Dr. Vasavvi Acharjya, LL.B, PhD
An Early Childhood Education Expert | Edupreneur |TEDx Speaker | Social Activist | Mentor | Child Rights Enthusiast |G-20/ W-20 Summit Speaker | Author |Multi-Awardee
Founder Managing Director: Inner I Foundation Pvt. Ltd. (IIFPL)| Tender Petals Preschool Chain
FounderChairperson: Early Child Development Forum (ECDF)|D N Acharya Foundation for Children and Women Welfare (DNAF)|Child Education and Research Development Centre (CEDRC)
Creator of: PEACEFUL HUMANSPEACE PEDAGOGY
Trainer: Ex-Trainer at TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati)
A Pioneer in Early Childhood Education
Dr. Vasavvi Acharjya has been a passionate advocate and practitioner in the field of Early Childhood Education for over two decades. Hailing from Guwahati, Assam—the gateway to the scenic North East of India—she is an alumna of the prestigious Miranda House, Delhi University.
An early starter, Dr. Vasavvi returned to her hometown with a vision to make a meaningful difference in her community. At just 24, she founded Sishubon Preparatory School, a standalone preschool that marked the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey. As a first-generation entrepreneur without a mentor or support system, she faced numerous challenges. Yet, these hurdles only fueled her determination to move forward with greater purpose.
In 2013, following two years of extensive research and groundwork, she launched Inner I Foundation Pvt. Ltd. (IIFPL), along with its flagship preschool brand Tender Petals. Over the years, IIFPL has grown into a multi-vertical educational enterprise with several pioneering initiatives, including:
Today, Tender Petals preschools have a presence in multiple regions across India, and IIFPL continues to inspire and enable a growing community of edupreneurs and education leaders. Each year, new individuals join the IIFPL network, forming a vibrant and motivated collective committed to excellence in education.
Dr. Vasavvi’s journey—from a young woman with a dream to a trailblazing edupreneur—has inspired countless others to believe in their vision and take the leap into entrepreneurship. Through her leadership and unwavering dedication, she has transformed not just early childhood education but also the lives of those who now follow in her footsteps.
Creator of the Peaceful Humans Peace Pedagogy
Dr. Vasavvi is a dedicated peace advocate and passionate proponent of a global culture of peace. In 2023, she introduced the Peaceful Humans Peace Pedagogy—a pioneering approach to peace education specifically designed for early childhood learners. This unique pedagogy has been successfully integrated into her chain of Tender Petals preschools, where it fosters emotional intelligence, empathy, and non-violent communication among young children.
Dr. Vasavvi has presented her work at both national and international platforms, receiving widespread recognition and acclaim. Today, she actively trains educators and schools across the country, helping them implement this transformative model and instill the values of peace from the earliest years of life.
Philanthropy and Community Leadership
Dr. Vasavvi strongly believes that “Life is not only about procuring, but also equally about giving back to society.” Guided by this philosophy, she has dedicated years of service toward empowering children and women from disadvantaged communities, serving as both a mentor and a compassionate guide to many.
She is actively involved with several NGOs and organizations that work closely with children, where she conducts voluntary workshops aimed at holistic development. Through her initiative, the DN Acharya Foundation for Children and Women Welfare, Dr. Vasavvi and her team have organized numerous skill-based workshops for children from economically weaker sections.
One of the foundation's flagship programs is the Early Child Development Forum (ECDF). This initiative strives to revolutionize early childhood education by integrating innovation and best practices in Early Childhood Education (ECE). ECDF is committed to enabling key stakeholders—educators, caregivers, and communities—to bring meaningful change to early learning pedagogy. It also aims to provide quality early education and care to children from socially and economically marginalized backgrounds.
Dr. Vasavvi's dream project, Nava Uday – Sishu Siksha Vikash Abhiyan: Spreading the Light of Knowledge, was launched in November 2020. This initiative focuses on delivering basic educational facilities to children in rural and underserved regions, aiming to bridge the educational divide.
In addition to child welfare, the DN Acharya Foundation is equally committed to the empowerment of women. Under Dr. Vasavvi’s leadership, the foundation has mentored numerous women entrepreneurs, particularly in the North Eastern region of India, supporting them in building sustainable livelihoods and becoming agents of change within their communities.
Author
Dr. Vasavvi’s passion for early childhood education and writing inspired her to author her maiden book, THE FIRST 5 YEARS: Demystifying the Crucial Period of Parenting. Widely read by young parents and early childhood education (ECE) enthusiasts, the book offers valuable insights into the foundational years of a child’s development. To make this resource accessible to a broader audience, it has also been translated into Assamese for non-English-speaking parents.
Editor
Dr. Vasavvi took the initiative to start an education journal for early childhood educators and ECE enthusiasts in 2018. Since then, she donned the hat of CEO and Editor of ED CLANEmpowering Educators, Nurturing Young Minds ~ a half-yearlyeducation journal published by ECDF and DN Acharya Foundation for Children and Women Welfare which has a 10,000-plus global readership.
In 2023, a book for Early Childhood Educators and Parents titled – Early Childhood Development ~Universal Perspectives by Global Experts was compiled by Dr. Vasavvi, which included a chapter by her on the topic ~The Impact of Mindfulness.
Dr. Vasavvi has been the
Awards & Accolades
2016:Dr. Vasavi Acharya received the ‘Women Leadership Achievement Award’, conferred by the World Women Leadership Congress and Awards, at Taj Lands End, Bandra Mumbai in 2016. The World Women Leadership Congress and Awards host the annual World Women Leadership Awards to identify and celebrate the outstanding leadership and achievements demonstrated by Women leaders that are reflected by the distinct innovations and initiatives brought by them in various public, private, and philanthropic sectors
2018:She was conferred ‘The Exceptional Women Of Excellence Award’ by ALL LADIES LEAGUE and WOMEN ECONOMIC FORUM in February 2018, for her contribution in the domain of early childhood education
2020: She receivedthe‘Kingmaker Leadership Award’in recognition of the Early Child Development Forum initiative, by the Kingmaker Group, National Sahitya Academy, supported by Prakriti Suraksha Parishad and IIEM in January 2020, for her remarkable contribution to the upliftment of the downtrodden people of Assam/ North East India
2020:Award of Honour: Panelist/ Awardee in AINE International Conference on Ethics in Health Care: Multidisciplinary Approaches held in February 2020 at Guwahati
2020: JCI Business Icon Honours 2020 – Female Entrepreneur of the Year, awarded on 5 th March 2020
2021: Awarded SDP IIWA ICONIC INTERNATIONAL WOMEN 2021(Top 100) in recognition of her Outstanding Performance in all her Endeavours
2022: Winner of WOW (Women with Wings) Awards on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8th March
2022: Holder of World Record of the Earth 2022 by Golden Book of the Earthon13th March 2022
2022: Awarded CHANGEMAKER IN SCHOOLS by CED at Delhi on 12th March 2022
2022: Awarded LEADER OF THE DECADE IN COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP by WOMEN’S INDIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY WICCI on 2nd Sept 2022 at Taj, Vivanta, Guwahati
2023: Awarded the ECCE CHANGEMAKER OF THE YEAR 2023 by GijubhaiBadheka ECCE Awards
2023: Awarded EXCEPTIONAL INNOVATOR IN EDUCATION in the Woman of Substance, Digital Awards, on 8th March 2023
2024:Awarded Changemaker by CAFÉ PECHAAN and CFBP on the 1st of August 2024 at ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata
2025: RABINDRA NATH TAGORE NATIONAL DIRECTORS AWARDS 2025 by EU Media, on 17th May 2025 at Vivanta, Guwahati
Organizational Awards and Accolades: Tender Petals
2018: India Leadership Awards -THE BEST PRESCHOOL CHAIN OF NE INDIA
2019: ECA Hall of Fame Awards- TOP 50 Franchised Preschools in Asia
2019: Indian Education Awards- THE BEST PRESCHOOL CHAIN
2019: FORBES INDIA featured Tender Petals in their issue GREATEST INDIAN PRESCHOOLS 2019-20
2020: Awarded the BEST PRESCHOOL CHAIN IN INDIA in the ECDF PINNACLE EDUCATION AWARDS 2020 (2nd EDITION) a virtual event held on 20th Oct 2020
2021: Awarded for its OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION IN THE EARLY YEARS OF EDUCATION by Ekk Updesh in association with the MINISTRY OF AYUSHand FIT INDIA at the Education Excellence Conclave held in Delhi, in June 2021
2022: Awarded Best Franchised Preschool Chain, by Early Childhood Development Forum in 2022
Organizational Awards and Accolades: Early Child Development Forum
2022: Awarded theBest Education and Training Social Enterprise by EKK UPDESH in association with the MINISTRY OF AYUSH and FIT INDIA at the Education Excellence Conclave held in January, at Delhi
2022:EMOTION OF HONOUR in the ECC Awards 2022in association with the MINISTRY OF AYUSHand FIT INDIA at the Education Excellence Conclave held on 25th June, at Delhi
2023:EEC AWARDS 2023 for BEST EDUCATION AND TRAINING SOCIAL ENTERPRISE on 21st Jan 2023, Jaipur, by Ek Updesh Media
Others:
To know more visit:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vasavvi-acharjya,
www.tenderpetals.com/www.ecdforum.org/www.innerifoundation.org/www.dnafoundation.org/
Reach her at: [email protected], [email protected]
+91 98640 39655/ 98642 33332
Mr. Debajit Bora,, a real estate developer by profession has made transition into the domain of education, to enable children get quality education in their early childhood years.
Mr. Debajit Bora is a builder of repute and has many landmark complexes in Guwahati to his credit. He is the Director of Magnum Builders. Presently he is holding the post of Joint Secretary AREIDA (Assam Real Estate and Infrastructure Developers’ Association), Guwahati. Mr. Bora is the Treasurer of Debendra Nath Acharya Memorial Trust and has been involved in social work for the past many years.
He is also involved with many social organizations that work for the welfare of street children, women and the economically weak section of the society.
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