Dharmalife: Upgrading rural education with AI tool Roshni
Stories from the Digital Transformation Hub team.
As part of the Asia-Pacific Digital Transformation Program with support from Google.org and Infoxchange, Dharmalife set out to solve a big challenge: how can AI meaningfully reach and support rural communities?
Working across rural India, Dharmalife supports women entrepreneurs, skill-building for adult women, and education programs for children. But limited access to qualified trainers, mentors and digital tools meant many in these communities were being left behind. That’s where Roshni came in.
Roshni, meaning “light,” is an AI-powered chatbot co-designed by Dharmalife to provide 24/7 support to women and young learners in remote areas. Whether helping adolescents safely ask questions about menstrual hygiene or supporting entrepreneurs with business insights, Roshni has created a private, always-on, culturally relevant learning environment, capable of speaking in more than 20 official Indian languages.
Roshni also assists trainers with building engaging content and tracking learner progress.
Through the program, Dharmalife received regular mentoring from Infoxchange, including technical guidance, UI feedback and ethical implementation support. “We weren’t AI experts,” said Shweta Sinha, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Dharmalife. “The mentorship and frameworks provided by Infoxchange gave us international-level structure, which fast-tracked our journey and helped us scale.”
What started as a simple tutoring bot is now evolving into an educational ecosystem – with course authoring tools, tailored nudges for learners, and integration across Dharmalife’s skilling and youth platforms.
With support from corporate partners and collaboration with other not-for-profits in the program, Dharmalife is now helping thousands of rural women and youth develop essential skills – bridging a digital divide that too often leaves the most marginalised behind.
“The users were with us throughout development,” added Dr Panchalee Tamulee Pillai, Senior Chief Manager of Dharma Life.
“Because of that, Roshni wasn’t just a tech solution – it became a companion.”