MALAPPURAM: Under the harsh sun of rural Haryana, where many children trade textbooks for tools long before they learn to write their names, a new story is unfolding. It did not begin in a boardroom or with a grand blueprint, but on the road, through the lens of a travel vlogger who could not ignore what he saw.

For Malappuram native P T Muhammed Saqafi, better known as Vlogger Ustad, the faces of children working in distant villages stayed with him long after the camera was switched off.

Today, those journeys have taken shape as Sukoon, a residential school that is giving dozens of underprivileged children something they were once denied: a classroom, a bed to sleep in, and the simple dignity of an education. Along with children from nearby villages in Haryana, Muhammed has brought dozens of students from remote regions in Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttarakhand. Many of them were children he encountered during his travels as a vlogger. At Sukoon, students are provided free education, food and accommodation. The institution runs entirely on crowdfunding, sustained by contributions from well-wishers.

Through the initiative, Muhammed aims to offer quality education to children who might otherwise be forced into child labour, giving them a chance to rewrite their futures. He began travel vlogging nearly two and a half years ago. His journeys took him deep into remote villages across north India, where he witnessed children working in fields during school hours for meagre wages that were vital for their families’ survival.

“For many families, school was seen as a luxury they couldn’t afford. I met countless children and elderly people who could neither read nor write,” Muhammed said. Disturbed by what he saw, he and his team started a small learning centre in Dhana village in Haryana, offering free food and basic education. The initiative received strong local support, encouraging them to envision a larger residential school.

Construction of the Sukoon Residential School began in March 2025. The ambitious project comprises two three-storey academic blocks designed to accommodate up to 600 students. Within a year, the main structure was completed. A few classrooms have been made functional for teaching, while some have been temporarily arranged as residential facilities.

“At present, we have 60 students, all boys, as we currently have accommodation only for them. These children come from underprivileged villages in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttarakhand,” Muhammed said.

Among them are five boys from a remote village in Kashmir that can only be reached after a five-hour trek on foot. The son of a visually challenged guava farmer and children with physical disabilities are also part of the school.

“For many of them, education was never even a dream. Today, I am happy that I could play a small role in giving them the most precious asset in life,” he said. While well-equipped classrooms have been set up, the school still lacks a library, computer lab and a playground. “We are hoping that more kind-hearted people will come forward to support us, so these children can fight life’s battles with education,” he added.

A disciple of Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar, Muhammed was working as a UI/UX designer in Delhi when he began travel vlogging, an experience that ultimately inspired the Sukoon initiative.

The story is reported by Lakshmi Athira of The New