By Kishore Asthana, PGP 72
Caption: Students giving outdoor IQ tests
As you may know, Mensa is the oldest and the largest high IQ society in the world. We invite the top 2 percentile individuals (IQ 130+) to become our members. After a fulfilling career in India and abroad, I wanted to do something socially relevant that could make a difference in our country. I realised that India, with our large population, would have over 6 million high IQ underprivileged children who would ordinarily never get a chance to optimise their potential. To help do something about it, when I became President of Mensa India, I started Mensa Project Dhruv for the identification and nurturing of underprivileged high IQ children.
We started with conducting IQ tests in NGO run and government schools and tested about 8500 children to find these gifted children. Since starting in 2016, we have identified and are currently supporting 290 children in four locations selected by our donors –Gurgaon, Rishikesh, Varanasi and Prayagraj.
When we were starting the project we wrote to a number of companies. IndiGo had just then got their 100th aircraft and, to celebrate the occasion, they agreed to sponsor 100 Mensa Dhruv Scholars. Now we have a number of sponsors. However, we are always looking for more so that we can keep adding more deserving children.
Almost all Mensa scholars are first generation learners in their families and their parents are in low-paying jobs. Some are maids, cooks, gardeners, security guards, rickshaw pullers, street cleaners, day labourers etc. Some families have been abandoned by their father and are solely dependent on their mother who barely earns enough to keep the family fed. A few fathers are alcoholics. These children grow up under very stressful social and economic conditions. Stress frightens them and affects their morale. It also tends to induce low self-confidence. Through Project Dhruv and by removing financial worries, we have reduced their economic stress. We have also given them a sense of belonging to a society that values their intelligence and cares for them.
After they are selected, most Mensa scholars are put in anchor schools that have the right kind of environment to nurture them. We take care of their educational expenses and healthcare. We also have programs to improve their communication skills, their self-confidence and their leadership qualities.
We have coordinators in each of the four locations we work in, a Program Manager and a Chief Coordinator to oversee our activities. Since the Mensa Dhruv Scholars come from challenging backgrounds we have counsellors who they can talk to when needed. All Mensa members work pro-bono for the project.
It is important for the Scholar not to get lazy or overconfident. Good academic performance is one of the things that we insist upon. We tell our scholars that they are among the brightest students and they must do well academically. If they score less than 75% in two consecutive exams without a good reason, we have to discontinue their support and offer it to someone more deserving.
The COVID pandemic was a challenging time. Children had to stay at home and their families struggled to make their ends meet. We supported a few families with financial help during this time. 
Caption: Mensa Dhruv Scholars during their excursion in Himachal Pradesh
What I have learnt through this experience is that there is nothing common about highly intelligent children–some are hardworking, some are not. Some kids are self-motivated and others need a lot of hand-holding. Some like Maths, others like dance. The only things we found to be common in all of them is that all are quick learners – and that all want to do well so that they can escape the lives their parents are leading.
All the scholars are different, and our support is customised to the needs of individual children. We spend time learning about their interests and nurturing their talents, like we would do for our own children. We are proud to see them do well in diverse career paths. For example, one of our students, Sania Badhai, whose father is a helper in a shop, is a kickboxing champion from Rishikesh. Kunal, whose father is a carpenter, will be an architect this year. Ritu, whose mother is a maid/cook is being mentored in modelling by one of India’s topmost modelling mentors. Another scholar, Nancy, who used to sell vegetables after school, is an air crew member with Air India.
The Ministry of Education, Government of India, is starting Project Dhruv, as part of the Prime Minister’s Innovative Learning Program (PMILP). I have been included in the Committee of Experts formed to help with the finalisation of this initiative. It would be great if some in our IIMA alumni community can also connect with our Project Dhruv. Those at IIMA at present can mentor kids who want to get into engineering or MBA programmes by speaking to them one on one. Senior alumni can come forward and sponsor some of these children financially, either by themselves or through their company’s CSR funds. You can also offer career advice and even help with placement. You will find that it is extremely satisfying to support even one such deserving child. Your help can pull the entire family out of poverty and, sometimes, can also help the entire community prosper.
Kishore Asthana qualified for Membership of Mensa International with an IQ of 160 and is the President of Mensa Project Dhruv. On graduation from IIMA, Mr. Asthana joined the Tata Administrative Service. He subsequently spent 26 years in Oman, and was the Group Vice Chairman for the business interests of the brother of H.M. the Sultan of Oman, when he chose to return to India in 2004. He can be reached at President@MensaProjectDhruv.in.
These are just three of our Mensa Dhruv Scholars – there are so many more whose lives have been changed by our Project.
Anjali Prajapati:
Anjali’s father is a denter-painter in a roadside garage. She is from a village where female foeticide was prevalent. After she became a Mensa Scholar, she has become a role model for girls in her village. She has written a blog titled, ‘I believe in magic because of Mensa’. She has done her BSc in Maths and worked as a Data Analyst with IndiGo airlines. Anjali also guides students who need help in Maths. She also advises on Khan Academy. Currently she is focusing on further studies.
Komal Yadav:
Komal’s father is a driver. Komal was head girl in her school and a debating champion in university. She has done her graduation in Computer science (hons) from Delhi University’s IP College. Komal is also preparing for the highly competitive civil services examinations. She has recently been invited for an interview with the Services Selection Board. Komal has started an NGO Unmukti, for educating children and parents about menstrual problems.
Satyam:
We selected Satyam at a test at a School for street children in Varanasi. His father used to be a day labourer when we tested Satyam. Satyam is now in the final year of his 3 year BSc Physics Honours course at Delhi University. He wants to be an astrophysicist. We have arranged career advice from an eminent astrophysicist for him.
