Durgapur, West Bengal: Sri Sri Gnan Mandir (SSGM) at Banskopa of Durgapur in Bardhhaman district has come as a ray of hope for first-generation school children by imparting value-based holistic education in rural areas.
The Art of Living’s schools, under Ved Vignan Maha Vidyapeeth (VVMVP), provide holistic, free education across 18 states, especially to children living in the slums, and tribal and rural belts where child labor and poverty are widespread. Thousands of students have benefited from the schools.
Sri Sri Gnan Mandir Banskopa is one of the 404 schools covered under the program. It was opened on September 5, 2006 with the help of Youth Leadership Training Program volunteers and had only 14 students and two teachers. Ever since VVMVP adopted the school in 2009, the school has grown with classes up to standard eight. More than 200 students are now studying here with nine teachers to guide them.
Though the school is located close to the city of Panagardh, most of the students come from 10-12 remote villages which include Banskopa, Gopalpur, Gosaidanga, Rajbandh, Sokna, Nutangram and Manikara. VVMVP covers 35 percent of the transport cost, which is provided to the guardian.
During the initial stages, Jayanta Kundu, Headmaster and Basudev Kha, an Art of Living teacher, along with other volunteers organized a door-to-door campaign and conducted YLTP, Nav Chetna Shivir, and Bal Chetna Shivir in these areas. They decided to open the school at Banskopa, and more than 65 percent of the guardians have already undergone The Art of Living program.
The school provides children with food and also encourages them to play sports like cricket, kabaddi and soccer. Spiritual practices like meditation and satsang also find a place in the daily routine. Cultural activities like folk dance and drama are also organized. Regular quiz competitions are conducted, which help increase awareness amongst the children.
Children have taken the additional responsibility of de-addicting alcoholics and accompany teachers and volunteers in door-to-door campaigns. They also encourage the people to keep their surroundings clean.
VVMVP state coordinator Swarnalata Das and the SSGM team regularly invite the guardians for a satsang wherein they discuss about their children’s progress. The SSGM team is planning to expand the school and include classes up to ninth standard in 2015.
