Bringing out your inner authentic self

For a long time, a growing trend has been bothering Anuradha Gupta. When she was a young child, life was all about togetherness—dinner-time conversations and praying with the family. Summer vacations meant sitting on the terrace with grandparents, watching the sky and hearing stories. There was time and opportunity to connect with nature and one’s inner self.

Now, however, children’s lives are about glitzy, flashy objects and experiences. It is about which country you went to during the holidays, which car do you have. I am really thankful to the School of Joy programme for highlighting that life is not about these external things but about discovering authentic happiness” The programme is about bringing out your inner goodness and embrace authentic living,” says Gupta, who is the principal of The Shriram Millennium School, Gurugram.

She was introduced to the School of Joy while implementing another programme by its parent organisation, Art1st, which focuses on developing learning environments that nurture imagination and visual literacy among children and educators. “We were aware of the value system of the organisation. I felt there was something missing in the school’s programme that could be filled by the School of Joy programme,” says Gupta.

Its ethos matched the school’s core values of sensitivity and integrity. As the programme unfolded, both the teachers and the students were encouraged to look within and introspect. “The decision to implement the School of Joy during the pandemic turned out to be fortuitous. So much was happening in the lives of both children and adults. A sense of peace was missing,” adds Gupta. During training, teachers were motivated to introspect and question what they wanted from life. They then went on to “expose the goodness” of the programme to the children. “Children enjoy stories. For teachers too, stories become a medium to transmit new and complex ideas,” says Gupta.

For Grades 2-3, meditation proved to be a great tool for self-reflection. Twice a day now, the gong sounds in the school. And for that moment, students, teachers, and even guests, are encouraged to stay still and close their eyes. Members of the school have now started looking forward to these moments.

For Gupta, the programme has proved extremely helpful on a personal level as well. “Often, I sit back and think about what is causing anxiety and stress. What is at the root of it? Why am I feeling like this? Once I figure that out, it’s easy for me to work towards improving my mental state,” she elaborates.The programme has given tools of Self-Reflection for teachers.

The feedback from parents has been extremely positive. When classes were held in the online medium, even grandparents would sit in the sessions and observe the children’s reactions. “They are all very thankful that such a programme has been introduced at such an early stage of their child’s life. After all, we are all trying to find our inner authentic selves, and these kids have started on that quest so early,” she adds.