A Section 8 Company · Assam, India
Jonaki Learning and Development Foundation is a not-for-profit currently being established in Assam, creating spaces where young people and communities explore heritage, build skills, and grow in confidence.
"A firefly's light isn't a performance. It doesn't need an audience, a stage, or permission to glow."
Jonaki means firefly in Assamese. It simply carries its own light, and is most visible when many gather together in the dark.
That's the belief our work is built on: every person carries a light of their own. It's not the light that is missing, but the conditions for it to shine and to be seen, first by themselves, and then by their community.
Three connected learning environments in Assam, each designed with a distinct purpose. All currently in development.
Where roots meet the sky
A farm-based learning space rooted in ecology, craft, and seasonal rhythms. FIELDS connects people to the land through hands-on programmes in natural farming, textile an craft traditions, and environmental storytelling.
Location to be confirmed
A space for making and meaning
A craft space where heritage becomes tangible through the hands. A creative space for young people, the community, artisans and educators. The Studio hosts workshops and trainings in traditional crafts, visual arts, heritage and global citizen skills, building skills that bridge tradition and global modernity.
Location to be confirmed
Show up. Switch off. Belong.
A community café and unconditional gathering space, somewhere to just be where informal learning happens. This space requires no agenda and is designed for dialogue, rest, and community-led programmes, open to all ages.
Location to be confirmed
Our programmes are being designed in close consultation with communities. Details will be shared as they take shape.
Farm to Loom
Participants trace the journey from silkworm to cloth, from natural fibre to finished textile. Learners engage with farming, dyeing, spinning, and weaving, connecting ecology, craft, heritage, and livelihood across FIELDS and the Studio.
Space: FIELDS -> The Studio
Roots & Routes
An immersive cultural learning programme, and leadership and employability accelerator grounded in local histories, oral traditions, and cultural identity. Designed to build confidence, curiosity, and a sense of place and belonging in a globalised world..
Space: All three spaces + Schools and Colleges
Youth and young adults
Primary beneficiaries of Roots & Routes, Farm to Loom, and all three spaces.
Urban children
FIELDS ecology and farm discovery labs — silkworms, dye plants, seasonal farm immersions.
Women
LoomLabs, Fabric & Memory, Roots & Routes cohorts; the open, unconditional character of Adar.
Artisans and tradition bearers
Engaged as teachers and knowledge holders; supported in building economic and institutional recognition.
Textile designers and students
NIFT, Cotton University, Gauhati University — LoomLab residencies, Farm to Loom, archive research.
Schools and colleges
Farm to Loom curriculum modules; LoomLabs at the Studio; Roots & Routes in-school and in-college labs.
Researchers and heritage professionals
Archive access, field partnerships, and collaborative documentation projects.
Jonaki's model is inherently collaborative.
Communities & Practitioners
Artisans, tradition bearers, women's groups — primary knowledge holders and co-facilitators.
Education
NIFT · Cotton University · Gauhati University · Manipur University · schools and colleges.
Government
Ministry of Textiles · NEHHDC · Central Silk Board · state departments.
Funders & CSR
Foundations · bilateral donors · corporate CSR partners aligned with Schedule VII.
Cultural Networks
Museums · heritage bodies · research institutions · cultural tourism networks in the Northeast.
We welcome partnership conversations across all categories.
We'd welcome partners, funders, and collaborators who believe heritage is a living resource, not a museum piece.