Sri Sri Vidya Mandir, Anaikoil
Building tomorrow’s leaders
The Tsunami
Anaikoil is a tsunami-affected agricultural village that belongs to Maneckapangu panchayat in Nagapattinam District in India. The village, which covers 436 acres, has a population of around 1,000. The farmers depend mainly on the cultivation of groundnuts for their livelihood and most of the farmers have their own land for agriculture. After the tsunami (2004), the village farm ponds were affected by salinization. Most of the farmers’ land was inundated with salt water, and the farmers lost that year’s crops.
Distribution of food to Tsunami survivors in Nagapattinam India
Immediate relief
The Art of Living Foundation’s partner organization IAHV provided trauma care for tsunami affected children in the district. It provided psychological counselling to thousands of children when they went through the most difficult phase of their lives in the aftermath of the tsunami. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who visited the area to review the rehabilitation activities.
Long term relief
It was in these circumstances that the International Association of Human Values (IAHV), a partner organization of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Art of Living Foundation, with financial aid from organisations in the USA and Holland constructed a state-of-the-art matriculation school, providing free education for the tsunami affected children in 2007. Subsequently the Sriram Foundation has graciously stepped in to fund the day to day running of the school. The school, Sri Sri Vidya Mandir;, is an integrated education complex, with facilities for vocational training, yoga and computer courses built on on a sprawling eight-acre land at a cost of Rs. 1.75 crore.
A Holistic Learning environment
It caters to 604 students most of whom come from families involved in fishing or farming. The school has 38 teachers (all graduates or post graduates with B Ed) and 18 non-teaching staff. The students receive ample attention from the teachers, given that the student-teacher ratio is 1:16. SSVM follows the Montessori Methodology for pre-primary students (3-6 year old students). There are also well-equipped labs for science and mathematics, which aid in experiential learning. Some of the classrooms are planned and maintained to be subject-specific, to enhance learning and retention. Yoga and sports facilities are also maintained for physical development. The school encourages co-curricular programs like vocal music, guitar, dance, arts, crafts and computers. The students are served porridge in the mornings and the kindergarten to class five students are provided with lunch as well. The school also has a local farm that supplies vegetables to the school kitchen. Given the importance of equipping the students with vocational training, the school provides elective subjects of welding, electrical and tailoring for standards eight to ten in collaboration with the Shriram School of Vocational Education.
All round personality development
In a Montessori environment, students work on activities of their own choice at their own pace. They experience a blend of freedom and self-discipline in a place especially designed to meet their developmental needs.
Given the importance of English, the school has also incorporated a Spoken Language (English) course into its curriculum. This is how the school is able to develop the all-round personality of children.
Thus these children, some of whom have lost their loved ones in the Tsunami, now are full of hope and in the process of being equipped to become tomorrow’s leaders.