Our Vision
A world of dignity and fairness.
An empowered, just, and resilient Northeast India, where children from historically marginalised tribal communities have the conditions to think, create, and lead.
The Hummingbird Collective
From a community-built school in Majuli to a network of five schools, a residential academy, and a generation of capable, principled changemakers, by 2040.
Our beginning
What began as a single community-built school in a remote village of Assam has inspired The Hummingbird Collective, a shared commitment to ensuring that every child in Northeast India, regardless of where they are born, has access to meaningful, joyful, and high-quality education and opportunities. While our work today spans schools, residential care, teacher development, libraries, and youth initiatives, our roots remain firmly planted in one small village and in the belief that lasting change begins with people coming together.
Nine years ago, the residents of Kulamua, a small flood-affected village in Majuli, Assam, believed education was the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. They mobilised the support of 18 surrounding villages and partnered with Bipin Dhane, an engineer-turned-educator who had arrived in Majuli as a volunteer teacher. The community donated land, bamboo, and labour to create what would become The Hummingbird School.
In January 2017, the school opened its doors to 70 children. Alongside it, a small residential home welcomed 23 children who were orphaned or from the most vulnerable backgrounds, ensuring that no child would be denied an education because of their circumstances.
9 years of proof
In January 2017, 19 villages of the Mising community built The Hummingbird School in Kulamua, Majuli. Today the school enrols 309 children, 90% of them from the same tribal community whose youth most of India never sees.
309
Students LKG – Grade 10
100
Live at the Hummingbird Home
90%
From the Mising tribal community
100%
Grade 10 graduates continuing senior secondary
A model that creates well-rounded learners
Academic Excellence
Inquiry-driven, leveraging project-based learning.
Leadership & Collective Action
Driven by a democratic student council and student-led initiatives.
Exposure & Access
An interdisciplinary curriculum that blends arts, science, and sport.
Our Vision
An empowered, just, and resilient Northeast India, where children from historically marginalised tribal communities have the conditions to think, create, and lead.
Our Mission
We exist to nurture children of Northeast India’s most marginalised communities as leaders who can effect a fairer, more dignified world, grounded in scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform laid out as a fundamental duty in the Constitution of India.
From the Academic Lead
“Our students are not just thinking about careers, they are chasing their dreams. These stories fill me with immense hope, young people who have journeyed from uncertain and difficult beginnings and are now finding their place in the world.”
Our People
Hummingbird continues to grow through the work of educators, mentors, artists, community members, collaborators, and students who believe deeply in meaningful learning.
The school is run by two councils, an Academic Council led by the Academic Lead and an Administrative Council led by the Admin Lead, with the Executive Director providing mentorship across both.
Profiles of the wider Collective team, educators, mentors, and coordinators across our schools and projects, are being added.
Founder, The Hummingbird School
Executive Director, Ayang Trust
Education
BTech / MTech, IIT KGP
Director, Organization Development, Ayang Trust
Education
MA Peace Education, UN-mandated University for Peace
BE, BITS Pilani
Academic Lead
Education
MA Education, Azim Premji University
MCA, Christ University
Admin Lead
Education
PG Diploma in Development Leadership, Azim Premji University (Pursuing)
BCom
Friends of Hummingbird
The Collective runs on the generosity of friends, individuals and families who sponsor children, fund classrooms, and stand with the community year after year. This page will carry the year-wise roll of friends, in gratitude.
2025-26
…and many more friends across India. The full record lives in the Annual Report 2025-26.
The way forward
A pipeline from primary education to a world-class residential secondary academy, designed to produce 1,500 capable, principled young leaders who will collectively impact 1.5 million lives across the Northeast.
Step 1 · Primary
5 schools
K – Grade 8
A chain of Hummingbird Schools across the Northeast, providing residential education to children of the most marginalised communities.
1,500
Children at full capacity
Step 2 · Secondary
The Academy
Grade 9 – 12
A world-class interdisciplinary residential secondary school for high-potential underserved students from across the Northeast.
600
Scholars at full capacity
Step 3 · Impact
Regional leaders
From 2031
150 graduates every year as job creators, policy actors, and innovators, leading the Northeast from the inside.
1.5M
Lives impacted by 2040
The pipeline rests on a simple multiplier: 1 capable, principled leader will impact ~1,000 people across their lifetime. 1,500 leaders ⟶ 1.5 million lives.
“Nurturing a community of leaders, truth seekers and lifelong learners with the compassion and courage to move the arc of the universe towards dignity and fairness.”
, The Hummingbird School
You now know the why. To see how we teach, head to Learning. To see the schools themselves, start with Hummingbird, Majuli. And if you’re ready to walk alongside us, there are many ways in.