A School With A Difference.

Manisha Gupta had just returned from The US with her husband Purab and four-year-old son Ayush after 6 years. Her husband lost his job, as the company where he worked was declared bankrupt. Due to strict H1-B visa regulation, he was unable to get another job. They decided to come back to India. Since Purab was a chartered account, he had no difficulty in getting a job.

Manisha was an experienced school teacher. She had worked for 5 years as an elementary school teacher. She decided to take a break in her career and concentrate on taking care of Ayush and Purab. They settled down in Andheri (E) Mumbai where Purab got a job with Sagar Exports Pvt.Ltd. 

Manisha looked forward to getting her son admitted to LKG in a reputed school. Since it was the month of March, most of the schools had already issued advertisement for admission for the current academic year.  

When Manisha went to Sagar International School to buy an application form, she was surprised to find a long queue of parents waiting in the scorching heat. Most of them had taken a day's leave from their office. The application forms were sold out by the time Manisha reached the counter. She was frustrated. When Purab returned home, he was surprised to find Manisha in a foul mood. He asked her, " What happened, dear? Why are you so upset?" 

Manisha replied," I never anticipated any difficulty in obtaining admission form for Ayush. Unfortunately, the application forms were sold out and I had to return empty-handed." Purab encouraged her to keep on trying for admission in other schools.

Manisha was browsing the internet for the schools in their locality. She came across a couple of schools inviting online application. 

She applied immediately and paid the fees for application by her debit card.

She received an e-mail from Gokul Krishna Public School asking her to bring Ayush for an interview on 23rd March 2018. Purab accompanied his wife and son for the occasion. They were asked to wait outside the principal's office for nearly an hour. 

The principal greeted them warmly and smiled at young Ayush. " What's your name, dear child?” he asked Ayush. The latter answered," Good morning, Sir. My name is Ayush Gupta." The principal was quite impressed with him. He gave a paper and a pencil to Ayush, asking him to write alphabets and numbers.

Ayush completed the task successfully within five minutes. The principal praised Ayush for his brilliant performance.

Manisha and Purab looked at each other and smiled. They were proud of their son's feat. They thought that Ayush would get admission without any difficulty.Their happiness was short-lived. The principal enquired about Ayush's knowledge of Hindi and Marathi.

Manisha said," We have been living in The US for 6 years. Since our return to India was unexpected, we didn't teach him Hindi alphabets."

The principal frowned and said," I am sorry Madam. I cannot accept your application at this moment. Knowledge of Hindi and Marathi is mandatory for admission." Manisha was furious. She controlled her temper and requested him to give her son a chance. He turned down her pleas and asked them to leave.

Manisha tried very hard to control her emotions. Purab squeezed her hand and said," Cheer up! This school is not lucky enough to have a bright student like Ayush." 

Manisha grinned at him and gently ruffled Ayush's hair. They drove back home in their car. Manisha was busy preparing dinner while the father-son duo watched cricket on TV. She received a mail from another school asking Ayush to appear for an interview in the following week.

Ayush and his parents waited in the corridor of Netaji Junior High School. The interview was successful. Ayush got admission in the school. His parents were so happy that they went to a hotel for dinner.

Manisha joined a class for learning Marathi. She started teaching Hindi to Ayush. He was a brilliant boy. He showed a keen interest in studies. He was looking forward to attending his new school and meet new friends. 

The school reopened in the month of June. Ayush was thrilled to meet new friends. His first day at school went off peacefully. 

Manisha led a peaceful life with her family until trouble knocked at her doorstep. One day, Manisha received a phone call from the school asking her to come immediately. She panicked and rushed off to the school. When she reached there, she was shocked to find her son lying unconscious on the bench.

" What happened? How did Ayush become unconscious?" asked Manisha to a teacher standing near the boy. The teacher brought along a boy who was Ayush's classmate. "This boy can tell you everything." Manisha wiped away her tears and approached the kid. He was apparently scared and backed away. Manisha gently patted him and said, " Don't be scared. I am Ayush's mother. How did this happen?" The boy answered," I am Puneet. Ayush is my best friend. Our English teacher Gita Madam thrashed him for talking in the class. She made him kneel down and pulled his hair with such a force that he cried out in pain. He hit his head against the desk and fell down." Manisha's anger knew no bounds. She thundered," Where is she? I would like to have a word with her." 

The teacher hung her head in shame and said, " I am sorry. She fled immediately after this boy lost his consciousness." Manisha carried her son in her arms and said, " What kind of teachers do you hire? If anything happens to my son, I won't spare you." She took him to the hospital. The doctor checked him thoroughly and shook his head. He told her that Ayush was dead because of the head injury. Manisha was in a state of shock. She appeared to be petrified. It took her a while to come out of the state of trance. She called Purab and informed him about the tragedy. Purab arrived within half an hour. Manisha was weeping hysterically and fainted in Purab's arms. He held back his tears with great difficulty. He had lost his son. He could not afford to lose Manisha. They brought back the body after completing all the formalities. 

Purab's hands were shaking when he laid his son to rest. He cried like a baby. His friends stood by him and gave him moral support. Six months had passed since tragedy struck the family. They were yet to come out of their grief. Manisha found it difficult to live without hearing the chatter of Ayush. She even contemplated suicide. 

Purab tried his best to infuse enthusiasm in her but failed miserably in his attempt.

Manisha realized that there was no use grieving as Ayush would not come back to her. 

She decided to open a school in the name of her son. Her husband supported her idea. He arranged for the finance and a suitable location for the school.

Manisha conducted a feasibility study for her dream project. She browsed the internet seeking more information on the flaws in the education system. She wanted to rectify these errors by starting an ideal school. She sought the help of her overseas friends through social media network. They assisted her in preparing a syllabus that would facilitate practical learning with theory.

While the construction of the building was in progress, she completed the basic framework of determining the fee structure, setting up of goals for her school etc. It was going to be a non-profit entity with classes from LKG to 10th-grade divided into five sections.

 Manisha hired the services of subject matter experts and illustrators for publishing textbooks in all subjects. She prepared powerpoint presentation for complicated topics in each subject.

She decided to conduct field trips to different places like the zoo, museum, botanical gardens and a visit to historical places. 

Manisha finally arranged for the projectors to be installed in each class.

The school building was constructed within a year. She obtained affiliation from CBSE. 

The school was officially inaugurated on the first death anniversary of Ayush and named after him. The admissions were open. A stream of children with their parents arrived. Gradually, the admission process was completed within a couple of months. The school started functioning without any hitch.

Manisha had selected the teachers after a thorough scrutiny of their applications and checked out their references. She also made it clear that hitting the children and giving them corporal punishment was absolutely banned. They were only allowed to give an imposition. 

The ambience of the school had a positive impact on the students. They started scoring well in their exams. They understood the subjects and wrote answers in their own words. The overall pass percentage of the students was tremendous. 

The school started getting rave reviews and gained popularity in the neighbourhood. The total strength of students kept on increasing each year. 

Manisha and Purab were happy that their venture was extremely successful.