SYNOPSIS

Co-Hosts Earl Bridges and Craig Martin travel to Hyderabad, India to meet up with
Earl’s old University of South Carolina buddy, Harish Mamtani. Harish runs a private school designed to help underprivileged students who are eager to learn with a better education than can be received elsewhere in the community. Coming from an entrepreneurial background, Harish knows that innovation is the key to making the overwhelming task of providing effective education to students in poor communities possible. On the itinerary is visiting Hyderabad’s historic Golconda Fort and Charminar Mosque as The Good Road team steps back in time to India’s ancient history. And, of course, any trip to Hyderabad requires an evening out to experience the many delicacies of the city’s street food scene. Earl and Craig indulge in some of the best Indian food to be had with only a fleeting thought of what they might feel like the next day.

Harish tells his story of immigrating to the United States when he was only 14 years old. There was one major force in his life during that time; working hard so that he could get an education. For many Indian families, education is the most important part of life. Making sure that their children get a good education is aspirational for many Indian parents and only slightly less important than making sure they have food or shelter. While in America, many families take a good education for granted, in a country of more than a billion people India struggles to keep up with educating the populace. Harish works hard to provide access to the poor of Hyderabad through private schools, a necessary supplement to India’s public education infrastructure.

On a tour through a top rated private school in Richmond, Virginia, Harish explains to Earl why private education in India is critical for the poorest of the poor versus the traditional US model of private education for the wealthy.