At that time, it was not a unique predicament as the pandemic hit many such affordable schools harder than their elite cousins. But five years on, Sequeira’s school has not just bounced back—it’s thriving. Thanks to a timely loan from Varthana, a Bengaluru-based non-banking financial company (NBFC) that gives financial assistance to schools, they built new classrooms, reopened fully and even renovated its library to include extracurricular learning spaces. He says, “We got our 3,000 students back—and we ar ...