The tree cannot grow without its roots.One learns a thing
only when it interests him.This interest is generated by the values one
nurtures.Different people,different values. But clearer the values, easier the
learning.
Syamantak is based
on natural teaching. No one teaches children theories of how to grow better. Enrollment
to open schooling keeps them with other school going children. They learn it
through tasks on basis of daily needs. How to calculate their cow feed through
volume formulas of cylindrical object teaches them mathematics, discussions and
community living social sciences and daily practices of cooking, repairing
things, solar cooking and maintaining a farm teaches them sciences. But
understanding and channelizing the energy requires vision. Not only vision it
also needs courage and an attitude to accept the new parameters of life. This
task is headed by Sachin Desai, the brain behind the Syamantak.
Sachin Desai did his bachelor’s from University of Mumbai
in Hotel Management. Placed as Manager in Baskin n Robbins,he worked there for
some time and chased his passion to work on the loopholes in the education system.He along with a partner developed
a learning utility software that helped children to understand things better.The
tool was a big hit for schools as it was newly launched and the computer evolution was
at embryonic stage. His business flourished well in central India. He married
in Bhopal and lived with his wife Meenal and daughter Mrunalini. But, now the
things changed. Being a victim of education system himself during childhood, he
wanted to grow his child , letting her learn freely, with him, channelizing her
energies in the right way. The decision was very challenging. Not enrolling a child
to school is more fearful than fighting with the marine commandos. It needed
courage, expertise as well as a strong vision towards handling things. With
advice from his guruji and grandfather, in 2007 he shifted from his Bhopal flat
to his ancestral house closed for last 80 years. Now the real test satarted. How to teach Mrunalini. Teaching alone would
be teaching isolation. With advice and thinking, they decided to adopt orphan
children. But, this time they took another challenge. They chose the children
who were declared troublemakers or mentally retarded from the orphanages. Highly
energetic children could keep the environment up and dumb ones could learn from
them. This way, the energy of the challenging children was channelized to perform
demanding yet productive tasks to build Syamantak and love it for their efforts
and learnings.With that Syamantak School Without walls started.