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| A 2000 article in the Indian express noted that "an aura of secrecy envelops the school and entry is strictly forbidden."<ref name="sukhmani"/> The article quoted a director of the school as saying "...we don’t like the vibrations to be polluted by outsiders." Students are schooled in "Vibratory Awareness",<ref name="sukhmani"/> the cornerstone experience of Sahaja Yoga, which some say enables practitioners to detect and treat subtle imbalances in themselves and others.<ref> Sahaja Yoga Australia - benefits of Sahaja Yoga.</ref> This is part of the school's vision of fulfilling the students' physical, emotional, intellectual and, above all, spiritual potential. <ref> , ISPS website, viewed 22 November 2007.</ref> | A 2000 article in the Indian express noted that "an aura of secrecy envelops the school and entry is strictly forbidden."<ref name="sukhmani"/> The article quoted a director of the school as saying "...we don’t like the vibrations to be polluted by outsiders." Students are schooled in "Vibratory Awareness",<ref name="sukhmani"/> the cornerstone experience of Sahaja Yoga, which some say enables practitioners to detect and treat subtle imbalances in themselves and others.<ref> Sahaja Yoga Australia - benefits of Sahaja Yoga.</ref> This is part of the school's vision of fulfilling the students' physical, emotional, intellectual and, above all, spiritual potential. <ref> , ISPS website, viewed 22 November 2007.</ref> | ||
| The school advises parents not to enroll their children until they are ready. The demand for places in the school has outstripped availability.<ref> , ISPS website, viewed 25 November 2007.</ref> |
The school advises parents not to enroll their children until they are ready. The demand for places in the school has outstripped availability.<ref> , ISPS website, viewed 25 November 2007.</ref> Coney reports that, "whilst there is evidence that some children have enjoyed their time at the Sahaja Yoga school in India, a number of children have expressed unhappiness at being returned to the India school."<ref>Judith Coney, ''Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement'' (1999) p166</ref> | ||
| ==Other Sahaja Yoga schools== | ==Other Sahaja Yoga schools== | ||
Revision as of 13:51, 1 December 2007
The International Sahaja Public School in Dharamsala, India is a school run by the Sahaja Yoga movement which was founded by Nirmala Srivastava in 1970. The school itself was founded in 1990, its stated mission to "develop self-respect which leads to respect for others, a love of Nature, care for the environment, gentleness, nobility, honesty and wisdom". The school teaches around 250 international students annually.
Overview
The school is located in the Himalayas, above Dharamsala in the Kangra district, near McLeod Ganj, at a height of more than 1700m. A newspaper article from the Indian Express reported that students "learn the basic principles of Sahaja Yoga ... the tenets of Hinduism and worship the school’s patron - Mata Nirmala Devi." The article quoted a director of the school as saying that the students, upon coming to the school, "transcend all religions... become more Hindu than Hindus themselves."
Subjects (as followed by the ICSE curriculum) include standard courses as well as English, German, Indian Classical Music (including instruments), and Indian Classical dance (Kuchipudi, Kathak etc.) The school has a science lab, library, art and craft halls, music and dance rooms, and sport facilities including a gym, skating ramp, basketball field, cricket pitch and soccer fields. There is also a computer lab with broadband access to the Internet which "enables the administrative staff, the teachers and dorm staff to keep in touch with the world and obtain educational material". The school website states that: "Internet access is available for one hour per week per class in the senior section, as an afternoon activity."
Judith Coney reports that the school has accepted children from the age of 4 and writes that "often very young children are separated from their natural parents for prolonged periods, as they usually stay in India for nine months". An Indian newspaper article published in 2000 reported that children were aged 6 and above. The article described the students as "astonishingly 'different'" and noted that they had "austere dormitories" which were "plastered with posters of Nirmala Srivastava", and that there was a restriction of video watching to Sahaja Yoga and suitable classics. The school website states: "One video per week is normally screened for juniors and one for seniors at weekends."
An official school statement says that the villagers bring presents to the students and enjoy looking after them. A 1995 report on the school by the Austrian Ministry of Justice has said that uninvited visitors 'dropping in' have been refused entry, and that because of the unfriendly reception, foreign and domestic neighbours do "not know anything about the teachers, pupils and the daily routine at the school, which is - regarding the rustic surrounding - an astonishing fact."
A 2000 article in the Indian express noted that "an aura of secrecy envelops the school and entry is strictly forbidden." The article quoted a director of the school as saying "...we don’t like the vibrations to be polluted by outsiders." Students are schooled in "Vibratory Awareness", the cornerstone experience of Sahaja Yoga, which some say enables practitioners to detect and treat subtle imbalances in themselves and others. This is part of the school's vision of fulfilling the students' physical, emotional, intellectual and, above all, spiritual potential.
The school advises parents not to enroll their children until they are ready. The demand for places in the school has outstripped availability. Coney reports that, "whilst there is evidence that some children have enjoyed their time at the Sahaja Yoga school in India, a number of children have expressed unhappiness at being returned to the India school."
Other Sahaja Yoga schools
The Shri P.K.Salve Kala Pratishthan is a Indian classical music and fine arts academy that was founded in Vaitarna, India, in 2003.
The Cabella Primary School in Italy will open in September 2008, with the children attending the local village school in Rocchetta Ligure.
An international kindergarten was opened in Borotin, Czech Republic.
A small kindergarten and primary boarding school was opened in Canajoharie, New York in 2004. As of 2006 it had an enrollment of fourteen students from pre-kindergarten through grade 3.
References
- http://www.isps.edu.in/site/index.asp?pageid=7
- ^ "A School for tradition", The Indian Express, December 24, 2000, by Sukhmani Singh
- ICSE syllabus
- http://www.isps.edu.in/site/.%5Cfiles%5CProspectus.pdf
- Coney, Judith (1999) Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement, (London: Curzon Press) ISBN 0-7007-1061-2 p159
- Report on the Sahaja Yoga School, May 1995, Ministry of Justice, Republic of Austria, cited in "Growing Up As Mother's Children: Socializing a Second Generation in Sahaja Yoga" by Judith Coney in Children in New Religions Susan J. Palmer, Charlotte Hardman, Rutgers University Press (July 1999) p.117
- Report on the Sahaja Yoga School, May 1995, Ministry of Justice, Republic of Austria, cited in Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement by Judith Coney (1999) p161
- Sahaja Yoga Australia - benefits of Sahaja Yoga.
- Vision and Mission, ISPS website, viewed 22 November 2007.
- , ISPS website, viewed 25 November 2007.
- Judith Coney, Sahaja Yoga: Socializing Processes in a South Asian New Religious Movement (1999) p166
- http://www.pksacademy.com/about.htm
- Cabella Primary School Enrollments
- Growing Sahaja Kindergarten In Borotin via web archive.
- The Opening of Canajoharie Sahaja School
- Teachers and Aunties Needed for International Sahaja School at Canajoharie
External links
- Official ISPS website
- Panoramic view of ISPS
- Testimonials from alumni (positive, official Sahaja Yoga website)
- Testimonial from an anonymous alumnus (mixed/neutral, ex-members website)
- Testimonials from anonymous alumni concerning alleged cases of sexual abuse in 1994
- A school where students learn to give Article in the Tribune of India, April 21, 2001.
- A School for tradition Article by Sukhmani Singh in The Indian Express, December 24, 2000.
- Extracts from Education Enlightened