What do two people do if they have stars in their eyes?
They love to do something special
Do something differently
Skate on thin ice not knowing what the next day will bring
Work not knowing if the ends will ever meet
Work with children
Live where there is enough space to grow children and trees and plants and animals
They give up living in comfort in Mumbai and move to Arasavanangkadu to start a school called Shikshayatan.
When Raghavan and I decided to start a school, we were penniless, post grad students in Mumbai. Raghavan, always the planner and organiser, gave us ten years
to learn from great philosopher-teachers, present and past;
to work with different age groups including adults;
to experience working in day schools and residential;
to experiment with methods;
to get married [though not necessarily in that order.]
In that time, we were ready especially since
Raghavan:
Got himself qualified as a Chartered Accountant
Taught himself software when computers still had two floppy drives
Worked as a software-accounts consultant to many big pharmas
Aruna:
Qualified as an M.Phil in English language and linguistics
Worked with the Government of India tourist office
Worked a short stint with The Illustrated Weekly of India [TOINS]
Worked with St. Andrews, a Junior College, Bandra, Mumbai
Worked with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavans Gandhi Vidyashram, Kodai Kanal
Worked with KodaiKanal International School.
Married Raghavan at Kodaikanal and returned with him and baby Nirupama to Mumbai.
At Mumbai, it became clear that what we envisaged should be the education for Niru was not being offered by even the best schools. So we decided to homeschool her and thus began our journey.
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We chose methodologies
Having read the Nayi Talim of Gandhiji, as well as Montesorri, Steiner and ASNeill,
having read Swami Vivekananda and Tagore and having Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's works on Education, we were clear that we must offer Niru that from which she could choose to do what is best for her.
The works of the Mother moved us most. And we were looking for a teaching technique that would stimulate and yet be the least invasive. We found and later adapted teaching techniques of Dr Glenn Doman.
Our first and most successful guinea pig,
as Niru frequently referred to herself, was most fortunate that the entire environment that she grew up in was one big school. Other than Raghavan and me as her "formal" teachers there was the extended family of pairs of grandpas and grandmas and uncles, aunts, cousins and friends who belonged to her "school". The quote from the Mother, "to love to learn is the most precious gift one can make to a child – to learn always and everywhere", applied to her.
One of the highlights of our lives was meeting Shri C Subramaniam, former Union Cabinet Minister and later Governor of Mumbai. He had heard that we were homeschooling Niru. More about it in the page Shri C Subramaniam and Niru.
In March 1994, we left Mumbai.
We packed 15 tea chests of books, 2 of household chattels and 2 harmoniums and moved to Arasavanangkadu. AVK as we call it, is a village in deep delta of the Kaveri, boasts of 2 rice harvests a year, God willing and Karnataka approving.
On August 15th, 1994, we opened Shikshayatan to the children of our village. The opening was very exciting and astonishing for us. The school is situated more than a kilometre and half from the main village and at 10 in the morning, 5 bullock carts brought all the women from the main village, while the men came on cycles. It was declared open by Raghavan by soliciting admissions for the school. 5 parents readily signed up and in the course of the next two days we had our first class of 12 children.
It is a free school; other than tuition for academics, texts, books and stationery, art materials, uniform, field trips, yoga and sports, everything is free for the children.
Funds for the school are raised in other parts of India.
And thus began our journey.
A journey filled with
Adventure of keeping the school going on funds raised from any part of our country;