There is a place in India that bears the beautiful name "School of Rising Knowledge". I love that Shantha gave her school this name.

There is a place in India where a courageous woman named Shantha built a school from her own strength on a piece of land full of palm trees, and today is the lighthouse for the people at this school with her visionary spirit.

There is a place in India where five wonderful Indian women form a leadership team and together they run this school with enormous strength, kindness, openness, willingness to make sacrifices, friendship, humor and competence.

There is a place in India where students are guided to become the best version of themselves.

There is a place in India where every single child is encouraged to develop a deep love for themselves and also for others in order to be successful and happy in a rapidly changing global community.

There is a place in India where yoga is a subject at school so that students can grow up healthily and mindfully.

There is a place in India that I like very much. 

This place is called Vishwa Sishyha Vidyodaya School.

You can find this place in Pollachi, near Coimbature, and Shantha Kalingarayar has created it.

Under "About Us" and "Mission & Values" you can read on the school's website what I wrote above (link to the website).

So, who exactly is this person that created this place? 

It takes a lot of courage and determination as an Indian woman in a patriarchal culture to defy all resistance in order to realize the foundation of a school so that it can become a good home for her own child and for many other children. Shantha Kalingarayar, with her excellent observation skills and her unmistakable sense of talent, has gathered people around herself bringing her school to life and making it a place of high-level education. In addition, it also requires an enormous amount of intelligence and mental strength to successfully run this place since many years (and meanwhile three other schools as well), in the midst of an environment full of corruption and obstacles. 

I got to know this extraordinary woman, Shantha Kalingarayar, as a woman whose character is shaped by generosity and openness. When traveling, she does not buy the usual souvenirs as memories, but small trees that are planted on the school premises. The core of her being can be seen on this picture: love and warmth in abundance.

Thank you Shantha for opening the doors to your school, your house, your life, your thoughts and to your heart for me.

Thank you Shantha for recognizing and promoting my talents and offering me the opportunity to get in touch with 300 of your students and giving a speech about why I came to India.

Thank you Shantha for giving me the most beautiful farewell of my life with your words: "Salome, I love you and I love you and I love you."

I wish that people will learn about your inspiring work far beyond the boarders of your school and I hope to contribute to this aim with this article.

Lots of Love,

Salome