Empowering Rural and Tribal India for Climate Action through the Outreach Sarabhai Initiative

Authors: Swathipriya D.G. & Sibsankar Palit, LIFE-To & Beyond Foundation

Creating Space For All!

India is a land of unity in diversity. Its rural and tribal corners, though brimming with curiosity and raw talent, often remain unsensitized by the conversations that shape our future, especially when it comes to space science and environmental awareness. On 14th November 2024, at Varanasi (an Indian city popular as a pilgrimage site), a quiet revolution began. LIFE-To & Beyond Foundation®, in collaboration with the Pratham Education Foundation, penned down a new chapter in the Indian space ecosystem. It was marked by a shared vision of "bringing science and space to the mainstream discussion". But this wasn't a lofty corporate pitch, but an interactive DIY science workshop on weather and climate change. This was made possible through LIFE-To & Beyond Foundation® (i.e., through our Outreach Sarabhai initiative, named after the Father of the Indian Space Program, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai [Figure 1]), when we decided to go further, deeper, and wider right into the heart of rural and tribal India. But such a dream needed legs, wheels, and fuel (both literal and metaphorical). That’s where Pratham Education Foundation entered as a key collaborator. Pratham helped bring together its grassroots strength to the table: identifying school children from rural and tribal areas, arranging transportation, and managing the logistics of setting up workshops in their Creativity club centers across India.

Figure 1: LIFE-To & Beyond Foundation (Left); Outreach Sarabhai Initiative (Right)

Thus, from the ghats of Varanasi to the sub-urbans of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh; from the arid desert regions in Dausa, Rajasthan to the naxalite-maoist affected, densely forested areas in Konta and Sukma in Chhattisgarh to the gateway to north-east India, i.e., Cooch-Behar, in West Bengal, India, it was a journey across the lengths and breadths of north, west, and eastern parts of India (Figure 2)

Figure 2: Places in India where the “Build your Weather Station” workshop was conducted by the LIFE-To & Beyond Foundation® in collaboration with the Pratham Education Foundation. Dates and location of the workshops: Varanasi (14th–15th November, 2024), Aligarh, UP (18th–19th November, 2024), Dausa, Rajasthan (21st–22nd November, 2024), Konta, Chhattisgarh (8th–9th December, 2024), Sukma, Chhattisgarh (15th-16th February, 2025) and Coochbehar, West Bengal (9th–10th March, 2025).

The theme for these workshops was Weather and Climate Change and was carried out under the name “Build your Weather Station”. Why? Because these children are not just future citizens, they're current stakeholders of a planet undergoing rapid change, mainly due to anti-environmental human activities. And what better way to learn than by engaging? Kids were introduced to DIY weather stations, built their thermometers, rain gauge, and anemometer, along with engaging demonstrations of magic in a glass of water explaining the concept of atmospheric pressure, cloud in a jar and bottle, a tornado in a bottle, and paper-origami rocket, and a climate satellite model making. All built from everyday materials to understand concepts of temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, rainfall, wind, and climate monitoring through. From crafting anemometers out of paper cups to decoding how clouds are born, the sessions turned into hands-on labs of discovery. The idea was simple: make science feel like play and not an academic work.

For our trainers, each stop had its flavour. For example, Sibsankar Palit (Figure 3) was the glue holding it all together. His calm problem-solving, cultural sensitivity, and passion for grassroots outreach turned logistical challenges into seamless experiences. Whereas, Swathipriya D.G. (Figure 3) brought energy in equal measure, such as turning local stories into science analogies to designing playful activities on the spot, like cultural dance showcases by kids, ensured every session was informative and filled with joy and imagination. Most exciting was the fact that some children who had never seen an anemometer were still able to build one by the end of the session. Likewise, Narendra Singh’s storytelling style (Figure 3) made even cloud formation sound like a piece of cake. Students who were initially shy opened up during our Q&A sessions. Coordinators from Pratham Foundation later shared their views on how our pedagogical approach helped make climate and space education more relatable for these kids.

Figure 3: Picture Collage showing Sibsankar Palit engaging students across (a) Varanasi and (b) Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, (c) Dausa in Rajasthan, and (d) Konta in Chhattisgarh. Picture Collage showing Swathipriya D.G. with students she engaged in (e) Sukma, Chhattisgarh and Narendra Singh with the students he engaged in (f) Cooch-Behar, West Bengal in India

Thus, in an era when most people still equate space with rockets, astronauts, or billionaires, LIFE-To & Beyond Foundation® took a broader view, encompassing earth observation, climate monitoring, and weather modelling through space applications- areas where even a village child can play a role. The workshops weren’t just about tools. They were about igniting the young minds on asking pertinent questions like: “How do clouds form?”, “How do satellites help in climate monitoring?”. One child asked if we could store rainwater in the sky for summer, which encouraged us to discuss the water cycle, cloud seeding, and climate adaptation. These were some unexpected moments or memories that sparked the desire to do outreach beyond the conventional boundaries of socioeconomic barriers. Thus, by bringing these hands-on learning to rural and tribal communities in regional languages like Hindi and Bengali, we aimed to spark interest in STEAM and space science and its applications in everyday life.

But that was not all. As Mark Twain once said, “One must travel to learn”, so was the case with our Founder, Mr. Palit, when he was in Dausa (Rajasthan), for his outreach endeavor. Palit faced some travel issues where he got stuck all alone on a remote expressway late at night for a brief moment, which was concerning, given the late-night hour. But he was optimistic enough, and described spending the wee hours of the night (before help arrived) enjoying the night sky where he could distinctly view the Orion constellation and and few other stars, which are often not accessible for clear view in the cities. Therefore, this collaboration was a one-of-a-kind venture (perhaps the first step to bring space and climate education to mainstream discussion at a grassroots level) that involved both outreach and self-exploration for our outreach workforce. As a result, LIFE-To & Beyond Foundation®, with the Pratham Education Foundation, is not only building citizen scientists, but problem-solvers, as we look towards the future, and aim to take this initiative further to more villages and students. And who knows? The next breakthrough in climate science and space science might just come from one of those who made a DIY weather station at Coochbehar or Konta. Because in the journey to make science and space accessible for all, what matters is not where you start, but that you start with the very 1st step.
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**The authors are thankful to Mr. Subhajit Hazra (Operations Director & Co-founder, LIFE-To & Beyond Foundation®) for editing the write-up.