Shanti Bhavan, literally translated from the Hindi language,
means Ôhaven of peace'. Shanti Bhavan is a world-class boarding school
for children from underprivileged backgrounds. The goal of Shanti Bhavan
is to give a select number of children a chance to become highly successful
in life. Tender loving care, medical attention, psychological support
and outstanding education is provided to the children free of cost.
Shanti Bhavan is non-sectarian. It has no affiliation with any religious
or political group. It seeks to in still in children universally accepted
values of honesty, integrity and transparency that are crucial for success.
Respect for all cultures and religions is practised. Fundamentals of
different religions are taught but no single religion is propagated
or promoted.
We seek to foster in our children self-esteemed, self-confidence,
discipline, and the zeal to succeed. They will also be inculcated with
a feeling of respect for their families and communities. We encourage
parents to visit Shanti Bhavan to observe their children's progress,
be proud of their accomplishments, and believe in their future.
Children also spend holidays with their parents. When the children
grow up and become successful, we want them to help their families the
way we have helped them.
We count on the professional integrity of our staff to carry out our
mission. Ethical conduct is a must for all members of the Shanti Bhavan
faculty. The pursuit of excellence is to be worked at day after day.
All our children start at Shanti Bhavan at age four, except in the
first year of operation when we also admitted five year olds. Malnutrition
is correctable in early childhood and behaviour modification is also
easier when the children are very young. The children are selected from
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka by a recruitment team comprised of a social
worker, a clinical psychologist, a paediatrician and the school principal.
One to one interaction with parents and representatives of village and
slum communities is an on going process. Selection of children is a
3-way process. The social worker visits homes to ascertain the awareness
of the child's parents or guardians. Are they genuinely interested in
education for their Child? Can they make the commitment? Do they understand
why children are selected at the age of four? Will they support their
child by visits, taking her home for the holidays, or by talking well
of Shanti Bhavan ? Is the family below the poverty line ? No criminal
background? What about community consensus?
If these conditions are satisfied, the child is screened by the paediatrician.
She or he must be in good physical health keeping in mind the obvious
health-related problems related to poverty such as malnutrition, scabies
and infestations. A child who is physically or mentally handicapped
cannot be considered for selection as Shanti Bhavan does not have the
resources to look after these children.
The most crucial stage of the process is the screening of a child
for her or his cognitive ability. A clinical psychologist conducts culture-friendly
tests to determine whether the child can go through a complete school
programme right through to the school leaving level. We need to be reasonably
certain that the child will be able to complete high school, if not
university, or other specialised courses.
