School of Happiness – Non-Formal Holistic Education For All-Around Development
School of Happiness is the flagship project of Sarayu Trust that was started nearly two decades ago as a non-formal after-school to help children from lesser-privileged backgrounds develop into fully-rounded personalities ready to make their mark in the world.
Initially, Sarayu Trust began its journey with three such non-formal schools, two in Odisha, at Kumarpara and Nadakhand villages in Puri district, and one in Kishangarh village near Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. The two schools in Odisha ran successfully for nearly one-and-a-half decades, impacting the lives of nearly two hundred students. Unfortunately, due to factors beyond the purview of Sarayu Trust, the two schools had to be shut down.
The school at Kishangarh, New Delhi, however, took wings of its own and took off on a ‘Khwabon Ki Udaan’ or ‘flight of dreams’ by opening up a world of possibilities for the students with its all-inclusive and integrated approach to non-formal education. Encompassing a wide range of educational activities, lectures, workshops, professional courses and excursions geared towards personality-development and confidence-building in the after-school hours, the school came to be cherished by the students as their most favourite place that gave them immense happiness. Little wonder then, that the school was lovingly renamed ‘School of Happiness’ by the students themselves!
Over the years, many of the eager, bright-eyed students of School of Happiness have bloomed and gone on to becoming well-rounded, confident young professionals in diverse fields like Arts, Science, Media & Television, Social Work, Education, Business Administration, Law, Music, Dance and Retail. School of Happiness is especially proud of one diligent student who has recently appeared for the Indian Army Entrance Exam and is awaiting selection.
What was started by Sarayu Trust as a tiny attempt at giving back to society with extremely meagre resources at its disposal, has grown into a mini-institution fueled by the hopes and aspirations of many lesser-privileged children from neighboring urban-villages of Kishangarh and Mehrauli. Sarayu Trust is committed to giving flight to many more young dreams on their ‘Khwabon Ki Udaan’!