Our Story
What began as a small, local initiative in 2002 has grown into a global mission to fight poverty through education. In the Pursurah area of West Bengal, India, a handful of dedicated volunteers, began distributing essential textbooks and school supplies to students in need. Word of their inspiring work reached Tarun Kotal, a software engineer in the United States who grew up in the same area.
Joining forces, they formally established the "Pursurah Society for Welfare, Attachment, Judicious Assistance and Nurture" to provide crucial financial aid to bright, underprivileged students. Their vision was to empower these students to complete their studies and build self-sufficient lives.
In January 2017, Tarun and Uttara Mukherjee founded the Swajan Foundation in California, USA, to expand and professionalize their efforts. The foundation was officially approved as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization by the IRS later that year. To better manage and scale the organization's rapidly growing operations in India, a fully-owned subsidiary, Swajan India Charitable Foundation, was created in April 2021.
Starting with a modest group of just 10 students, Swajan's impact has grown exponentially, now providing support to over 120 students annually in West Bengal, India. In a testament to our commitment to a broader mission. In partnership with the Bay Area Crisis Nursery, we also launched a two-year program in November 2021 to provide essential childcare services to families in need in the Bay Area, California.
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Our Leadership
Our foundation is guided by a leadership team deeply committed to our mission, who are also the principal benefactors of the organization.
Tarun Kotal, Founder & CEO
As the driving force behind Swajan Foundation, Tarun Kotal is a software engineer at Google in the USA. He and his family are fully committed to Swajan's charitable cause, dedicating their time and resources to ensure the foundation’s vision is realized.
Uttara Mukherjee, Executive Director
Uttara Mukherjee is the Executive Director and Company Secretary of Swajan Foundation. By profession, she is the Vice President of HR Systems & Shared Services at Sephora. Uttara oversees the research and implementation of programs that maximize benefits for the community and is a committed principal benefactor of the foundation.
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Our Team in India
Swajan's success on the ground is made possible by a dedicated team of volunteers and directors in India who manage our day-to-day operations.
Nilotpal Gupta
A founder-member of Swajan Foundation, previously served as a West Bengal Government Official in the Department of Child Development. Following his retirement, he has fully dedicated himself to the foundation's community services. Additionally, he is a talented Bengali literary writer, a passion he has pursued for several decades.
Subrata Bhowmik
A software engineer currently working at StockEdge, with previous experience at Wipro Technologies. He provides invaluable technical and professional guidance to our students. Within the organization, he oversees the accounting for Swajan India and is a dedicated donor. Subrata is also a passionate music lover who enjoys playing the guitar.
Anup Kheto
Anup is a former Swajan student and an active member of the India team. He provides guidance to our students and has been instrumental in the smooth operation of our programs. He is currently working at Weilburger Coatings (India) Pvt Ltd.