1.How did the Lodha Genius Programme start? 

Two vital threads became intertwined. For some years, the government has been discussing a programme that finds excellence and nurtures it. Because of that discussion, we understood what activity could be done. Then, I became Chair of the Ashoka University Science Advisory Council, and there, too, we discussed how one can have Ashoka University not just stimulate science within its campus but also in the broader ecosystem.

It was a meeting of minds when we heard from Abhishek Lodha, MD and CEO at the Lodha Foundation, about their Foundation’s desire to start a programme where excellence will be nurtured. Everything fell into place when these two threads of ideas came together and gave birth to the Lodha Genius Programme (LGP).

2. What was the vision behind the Lodha Genius Programme? 

The principal idea was that among our millions of students across the country in 9^th-12^th standards, many are incredibly talented but need a route for their talents to blossom without compromising quality. Anupama Ambika Anilkumar and Gaurav Bhatnagar came up with lots of ideas about this, where we could identify and start with about 100 students (now it’s 300) from all over the country to be brought to Ashoka and exposed to India and the world’s best teachers and projects to look at various kinds of questions and discoveries. Then they would go back, and if we could continue to mentor them after they went back and continue this every year, steadily increasing the number, then we would have a way by which talented people see avenues for their growth. 

3. The Lodha Genius Programme nurtures ​“future leaders”. How do you define a future leader? 

One crucial component emerged in discussions with Abhishek Lodha and Mahika Shishodia, Head of Social Impact at the Lodha Foundation. They felt very strongly that it’s not just about making students good at Physics, Chemistry, Biology, or Mathematics but also making them socially conscious and conveying that it’s not just enough to succeed in what you do; instead, grow in seeing beyond yourself and what is valuable to you — to the broader ecosystem, society, and the country. 

So, that’s what the term ​“leader” means — it’s not just about yourself but thinking about how to work as a team and take everyone forward.

4. Are there any programmes out there similar to this one? If there are, how is this programme unique? 

There are several other programmes, but they concentrate either only on one discipline or on being a generic summer camp. Most programmes require the student to pay to join the programme with the promise of training to be more competitive in exams or university admissions. 

The LGP is unique in multiple ways. It integrates all of science with society. It has global leaders from the country and beyond who are giving talks. And all of it is completely paid for — travel to the university, stay, all the materials, and the interactions when you return.

In essence, the LGP is a fully funded model that ensures a uniquely diverse range of students in the cohort. Rather than just being a one-month summer programme, it is designed to offer long-term and sustained training and mentorship to students until their early careers.

5. Have there been any surprises as the programme took shape?

There have been enormous surprises! I’ll give you some examples: 

school grades don’t mean anything. Bright people get all sorts of grades. 

There are people from all kinds of backgrounds who may appear shy or reticent. However, within a week of working together, they’re just transformed, full of confidence — the previous superficialities don’t matter. What matters is getting together to do things. That’s the first surprise! It’s also amazing what levels of complexities 9^th-12^th standard students are willing to tackle. 

For teachers, there is a concern that you want to be useful to every student. Hence, teachers worry that they might dumb down content extensively. It so turned out that most people teaching actually pitched everything at a rather complex level. However, because of the fantastic TAs (teaching assistants), who are undergraduates from Ashoka and other places, the students had no problem picking up.

And finally, quite surprisingly, some students came in nervous about mathematics but left very happy and wanting to do mathematics. 

I commend the maths teaching group put together by Bhatnagar and others there. 

6. Are students made aware of underrepresented careers in this programme? 

While we touch every discipline, from geology to astronomy, chemistry to physics, and computer science to space science, everything is done with real examples — this is what I see in the universe around me. How do I solve it? What are the tools I need to solve it? So, it’s science through inquiry. Therefore, to answer your question about careers, I’ll return to the first point about social leadership — how we can use our understanding of the universe to do better for ourselves, our communities, and our country. 

For the career options, we don’t straitjacket saying that you will get into this place if you do this. We also have a good internship programme that’ll start soon. Such activities open their eyes. All career options are compelling and can be exciting depending on the opportunities and contexts, and we interact with students throughout the year to help them with their decisions.

7. How has this programme changed over the years? 

The first year was a very stressful experience for those involved because they didn’t know how it would work out. The second year, more or less, just expanded it. However, from the second to the third year (2025), there has been an enormous increase in other kinds of interactions. Ambika and her team have put in place national interactions and multiple types of programmes in numerous schools in a huge way, which expands the footprint of this programme much more than just the campus interaction. So, that’s a rather dramatic change.

And the final change, which has taken place in addition to this, is the rather substantial increase in numbers from 100 in the first year to about 300 now. There are other ideas for expansion in multiple ways. They’re bringing in many career opportunities for people passionate about science. It’s not just been a support but a partnership and involvement with the Lodha Foundation. So, teamwork has ultimately scaled the programme quantitatively and qualitatively.

8. How has been the students’ feedback about this programme?

Before and after the first year, Ambika and her team went to schools nationwide, not just for advertising but to get feedback about the requirements. For students who have never travelled before, female students, or those from economically disadvantaged families, coming to Sonipat and staying one month could be challenging. However, after the experience, the feedback has been uniformly positive.

9. What do you hope to see in this programme in the future?

How do we scale up the programme without compromising? That’s one challenge. We’re trying to discuss and see how various partners will be able to join the programme. Another point is how one expands this across the country, in partnership with Ashoka and led by the Lodha Foundation. Here, I would use the analogy with chess. The growth of chess circles all over the country is inspiring. India has excelled in chess as a consequence of that. It is both autonomously done bottom up and with high quality because of the system’s demands. 

Can we semi-autonomously do that so that mathematics and science have learning circles to stimulate growth nationwide? 

Ambika and the team are exploring these ideas, and I’m sure these will grow over the following years.

The applications for 2025 cohort of the Lodha Genius Programme opens on 1 December 2024. For more details, please visit LGP’s website.