Simon Chapman
Simon Chapman, Malaysia Visiting the school was one of the most special experiences of my life. From the River Ganges in Varanasi head through a maze of narrow alleyways, dodging cows and monkeys and navigating the traffic of locals and pilgrims. The school itself is housed in a modest four storey building. Upon entering I was immediately greeted with warm smiles and curious looks. The arrival of a visitor was something of an event and I was made so welcome. The boarder students looked resplendent in their robes and were eagerly participating in what I thought where the first lessons of the morning, but infact they had been up before sunrise conducting their various practices including yoga. The school was alive with activity with Lucy constantly juggling how best to orchestrate all the lessons and the well being of the students and teachers. The school has a particularly strong focus on Sanskrit studies and from what I saw and understood the standards are very high. In the afternoon external students joined the classes with a wide range in the age group from 3 to 16 years old. All the students mixed in together and it was certainly a harmonious and family style of community. There were a variety of extra curricular activities available to the students with cricket and a boat ride on the Ganges being obvious favourites with the students. What stood out was the high standards of education that are being achieved. There is a high demand for places and unfortunately the school has to turn away most of the applicants to join the school. There is a need for further funds and external support for the school to evolve and cater for the planned increase in the number of students as well as to support the current level of students.