I work as a bouncer. I couldn't study past Class IV, but my younger brother is an advocate. He is the one who first spoke to me about giving the SSC exam," says Nagraj Komolu, 36. The resident of Dahisar believes that his career prospects will improve dramatically once he clears the board exam, allowing him to move to a white-collar job with a little help from Masoom. The non-profit is focused on improving Maharashtra's night schools and works with 72 of them in Mumbai and 14 across Pune, Nagpur, Ahmednagar and Tuljapur. Most include self-motivated students like Komolu, who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Determined to rise above their circumstances, they work during the day and attend class in the evening.

Masoom was founded in 2008 by Nikita Ketkar, a former IAS officer, who realised that night schools were lacking in basic resources like notebooks and textbooks, as well as facilities for a science lab, counselling services and career guidance. Ketkar believes that every student, irrespective of age, gender, or any other identity marker, deserves quality education. "We have been working to improve the overall infrastructure of night schools so that its students have access to the same resources their peers from day schools do." The lockdown has prompted Masoom to take its initiative online, making use of platforms such as Avanti Gurukul and Zoom. However, it has posed a challenge to the education of students who are unable to access online classes during this period.