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Manzil Mystics

Manzil Mystics empowers underserved youth through music, creating safe, joyful learning spaces and building skills for the future.

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Music

Manzil Mystics was founded by a group of young musicians who grew up in low-income families in Delhi and found their voice through Manzil; a learning community and nonprofit started by an IIM Ahmedabad graduate, Ravi Gulati. The nurturing and creative environment of Manzil gave them not just music, but confidence, purpose, and a happy, safe space to grow. Five of these youth (the co-founders of Manzil Mystics) went on to earn 100% scholarships to study in the USA. On returning, they realized that over 4.4 million children in Delhi-and millions more across India—lack the same opportunities to learn and express themselves through music.

They also discovered a deeper gap: while India has a centuries-old musical heritage, there was no structured, inclusive initiative to make music education accessible and meaningful for every child. To change this, they founded Manzil Mystics; a nonprofit dedicated to using the power of music to educate, empower, and create livelihoods.

Our vision is simple yet powerful: every child deserves at least one hour of happy and safe space each week through music to learn, express, and heal.

Our mission is to enable access to quality music education for 1 million children by 2027 through our Learning Through Music (LTM) model, which combines education, livelihood, and community-building. We aim to nurture a generation of creative, empathetic, and confident children—while helping young musicians from low-income backgrounds earn dignified livelihoods as music facilitators.

Core Programs:

  1. Learning Through Music:

A Curriculum implemented in government and low-income schools, this curriculum integrates music with academics and life skills, helping children develop focus, empathy, and confidence while learning subjects like language, math, and social-emotional awareness through songs.

  1. Learning Through Music Fellowship:

An 18-month livelihood and leadership program for young musicians from underserved communities. Fellows are trained, mentored, and placed in schools to teach music while earning a stipend transforming both their own lives and those of thousands of children.

  1. The Music Bus:

India’s first mobile music school, the Bus brings music to communities with little or no access. It creates joyful, safe learning spaces in schools and neighborhoods, reaching thousands of children and families each year.

Focus Areas:

Education: Building joyful and inclusive classrooms through music.

Livelihood: Empowering young musicians to become educators and community leaders.

Community Building: Fostering harmony, social change, and emotional wellbeing through music gatherings, festivals, and performances.

Why It Matters: In a country of over 52 million children under 18 children struggle with anxiety, stress, and lack of creative outlets, Manzil Mystics uses music as a pathway to mental wellness, self-expression, and social change. Music helps children learn better, feel safer, and believe in themselves. It bridges divides of gender, class, and faith—making it a universal language of hope and belonging.

Our Future:

By 2027, we aim to reach 1 million children and train 1,000 community musicians across India, creating a movement that redefines learning—not just as academics, but as joyful exploration through music.

We dream of a world where every child has access to music—not as a luxury, but as a right.

India
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Manzil Mystics is hosted at Myriad USA

Fundraisers

Feed fundraiser card link to Raise the Raga: Bringing Music Education to 10,000 Children
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Official fundraiser

Raise the Raga: Bringing Music Education to 10,000 Children

Music changed lives of the founder of Manzil Mystics (like Anurag) long before they understood its power. I (Anurag) grew up in a low-income community in Delhi where opportunities were rare, spaces were crowded, and joy was something we borrowed in moments. I found my refuge in music. A borrowed guitar, a few songs, and a community of dreamers helped me imagine a life beyond the constraints of my circumstances. Years later, a scholarship took me from the streets of Delhi to Seattle, WA , where I experienced something for the first time: A joyful, safe, creative space built for every child no matter their background. It transformed me. It showed me who I could become. And it made me ask a question that shaped my life: If music could open the world for me, why shouldn’t every child in India have the same chance? Why This Fundraiser Matters: India has millions of talented children, yet 80% of the 4.4 million schoolchildren in Delhi alone have no access to music education . Not a single weekly class. No choir. No instruments. No joyful space where they can belong, express, and thrive. This is not just an artistic gap; it is a well-being gap . A confidence gap . A hope gap . Manzil Mystics was created to change that. Our Model: Music Education + Leadership + Joy Manzil Mystics was founded by musicians who, like me, come from low-income communities. We know firsthand that talent exists everywhere; opportunity does not. To close this gap, we built the Learning Through Music Fellowship; India’s first music-based education and livelihood fellowship for young musicians from underserved backgrounds. Here’s what happens in our model: 1. A young musician joins the Fellowship. They receive training in music, leadership, facilitation, and youth development. 2. They begin working in schools across low-income communities. Each Fellow teaches 400 children every week , creating joyful, safe classrooms rooted in music, expression, and confidence. 3. Children experience music not as a hobby, but as a tool for learning, belonging, and emotional well-being. For many, it becomes the first time a teacher says: “You matter. Your voice matters.” 4. Both children and Fellows transform. Children gain confidence, teamwork, joy, and emotional safety. Fellows build leadership, livelihood, identity, and purpose. Why We’re Raising $120,000 (₹1 Crore) Your support will help us: Bring weekly music education to 10,000 children Support 44 young leaders from low-income backgrounds to become trained Music Fellows Expand our joyful music spaces across Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Bihar Build India’s first scalable model of arts-based education in government and low-income schools Every $1,200 sponsors music education for one entire classroom for a full year. Every $2,500 supports Music Fellow’s training and livelihood. Every $10,000 transforms 3 schools into a joyful, music-centered learning environment. Who Benefits? Children who grow up with stress, scarcity, and limited opportunities, now experiencing joy, confidence, and community through music. Young musicians who come from the same communities, gaining dignified work, training, and leadership development. Families who see their children flourish emotionally and creatively. Schools that realize music is not a luxury, it is foundational to well-being and learning. Why Support This Movement? Because music is not just an art. It is a pathway to dignity . A language of possibility. A bridge between who we are and who we can become. I am living proof of what music can unlock. All the founders and staff members of Manzil Mystics are the living proof of the power of music. Thousands of children in India are waiting for that same chance. With your support, we can build a joyful space for every child; one school, one classroom, one raga at a time. Join us in building the largest music-for-education movement in India. Let’s Raise the Raga for 10,000 children. Donate now. Your generosity can change an entire childhood.
Raised
$200
Goal
$120,000
1 supporter
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Donors

  • Ward MAILLIARD
    To the fundraiser: Raise the Raga: Bringing Music Education to 10,000 Children

    Manzil Mystics humanize the learning process by creating a safe atmosphere of play and learning through music.

    2