Rishi Valley School

Rishi Valley School
The school campus seen from the adjoining hill
Location
Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, India
Information
Type	Private boarding school (privately funded)
Established	1926
Founder	Jiddu Krishnamurti
Faculty	~50
Grades	4–12
Enrollment	~400
Affiliation	ICSE & ISC
Website	http://www.rishivalley.org/

Rishi Valley School is an Indian boarding school, founded by the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. It is located close to the town of Madanapalle, Krishnamurti's birthplace, in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Rishi Valley is a three-hour drive from Bangalore and five hours from Chennai.

The school is reputed for its holistic approach to education in the spirit of Krishnamurti's pedagogical vision. Community service and extracurricular activities constitute an integral part of a student's schooling, as do active discussions and debates in classrooms, assemblies and club meetings. EducationWorld ranks the boarding school among the best in India.^[1]

Overview

The school follows the ICSE board for the ninth and tenth standard years and the ISC for the eleventh and twelfth. The school accepts students from fourth through twelfth standard (ages nine–eighteen). Twenty boarding houses accommodate students across campus with 20 students to each house. The school is divided into a junior (fourth through eighth) and a senior (ninth through twelfth) school.^[2]

The school is known for the way Krishnamurti's teachings inspire its curricula, which includes developing an appreciation for the environment, art and music, and athletics in addition to traditional subjects. Integrating itself into its neighbouring villages, the school also runs the Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Resources (RIVER) program and a rural school (Rural Education Centre) and a health center (Rural Health Centre).^[3]

Habitat profile diagram of Rishi Valley

With a large campus spread over 360 acres (1.5 km²) in the Rayalseema area of southern Andhra Pradesh, Rishi Valley was chosen by Krishnamurti for its atmosphere of peace and serenity, centered around a large banyan tree, one of the oldest in India.^{[citation needed]}

Rishi Valley is nestled in an ancient valley under the Rishikonda hill where, as folklore has it, a well-known sage, or in Sanskrit rishi, used to meditate. The Rishi River, a rain-fed stream, that flowed down the hill has long since dried up, but Krishnamurti retained the name for his first school. Rayalseema is an arid region located in a rain-sheltered area of the Deccan Plateau. Ancient granite hills with striking formations surround Rishi Valley on all sides.^[4]

History

Rishi Valley was born with the idea of starting a world university, conceptualised by Annie Besant, President of the Theosophical Society, in 1925. Three possible sites were identified near Jiddu Krishnamurti's birthplace and he chose the Thettu Valley because of the Big Banyan Tree, which implied the concentration of water and thus the possible sustenance of an institution. The Thettu region was of no importance historically, geographically (it has a history of failed monsoons and famines were usual occurrences) or economically; the only reason it was even considered was because Krishnamurti was born in Madanapalle, a nearby village.^{[citation needed]}

His colleague, C.S. Trilokikar bought the land—accumulating 300 acres where the campus lies. Starting in 1926 Trilokikar traveled around atop a bullock cart buying up small parcels of land bit by bit.^[5] Before the land was completely assembled, Besant abandoned the idea of a world university because there were more pressing matters of national importance such as India's Home-Rule Movement. Trilokikar named the whole basin Rishi Valley, a name derived from legends about rishis who were rumoured to live in the hills surrounding the valley thousands of years ago.^{[citation needed]}

By this time, the Guindy School, based in Madras, started by Besant in 1918, was already well recognised before its principal, G.V. Subba Rao (GVS), decided to relocate the entire school to the area purchased by Trilokikar. Space in the Guindy School was limited, the neighbourhood was noisy and crowded and each year the torrential Northeast Monsoon would cause havoc, destroying the school's thatched roofs and blowing down its cottages. After a particularly bad cyclone in 1930, Krishnamurti met GVS, and it was decided that Guindy be relocated to Rishi Valley. The building of the initial structures was undertaken by the Theosophists who were drawn to Krishnamurti's teachings. Many engineers were brought in to oversee construction work on campus, all of whom refused to accept pay. By September 1931, the initial structures were ready to accommodate the school. Shortly after this, Subba Rao relocated to their new campus with approximately ninety students and teachers. Just as the moving was completed, an unprecedented 50 inches of rainfall graced Rishi Valley's parched landscape and the area was inundated with water. The inhabitants of the surrounding villages thought the coming of the school was a blessing and a sign of prosperity. The rain, however, was a mixed blessing as houses now became roofless and students fell sick as malaria ran rampant. Electricity was introduced only in 1937; until then, oil and petromax lanterns sufficed. The initial years were a period of austerity as the school struggled with funds.^{[citation needed]}

GVS was the first headmaster of the Guindy School at the time of the changeover and continued in Rishi Valley as its first principal. He was instrumental in laying a strong foundation in the school in terms of education and administration, leading a lifestyle of minimal possessions, dedicated to his work and love for children.^{[citation needed]}

His decade long tenure (1931-1941) was a pioneering one, with some of the teaching methods carried over from his experiences at the Guindy School. When he shifted to Rishi Valley, GVS became the first headmaster of an Indian boarding school. At Guindy, Tamil was the medium of instruction; at Rishi Valley,Telugu was added as a language of instruction. GVS laid the groundwork for the school by practicing a simple lifestyle that included meditation, a quiet life, austerity with material possessions, and harmony with nature. Indeed, the beautiful natural expanse of the valley provides for some quiet retreats for 'nature studies'--outdoor lessons as part of the timetable, which originated with GVS. On the sports field, he disallowed prize-giving ceremonies, as he felt it harboured unhealthy competition. This feature in particular has been steadfast despite the relatively 'modern' lifestyle that current students in Rishi Valley lead outside of school.^{[citation needed]}

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, all senses of division were eliminated: caste, gender, religion, and that of anything which might cause fractious relationships among students. This too was important in a country on the brink of a new era in history—one in which the aim was secularism and social parity.

One would expect a man as unassuming as GVS to make a quiet exit, but that was not to be. On 24 June 1941, an unforeseen police raid rocked the school. Some 'prohibited books' and 'leftist magazines' were seized because under the British these were banned books as they were thought to promote Indian independence.^[6] Many teachers were put under house-arrest, fined or were put under probation for three years. The Director of Public Instruction even forced two longstanding teachers to resign. As a result, Subbarao became 'dangerous' for proliferating such material during the heat of the freedom struggle and the wartime constraints Britain was facing at that time.[page 28] The truth of the matter was that GVS stood by freedom of thought and made a wide range of literature available to his students. The perpetrator of this incident was later found to be an unhappy senior student who tipped off the police about the presence of communist literature on campus.^[6] This unexpected event ended GVS's tenure as principal; it is remembered as merely a blot on an otherwise expansive list of achievements.^{[citation needed]}

The resignation of GVS had several consequences that brought the school to a standstill: expenditures were cut back sharply and some of the best teachers left. This was also a period of transition at the school as several principals came and departed quickly. At this time, Krishnamurti was in the United States, unable to travel, as he was marked as an “undesirable alien”; he was only able to return in late 1947 after Indian independence.^[7] A person who directed the school at this time and would later emerge as a driving force behind it was Ms. Muriel Payne. She came to Rishi Valley, influenced by Krishnamurti, in an attempt to revive it. Along with five others, she set up a group in 1948, which tried to gauge the situation and get the school back on track. This experiment ended abruptly and in July 1949; the curtains came down on Rishi Valley as an institution.

Ms. Payne's experiment might have failed, but her interest in the school had not waned. She was instrumental in restarting the school under a new administration with F. Gordon Pearce, a noted educator, at the helm. Krishnamurti took a renewed interest in the school. New people were getting involved and a new kind of school emerged.^{[citation needed]}

In July 1950, the school was officially reopened. The fees were reduced to a level so as to attract a wide range of students without putting too much pressure on the budget. To ensure a good start, the staff agreed to an initial lowered salary until the school became stabilized. The problems faced by Pearce were many: no finances, friction amid a whole new faculty, and that same year a terrible drought with the region being declared a famine area. It was up to Pearce to revitalize the school.^{[citation needed]}

Traditions and Culture

There are many of traditions and cultures at Rishi Valley.^[8] Some important practices that the school has maintained for over fifty years are the morning assembly, Asthachal and folk dancing. During the morning assembly, thrice a week, the entire school gathers for singing. Children learn traditional chants as well as songs by poets ranging from Kabir to Rabindranath Tagore often set to the traditional south Indian drum, the mridangam. The rest of the week, students, teachers, and visitors take turns speaking about various topics that interest them.^{[citation needed]}

F. Gordon Pearce, the principal of Rishi Valley School after the Second World War, came up with the idea of Asthachal (in English, sunset point), a tradition which survives today.^[9] During Asthachal, children gather together on a cliff and sit quietly while the sun sets. It is a short but peaceful space of time, which gives children an opportunity for quiet reflection, observation of nature or watching their own thoughts.^{[citation needed]}

An American teacher, David Young, introduced Western folk dancing to the school.^[10] Later, another teacher, David Horsburgh, introduced European and American folk dancing. Folk dancing, or 'folkie' as students call it, is held once a week. The seniors teach the dances to the junior students. Over the years, the dances have evolved and visiting alumni usually join in.^{[citation needed]}

Some religious and cultural festivals and occasions are also celebrated in Rishi Valley like Ugadi, Shivaratri and Sankranti. During Sankranti, there is a Bull Dance where all students dance along with the villagers and their decorated bulls. On such special occasions students are treated to a special dinner.^{[citation needed]}

Apart from academics, students participate in various cultural activities including: classical Indian dance (Bharatnatyam), Carnatic music, Mridangam, Violin, Tabla and Piano. Many important Indian artists have performed in Rishi Valley including M.L. Vasanthakumari (Carnatic musician), Amjad Ali Khan (Hindustani musician), Nikhil Banerjee (Sitar musician), Palghat Mani Iyer (Mridangam musician), and Bombay Jayashree (Carnatic musician).

Other efforts

The Yellow-throated Bulbul is found on the school campus

The school launched a reforestation and conservation drive that transformed the school campus into a forest area and the once-barren hillside bordering the campus now has a green cover of young trees. Conservation and enhancement of the natural environment remains one of the school's core values. In July 1991 Rishi Valley was officially declared a bird-preserve,^[11] and was cited by the International Council for Bird Preservation (now BirdLife International) as one of the sites where the Yellow-throated Bulbul is found. More than 200 bird species have been recorded in and around the school campus. The Institute of Bird Studies and Natural History in Rishi Valley offers a six-month "Home Study Course in Ornithology – Intermediate Level" at a highly subsidised rate. Over 1,230 students have enrolled for this course since 1997.^{[citation needed]}

"School in a Box" teaching kit

The rural education centre run by the Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Resources (RIVER), established in the late 1970s, has sought to provide schooling to the children from nearby areas. In 1987 the centre received a grant to develop an educational model. The result was "School in a Box", a system for learning that has been adopted at several satellite schools administered by Rishi Valley in Andhra Pradesh. The satellite schools are run using the student fees from the main school. The model has been adopted in many other parts of the world in collaboration with the UNICEF. The methodology involves a sequence of activities with five types of activities, namely introductory, reinforcement, evaluation, remedial and enrichment. These activities are taken up by students at their pace of learning. The rural education centre also provides basic healthcare through a Rural Health Centre.^[12]

Notes

References

• Dalal, Roshen (2007). Herzberger, Hans; Herzberger, Radhika, eds. Rishi Valley School: The First Forty Years (2nd ed.). Rishi Valley: Krishnamurti Foundation India. 
• Thapan, Meenakshi (2006). Life at School: An Ethnographic Study (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-567964-9. Retrieved 24 September 2013. 
• Rangaswami, S.; Sridhar, S. (1993). Birds of Rishi Valley and Renewal of Their Habitats. Rishi Valley Education Centre, Krishnamurti Foundation India. ISBN 978-8186042014. Retrieved 5 October 2013. 
• Patel, Gieve (2007). Poetry with Young People. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 8126024291. Retrieved 26 September 2013. 
• Remembering G. V. Subba Rao: A Life of Dedication to Education (1st ed.). Madras: G. V. Subba Rao Trust. 1980. 
• Jayakar, Pupul (1986). J. Krishnamurti: A Biography. New Delhi: Penguin Books India. ISBN 0140103430. Retrieved 26 September 2013. 
• Natu, Raghunath (Ravi) (2008). Delightful Days at Rishi Valley. Pune: Utkarsh Prakashan. 

External links

• Rishi Valley School website
• Rishi Valley School Alumni website
• Rishi Valley Rural Education Project website
• Friends of Rishi Valley website
• The RV Storybook

Coordinates: 13°38′02″N 78°27′14″E / 13.634°N 78.454°E / 13.634; 78.454