timeline- early years

This year we were invited for several sessions by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Training and Research for Teachers. We held one session at Chennai, one session at Kilpennathur (Tiruvannamalai). We have had several visitors representing the dierctorates from Perumbalur district, from Namakkal district who have submitted very positive and favourable reports after checking our children for their bench-marks.

We finally received a letter from the Tamil Nadu Education Board admitting that they have recognised the school as a Primary School. We had been resisting this scenario for nine long years but seeing the plight

of the parents when they had to seek admissions at the secondary level made us wonder at our resistance and we succumbed. The village looks upon this as a major victory for us.

Children have already started preparing for the annual day scheduled for the 10th of April 2004. The theme for the annual day was India in an interesting world of languages.

Having no real music teacher, the children acted as coaches Ramya, Niru and Tanvi. Ramya choreographed the dances and Tanvi and she danced every step to show the children how. It inspired Ramya enough to decide that shed like to learn and perform dance seriously. She is now back in Mumbai getting ready to join a major dance and music school. We also learnt that our children sing group songs truly well.

We also have now an art and yoga master. And within two months of joining the school had a small art exhibition. There were line drawings and simple paint work but truly gorgeous. They are now being converted into greeting cards.

We thought of a games area a covered court. A 2000 sqft. covered ( supported on steel channels) court was completed in record time (15 days) so that the annual day function could be held there. Since the court always resembles a festivity with the children playing, the court has been named Utsav. We thought it appropriate in all ways. The annual day was in fact staged there.

August 15th this year was very interesting. After a prayer for the school Shikshayatan was born on August 15th 1994 - Mr. Govindasamy of the Indian National Army of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. He was the translator for Netaji, translating from Japanese and Burmese to Hindi. Eighty two years young, he gladly raised the flag, gave a very short but inspiring speech to the children and then there were questions on Netaji and about his love for Netaji.

We arranged for a buffet lunch setting up tables, cheffing-dishes, spoons and dinner plates, for the spread with commies wearing uniform including chef-caps and offering each person the fare. The kids and the adults were really thrilled with the show and everyone appeared to dig in as never before. Watching them enjoy the food so, was really heart-warming.

Our children are all doing extraordinarily well a very modest statement. They learn at a great pace; in three months well have completed the years syllabus. We have special music appreciation programme where the children learn to identify ragaas and some songs in each raaga. The fourth graders have read a full length Tamil novel of 250 pages and are getting ready to begin the Tamil translation of the Wings of fire by our President.; they write poems, do wonderful art work, play like they are at Athens and get into mischief. The younger ones have great role models and by being fast keep the older ones on their toes. The children look less and less like village children and the village has finally accepted us in full. So much so that they have, of their own, put up poles and have lit the entire school road about half a kilometer. They maintain it too.

Five children, Tanvi, Niru, Aruna and I found us at Bhubaneswar attending the IDEC-2004 conference, ( a conference on Democracy in Education). Amukta was kind enough to invite us to present one session and she also agreed to subsidise our cause. When we were still wondering she decided it for us saying we could bring some kids along with us.

Jnana Vahanam a library and laboratory on wheels was welcomed by 14 primary schools around our village within a month. (Jnana Vahanam means a vehicle of Knowledge.) The bus makes weekly tours of schools. Jnana Vahanam is a 24-seater Swaraj Mazda donated by Kalpataru Trust, through Mr. M.K.Hamied of CIPLA, Mumbai. The bus has its interiors refitted with two horizontal cupboards, overhead racks and two seats one for the driver [as yet thats Raghavan] and one for the navigator [generally Aruna].

Around 200 teachers of the Balwadis of the district visited our school and underwent a days eye opener of our methods. Our school was selected as a field visit by the Block Development Officers. The teachers were given a demo with our nursery and the kindergarten children. The demo included the physical education and Accelerated Learning Programme (a term we coined and which has now been accepted by other NGOs) along with Language Learning Programme and Math.

A conference was held at Bangalore by Asha for Education where we participated. Asha brought together other NGOs that are doing experimental work and are successful at it.

Aruna's book "Your child can be a genius" with a foreword by Karmayogi was published and released at Kochi by the New Indian Express. The book is a compilation of articles published in the Sunday Express over the last two and a half years.

Woman's World Expo at Bangalore had a turn out that was more than expected. It was almost a two hour with a question and answer session on learning and bringing up children. We went back to Kochi for initiating the method at Delta Study - a CBSE school.

The third Woman's World Expo at Chennai. Aruna was felicitated by the New Indian Express among a group of women who have done exceptional work in their field. Lord VidyaGanapathy was installed in the school temple and He now lives with us.

saw Aruna on a whirlwind trip to Mumbai to take an advanced course for parents with children in the primary on how to teach various subjects. Rocha, our first and one of our very bright students(she aspires to become a Doctor), and three others were the first to take the Std X Tamil nadu board examination, proving comprehensively that it is possible to go to a school not yet recognized and still appear for the Std X!

The children of the second, third and fourth standard - 23 in all - along with Ramie and Miriam put up a 45 minute musical on VOChidambaram Pillai's life. Since the songs were Bharatiyaar's, the teachers had to write dialogues to match the strength of the songs. The play came off very well and it moved us to see them. A few parents had tears in their eyes watching the performance!

This month saw us at Nagarkoil at Pioneer School. The teachers of the school were trained for three hectic days and we had a keen and encouraging time with the founders of the school who are NRUS citizens!

The trip to Coimbatore was the highlight of November.

The children practiced rigorously for the Jan 26 celebrations. This time a special program was planned with the children doing all the work. The program was such a success that a special announcement was made that all the children who participated in the various programs would be taken to Bombay if they practiced harder and were willing to put it up as a show there! The challenge was seriously taken up.

Annual day function held on 16th April with a visit by Swami Atmatriptananda and Shri Rajgopal, (Ragahvan's uncle) school closes. The video was shown in the local cable television.

Twenty three children and three teachers and us - we had all been to Mumbai for eleven days. The days were packed with events and meeting people. The children 'raised funds' by putting up a show.

The construction of one new class room measuring 450 sqft, being completed. Called "Sagar"

This month saw us back at Mumbai for a session with parents who had earlier attended our sessions and now had children in the primary and middle school level. We rushed back to the village for a Teachers' Training session. Three groups, one from Chennai, one from Trichy and one from Malavli ( near Lonavala) had sent a total of 8 teachers to be trained to start a school along the lines we do at the village. This has resulted in two new schools being started - Manthan Vidyashram at Chennai and Zenith School at Trichy.

Two new class-rooms Ganga and Ponni each measuring 320 sqft., were opened and the large windows provide a panoramic aerial view of the lush green fields.

Indian Express (Madurai) group began the first Women's World Expo at Kochi and our half hour slot turned out a four hour interactive session with the parents there. Nirupama ( our daughter who now accompanies us wherever we go) had her first chance at public speaking - answering questions on stage from parents attending the meet!

A large classroom of 420 sqft was completed for the primary class. It has been named 'Sagar' - the sea. Very airy, bright and windows without grills - next to the play park. Two other rooms have been built each of 216 sqft each. The Audio visual and computer lab has been named 'Contact', and the office / reception / staff work room all rolled into one as 'Act Now'! We now have a complete multimedia set including an AGP to connected to the TV.

A proper running track has been laid. A volley ball court has been sanded and softened for the younger children. For the greening of the school, water pipes have been laid from the irrigation tube well to the gardens.

As part of the village activity the Trust has helped with the furniture and the lighting of the local elementary school. Exams were conducted for children joining the regular school in std 6th at Sembangudi.

Our classes are now fully furnished including mats (colourful paii ) for reading corners. 10 day training program was conducted for teachers at Pondi / Cuddalore.

Nirupama and Rekha did very well at the ESLC exams scoring more than 70%. Rekha along with the young adults ( Ragini and Rajesh) have joined 'regular' school at the 9th grade level - all three who would have been otherwise classified as drop-outs!

The children participated in the inter district competitions, held by the State Fine Arts Center at Tiruvarur. Hectic practice and enthusiasm had 15 children take part at various levels and for different items - painting, elocution, vocal music. All children were awarded certificates for participation and Nirupama and Ramya won the first prizes for vocals in their age groups.

We began with the third project named "Srushti - Center for Training Parents (SCTP). We had 15 parents come for a three full day training on our teaching methodologies, philosophy and pedagogy.

Visit to Anna Planetarium at Trichy. The children enjoyed the novel experience of viewing stars at 'touchable' distances, learning about the sun , the planets and their moons.

Aruna's language laboratory dream finally took off: an audio system where 6 children can be taught at a time; 3 fully multimedia computers where another six children can work / watch at a time.

Aruna turned a columnist writing fortnightly on 'Alternative Schooling ' for the Sunday Express a new publication of the Indian Express Madurai Unit.

Saraswati Puja and the inaugration of computer classes were inaugurated with 11 students from a nearby school.

A week-long workshop in Mumbai long with Sushila - for parents on the techniques used in the school. Sushila conducts such programmes every two months; the proceeds of which come to the Trust.

The entry of two girls- the eight-year-old Tanvi and twelve-year-old Ramya- from Mumbai

Aurochild- a school ACT helped start- was formally inaugrated.

one week teacher's training at Pondicherry for the new staff of Primrose school

Our own teachers had been to Arshavidyashram Gurukulam - Coimbatore for a three day course on Vedic Heritage Teaching Programme.

Our Annual Day- where the older children were fine,they could sing / recite/ dance well; while the younger 4-6 year olds said "oombh", "aaah", "oombh", "aaah"!

One day trip to Vailankanni

We were invited to participate, by the International Commission for Peace and Development, at a conference on the Theory of Development. They required us to present a paper on education and society with specific reference to the work being done here and Primrose school at Pondicherry. The participants at the conference were to be from the UN, UNESCO, World Bank, and M S Swaminathan Research Foundation. It was presided by the President of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences - Mr Harlan Cleveland.

That year, we spent 4 days and 3 nights at Kodai Kanal. Sounds like another tourist brochure?.

Inaugaration of Library-cum-AV Room

Our children were ready for full day school and the timings changed from 9 am - 1 pm to 10 am - 4 pm.

School trip to Chennai

Article written by Shri.C.Subramaniam was published in June 96, in The Hindu. This prompted several visits and aid from many NGOs.

8th September: "A different persepctive of child education" telecasted on Vijay TV with Aruna

Aruna's mother began a course on Stitching and embroidery with four kids who had dropped out at the 9th / 10th grades; ten children have nearly completed their basic course.

Our children were ready for full day school and the timings changed from 9 am - 1 pm to 10 am - 4 pm.

School trip to Chennai

8th September: "A different persepctive of child education" telecasted on Vijay TV with Aruna

We began with a comprehensive program - a system which attempts to combine the learning techniques of the MOTHER ( of Aurobindo Ashram) and the teaching techniques of Glenn Doman - using a system of flash cards and other FUN IN LEARNING methods.

We began our small rural school, Shikshayatan, with the strength of twelve children