The Keshav Suri Foundation (KSF) and The LaLiT Suri Hospitality Group have released the Aditya Nanda Scholarship Impact Assessment and Building Inclusive Livelihoods Through Hospitality Report, documenting a decade of work to expand access to education, employment and sustainable livelihoods for LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender persons, Queer, Intersex, Asexual communities, persons with disabilities, neurodivergent individuals, women, transgender persons, acid attack survivors and other marginalised communities
Aditya Nanda Scholarship Impact Assessment and Inclusive Livelihoods Report highlight pathways for LGBTQIA+ and other marginalised communities to learn, earn, grow and contribute to India’s growth
The reports move beyond intent to demonstrate how education, skilling, employment and community partnerships can create measurable pathways to economic independence, dignity and inclusion.
Instituted in 2019, the Aditya Nanda Scholarship provides 100% fee support to deserving LGBTQIA+ students, alongside mentorship, career counselling, queer-affirmative mental health support and skill-building opportunities. Through The LaLiT Suri Hospitality School and partnerships with the Indian School of Hospitality and Lovely Professional University, scholars can access undergraduate, postgraduate and hospitality and culinary programmes.
The scholarship has recorded strong outcomes: 55% of scholars remain enrolled, 34% have completed their programmes, 28% have re-entered formal education after an interruption and 31% are first-generation learners. Scholars have come from 12 states and union territories, with programme attrition at just 3.4%.
For Keshav Suri, the scholarship is deeply personal. Aditya Nanda was not only his cousin but also his mentor. Institutionalising the scholarship in Aditya’s name became a way of transforming that relationship into opportunity for others.
Keshav Suri, Executive Director, The LaLiT Suri Hospitality Group and Founder, Keshav Suri Foundation, said, “The Aditya Nanda Scholarship is deeply personal to me. Aditya was my cousin and my mentor, and institutionalising this scholarship in his name is my way of keeping his memory alive while creating something meaningful from a bond that continues to matter to me.
For many LGBTQIA+ people, the education system and society have historically reminded us that we belong on the fringes. This scholarship is about changing that narrative. We do not want to be on the fringes—we want to participate, excel and contribute.
We pay taxes, build businesses, create jobs and contribute to India’s growth. When India dreams of a US$4 trillion economy, we want to be part of that dream. This India is as much ours as anybody’s.
Inclusion is not about charity or special treatment. It is about access to opportunity. Give people that opportunity and they will thrive.”
Complementing the scholarship assessment, Building Inclusive Livelihoods Through Hospitality documents The LaLiT’s decade-long efforts to translate inclusion into employment and career pathways. Between 2016 and 2026, the initiatives have engaged 500+ LGBTQIA+ team members, 200+ transgender professionals and 300+ persons with disabilities, while creating 300+ direct employment opportunities.
Partnerships with 35+ community organisations and NGOs have reached 1,500+ individuals, while 350+ DEI sensitisation sessions have engaged more than 15,000 students, employees, leaders and stakeholders.
Together, the reports reinforce a clear message: education opens doors, employment creates independence, and inclusion enables people to contribute fully to society. Through KSF, The LaLiT and The LaLiT Suri Hospitality School, the endeavour is to build an India where every individual has the opportunity to learn, earn, grow and belong.
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