A public charitable trust · Delhi, India · Est. 2016

Knowledge that lifts. Care that reaches.

The Dr. Swarn Chawla Memorial Foundation works to open the doors of education and healthcare to those who cannot afford them — in the memory of a teacher who spent her lifetime opening doors for others.

Get involved Our work ↓
01

Education

Access, scholarships and learning for those who cannot pay for it

02

Healthcare

Free diagnostics, medicines and awareness for patients in need

Our mission

To provide a better educational atmosphere and better medical care to people who would otherwise go without — and to do so openly, without distinction of caste, creed, community or religion.

Our vision

Two doors. Open to everyone.

Dr. Swarn Chawla believed two things could change the course of a life: a good teacher and timely medical care. She was the first in her final years, she depended on the second. The Foundation exists to make both available to people who cannot buy them.

01

Learning for those who cannot pay

Fees, books and support so that cost is never the reason a student stops studying.

02

Care for those who cannot afford it

Free tests, medicines and treatment support for patients who would otherwise be turned away.

03

Awareness that prevents harm

Camps, printed material and community discussions on education, health, and hygiene.

04

Knowledge shared between professionals

Seminars and conferences where educators, doctors and technologists exchange what they learn.

We do this work quietly and for the long term — the way she taught.

Her story

A teacher first. Always.

Dr. Swarn Chawla was an Associate Professor of English at the University of Delhi, where she taught for many years. She believed language was not an ornament but a tool — the surest way for a young person from an ordinary background to walk into rooms that were otherwise closed to them.

That belief shaped her work. In 2006 she published English for Competitive Examinations (Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi), a book of practice tests written for students preparing for the entrance and recruitment examinations that decide so many Indian careers. She published research papers in national journals, guided M.Phil. and Ph.D. scholars, and organised national and regional academic conferences and workshops under the aegis of the Institute of U.N. Studies, IPUNA, and UNESCO India.

She lived with cancer through her final years. She wrote through chemotherapy, taught while she could, and kept her sense of humour and her fight until the illness returned in the brain. She passed away on 30 March 2015.

Dr. (Mrs) Swarn Chawla · Educator · Author · Mentor

University of Delhi
Associate Professor of English
2006
Published English for Competitive Examinations (Vikas Publishing House)
Research
Papers in national journals; guided M.Phil. and Ph.D. scholars
Conferences
Organised national & international conferences with IPUNA and UNESCO India
30 March 2015
Passed away after a long battle with cancer
7 June 2016
The Foundation is constituted in her memory
Her last verse

Written during chemotherapy, in the last months of her life.

“Your soul seems dead, your life seems empty, why is it so?”

“Not DEAD but mellowed down.”

“By whom and when? You were always a Ulysses in a Lotus Eaters’ Land.”

“By none but some ingrown slow-moving Cancer eating the soul and body alike.
I lost all gusto, all hopes, yet fighting like Mars against the challenges of ‘Life’.
Once at the PEAK and now in the abyss.
Yet my inner Ulysses pushing me towards the Light!!”

“How?”

“By no medication but only a soothing needle restored my life, gave me light, revived my spirits, brought my smiles back to life.”

“How do you thank that needle pricker who saved your soul so dead and body so weak?”

“Just by folding my hands and praying to God to bless that saviour so divine with millions of Medals and Billions of Cheers and Peace of Mind!!”

— DR. SWARN CHAWLA, 2012

The “needle pricker” she blessed was a caregiver who eased her pain when medicine could not. This Foundation is our way of continuing that blessing — being, for someone else, the hand that brings relief.

Our programmes

Four programmes.
One promise.

Every programme below flows directly from the objects written into the Foundation’s Trust Deed. We do not take on work outside them.

P–01

Education Support

Helping students who cannot afford the cost of education stay in school and college.

  • Fee and book support for students from low-income families
  • Support for English-language and competitive-exam preparation
  • Mentoring and guidance for first-generation learners
P–02

Free Healthcare Access

Free tests, medicines and treatment support for patients who cannot pay.

  • Diagnostic tests and prescribed medicines for patients in need
  • Treatment support in partnership with hospitals and clinics
  • A special focus on cancer patients and families in her memory
P–03

Awareness & Community Health

Reaching people before illness or ignorance does.

  • Health and education awareness camps in Delhi-NCR
  • Printed literature and group discussions on healthcare, education and religious topics
  • Community sessions on early detection and preventive care
P–04

Knowledge Exchange

Bringing education, doctors and technologists together to share what they know.

  • Seminars and conferences for educational, medical and professional communities
  • Training and knowledge-sharing on patient care and teaching practice
  • A platform for professionals across sectors to learn from each other
Our principles

Small, careful, and accountable.

Open to all

The benefits of the Foundation are open to everyone, without distinction of caste, creed, community or religion. This is written into our deed.

Audited every year

Accounts are maintained by the Board and audited annually by an independent Chartered Accountant. Financial year: 1 April to 31 March.

Run by professionals, guided by experts

Trustees are chartered accountants and a physician. The deed provides for an Advisory Council of contributors and domain experts to guide policy, functions and financial management.

Leadership

Led by professionals.
Held to her standard.

The Foundation is run by trustees as a lifetime commitment, not a project.

Settlor & Trustee

J.P. Chawla

J.P. Chawla founded the Foundation in June 2016 in memory of Dr. Swarn Chawla, and remains its settlor and guiding force. A Chartered Accountant and the founder of a public accounting firm in New Delhi, he carries forward the two causes Dr. Chawla cared most about — education and healthcare for those who cannot afford it.

Trustee

Rajat Chawla

Rajat Chawla is a Chartered Accountant and a trustee. He is responsible for the Foundation’s strategy, partnerships and financial governance, and for the transparency standards described on this page.

Trustee

Dr. Rachit Chawla, MBBS, MS

Dr. Rachit Chawla is a board-certified paediatrician and infectious-disease specialist practicing in California, USA. He completed his MBBS at Maulana Azad Medical College, residency at Washington University School of Medicine, and paediatric fellowship at University Hospitals of Cleveland / St. Louis Children’s Hospital (where he trained in the global public health track), a fellowship in paediatric infectious disease at Harbor-UCLA and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and an MS in Clinical Trials and Clinical Research from UCLA. He now trains in county and community health settings, providing free medical care to the Foundation’s healthcare programmes and clinical partnerships.

Governance

Built to be trusted.

Est. 2016

Public charitable trust registered in Delhi

Pan-India

Empowered to operate throughout the Union of India

Audited annually

Independent Chartered Accountant audit every financial year

Open to all

No distinction of caste, community or religion

The Foundation is constituted as a Public Charitable Trust under a registered deed, with its registered office in Delhi and jurisdiction throughout India. It is a not-for-profit organisation, its funds are invested in accordance with the Income-tax Act, its Board of Trustees meets at least once a year, and any amendment affecting other clauses requires the prior approval of the Commissioner of Income-tax.

Get involved

Three ways to stand with us.

Give

Fund a student’s goal, a patient’s family, or a community health camp. Every contribution is accounted for and used.

Enquire about giving →

Partner

Schools, colleges, hospitals, diagnostic centres and NGOs in Delhi-NCR — let us combine programmes together.

Discuss a partnership →

Contribute your expertise

Doctors, teachers and professionals who want to teach, speak at a seminar or mentor a student.

Volunteer with us →
Contact

We would like to hear from you.

Students, patients’ families, hospitals, schools, supporters — please write to us.

Registered Office
Registered Public Charitable Trust · Delhi
Location
Delhi