Our Story

Latika is a non profit organization that works to build a better world for children and adults with disabilities. We do this by providing specialized, localized services to disabled children and their families and help others do the same. Our origin story begins with two remarkable people – Latika Roy, a teacher who was passionate about women and education, and a disabled girl called Moy Moy. Their personal stories converged in the most serendipitous way, to bring to life the Latika we know today.

A Passion for Learning

Latika Roy went to unimaginable lengths to learn and equip children with a quality education – a remarkable feat, especially for a woman in the 1940s. Undeterred by an early marriage, she set off to learn under the renowned educationist Maria Montessori, whose then-revolutionary, now-mainstream approach to education was developed for intellectually disabled children. She returned to Dehradun to teach children in a tent, which grew brick by brick into a full-fledged school.

Moy Moy was her mother’s thirteenth child. Almost destined for an abortion, through a series of fortuitous events she was born instead along the side of a frosty road in Dehradun. Three months premature, no medical attention. What were her chances of surviving? But Moy Moy did survive, and with the loving care of her adoptive family, she grew to thrive. At age four, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.. Yet, in early childhood, despite her delayed milestones, she could walk independently, tell stories and jokes, eat her favorite things, and play. She had a naughty sense of humor that cracked up all around her, like the time she yelled ‘GARAM CHAI!’ during a solemn Church service one cold Sunday.

A Serendipitous Connection

The stories of Latika Roy and Moy Moy converge in a way that only destiny could have planned. When Latika passed away, Her husband, S C Roy, approached little Moy’s parents to start a creative center in his wife’s honor. What better tribute to the memory of Latika Roy, a pioneer for creative education in their town, than a school for disabled kids like Moy, the likes of which her town had never seen.

A Step at a Time

1990s

Latika Vihar

Latika Vihar, an inclusive play center, was the first of the foundation’s seven projects. When the mainstream school Moy Moy attended “suggested” her parents find somewhere else for her, Jo decided to start a “little school” for her, with help from two retired friends, Vina Srivastava and Kamini Sabharwal.

1992

Karuna Vihar School Starts

It turned out there were many children like Moy Moy, whose parents couldn’t find schools. The school (initially called Karuna Vihar, after Moy Moy’s Daadi) led to the establishment of other centers – Latika Jaanch (formerly Gubbara, for early screening and assessments), Latika Nanhe (formerly the Early Intervention Center), Latika School… and Latika Resource Center.

2000

More Centers: Early Assessment, Learning, Training

2018

Moy Moy Passes – Her Legacy Continues

By the time Moy passed, she had been in a wheelchair and non-speaking for many years. It was as if she got smaller and quieter as the work she’d inspired got bigger and more of a force. When she passed away on 30 July 2018, she’d changed the world in a way that few can. Her memory lives on through Latika and its work and through the lives of all the people she touched along the way.

2025

Center Of Influence & Inclusion Opens

Our new, thoughtfully-designed Center of Influence and Inclusion, will be complete in 2025. This fully accessible space will be built to universal design principles and a green, earthquake-safe, energy efficient construction with customized lighting, wide doorways and dedicated spaces for activities, therapy, counseling, movement arts, training, sensory integration and much, much more.

2025

Latika's Book, Moy Moy’s Circle was launched

Moy Moy’s Circle is for anyone who’s ever wondered if one person make a difference: young adults, older readers, parents of disabled children, educators, changemakers, non-profit founders, dreamers. Whether you’re building something of your own or simply rebuilding hope, this book will meet you there.

2026

Building handover

The new building handover took place in March, 2026.

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