Our view on India in the West is influenced by the media and the film-makers, as for example in the movie Slumdog Millionaire. It is an incomplete picture since for every truth in this country, the contrary is also true.
In the last 20 years, we, Anke and Mike from Germany, had many opportunities to develop our own understanding (and sometimes incomprehension) of this country. We have seen metropolises change and are now at a point where we dive even deeper into the realities of Indian society. We found an enormous potential of strength and energy to initiate changes that will sooner or later affect the entire world.
The strength of the Indian society resides in its deep connection with the ancient tradition of Yoga, which represents spirituality in everyday life. The revival of Indian culture and society is seen as the foundation of a strong community in both intellectual and political circles. Consequently, the term "Made in India" was coined, analogical to "Made in Germany", which was a strong brand promise in the past.
However, the people in the West learn about these changes only partially because there is still a strong tendency to hold on to the old classifications of "developing country" and "threshold country" in the so-called Third World. Simultaneously, the evolution of the world remains partially unnoticed.
We are in Vishvaneedam, a tiny village in western Orissa. The name is derived from the ancient Indian Sanskrit and Ayurveda and means WHERE THE UNIVERSE IS AN ABODE. Ananta and his two friends Mahadev and Shesdadev have returned to their home region from Delhi and Bangalore with their families in order to make their dream of a better Orissa come true. They founded the Vishvaneedam Trust and Society, purchased land from their savings, and founded a community which survived on farming and animal husbandry. Trying to win the people`s trust, they initiated several small aid projects in the surrounding villages. They received support from friends, for example Patrick, a doctor from Goa, who provides them with 8,000 Rupees (approx. 120 Euros) monthly for a volunteering programme. Ananta uses this money to pay ten youth workers, who help in schools of the region. Furthermore, they constructed a fence around a girls` orphanage in Turla, the neighbouring village, and employed a pedicraft artist (traditional rice art), who offered workshops to the women in the village.
And now it is our turn to help - with our experience in both educational and managerial issues, the foundation and operation of schools, and fundraising.
Our aim is to create a place for lifelong learning and joy in Vishvaneedam. We would like to invite all people, regardless of their nationality, religious confession, race or caste, to join us so the universe can grow further in the future.
Integral Education
The Gaiatree School is a member of the network of Indian "Sri Aurobindo - Integral Education Schools". However, it is also an independent school at the very same time. Freedom is not defined as leaving behind nature and society, but as co-existence with them. This includes the respect for and the acknowledgement of all shades and forms of social and religious life. Our experience is the basis of our activities - Ananta has already worked at founding an Integral Education School in his hometown near Padnagarth and is very knowledgeable in this field. Mike has gained many experiences with the foundation and management of the Schkola schools in Germany`s eastern triangle of borders, and Anke has worked as a teacher in Germany for more than 20 years.
Mike`s and Anke`s numerous visits to India and their project work at the foundation of a school in the years 2003/2004 in the south of India enable them to tackle the work with realistic expectations.
All these experiences and conditions as well as our common vision to build a school in Vishvaneedam have finally led us to the decision to found the Gaiatree Foundation (see founding documents).
The following description is NOT an attempt to define "Integral Education". It represents rather a snapshot and shows our understanding of seeing the world and the humans as a unity.
Sri Aurobindo`s "Integral Yoga" and the practical and pedagogic instruction of the "Mother" provide us with basic methods and give us confidence in the fact that there is a way to self-recognition for every single one of us. The recognition of the cosmic-divine principle of development and evolution constitute the baseline.
This offers a spiritually based view on an ever-developing cosmos in which the permanent evolution of the human is an important and deeply-rooted part. It provides us with a multilevel, complex view of the cosmic involution/evolution that is consistent with a modern and scientific understanding of the evolution. It offers us an integral view of the aspects from which a human and his practical insights develop, and how humans use their self-transformation for the benefit of everyone and everything.
The age of globalization holds invaluable chances and opportunities for the human society. The Gaiatree School wants to function as a part of this and is a bridge between the East and the West. The recognition of progress and development is based on one`s respective ethnic and national roots, heritage and traditions, cultural values, and language. The integral principle "from the close to the far" is key.
Is it really possible to practice integral education in our competition-oriented society? Yes, it is, since there is no big difference between teaching methods in traditional educational systems and the ones used in integral education. The character of both systems is in the end determined by the mindset and acting of the teachers, parents and the atmosphere. Consequently, we have carefully selected our activities and methods at the Gaiatree School, so as to achieve the aims of integral education.
An important aspect is their compatibility with the activities of everyday life:
• Thought control
• Control of one`s own actions
• Equability/Mastering joy and suffering
• Positive thinking
• Open-mindedness/impartiality
• Equability and integration of the points mentioned above into everyday life