Always questing for a way to escape from school, Atul Kulkarni, the well known actor, has created QUEST to educate underprivileged children. Mentioning his organization, QUEST, employed in providing primary and pre-primary education to children, Atul says, "QUEST stands for Quality Education Support Trust.

The organization is busy educating children at their primary and pre-primary level. There are few villages in the Vada area of Maharashtra where we have started our mission with seven villages. We are educating 350-400 children from these villages.

We have written few books applying modern educational system that helps children learn to read and write fast. We recently have published a set of eight books under the cover title ‘Majhe Pustak'."

How did you feel the urge of educating children?

Atul waits a bit listening to this quiz and then says, "many times I have heard, as governmental and non-governmental graph describes, that even though few children get into seventh standard, they don't know to write and read properly.

It's the basic problem with children from villages and small towns. Then we developed eight books which are basically for children of first and second standard to teach them to read and write effectively.

Our education system is generally based on western teaching process. That's the reason children from villages cannot relate themselves to the education system."

Describing the books, Atul adds, "Nilesh Nimkar, the director of our organization, has written these books. We are basically experimenting a different system with these books; if we get succeed with the system then we'll bring the books into the market for other children also."

Atul, the renowned theatre personality, doesn't get back to his childhood days as because those days were boring with mundane education process in which he never had any interest. Then why is he insisting on child education?

Seemingly nostalgic with the question, Atul replies, "we always do hear or say that whatever is happening around us is wrong. We must change them. But I feel that if you really want to change something then change the politics first.

It's such a thing that can bring in changes in every issue around us. The second matter to change would be in primary and pre-primary education. The base of our problems is hidden in our faulty education system. Unfortunately our education is ignored since independence."

What was the incident that forced you to think about the matter so seriously?

"All the while I had the thought of not living in Mumbai for long. I always wanted to retire from my job and go to a small village to spend the rest of my life.

When I started thinking about what should I do there I got the idea of education. I then talked to my friends and established the organization named QUEST", Atul reveals the backdrop of his aspiring future.