- THE FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE
Gandhi Fellowship
23 months of immersive learning, real-world challenges and personal transformation.
Started in 2008, Gandhi Fellowship is a 23-month leadership development programme that prepares young people to work on real-world challenges and contribute to meaningful, lasting change.
Through immersive field experiences, leadership development and continuous reflection, Fellows work with governments, communities and partner organisations to understand development challenges, strengthen public systems and contribute towards reducing multidimensional poverty.
The journey begins with understanding yourself and your role in the world and grows into understanding people, communities and systems. Across different programme contexts, Fellows build a common set of leadership capabilities that help them move from personal transformation to contributing to system change.
UNDERSTAND WHAT SHAPES THE WORLD. EXPLORE WHERE YOU FIT IN.
Sarkaar, Samaaj and Bazaar shape the world we live in from the opportunities we have to the choices we make.
During the Fellowship, you learn to see these connections, understand how systems work and explore where you can contribute.
सरकार
Government, policies and public systems shape access, opportunities and services.
समाज
People, communities, relationships and social structures shape how change is experienced.
बाज़ार
Markets, businesses and livelihoods influence what we earn, consume, create and aspire towards.
FELLOWSHIP CURRICULUM
The Fellowship curriculum connects real-world experience with structured learning and reflection. Learning happens through multiple experiences across the 23 months:
COMMUNITY IMMERSION
Step into community life and experience realities, challenges and aspirations beyond what you can learn from a distance.
VIPASSANA
Step away, look inward and build greater self-awareness and emotional regulation through a 10-day Vipassana experience.
FIELD SUPPORT
Go beyond your immediate context to observe, experience and understand different systems, communities and approaches.
DEBRIEFS
Pause, reflect and learn from your experiences through structured conversations, sharing and different perspectives.
BOOTCAMPS
Come together for focused learning, capability building and deeper engagement with key concepts and practices.
WHY CHOOSE GANDHI FELLOWSHIP?
BECAUSE SOME THINGS ARE BEST LEARNED BY DOING.
The Fellowship gives you the opportunity to step into the real world, work on meaningful challenges, learn through experience and discover what you are capable of.
EXPERIENCE THAT CHALLENGES YOU
Step beyond what you already know. Engage with new contexts, people and challenges that expand how you see the world.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Build the ability to understand people, navigate systems, work with others and lead through complexity.
LEARNING THROUGH REFLECTION
Pause, question your assumptions and turn your experiences into deeper self-awareness and learning.
A COMMUNITY THAT GROWS WITH YOU
Learn with a diverse cohort, build lasting relationships and stay connected through a growing alumni community.
A JOURNEY BEYOND 23 MONTHS
Your 23-month Fellowship is the beginning of a 10-year journey with Gandhi Fellowship, followed by 8 years of continued connection, engagement and learning as part of the alumni community.
WHERE FELLOWS WORK?
Gandhi Fellows engage with different contexts, stakeholders and development challenges through 2 key areas of work.
SANGAM
COLLABORATIVE
Community + Public Systems
Work alongside governments, communities and ecosystem partners to understand local realities and contribute to strengthening public systems at the last mile.
PIRAMAL SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP
Leadership + Capability Building
Engage with leadership development, research, programme design, facilitation and stakeholder engagement to build capabilities that contribute to stronger public systems.
WHAT YOU BUILD IN 23 MONTHS?
CAPABILITIES YOU TAKE WITH YOU
Through your experiences across the Fellowship, you develop:
SELF-AWARENESS
PROBLEM SOLVING
SYSTEMS THINKING
COLLABORATION
COMMUNICATION
EXECUTION
WHO CAN APPLY?
Those who question, explore and figure things out.
If you’re curious about the world, willing to challenge the conventional and ready to learn through experience, this journey could be for you.
ELIGIBILITY
- Graduation / Post-Graduation: Will have graduated by June 2027
- Academic Requirements: Minimum 55% average in Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation (PG, if applicable)
- Age Criteria: Candidates should be 26 years or below as on June 30, 2027
23 months to challenge what you know, explore what’s possible and figure out what comes next.