Towards a different world

'Be the change you want to see in the world',a quote painted on a rock is the first thing you will spot,as you enter the Sanskriti School,Mulshi,Pune.

Sanskriti School in Mulshi imparts education that is both culturally rich and academically sound

‘Be the change you want to see in the world’,a quote painted on a rock is the first thing you will spot,as you enter the Sanskriti School,Mulshi,Pune. Inaugurated by A P J Abdul Kalam,the school aims to impart cultural ethics and Indian ‘ sanskriti’ along with maintaining high standards of education so that students develop a good understanding of the culture and heritage of the country. In the corridors,one can see students dressed in blue kurtas with white pyjamas,the uniform of the scool. Most schools still linger in the hangover of the British Raj. India is favourable for cotton clothes,synthetic uniforms cause uneasiness for the students, says Devyani Mungali,principal. During monsoons,the footwear changes to standardised black floaters,whereas blue keds with white socks during the rest of the year.

Students from pre-primary till class four are made to sit on mats in the classrooms. During these years of a child’s life,the spine needs to be kept straight and so we ask our junior students to sit on mats and maintain proper posture, says a member of the faculty,Rachayita Banerjee. The wall opposite the building’s entrance displays a big painting of Goddess Saraswati with a rangoli made below it and three paintings of Lord Ganesha on each side. The younger children are made to recite shlokas,which is believed to help in improving their memory,diction and concentration.

The school also has a vegetable patch,where students are made to plant vegetables and learn the basics of gardening. There are two cows in the premises which are taken care of by the students so that they know how to treat animals. We are very transparent about whatever is going on in the school. We encourage parents to get actively involved in school activities. We also provide free education to some of the students from the Bhukumb village and ask their mothers to come over to the school during weekends so our teachers can train them on how to teach their children.

“Among the children there are no differences,in fact one of the student from the village recently won a silver medal for creative writing at the national level, says Mungali.

I have been associated with the school for a long time and have seen the school grow from 40 students to 572 students at present,” says Dr Iyer,mother of Mitwa Iyer ,a student of Std V.

The school recognises that there are various aspects to intelligence apart from just academic intelligence. The student teacher ratio is kept at an average of 30 to 1 and this encourages the teacher to have a more personal relationship with each and every student in their class. “My daughter is a happier child,and for me that’s all that matters, smiles Dr Iyer.

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Her daughter Mitwa says,I love going to school. My principal knows each student by their name and this makes us feel very important.

Dr Sumedha Dabke,parent of Avyakta,a student of Std X,has been conducting health check ups for all the students since 2005. Later this week I will be giving a talk on pre-puberty changes in body and mind that teens and pre -teens go through. It is a pleasure to volunteer and do something like this for the students, says Dr Dabke.

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