The 10 most effcetive principals to watch in 2021.

www.theknowledgereview.com
2021
VOL - 06
ISSUE - 01
Adventure Education
Learning Through Escapades
Essentials of a well-rounded early education
The Development Perspective

EDITOR’S
NOTE
THE MENTOR,
THE GUIDE,
THE MASTER
Sumita Sarkar
sumita@theknowledgereview.com

I
n India, teachers are revered like Gods - Guru, the
dispeller of darkness. And the guru who leads the
pack of gurus in a school is the principal.
One of the toughest jobs is that of a principal. It is both
rewarding and challenging, and it is worth it because an
effective principal earns respect for life from loyal
students, alumni, staff, and people in general.
Principals are the leaders of not just the educational
institution that they serve but also of the educational
system. They are instrumental in the growth of the
school, the teachers and the students. Principals must
be visionaries and committed to their profession in
bringing about reforms, maintain high standards of
pedagogy and work towards the development of each
student. They play a vital role in the growth of the
school. And when they pass on their legacy it must be
one that is worthy of worshipping and carrying forward.
On them lies a gigantic responsibility of enlightening
students and teachers and of making the school
successful. They are looked up to by the management,
staff, students, and parents as a solution to all the
issues and the torchbearer for the development of the
school and teachers. They are responsible for creating
an environment that is hospitable for education. The
biggest responsibility is of bringing reforms in the
society for good. They help others reach their goals,
prepare leaders, and build relationships with people. A
principal is like the anchor of a ship. Bouquets and
brickbats are all for them to face and they do that with
grace.
Introducing new methods of teaching, guiding and
motivating teachers, principals must be excellent
managers and need to strike a balance between love
and discipline. It is very easy to create fear among
others, but it is very difﬁcult to earn respect. When you
are respected people around you will fear to do
anything wrong out of respect for you rather than for
fear itself.
They pass on the baton to the next generation of
teachers and students to lead the light for a better
world. And that is reason enough for them to never fail
in the expectations everyone has of them.
However, not everyone can be highly effective as a
principal. As a mark of tribute to those who travelled
that extra mile to bring about a difference in the
society and to shape the lives of many, we at The
Knowledge Review featured some extraordinary
principals in our latest edition - The 10 Most Effective
Principals to Watch in 2021.
Our hearts well up with respect for such leaders of the
society and we are sure yours will too as you read
about the contribution of each of them.
Have an enlightening read! T R

Ms. Nishi Rana
10
Dr. Reshma Ganesh
An Inspiring Leader and an Educator who Cares
C
O
N
T
E
N
T
S
26
Paving the Way for a Better Future

18
Vandana Arora
Guiding The New Generation of Global Leaders
by way of Teaching
24
CXO
Mindfulness in Function
Developing a Minded Leadership
Essentials of a well-rounded
early education
14 30
Adventure Education
Learning Through Escapades

JUNE, 2021
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Name of the Institution Brief
Dr. Kavita Khullar
From a dedicated and passionate teacher to an equally passionate
administrator, Dr. Kavita Khullar is an educationist since 25 years now, and
is currently the Principal of Doon International School.
Dr. Reshma Ganesh
Dr. Reshma Ganesh is the Founder Principal and Campus Director of Sri Sri
Ravishankar Vidya Mandir (SSRVM), Bangalore East, and has been with this
institution right from its inception in 2001, where she has ensured that education is
imparted in the right direction keeping at par with government norms and without
deviation.
Dr. Wilfred Walter Noronha
Mrs. Pallavi Sharma
Mrs. Ritu Kochhar
Ritu Kochhar is an inspiring educationist who believes in empowering the
facilitators of education and creating a lineage that will benet the future of
our country. She has been the Principal of MD International School, Bijnor,
since 2016.
Mrs. Vandana Arora
Ms. Meenakshi Zarabi
Ms. Nishi Rana
Ms. Deepa R
Ms. Sharmila Chatterjee
The Principal of St. Peter's School Panchgani, Dr. Wilfred Walter Noronha is
an inspiring educationist who relishes simplicity and believes in doing
whatever he likes. His motto is: "Whatever you do, do it in style".
Ms. Vandana Arora has been shaping young minds for more than 23
years and championing the cause for relevant educational structure in
the system. She is currently the Principal of the Nahar International
School.
Ms. Sharmila Chatterjee is the Principal of Billabong High International
School, Noida, who has been leading the charge in inspiring young
learners to "Become the next generation citizens of this great nation,
therefore ensuring their empowerment with the knowledge of their higher
potential and capabilities".
Ms. Pallavi Sharma is the Principal of Mamta Modern Sr. Sec. School, where
she leads a team of experienced teachers and a faculty imparting
education to the students through the latest methods prescribed by the
CBSE and the Education Department.
Ms. Deepa R is the Principal of Amara Jyothi Public School- one of the best
public schools of Karnataka, which aims to achieve specic, measurable,
observable and quantiable results among all aspirants/students.
Ms. Meenakshi Zarabi, the Executive Principal of ASPAM Scottish School, is
an excellent resource manager and a strong and motivated individual who,
along with her team, has modelled the curriculum to hone student's talent
and skills with a global perspective.
Ms. Nishi Rana is the kind of educator who aspires to bring about a real
difference in her eld of work and strives to give students the opportunities
to engage in the process of learning everywhere. She is currently the
Principal of MODY SCHOOL, Lakshmangarh.
T R

An Inspiring Leader and an Educator who Cares
Aschool principal’s job hangs in balance between
rewarding and challenging. It is a difficult job and
like most other jobs, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
There are certain characteristics that define an effective
principal which only a few people possess. These
characteristics manifest themselves in the daily duties of a
principal. These characteristics include – but are not limited
to – leadership, austerity, adept at building relationships
with people, balancing tough love with earned praise, fair
and consistent, organised, and prepared, conscientious,
excellent listener, and many other qualities. Fortunately, our
next pick for ‘The 10 Most Effective Principals to Watch in
2021’ is a delightful mix of all these aforementioned
features and more – Dr. Reshma Ganesh.
Dr Reshma Ganesh is the Founder Principal and Campus
Director of Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir
(SSRVM), Bangalore East, and has been with this
institution right from its inception in 2001. Previously, she
was part of the core committee when the SSRVM Trust was
established in the year 1999. She was a part of the team
hunting for places and locations to set up a school under the
trust. Dr. Reshma Ganesh has played a witness as well as an
instrumental role in the growth of this institution right from
the initial stage of acquiring the required documents,
permissions, legal procedures, etc. as well as
communicating and convincing parents about the
methodology being implemented in the school as per the
guidance of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar.
Dr. Reshma Ganesh has also ensured that education is
imparted in the right direction keeping at par with the
government norms and without any deviation. “I have
completely involved myself in assuring that the school is
progressing and growing in the right direction,” she added.
Inspirations for this Inspiring Personality
Inspiration awakens us to new possibilities by allowing us
to transcend our ordinary experiences and limitations. For
Dr. Reshma Ganesh, the best source of inspiration was none
other than her own father who was a doctor by profession.
Dr. Reshma Ganesh
I completely absorbed this principle
and ensured that children are not
restricted to only seeking
knowledge but also are made
emotionally strong to face any
challenges thrown at them
“
“
Dr Reshma Ganesh
Founder Principal
and Campus Director,
Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir
10 | June 2021 | www.theknowledgereview.com

He was keen that she learned to grow individually as well
as contributed to the society all along. He ensured that his
children choose a profession where they can not only fulfil
their goals but at the same time have a broader vision where
they give back to the society.
Once Dr. Reshma Ganesh moved to Bangalore after her
marriage, she got associated with ‘The Art of Living’
foundation. With the blessings of Guruji (Gurudev Sri Sri
Ravishankar), she further blossomed her vision. Guruji
gave her ample opportunities to implement all that she
could dream of, and that became instrumental in her
growth. Dr. Reshma Ganesh further appraised about Guruji
saying: “As a leader, he gave me full freedom to execute my
ideas. I could not have aspired for a better leader or a role
model like him. He inspired me to deal with people
irrespective of their backgrounds without being prejudiced
and biased. I learnt to interact with people, be it a gardener
or security or a teacher, with the same respect in school.”
The Illustrious School
Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir (Bangalore East) is
an initiative by The Art of Living Foundation. It is a
renowned educational institution with the mission to
Broaden the vision, Deepen the roots.
Today’s education system is focussed entirely on child’s
academic scores/performance on report card rather than
their overall development, which in return has provided a
generation with a lack of knowledge and values. Keeping
this scenario in mind, Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri
Ravishankar (Guruji) initiated a channelized educational
platform- SSRVM to bridge the gap between modern
education and the traditional, cultural values. A proper
learning experience is to discover, create, solve, and apply
through experiential learning as this describes the
application of learned concepts into real-life keeping our
values in mind.
For SSRVM, the spine of this institution is its methodology
which is designed keeping the five aspects which are as
follows:
• Concepts as solid as the earth.
• Information like the air everywhere.
• Attitude like water, which is formless and takes the shape
of the container.
• Imagination like the spark of fire that ignites.
• Freedom is like an all-pervading space.
This methodology helps to strengthen the body, mind,
emotions and create a sense of belonging with the world.
The lessons and activities are planned in a way such that
children can co-relate the concepts easily with their daily
life. To meet each child’s basic requirement of learning,
staff members are trained to be compassionate and child-
friendly which is essential in an education system where
basic human values are being taught.
Education is the Key
Education is the first step towards empowerment and the
most crucial factor in the overall development of the
individuals, as well as a nation’s. As per Sri Sri Ravishankar
Guruji, education is not simply imparting information, but it
is also a tool to develop one’s virtues and skills. I
completely absorbed this principle and ensured that
children are not restricted to only seeking knowledge but
also are made emotionally strong to face any challenges
thrown at them. To make this possible, children are taught
to practice breathing techniques and meditation so that they
remain calm and composed while encountering any
untoward situation.
They are made aware that life is not a smooth journey and
every hump can be overcome with a poised composure. To
The 10 Most Effective Principals to Watch in 2021

empower them, to accept situations as they are instead of
simply cribbing and blaming one’s fate regular counselling
and mentoring sessions were arranged by the school during
this unforeseen pandemic. Children were made to
understand that problems are not to be considered as the
end of the road but as a hump that can be crossed. At the
end of every long tunnel, there is a ray of light awaiting
them. Every cloud has a silver lining!
Word to the Wise
When one thinks of shaping their career in the field of
education, most consider teacher as the obvious choice.
However, there are lot many roles in the field of education
which require different skills, said Dr. Reshma Ganesh. Let
us try to elucidate on the different roles that we come across
in the field of education.
Someone interested to make his/her career as a teacher, then
the foremost skill that they should possess is that he/she
should be an ardent learner. Need not be a bookworm, but
only a person who is ready to gain knowledge at every
opportunity is surely going to become a successful teacher.
Moreover, a teacher needs to have flexibility, compassion,
be approachable, organised, etc. In addition to these, they
should also possess conflict resolution skills specifically for
secondary and higher secondary teachers.
Since technology and social media have taken a prominent
place, it’s very important that a teacher should be well
versed with the latest developments. He/she should always
keep himself upgraded with the changing trends.
Other roles which are available in the education sector are
related to leadership and education administration - for
example admission officer, HR administrator, admin and
training manager, content writer, academic
heads/institutional heads, etc.
For positions like admissions officer, HR manager, a person
needs to have formal degree along with organisational and
excellent communication skills. For content writing jobs, an
individual needs to have strong expertise in their own
subjects along with content writing tools. Every teacher
who has the passion to pursue the leadership skills get the
chance of becoming an eminent leader. T R
Contributions of Dr Reshma Ganesh to the
student and teacher community and as a whole
to the society are countless:
• Honoured with appreciation letter from Smriti
Irani- HRD
• Awarded with Vishalakshi Award for 2007, for
rendering valiant service to society in the field
of value-based education.
• Awarded with ‘100 highly effective principal
2016’ by Alert Knowledge Services
• Awarded with a certificate of Excellence for
Inspiring Best Educationist Award 2017 by
Global Leaders Foundation
• Awarded with ‘Woman of Excellence Award’
2017 by Indian Achievers Forum
• Awarded with ‘Best District Principal Award’ by
SOF.
• Awarded and Recognized as a ‘Progressive
Principal of India’ by Rethink India.
• The SSRVM school received ‘Parent of
Innovation Award 2017’ for the category of
value education and received it from the
Governor of Karnataka his excellency Sri
Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala
• Awarded with ‘Leadership in Action’ award by
Spelling Bee International – 2017-18.
• Awarded with honorary degree of Doctor of
Letters(D.Litt.) by the Senate of The University
of South America and by Dr S Radhakrishnan
Research and Development Centre.
• Awarded with ‘Visionary School Leader of India
2018’ by Rethink India.
• Awarded with ‘Iconic School Leader’ award by
Alert Knowledge Service
• Awarded with ‘Excellence in School Education
CBSE’ – for the contribution and achievement
as the principal of institution” by Venus
International Foundation(2019)
• Awarded with ‘Accomplished Educationist of
the Year’.

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The Knowledge Review

Essentials
of a
well-
rounded
early
EDUCATION

If we were to desire that our next
generations are prepared for the
real world and dynamics of the
future, then a well-rounded early
education would be the way to go.
Although core subjects like English
and Math are obviously important,
students need more than just the basics
to succeed in the real world. To
facilitate the best chance of success in
life, we need to make sure they get to
study subjects like arts, vocations,
sports, environment, and history from
the youngest age possible.
A well-rounded education, in its
essence, is an education aimed at
preparing students for life, and not just
for tests. Rather than focusing on one
discipline or skill set, it encourages
students to expand out and test their
boundaries. Educators enable pupils to
keep all options open for an infinite
future full of possibility by building an
awareness of numerous topic areas.
According to Dr. Reshma Ganesh, the
Principal of Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya
Mandir, “A well-rounded education is a
type of education which caters to every
need that a child requires to achieve
success in life. It can be termed as a
balanced diet of education. Science
and Mathematics are considered as
basic subjects for any education system
and is being taught from early years
but for the students to succeed in real
life, they should be exposed to other
areas also from early years as the
world is an interdisciplinary reality
which requires the integration of
various skill sets.”
“Quality is never an accident; it is
always the outcome of honest effort,
high aim, astute guidance, and deft
execution,” said Ms. Nishi Rana, the
Principal of Mody School
(Lakshmangarh), in an interview with
'The Knowledge Review' magazine.
“Education, according to Swami
Vivekananda, is the essence of human
perfection. We have the enviable task
of identifying latent talents in children
and giving them the tools they need to
succeed later in life,” she added.
In a study conducted by education
experts at Columbia University, it was
uncovered that pupils who had at least
three years of art instruction in school
had better developed creative thinking
and had more positive attitudes toward
school and learning. Creative thinking
is certainly an important ability that
should be nurtured from early on in life
to persevere in life. Another study
conducted by the Wolf Trap
Foundation's AEMDD grant project,
conclusively showed that students
show better math skills when arts
education is integrated into the
curriculum.
“A well-rounded education allows
pupils to spread their wings and learn
from a variety of sources and from
different areas, keeping all options
open. According to research, a child
who had been exposed to art
instruction at school throughout his
early years acquired creative thinking
as well as a favourable attitude toward
school and community,” remarked Dr.
Reshma Ganesh.
She adds: “Today, every job requires
interdisciplinary knowledge and out-
of-the-box thinking, which can only be
instilled through a well-rounded
education. It helps in enhancing
academic skills, develop self-esteem,
makes them torch-bearers of adapting
themselves to the changing trends,
stifles creativity and makes them
'discoverer' to pursue their passions.”
“The seeds of excellence are sown in
the classrooms, the playgrounds, the
labs, the field trips, and the day-to-day
delivery of the curriculum, specially
designed to achieve this end,”
commented Ms. Nishi Rana. She
concluded the interview by saying,
“Classrooms become the ideal stage, a
microcosm, so to speak, to practice
and perfect mutual understanding
among students and to prepare them
for what they might encounter, later, as
adults in society. A child's character is
built and perfected in the school, and it
becomes a very crucial responsibility
of the entire academic fraternity to
ensure that justice has been done!”
At the end of the day, a well-rounded
education is not merely a luxury for
today's students, it is an absolute
necessity if we want them to be head-
strong, sufficiently proficient, and
ready to brave the challenges of the
world.
And with the advent of blended modes
of learning and more options available
to students in terms of accurate
information and different teaching
styles, it is an exciting time in the
world right now.
- By Aditya Umale

Guiding the New Generation of Global Leaders
by way of Teaching
Arora
The 10 Most Effective Principals to Watch in 2021
True teachers are those who help us think for
ourselves”, said Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, an
advocate of teacher's role in educating the new
generation. Today, teachers play a vital role, alongside the
parents, in shaping the future of the youth of India.
Teaching is all about building people and the opportunity of
helping them realize their potential in the best possible
manner.
It is like knocking on the doors of the mind. As our Prime
Minister Narendra Modi says “Teaching is not a profession
but “Jeevan Dharm” (a way of life), a divine responsibility
to guide and enlighten.” Teacher's determination and
sincerity to teach will shape the destiny of the nation as
they are laying the foundation and the building blocks of
the society, says Modi.
Teaching is giving of yourself to others, pouring out
knowledge and wisdom, to be used up by inquisitive
learners. Though most careers in the public sphere are
service-oriented, some can be truly called community
service and teaching is one such profession. Recognising
this journey of shaping the young minds for more than 23
years and championing the cause for relevant educational
structure in the system is Ms. Vandana Arora – Principal
of the NAHAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (NIS).
A Fascinating Journey
Ms. Arora began her teaching journey with CBSE
curriculum in 1997, as a humanities teacher along with
history, geography, and economics to higher grade students
under the CBSE curriculum. “As a teacher, I always had the
urge to impart the best teaching to the upcoming generation
and accordingly kept on upskilling my teaching profession,”
says Ms. Vandana Arora. “I learned a new system of
education based on the Rudolf Steiner philosophy, which is
based on the idea that a child's moral, spiritual and
creative sides need as much attention as their intellect,”
added Vandana.
She moved to Mumbai and joined Tridha, a school based on
the same Rudolf Steiner philosophy. Being the head of the
school, Vandana immediately took the affiliation of the
Cambridge board and aligned the teaching curriculum as
per the Cambridge requirements. She continued teaching
history, economics, geography, and a new subject called
Global Politics as per the Cambridge curriculum
requirements. There on, she developed an understanding of
the comparatives between the Indian way of education and
the international way of education.
Nahar International School
With the know-how of the Cambridge education system a
curriculum set at par with global education standards and
recognized by universities and employers worldwide, Ms.
Vandana Arora joined the Nahar International School as
Principal, having founded by Mr. Sukhraj Nahar, Founder
and Managing Director of Nahar Group in 2014. He
established the school intending to offer world-class
education facilities to children from the Nahar's Amrit
Shakti Township and neighbouring areas. Ms. Vandana took
the baton from him to impart the philosophy of Mr. Nahar -
a true believer in empowering children to become the best
version of themselves. For Mr. Nahar, ‘Every Child Is A
Star’, and it this through this value-based versatile
education and learning Ms. Vandana ensured that this is
made conducive for all types of learners.
After, joining Nahar International School she immediately
started work on getting the school acclaimed worldwide and
got it associated with the Cambridge education system with
its affiliation. NIS is now Cambridge-affiliated with her
guidance to teach the international curriculum to all its
students so that students of NIS can cope and compete in a
global environment. Nahar International School is an
accredited Cambridge International School, offering the
Cambridge Assessment from early years to grade 12, and
the IB curriculum at DP level.
Vandana
“

“
Ms. Vandana Arora
Principal
I got inspired by
my young students,
who I could see,
were full of dreams
and aspirations and
also had the
courage to fulfil
them. I believe
our students keep
inspiring and
motivating us
The Group's ideology for Nahar International School is based
on 'Learning by Doing', and it has created an infrastructure to
make this possible, says Mr. Nahar. “The goal is not to
establish just another school, but to envision life a decade
from today, and prepare our students with the right skills and
mindsets for it,” added Mr. Sukhraj Nahar. NIS was designed
with an infrastructure under the guidance of the founder Mr.
Nahar enabling the children to learn inside and outside
classrooms through modern workshops, German-design
science labs by Waldner, iMac computer studios, a vast
digitized library, indoor play, performance conference rooms,
an acoustically enhanced and performance-ready auditorium,
and a large turf-based sports playground along with the large
inviting library and research spaces.
NIS believes that we can contribute a lot to the world, and we
can learn a lot from the world. And an amalgamation of this
is what NIS is all about, where they focus a lot on developing
the right character, the right attitude in their students, as well
as gaining a lot of new skills which are needed for their
future growth.
“

At NIS, the senior students are encouraged a lot of
community service work. “Because we believe that our
children who belong to certain socioeconomic strata have a
lot of resources and strength at hand,” says Vandana.
Therefore, they should be contributing more towards
learning academics and in all possible directions. “Thus, we
try providing them with as many opportunities as we can,
for them to be exposed to the idea of difficulties in our
country, the challenges in different areas, and how they can
be a party to that in terms of contributing something,”
added Vandana.
The NIS students are largely involved in projects like a tree
plantation drive, taking initiative towards underprivileged
children, teaching the help-staff in the school to learn the
English language. Additionally, they are encouraged
towards putting forward their ideas of change into fruition.
At NIS, the young learners are treated as the future leaders
of the world. All those things become part of the curriculum
apart from the basic academic, cognitive skills which are
needed.
The Times are Changing
Being big believers of the ‘learning by doing’perspective
of Nahar Group, Ms. Arora and the faculty of talented
educators at Nahar International School have implemented
this idea into the pedagogy in their schools. That's why the
NIS children are exposed to a lot of nature, trips, meeting a
lot of people, understanding from them. As the country's
educators started accepting the importance of Information
Technology (IT) in day-to-day life, so did NIS. “These all-
IT platforms have given us a larger exposure bringing the
entire world closer to us; where we can't go ourselves, we
can use technology; where we want to learn something that
is not available in our area, we can make use of
technology,” says Ms. Vandana Arora, emphasizing how
she and her team started integrating the changes as per the
need of the hour.
IT has made the big challenge concerning NIS simpler to
make education available to every student at home. Now
technology has taken over the physical and traditional
methods of learning not practiced owing to the pandemic
scenario in India and worldwide. Ms. Vandana is working
towards making the online learning experience as engaging

and enriching as possible with a rapid
switch to online learning.
NIS has identiﬁed new ways of
engaging students, designing
interesting online learning activities for
the coming academic year, a learning
experience through various online
platforms. The school under her
guidance ensured that the online
teaching classes are on with the
teaching fraternity conducting
continuous collaborative online
meetings to ensure homogenous lesson
planning on student-friendly e-learning
platforms. Understanding the present
situation NIS, nonetheless, believes in
regularly upgrading teachers' skillsets,
hence, regularly organizes training
sessions and professional development
courses. “And if we can balance it that
would be the ideal situation. I'm a big
believer in balance in life.”
Advice for Future Educators
Ms. Arora has only one question for
those who aspire to become teachers:
why do you want to be a part of this
job or this profession? Do you want to
become a professional or do you want
to contribute something to someone
else's life?
If you want to contribute to making
someone else's life better, then it's a
great profession to be in. But if you
just want success for yourself or maybe
want a good salary for yourself or
maybe you want growth, then you
might be disappointed with this
profession.
So, choose it right. Ask yourself that
question. And once you get the answer
that you want to contribute towards
making the young generation achieve
more, and you feel happy to see
someone else grow, then education is a
great profession to be in.

DEVELOPING
a Minded
Leadership
A senior professional
with 36+ years of
unblemished service as
an officer with Indian
Army, he has a rich
experience in academics
and HR management. He
teaches HR related
subjects at JK Business
School, Gurugram.
Brig. (Dr) Ajay Mehta,
MMS (Osmania), PhD
Professor and HOD-HR,
JK Business School,
Gurugram
About the Author

Mindfulness in Function
Leadership is the most spoken word in any
conversation and the least understood by many. The
debate of its taxonomy whether it is a science, or an
art is ad-nauseum and remains a moot issue for prognostics
and discussion. The emphasis has always been on how
Leaders should lead.
The matter of fact is that leadership has been evolving over
the centuries moving deftly between the maze of theories,
be it the Trait theory, Transformational, Situational,
Contingency et al, all only emphasizing one aspect of how
to lead.
Cataclysmic changes have taken place in this last century,
with pronounced technological developments being given a
disproportionate edge with the sinister efforts of
marginalizing the role of a leader, who remains a person in
flesh and bones, with a thinking mind and an emotional
heart. Machines and technology are mere tools, severely
limited to their designed functions operating in finite
parameters, while the human mind has infinite capacity to
postulate, appreciate various human angles before a
decision is taken, a unique quality which a machine
seriously lacks. Machines at best collate a plethora of
information, but the decision to act on an option still
remains with the mortal human.
Decisions are taken with heads and hearts working in close
synthesis. Machines fail to empathize, a quintessential facet
in decision making. While the emphasis has largely been on
leadership, which is a process, the man undertaking the
process has not been given the due focus. Who is heading
the herd is important? Is it a lion heading the herd of sheep
or vice versa? History is replete with hair-raising examples
of superb bravery and sterling leadership, where a handful
of brave men led by a fearless motivated leader warded off
repeated assaults by outnumbered hordes of pillagers. On a
deeper study it was not the brawn alone, but an
exceptionally strong mind, calm and unruffled.
This brings us to ruminate on the importance of working on
the Leader more than his styles. An evolved leader, in this
context, is one who is mentally at peace, emotionally stable
and composed. For too long we have rolled out reams
gloating over the (IQ) Intelligence Quotient, and (PQ)
Physical Quotient, of a leader. Santa Clara University and
the Tom Peters Group have outlined the following
Leadership qualities, some of which are, Honesty,
Competency, Inspiring, Intelligence, Fair and Broad minded
etc. EQ (Emotional Quotient) and SQ (Spiritual /Social
Quotient), have obviously been considered less essential or
assumed to be incorporated in the qualities above.
Educational institutes are busy deliberating on the young
minds how to manage wealth, businesses, funds etc. The
important link of how to manage your mind is seriously
missing. Confucius said, “Wars are won or lost in the minds
of the warring factions; weapons only kill the mentally
dead.” It very clearly highlights the importance of making
our business leaders mentally tenacious. A leader who is
strong at heart and head can exhort his team to do wonders.
Elton Mayo, in his Hawthorne studies amply highlighted
the importance of strong and willing minds as the great
motivating factor over the hygiene factors. This is only
possible if a leader has a balanced and composed mind. It
will not only improve self-awareness but will also result in
better understanding and managing social relationships with
the followers and colleagues.
Mind, Ego and Intellect are important facets of the human
body. Interestingly, as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji says that “it is
not the mind, which is inside the body, but the other way
round. The body is like the wick of the candle and the mind
is the glow”. This revelation supports the fact that the mind
which is a traffic of thoughts has to be controlled well for
good decision making. As Nityapragya ji from Art of Living
in his book Celebrating Life, says “In a ruffled, restless
scattered mind, cluttered with emotions and impressions,
deeper realizations cannot happen.” A meditative mind
experiences freedom from negative emotions, experiences
instantaneous energy, profound peace at mental and
emotional levels. As sleep is essential for resting the tired
limbs, meditation (Dhyan) is the elixir for a fatigued mind.
It helps in balancing the various energies flowing inside the
body. Pranayam (skilful breathing), brings instant relief to
the stirred-up emotions, placates a restive mind, besides
energizing (raising the sattva) inside the body.
Hence, while professional skills in handling business affairs
are essential, a tacit handling of mind in unison with breath,
will enhance the decision-making ability, without being too
influenced by situations and emotions. Such leaders will
maintain an enviable posture of unnerving calm, essential in
crisis, which has become a rule rather than an exception.
The age-old adage of the Army rings loud and clear “it's the
man behind the gun that matters, and not the gun per-se.”
Training young leaders to handle the mind with the same
professional ease, as well, will result in a win-win situation
for all. T R

Paving the Way for a Better Future
The leadership role of a school principal is of crucial
importance. Expanding over a number of responsi-
bilities, the role is said to assume professional,
ethical, moral, legal, and supervisory responsibilities and
accountability with the primary task being to create a
school culture or environment in which children can
achieve their full potential.
The Principal of MODY SCHOOL, Lakshmangarh, Ms.
Nishi Rana, encapsulates a brilliant mix of these ideals and
attributes – redefining what responsible modern educators
are all about.
Weaponizing Ambition
Nishi Rana is the kind of educator who aspires to bring
about a real difference in her field of work. She began her
exciting journey in South India where she received her
early schooling. After earning a four-year Integrated BSc-
B.Ed. (Bachelor of Science and Education) degree from the
Regional Institute of Education in 1993 and her MSc in
1995. Ms. Rana taught in the same school in Goa from
where she had completed her class 12 as gratitude and gave
back to the alma mater and the community by volunteering
to become a mentor.
Later, she moved to Delhi and taught for many years and
rose to the position of Vice-Principal from 2011 to 2016 in
BRCM Public School, Bahal. She was promoted and held
the post of Principal in the same institute from 2016 to
2018. Soon enough, she took over as the Principal of
MODY SCHOOL, Lakshmangarh in 2018, a position she
thrives on to date.
For Ms. Rana, education is less a profession and more a
vocation, where educators get to mould young minds to
become part of the responsible citizenry of tomorrow. It is
one of the noblest missions of great social significance. She
has always been passionate about making a difference to
society, and education is the one field where she felt, she
could feed her passion in bringing about positive and
constructive change.
Mother Teresa, the selfless missionary, has been a great
motivating figure throughout much of Ms. Rana’s growing-
Nishi Rana
We must, as educators, be
passionate about making a
difference to society, and this is
one field where I feel, we can
bring in positive and constructive
change.
“
“

up years. She instilled in her the values of courage and
honesty in all endeavours. These qualities have carried Ms.
Rana forward in the journey of her life.
The MODY SCHOOL, Lakshmangarh
MODY SCHOOL is the result of the lofty vision of
Sh.Rajendra Prasadji Mody, the founding father of Mody
Institute of Education and Research, Lakshmangarh, the
foundation of which was laid in the year 1988. Since then,
the institute has attained great heights and has transformed
into a centre of higher learning. Being an English-medium
residential school exclusively dedicated to the education of
the girl child, the school has attained the highest standards
of academic and administrative efficiency. Being ISO
14001:2004 certified is proof that love and awareness
regarding the environment is a priority for all on the
campus. It is affiliated to the CBSE and to the International
Baccalaureate (IB) of Geneva, Switzerland. The IB
Diploma Program is a two-year educational program for
students aged 16-18 years.
The MODY SCHOOL is also a member of the prestigious
Indian Public Schools’ Conference (IPSC) and as such aims
to teach its students the values of equality and camaraderie.
It is a member of the International Round Square Organiza-
tion and the centre for International Award for Young
People program. The school also hosts and participates in
Model United Nations Conferences, both at national and
international levels.
The students have brought laurels to their alma mater by
qualifying through competitions to enter prestigious
engineering, medical and law institutes, NIFT, NID, CPT,
besides making a mark in several national-level sporting
activities. Academic excellence is the target for Mody girls,
and many have indeed proved it by scoring a perfect 100%
in several subjects including maths, geography, social
studies, and others.
The school motto “तेज नावधीतम ु” which means
‘Strive for Excellence’ is not merely a motivational
statement from the Upanishads, it is a way of life at MODY
SCHOOL.
Changing Tides
The school management observes a paradigm shift in
teaching and learning. “Today, we are constantly and
irrevocably engaged in the business of optimal returns, so
far as the learning of our students is concerned. E-learning
or digital learning has become the mainstay for MODY
SCHOOL, as it has for majority of academic institutes
across the world. Once, it had been a tool to facilitate the
instructor. In the months of lockdown, it became the only
means of instruction!” they said.
The 10 Most Effective Principals to Watch in 2021

These digital platforms have been greatly supported by the
MHRD and NCERT among several other departments, so
there is wide acceptance of the idea of online education.
Ms. Rana is of the opinion that it is the academic face of the
future, enabling both the teacher and the students to learn.
“Let's face it, the pandemic has compelled us, as academi-
cians and educationists, to reinvent the traditional mediums
of instruction and incorporate them with novel tools and
methodologies,” says Nishi Rana.
The idea is not to resist technology but to embrace it. The
best thing is that new ways are frequently being discussed
to make the entire process of teaching and learning more
effective, more interactive, and more productive. The major
challenge now is to turn the course of the teaching-learning
process towards normalcy following the pandemic. Nishi
Rana believes that several academic organizations across
the world have confronted the issues of student absentee-
ism, non-payment of fees, in many cases, fatigue that has
been brought on by using only digital platforms of learning,
measuring the extent of actual learning that has been
achieved by scholars are only some of the tests that are
being faced by principals and educators today.
Education as a Tool for Empowerment
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru could not have better emphasized the
need to empower the nation’s womanhood for a stronger
and developed India. During Ms. Rana’s tenure as principal,
the MODY SCHOOL has been able to introduce and
implement several measures to ensure that the girls acquire
the 21st century skills that will stand them in good stead to
face the challenges of tomorrow.
“We give them opportunities to engage in the process of
learning everywhere - be it the play fields, the boarding
houses, the refectory, or the scriptures dotting the campus,”
added Ms. Rana. Facilitating them in this grand and
uplifting venture is a committed and zealous group of
teachers, their alumni, and parents. The cultural ethos of the
school stands as an exemplar for girls of this school to
imbibe and practice all that is good and noble around them.
Awards and Accolades
Throughout her illustrious career, Nishi Rana received
many awards and accolades, some of them are as follows:
1. Best Teacher’s Award -1998
2. Appreciation for Academic Excellence in 2012
3. Academic Excellence Award in 2014
4. India Education Icon Award 2018
5. Received Award in the capacity of Principal for
Outstanding Residential School of Rajasthan 2019 by
CEGR (Centre for Education Growth and Research)
6. Leading Schools of the Country Award for the period
2019 - 2022 by Leading Schools Corp. USA
7. Certificate of Excellence among Top 50 Effective
Principals 2019 by Education Today
8. Principal of the Year 2019 by Global Gurus Pragyaan
Brahma at Chinmaya Mission in New Delhi
9. Received award in the capacity of Principal of MODY
School for the Best Residential School for Girls in
Rajasthan for 2018 in National Education Summit and
Awards at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
10. Received award in the capacity of Principal of MODY
School for the Best Residential School for Girls in
Rajasthan for 2019 in Asia Education Summit and
Awards at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
11. Received Uttrakhand Ratan Award 2021 under the
aegis of The Principals Progressive Schools’Associa-
tion (PPSA), Uttarakhand on 13 February 2021 at
Dehradun.
Aspiring to Make a Difference
Ms. Rana reiterated noted American philosopher, William
James, saying: “Action may not always bring happiness, but
there is no happiness without action.” Balancing the self
and work has become imperative in the competition that
abounds in the world today; multi-tasking is the name of the
game. But Ms. Rana also believes, that if you love what you
do, you will never be unhappy; emphasizing that the
aspiration and final end of all work is to be a good human
being—nothing more, nothing less. She adds, “We must, as
educators, be passionate about making a difference to the
society, and this is one field where I feel, we can bring in
positive and constructive change.”
No doubt, it is a difficult, an often challenging and time-
consuming job, but it is an adventure itself to undertake
such a task with aplomb.
With the announcement of the new education policy (NEP),
the citizens of this country are facing a whole new vista to
radicalize classrooms and transform them into exciting hubs
of learning. Innovation is the key to implementing, in spirit,
the changes in the curriculum and enriching it by holding
workshops and training sessions for the staff. Someone has
rightly pointed out that teaching children is an accomplish-
ment but getting them excited about learning is an achieve-
ment. That is what Ms. Nishi Rana and the MODY
SCHOOL are looking at!T R

Adventure
Education

Learning through Escapades
You must go on adventures to
find out where you truly
belong.”
- Sue Fitzmaurice
Children are inherently curious
creatures who learn by observing and
interacting with their surroundings.
They are intrinsically drawn to
animals, wildlife, the flora and fauna,
and just about everything that nature
has to offer. When a child's educational
experience includes regular interaction
with nature, their learning experience
is elevated.
Adventure Education is learning
through adventure-centred experiences.
It comprises of various activities like
outdoor sports, excursions,
explorations, events, and sometimes
even indoor activities. This active
process of learning demands active
engagement. It incorporates all five
senses within the experiences that
heighten the opportunities of education
and retaining information. The goal of
adventure education is to increase the
potentiality of human performance and
capacity.
Imagine careening down a zipline, or
climbing a rock wall, or walking across
an elevated wall like a tightrope
walker. When you finally make it back
to solid ground, you feel successful,
triumphant, and empowered. Now
further imagine your twelve-year-old
child doing these activities during their
regularly scheduled physical education
class. This is the world of outdoor
adventure education and it is slowly
but surely making its way through
India.
Let’s look at some of the observed
benefits of adventure education:
1. Risk Assessment
Gauging risk and not shying away
from it is an important life skill.
Adventure education introduces risk
assessment to pupils in a secure school
environment. Then they incorporate
these behaviours that will inevitably
help them lead a productive and
interesting life. One in which they are
organised and flexible, willing to have
a go and open to learning from their
experiences.
Today we live in a world that is safer
than what the previous generations
were living in. We are living in an
increasingly risk-averse world. A child
growing up in this world might think
that “Risk is bad”. Many of the things
that were discovered or invented which
later became the glory of all humanity
were because of the efforts of the risk-
takers and adventurers of this world.
We certainly do not want our children
to think that all risk is bad.
2. Leadership skills
Pupils who are relatively quite and
cautious by nature, with the help of
adventure educational activities, grow
in confidence and are willing to take on
new experiences. Those who you
might not immediately think of as 'the
outdoors type' demonstrate great
resilience and good humour in the face
of adversity. Pupils learn to be as
concerned for others as they are for
themselves, and the more confident
ones learn to follow leadership before
they are able to lead. Most importantly,
they can admit and then correct their
mistakes.
Additionally, outdoor adventure
education has been proven to:
• Develop reflective and inquisitive
thinking along with problem-solving
approaches in 'real' situations.
• Encourage holistic development
• Develop resilience and adaptability in
occasionally adverse circumstances
• Allow children to become more able
to identify hazards and risks
• Develop a love, appreciation and
respect for nature and all that is living
• Develop collaborative working and
communication skills
• Provide positive health benefits –
both physically and mentally – and
assist gross and fine-motor
development
• Develop a lifelong love for the
outdoors and exploration.
While educational institutes across the
world are shifting to practical aspects
of learning instead of just the
theoretical lessons, newer subjects are
being introduced. Adventure education
in India is still an alien concept.
Many schools and organisations have
started organising outdoor education
tours and excursions for their students
after realising the importance of life
skills acquired through outdoor and
adventure activities.
“
- By Aditya Umale

The 10 most effcetive principals to watch in 2021.

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