engage students in shared reading (“we do”), and finally encourage independent reading (“you do”) : was officially adopted by the Department of Education, Government of Rajasthan. Its statewide adoption ensured consistency in how reading habits were nurtured, making classrooms more participatory and inclusive.
Read-A-Thon: An event that made Rajasthan ‘Drop Everything And Read’
September 3rd marked a turning point when Rajasthan came together for the Read-A-Thon. At 11 a.m., for thirty magical minutes, schools, offices, homes, and even communities dropped everything to read.
I still recall the joy in children’s eyes as they held storybooks of their choice in UPS Jai Chand ka Baas. Teachers sat beside them, reading aloud, while parents in some villages joined their children in the activity. In Jaipur, Jodhpur, and the remotest corners of tribal belts, a collective silence filled classrooms and playgrounds, the silence of words being absorbed, imaginations taking flight.
It was more than just an event; it was a powerful symbol of what collective action can achieve. It sent a message that reading is not confined to classrooms, but a shared celebration across society. I was truly moved and pleasantly surprised to know that, officially, 33 lakh children participated that day, a number that felt both remarkable and deeply touching to me.
Communities That Carried Books Across the Desert
What touched me most was how the campaign localized itself to Rajasthan’s unique context. When resources were scarce, communities stepped in. In Shekhala and Dechu blocks of Jodhpur, camel carts were transformed into mobile libraries, carrying books across sand dunes to reach children in remote villages. In Jaipur and Jhalawar, mobile library vans became symbols of access and equity, ensuring that books traveled where schools couldn’t.
Women, often busy with household chores, stopped to glance at the books their children brought home. Fathers, who had never held a book themselves, encouraged their children to read aloud. This was not just about teaching children; it was about changing the mindset of entire communities.
The Unsung Heroes: PEEOs, Teachers, and Children
If there is one group that deserves to be celebrated, it is Rajasthan’s 11,000+ PEEOs and the countless teachers who made this campaign a reality. Their energy, creativity, and ownership turned the idea of reading into daily practice.
I met teachers who, despite large classrooms and limited resources, created colorful reading corners with handmade posters. Children proudly showed their storybooks as though they were treasures. Parents, too, began to recognize reading as a joyful activity rather than a chore. These are the real heroes: the ones who ensure that the joy of reading is not a one-day event but a lifelong habit.
My Role in a Larger Collective
For me personally, this campaign has been a deeply meaningful journey. Along with Ajay Singh Rathore from Room to Read and Sagar from BCG, I was privileged to provide consultancy to Samagra Shiksha. My role was to help design strategies, align them with larger policy frameworks, and ensure that implementation was grounded yet scalable. I can’t be thankful enough to Mukesh Tharuka, Violet Duttson, Rahul Sahu, Jitendre Singh and the entire team at Room to Read Rajasthan, who worked tirelessly day and night and enabled the government to take this campaign to new heights. Their dedication and passion were truly the heart of this journey.
This work reinforced for me that true change in education happens when vision, policy, pedagogy, and community come together. Rajasthan has shown the rest of India that this is possible.
From Prakhar Rajasthan to Prakhar Rajasthan 2.0
The entire philosophy behind designing Prakhar Rajasthan was to promote the habit of reading among young learners. Its success was evident not only in the smiles of children but also in the way it became part of daily school life. Recognizing this, Samagra Shiksha did not just celebrate the campaign as a one-time success. Instead, it institutionalized it: including it in the Annual Plan & Budget for 2025–26 and launching Prakhar Rajasthan 2.0. This next phase promises to take the movement to even greater heights, scaling innovations, and deepening the culture of reading across every corner of the state.
A Hopeful Future
As I reflect on this journey, I feel immense gratitude, to the Honourable Education Minister for his vision, to Avichal ji for his leadership, to Room to Read for their innovation, to PEEOs, teachers, and children for their relentless spirit, and to communities for embracing books with open arms.
Rajasthan has shown us that reading is not just an educational activity; it is a social movement that brings people together, uplifts communities, and creates hope for the future. To the children who are discovering the magic of stories, to the teachers who inspire them every day, and to the policymakers who make it all possible, I extend my heartfelt best wishes.
May Rajasthan continue to scale new heights, and may the habit of reading light up every home, every school, and every heart across this great state.
(Author: Ashutosh is a development practitioner who has spent over a decade working at the intersection of education, human rights, and public policy. Over the years, he has contributed to Save the Children, STiR Education, Piramal Foundation, and Room to Read, and he currently serves as Operations Lead at Indus Action Initiative. His work has always centered around one core belief: that everyone deserves equal opportunities to thrive and improve their life chances.)
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