Jaipal Singh Munda Mentorship Programme- Bloom and Seed Cohort
1 June 2026| The idea behind the Jaipal Singh Munda Mentorship Programme grew from the experiences of scholars who, at different points in time, found themselves navigating unfamiliar educational systems, scholarship processes, and life abroad without a clear roadmap.
When Hasan Al Banna travelled abroad through the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Overseas Scholarship (MGOS), he witnessed first-hand how difficult the journey could be for students from marginalised communities in Jharkhand. Years later, Usha Tiru encountered many of the same challenges while pursuing her studies at the University of Sussex as an MGOS scholar. As more students began reaching out for guidance on applications, scholarships, interviews, visas, accommodation, and settling into a new country, a common realisation emerged: talented students were often struggling not because of a lack of ability, but because of a lack of information, mentorship, and support networks.There were endless questions, unfamiliar processes, financial anxieties, self-doubt, and the constant fear of “What if I am not enough?” What helped him move forward was guidance from people who shared information, answered questions, and made an impossible journey feel possible.
While Hasan and Usha arrived at this realization through different journeys and at different times:What if marginalised students from Jharkhand did not have to navigate this journey alone?
Their shared commitment to making the path easier for future students eventually led to the creation of the Jaipal Singh Munda Mentorship Programme.
In January 2026, Association for PARIVARTAN of Nation launched the programme under the leadership of Hasan Al Banna. Named after Jaipal Singh Munda, one of the most influential Adivasi leaders from Jharkhand also known as Marang Gomke, a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, and captain of the Indian hockey team. The programme seeks to honour his vision of dignity, representation, and opportunity for Adivasi and marginalised communities.
At its heart, the JSM Mentorship Programme is not simply about studying abroad. It is about ensuring that talented students from Jharkhand, especially those from ST, SC, OBC, Pasmanda Muslim, and economically weaker communities, are not held back because they lack access to information, networks, or mentorship. Every year, many students dream of applying to universities abroad through the MGOS scholarship programme initiated by the Government of Jharkhand. But for many first-generation aspirants, even understanding where to begin can feel overwhelming. Questions about courses, universities, statements of purpose, scholarships, interviews, visas, accommodation, and life in a new country often remain unanswered.
The JSM Mentorship Programme was created to bridge that gap.
What makes the programme deeply personal is that the mentors themselves once stood exactly where the students stand today. They know the anxiety of waiting for offer letters, the nervousness before interviews, and the emotional weight of leaving home for the first time.
One of the programme leads, Usha Tiru, is currently studying at the University of Sussex as an MGOS scholar. Alongside her is Sapna Gupta, an alumna of the University of Edinburgh, who understands the emotional and academic realities of adjusting to the UK education system. Together, with a growing network of mentors, they have been guiding students not just through applications, but through confidence-building, emotional support, and community.
The programme currently works through two cohorts: Bloom and Seed.
The Bloom Cohort includes students who have already secured admission offers from universities abroad and are now preparing for the highly competitive MGOS scholarship process. Mentors work closely with them on documentation, interview preparation, scholarship applications, and preparing for life abroad.
The Seed Cohort is equally important. These are students who are still discovering their path and still trying to understand what they want to study, where they want to go, and whether such dreams are even possible for someone like them. Through workshops, mentoring sessions, and regular interactions, the programme helps them slowly build clarity and confidence for future scholarship cycles.
When the programme was first announced, nearly 67 students applied from across Jharkhand. 18 students were selected for the Bloom Cohort, while the remaining students joined the Seed Cohort for long-term preparation and mentoring.
Today, students from the programme have received offer letters from universities such as the University of Edinburgh, University of Sussex, University of Birmingham, University of Manchester, Coventry University, and University of Warwick, among others.
But beyond offer letters and university names, the programme is creating something much deeper. It is creating a space where students from villages, small towns, and historically excluded communities can finally imagine themselves in places they were once told did not belong to them. It is building a community where one student’s journey becomes a pathway for another.
And perhaps most importantly, it is reminding young people from Jharkhand that their dreams are valid, their voices matter, and the world, too, belongs to them.