Sitare Zameen Pe – Part 2: Nurturing Talents, One Child at a Time

Continuing our series on Sitare Zameen Pe, where we paid tribute to one of India’s leading Geneticist Dr Shruti Bajaj, I’d like to share another valuable experience — this time with a Mumbai-based special educator, Megha Kumbhar.

A Vision Rooted in Compassion

In 2018, Megha approached us to help her create a brand identity and feature story that could reach more parents of children with special needs. It turned out to be an incredibly enriching experience for me, listening to Megha and understanding her vision and dreams.

By then, Megha had already completed over 20 years of teaching children with special needs, but she wanted to give her home based venture a formal structure so that parents of special needs children would take her work seriously. Through our meetings, calls and brainstorming sessions, we came up with the name ‘Nurturing Talents’. We created a logo for her — one that she loved and resonated with deeply.

A Different Way of Teaching

Megha believes her work is to beautify the lives of children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability (mild to severe), learning challenges, and autism.

She never liked the rigid teaching methods followed in regular schools. “I always like to teach students according to their strengths and abilities. Every child has potential and talent. As a teacher, I need to find these hidden potentials, which actually makes my work easier. I believe if a child can’t learn the way we teach, we have to teach them the way they can learn,” she shares. Read her full interview here: Nurturing Talents – On a journey to nurture the challenged. You can follow Megha’s work on Facebook as well: Nurturing Talents.

From Educator to Entrepreneur

After working at NIMH (National Institute of Mentally Handicapped), Bandra Reclamation, and then as a Special Educator at the Centre for Autism in Malad, Megha decided to start her own setup.

“When my son was in the 3rd standard, in August 2009, I decided to begin from home. I had only four students back then — but with time, that number grew,” she recalls.

Gaps in the System

“Very few schools have adopted a proper curriculum structured for special needs students,” she explains. “Many of them come to me around the age of 8 or 9, with underdeveloped academic skills. I start from the basics while still keeping up with the standard curriculum.”

She believes inclusive education is a must, but sadly, due to a lack of awareness, children with special needs still don’t get the facilities they truly deserve.

Patience, Creativity & Care

“When dealing with these children, one should have a lot of passion, a positive attitude and a broad approach. It’s a kind of service — and it brings immense mental satisfaction,” says Megha.

She adds, “You must be creative when working with such children. There’s no readymade program. I have to prepare an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for each child, because each one is different.”

What Makes Her Method Unique

Megha works personally with every student. Her key teaching strategies include:

• Focusing on individual strengths, progress and learning style
• A structured curriculum broken into small subtasks
• Use of quality teaching material and effective resources
• One-to-one sessions for 1.5 hours, 4 to 5 days a week
• Ample independent and intensive practice
• Long-term goal tracking
• For autistic adults: pre-vocational skills like painting, tracing, pre-cooking, assembling, printing, and more
• Constant motivation to build self-confidence

From Mentorship to Meaningful Collaboration

Working with Megha reminded me of how impactful our words and stories can be, especially when told with purpose and empathy. Her story, much like the film Sitare Zameen Pe, reflects the strength, hope, and resilience in those who work tirelessly behind the scenes, quietly nurturing talents.

If you’d like to tell your story too…

At The Write Compass, we help educators, professionals, and changemakers like Megha find their voice. You don’t have to be a writer — just someone with a story worth telling.

📍If you believe writing could give your personal or professional journey a boost, give The Write Compass a try. Join our 12-Week Journey to Clarity & Confidence course to help you find direction in your career.