My Journey to Creating Shanti Bhavan School

“I will not take your children’s kidneys or eyes. I will give them my heart,” I replied to our first group of parents on the opening day of Shanti Bhavan twenty-six years ago.

This sentiment continues to drive my interactions with the children of Shanti Bhavan. It also reflects my passion and determination to make Shanti Bhavan a world-class institution to develop the next generation of compassionate, thoughtful leaders.

The desire to help those in need grew within me from a young age. I had first witnessed caste-based prejudices growing up in the southern state of Kerala in India. Later, I saw it among several communities in Northern India as well. These experiences opened my eyes to the injustices that existed in the far corners of the country.

I felt it was not right to remain indifferent in the face of social discrimination and economic deprivation perpetrated on poor communities. So after leaving the military and as my company became successful, the solution to these communities’ prevailing status slowly became more apparent to me.

I could see that government intervention and religion wouldn’t be sufficient to address the challenges of poverty and social discrimination. From my time in America, I recognized that economic equality often leads to social equality and not the other way around. In turn, quality education is the key to professional success.

I believe that every child, rich or poor, can gain financial independence with a good education and a proper environment to grow up in. Every child must have opportunities for a successful future.

All through my professional career, I was formulating my thoughts on how best to offer the kind of education and upbringing to those from the lowest strata of society and how to create an institution that would be capable of delivering it. It took two decades of research, planning, and growth, both personally and financially, to be in a place to do what I believed was required. As I approached fifty years of age, I shifted my time and energy to my long-standing desire — a calling of some sort — to serve those who had long remained socially and economically disadvantaged.

After twenty-five years in America, I took the first deliberate step to accomplish my mission. I met with some like-minded individuals in India who became a part of the initial board of trustees of a nonprofit foundation that was soon established.

Over the next two years, we began implementing what we had planned. The list of items to accomplish was nearly endless: finding the land, designing and constructing the school, bringing essential supplies into India from the US, dealing with corrupt government officials, addressing threats from locals, countering harmful rumors in communities, and much more. Many of these challenges may be unfamiliar to those in the West, but they were indeed commonplace and hard to overcome.

For example, customs agents at the seaport of Chennai impounded a precious cargo of wheat powder I had sent from the U.S. Sure enough, the customs officer privately mentioned that his department could be persuaded to release it if we paid a bribe — a shockingly hefty sum. My self-righteous nature at the time didn’t let me pay the bribe and we ended up burning the cargo, losing an important item in the meals for the children.

In retrospect, I should have handled this matter differently. Given how things worked in India, I should have vigorously negotiated a “reasonable” compromise. Similar unpleasant experiences and ethical dilemmas were to mark the coming years. I had to temper my ways for the greater good.

Now, as we mark our twenty-sixth year since opening the doors, Shanti Bhavan continues to live up to the meaning of its name — Haven of Peace. Shanti Bhavan has remained true to the program’s three primary pillars: academic excellence, leadership and interpersonal skills, and moral values. As a result of this focus, we have been successful both inside and outside the classroom.

Today, Shanti Bhavan graduates are attending top universities in India, the U.S., and around the world. After completing their bachelor’s degrees, many graduates join globally recognized companies. The professional success of our graduates permits them to assist not only their immediate families, but many more in their communities. The transformation seen in the children of Shanti Bhavan has no parallel elsewhere among the poor in India.

The outcome of the Shanti Bhavan program is best measured by the success of our children. An intense, focused, and encouraging environment has been responsible for their progress. Heart and commitment are certainly needed. The reason for my work today is the future of the children and the love I have for them.