A marine engineer and MBA by training, Desai discovered his passion to build primary schools for villages after realising the lack of educational facilities in rural areas. A professor at Mumbai's re**wned SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Desai wrote to over 250 big companies for help but was refused by everyone.
It was then that the idea of asking for public donations on Mumbai's local trains, which receive millions of passengers everyday, struck him. In 2010, he began collecting money from passengers on Mumbai locals. Many people questioned his motives and he was even arrested for begging on suburban trains in 2013, but was later cleared of charges. Read more...