Sushama Sharma- an inspiring educator
- Oshin
- Mar 11
- 2 min read
This story dates back to a time before Independence. In 1937, an innovative ‘Nai Talim’ experiment (learning by doing), based on Gandhiji’s idea of education, was conducted in the small town of Wardha. It was then headed by Dr. Edward William Aryanayakam and Mrs Asha Devi Aryanayakam. Unfortunately, it was shut down after nearly 40 years.
And here begins her story...
On the occasion of Asha Devi Aryanayakam Birth Centenary in 2004, an All India Conference on Education was held at Sewagram. All the participants, including her, expressed their strong dissatisfaction with the current education system. Inspired by the concept of ‘Nai Talim’, they proposed ‘Nai Talim’ as an alternative educational programme, and a school based on similar principles was revived in 2005 on the same historic premises. It was named ‘Anand Niketan’. She shouldered the responsibility of Anand Niketan as one of the founding members and with her team, began building an innovative school that targeted the holistic development of children (head, heart, and hand) to raise them to become responsible citizens.
In this school, no premium is placed on intellect alone. Physical and manual skills are given equal importance and are integrated into the learning process. Instead of restricting education to bookish learning, the school's emphasis is on learning through day-to-day life skills and crafts. The children of Anand Niketan learn subjects like Mathematics, Science, Geography, and Social Science through productive work like farming, garment making, cooking, and maintaining health and cleanliness. All these activities are performed together by children and teachers, defying the typical teacher-student barriers. In all these activities, she led by example, making her colleagues and students excited for this new way of learning. The children are encouraged here to be self-reliant and also be aware of various social issues around them.
The sincere efforts of her team were recognized by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the school was recognized as a ‘Heritage School’. However, the journey was not easy. It was a challenge to convince people and society about the value of this unconventional school, and the importance of developing intellect in children along with compassion, humility, and respect for all life forms. Unlike today’s education system, which aims for the kind of development based on the unending consumption of natural resources and market, Nai Talim chose a different lifestyle geared towards a non-exploitative and sustainable world. Financial struggle was (and still is) also one of its major challenges. The school fees are kept very low to ensure that every child in the neighbouring rural area can afford this schooling. Raising funding without compromising the school’s principles was a challenging task for her. She would travel across the nation, visiting several similar schools, meeting new people, presenting her school’s work to them, and succeeding in acquiring small or big donations for her school. Her journey is inspiring. She is the director of Anand Niketan, Sushama Sharma.
Image credit: Author
The author, Oshin SA, is pursuing a doctorate in the world of plants.
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