“In just 60 days, we transformed the educational landscape—ensuring that not a single person was left illiterate in Joypur,” said Dr. Rajeshwar Mishra, Founder, CDHI, during an informal reflection on his work in West Bengal. Further in the discussion we explored that the scale and speed of this achievement was so high that it must have kept people presently surprised. What began as a localized intervention soon evolved into a collective point of discussion—one that compelled the system to pause, introspect, and confront a difficult question: if such results are possible, why do they remain exceptional rather than routine?

These super constructive outcomes leave an everlasting impact on the ecosystem revealing a deeper truth—that institutions equipped with vast resources, authority, and infrastructure often struggle to convert capacity into meaningful and measurable impact. The shortfall lies not in intent alone, but in the approach itself.

There are multiple reasons behind this systemic shortfall. Let us dive in :

• The absence of emotional intelligence as a driving force: Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions, and to recognize and influence the emotions of others, helping you navigate social situations, build relationships, relieve stress, and make better decisions by blending thinking and feeling.

  When empathy, sensitivity, and human connection are excluded from decision-making, execution becomes mechanical rather than transformative. Emotional intelligence rarely finds space to act as a catalyst in the minds of implementers.

• Exclusion of local voices in problem-solving: Communities are treated as beneficiaries rather than partners. When lived wisdom is ignored, solutions lack relevance, ownership, and continuity.

• A widening disconnect between authority and ground reality: “The policies are there, and some have been implemented, but most remain unexecuted due to various barriers.” said Mr Phuba Dhupka, Chairman Gram Sabha, Tassi Village when we asked him if the government policies are truly driving change in the region. This contradiction raises a fundamental question: if policies do not translate into action on the ground, what purpose do they truly serve?

• An obsession with timelines over outcomes: Sometimes Projects are often declared complete once deadlines are met, without any sincere evaluation of their real, on-ground impact or sustainability.

• Lack of accountability beyond reporting: Success is measured through files, photographs, and presentations—not through long-term change or community ownership. Without accountability to outcomes, failure quietly becomes routine.

THE CDHI MANTRA OF EXECUTION OVER EXCUSES

What I could gather in last six days of association with CDHI was that :

a) It adopts a community-driven model of development where belief precedes policy, engagement is rooted in honesty, and outcomes are measured through time-bound, on-ground results. As seen in various educational and programmes conducted by CDHI in West Bengal.

b) Equally central to this approach is the focus on building self-sustaining and independent communities rather than long-term dependency.

As seen in Joypur where true transformation occurred when leadership was aligned with empathy with execution.

AVENGERS IN MAKING :

Now imagine thirty-three teenagers from urban and semi-urban backgrounds—raised in technology-driven routines, urban conveniences, and comfort-led aspirations stepping away from familiar worlds into regions far removed from mass reach, untouched by commercial gloss and city rhythms. What sounds like an idea became reality in the 2025 CDHI Community Engagement Program.

Over these days, the students not only engaged directly with Centre For Development Of Human Initiatives (an institution that has spent decades transforming remote and mountainous terrains through community-led development) but also lived alongside self-reliant communities, learning from their resilience, dignity, and problem-solving spirit. They returned not just informed, but transformed.

The greatest gift of this exchange in my opinion was not exposure, adventure, or experience it was emotional intelligence. Through deep interactive experiences, reflection and human connection students developed empathy, adaptability, and self-awareness - the most critical tools for long-term success in any field. Like true Avengers in the making, their real superpowers emerged not in technology or privilege, but in increased emotional intelligence, design thinking, and a solution-oriented approach to life helping them to contribute meaningfully and drive change in an increasingly complex world.

GOOGLED FACTS AROUND EI:

Studies show that emotional intelligence (EI) – the ability to understand and manage emotions – is a stronger predictor of long-term success than grades or IQ alone.

For example, a review of educational research notes that “social and emotional intelligence now stands out as a better predictor of long-term life success than academic proficiency alone” .

In a world where India saw over 13,000 student suicides in 2023 – more than 2,000 of them linked directly to exam failure and stress – building young people’s emotional resilience is more urgent than ever.

Experts emphasize that EI drives leadership and well-being. Harvard researchers summarize decades of studies by concluding that once basic intelligence is met, “emotional intelligence… accounts for nearly 90% of what moves people up the ladder when IQ and technical skills are roughly similar.” .

Nobel-winning psychologist Daniel Goleman similarly argued that beyond an IQ of about 115, technical smarts no longer guarantee success – EI becomes the differentiator. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs reports echo this: adaptability, self-awareness and empathy are now among the top skills demanded by 2025.

In short, the students’ village trek built exactly the human qualities (not just book knowledge) that tomorrow’s workplaces need.

EI in Leadership, Adaptability, and Well-being

Leaders with high EI inspire and uplift teams. Managers who listen, understand and support their people see those colleagues “go above and beyond the call of duty.” In fact, emotionally driven leaders create workplace environments where people feel heard and valued, which research links to higher engagement, creativity and loyalty.

Emotionally intelligent leaders also navigate change more smoothly: studies find they enhance organizational resilience, staying steady and resourceful under pressure.

In the Indian context, the new National Education Policy (2020) significantly underscores life skills like teamwork, empathy and resilience as co-equal goals of schooling. The students in the CDHI facilitated community exchange program lived this ideal: by listening to the real problems in the villages, they practiced empathy and adaptability in real time – skills that schools and even UNESCO agree are crucial for lifelong success.

Seven Gifts of Community Immersion

Community engagement programs are a living classroom for emotional intelligence. As the Manava Bharti students discovered firsthand, such experiences provide at least seven key benefits that textbooks can’t teach:

•Empathy

•Self-awareness

•Resilience

•Emotional Regulation

•Gratitude

•Cultural Sensitivity

•Purpose-Driven Leadership

Each of these emotional skills – empathy, self-awareness, resilience, emotional regulation, gratitude, cultural sensitivity and purpose-driven leadership – was directly nurtured by the engagement. Together, they form a foundation for well-being and achievement that strengthens any curriculum.

Nurturing Leaders for Life

This Community Engagement Program is a model for India. Rather than prioritizing only marks, it cultivates holistic skills that CDHI says we must teach if education is to transform lives. By encountering hardship and humanity beyond textbooks, the students learned that real success means lifting themselves and their communities. After all, data makes clear that emotional intelligence – not just grades – guides life paths. As Mr Amit Sarkar a teacher from Manava Bharti International School put it: “These kids returned wiser, more grounded, and ready to lead with heart.” Indeed, in a fast-changing world, programs like this plant the seeds of future leaders who are not only knowledgeable, but deeply empathetic, adaptable and purpose-driven – qualities that truly last a lifetime; qualities that would keep the spine of confidence unbent, hope intact and belief fearless - standing tall and resolute in the face of adversity.

Sources: Educational research and reports by UNESCO, the World Economic Forum, Comments by Harvard experts, and Indian education surveys on social-emotional learning and success.