I, Digvijay S. Todiwal, was a bright student, full of curiosity and dreams. However, my journey took an unexpected turn due to bad health and continuous illness. These challenges affected my performance in my Class 10 board exams, and I scored only 56%. Despite my interest and ambition to become a software engineer, my marks barred me from pursuing science, which was essential for realizing my dream. Yet, I didn’t abandon my dreams so easily. So, I began to teach myself with self-studies of software engineering through the use of the internet and hard willpower.

After sacrificing my dream, I opted for Humanities or Social Science for Class 11 and 12 studies. During that time, I developed a deep interest in Political Science and so decided to continue in the same field.

Unfortunately, my health issues continued, and I managed only 67% marks in Class 12. Then, financial constraints aggravated the problem. I could neither afford to go to a regular college nor did my marks fetch me any scholarship. So, I joined the School of Open Learning (SOL) for my graduation. The story was repeated at the master’s level when I again opted for an open learning system through IGNOU. After Class 12, he lent me money to do my diploma in elementary education. The course ran smoothly, and during that time, I came across a newspaper advertisement for the position of Field Surveyor with the Delhi government. I applied, got selected, and worked diligently, which impressed the central government enough to recruit me as a supervisor the following year.

Start of my writing journey

During the course of my master’s studies, one day I became so engrossed with a subject that the thinking over it and generating potential solutions from all sides got crystallized progressively in my mind. In fact, that interest led to the generation of a spark toward writing. Initial ideas were shared with my father and friends. While they were proud of my ideas, they chided me for using terms too complex for someone out of the Political Science field. The determination to try and bridge that gap by explaining in detail the ideas and terms, therefore, made these ideas more reachable. This marked the beginning of my first book, Dirty Politics, Youth, and Failed Democracy. 

After completing this book, I cleared an interview for a teaching job in Kendriya Vidyalaya and started working as a primary teacher. There, I realized the deplorable state of education in government schools—where neither the study materials, the books, nor the teachers seemed to care about the students’ education. Disillusioned, I left the job and began writing about the problems plaguing Indian education and proposing solutions.

It eventually became the subject of my second book, Subjects, Grades and New Ideas.

Writing these two books required studying on a wider scale than my master’s degree required; I wanted to study at international universities for further knowledge. For the second time, not having scholarships in hand due to my earlier academic record was an obstacle. It further developed my determination to fight for students who need a second chance. 

My Mission

I believe a person’s entire life and career cannot be defined by the decisions made at the tender age of 13 or 14. That is not fair to a child-not giving him real-world exposure and then judging his potential. Now, this has become my mission: to work for students who need a second chance at a better education system. My vision would henceforth be to build a better educational atmosphere in India and elsewhere so that no child’s future becomes constrained by the liabilities of their past.