Step Outside the Familiar. Discover Yourself in the Collective.

19–25 December 2026 | Payvihir, Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra Gramya Manthan is a 7- day Immersive Leadership Program that invites young changemakers, seekers, and thinkers to learn from the living wisdom of rural India. In an age marked by digital isolation, weakening community bonds, and a growing crisis of belonging, Gramya Manthan turns to rural communities as spaces of interdependence, dialogue, and regenerative leadership. It is an invitation to discover new ways of understanding yourself, the fabric of society, and the communities you are part of.

Gramya Manthan enables young people to come on ground to question and test their assumptions about social change. Through interactions with community members, Gram Sabha representatives, and local leaders, participants encounter perspectives and ways of living that may be very different from their own.

Along with interactions and carefully curated activity-based sessions and conversations with mentors, we create spaces for participants to pause, reflect, and make meaning of what they experience, transforming experience into deeper understanding and knowledge.

The learning continues beyond the program. Participants take back systems thinking, the ability to hold dialogue across divides, and capacity to lead change into the contexts they belong to, equipping them to navigate complexity, engage across differences, and become agents of change in their own communities and spheres of influence.

The 20th Edition · Payvihir, Maharashtra

What happens when an entire community reclaims its commons?

What can a village achieve when it organizes to secure its rights, regenerate a degraded forest, and build a local economy that leaves no one behind?

The landmark 20th edition of Gramya Manthan takes place in Payvihir in collaboration with Payvihir Gram Sabha, an inspiring Adivasi village nestled in the foothills of the Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra.

Payvihir is a living beacon of decentralized democracy and environmental regeneration:

Reclaimed Rights & Community Forestry: The village secured its Community Forest Rights (CFR) under the Forest Rights Act and turned once-barren hillside land into a thriving, bio-diverse community forest.
Ecological Stewardship: Pioneered holistic rainwater harvesting and soil conservation that recharged village aquifers and supported local wildlife.
Inclusive Livelihood Models: Transformed seasonal wild produce (such as organic Melghat Sitaphal / custard apple pulp) into community-owned micro-enterprises that distribute dignity and income equitably.

For Gramya Manthan, Payvihir is not just a venue, it is our classroom and teacher. Here, participants witness firsthand what collective action, ecological harmony, and grassroots democracy look like in practice.

Our Invitation to You - Come with questions. Leave with new perspectives.

Gramya Manthan is an invitation to step outside the familiar, listen deeply, question what you think you know, and discover new ways of seeing yourself, society, and the communities we are part of.

Program Details

Dates

The 20th edition of Gramya Manthan will be held from 19th December to 25th December 2026

Location & Weather

Pleasant, crisp winter weather with daytime temperatures around 28–29°C and cooler nights dropping to 11–12°C. Light woolens recommended.
The upcoming edition will take place in Payvihir (Mel Ghat Tiger Reserve), Maharashtra

Travel & Accommodation

• Food, stay, and all other mandatory requirements during the program will be taken care of.

• Stay will be basic with shared accommodation and bathroom facilities

• Participants will have to reach Badnera Railway station by Day 0 (18th December).

Pickup will be arranged from Badnera railway station Station to reach Payvihir; Plan your travel accordingly. Pickup timings will be shared after selection.
While booking a train, Nagpur Railway Junction has connectivity from all over the country, you will further have to book a train from Nagpur to Badnera, from where you will be provided shared pickup by the organising team.
The nearest airport will be Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport (Nagpur)

Financial Contribution

Putting together an immersive, safe, and deeply mentored 7-day grassroots program involves significant costs—including facilitator stipends, site coordination, local community compensation, experiential materials, food, accommodation, and rural transit.

Actual Cost per Participant: ₹40,587
Donor-Subsidized Base Cost: ₹24,000 (subsidized for all applicants through institutional support).

Our Tiered Sliding Scale

To honor diverse economic realities, we offer a self-selected sliding contribution scale in the application form:

The cost per participant for 30 participants is 40,587 INR. Thanks to a generous donor, we have been able to subsidise it to Rs 24,000 per participant.

We have a cohort size of 30-35 participants to make the experience deep and held for every person.

An Invitation: For those who have the means, please consider stretching your budget a bit more so that we can offer more financial assistance to those coming from challenging and marginalised backgrounds. Your generosity will go a long way to help us accommodate someone who has many structural obstacles to break to access alternative educational programs like this one. It is a shared responsibility to create a diverse cohort for the program, to enrich our own learning.
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Standard Subsidized Contribution (₹24,000): Covers the core on-ground operational costs for your seat.
Partial Scholarships (₹12,000 / ₹18,000): 50% and 25% fee waivers for students and early-career changemakers facing financial constraints.
5 Full Scholarships : Dedicated slots for applicants from structurally marginalized socio-economic backgrounds.

Note to Applicants: Lack of financial resources should never deter you from applying. If you feel a deep resonance with this journey, submit your application. We will work with you to find a viable path.

Know more about the contribution model here.

Support the journey of a Gramya Manthan participant, here.

Eligibility

The program is open to both Indian and International applicants.
Participants in the age group of 18-30 years will be preferred.
Applicants below or beyond these age limits will be duly considered on a case-to-case basis.
We have kept 5 slots reserved for people from ethnic, sexual, and cultural minorities. We strongly encourage Dalits, Adivasis, Bahujans, LGBTQ and people from other such structurally marginalised groups to apply.