Schooling is a very important phase of every person’s life. From learning worldly ways to inculcating values, it plays a major role in shaping the character of every person. In a time where schools are falling prey to the race under the mask of competition, Rishi Valley School in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh stands as a beacon of hope for delivering individuals with a certain moral compass. It is one of the best residential schools in India started by a great philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti but now run by a trust on the same philosophy. The school prepares children for all-round development.
In 1926, when Jiddu Krishnamurti decided to set up his first school, he chose a remote valley in the interior of rural Andhra Pradesh, in Chittoor District at the edge of the Karnataka Plateau, about135 km northeast of Bangalore. Rishi Valley is at an altitude of 800 metres. The climate is dry and temperate, the water drawn from deep bore wells is fresh and portable; and, in the absence of any industries, the atmosphere is remarkably clean and clear. The school was set up on a set of morals which still stand as pillars for its uniqueness and take forward its historical legacy.
While establishment itself, he set some goals as their educational philosophy which make the student ready for the life as well as the society. The education is in such a way that the students are able to explore both the natural world and the world of feeling. They strongly object the following of conditioning students in any particular belief either religious, political or social. They believe in keeping the student’s minds free to ask fundamental questions, enquire and learn. With a limited number of students per class, there are nearly 360 students in the school-aged between 8 to 17 in classes 4 to 12. This school not only attracted students from all over India, but there are students studying from several other countries as well. Students are not chosen on their merit but on their character and talents. They just need to have a promising academic history till then.
This school was successful in achieving what that great philosopher dreamt of. It became notable for shaping children into better individuals. Varun Gandhi and Aditi Rao Hydari are some of the notable alumni of Rishi Valley School.
