Small-framed she may be but every inch of it is packed with the courage of her convictions, steely grit, boundless energy and unfading enthusiasm for life. That is Dr Shashi Rao for you, Managing Trustee of Ananya Trust, which runs a free boarding school, Ananya Shikshana Kendra (ASK), for the underprivileged.

Among the other programmes run by the trust are teacher training programmes, through Ananya Centre for Teachers (ACT), and vocational training for young adults through Ananya Centre for Core Education and Personalised Training (ACCEPT).

The beginning
Although Dr Shashi Rao holds a Masters Degree in Economics, she found her calling in the field of education, especially for children with adverse backgrounds.  Her first exposure to such children was during her stay in the US, when working at a daycare.  She noticed children had varying learning abilities and that these abilities were influenced by their socio-economic backgrounds. It was very similar to the underprivileged children in India.

And it was disconcerting for her to see the society judge them all with the same yardstick by institutionalising education. Which meant these children, for no fault of theirs, would be labelled ‘misfits’ and would eventually be denied the rights to basic education, contributing to their problems rather than solving it. Being the proactive person that she is, Dr Shashi had to find a solution for these children, to give them the ‘right kind of education’, which the mainstream schools could not offer them. This led her to pursue a doctorate in the field of education.
Dr Shashi returned to India and worked as Associate Programme Director developing literacy programmes for Mahila Samakhya and helped set up Shishu Mandir, a school for poor children. 

This was when the seeds of Ananya were sown too. Initially, just a couple of children came to Dr Shashi’s home, but the number of kids gradually increased. They couldn’t be accommodated at her home anymore and they had to be ‘schooled’, as and when time and space was available. Reminiscing about the initial days of Ananya, Dr Shashi says the children would attend classes irrespective of the time and venue… morning, noon or evening either at a park or an empty hall or a field. The teaching methods were informal too. Dr Shashi would turn every interaction into a learning experience. For instance, she says, watching a cricket match on TV was in itself a lesson of sorts in geography (the countries playing), math (keeping track of scores). The kids lapped up all the information and were always eager and ready for more!  She says she was amazed at the spirit, enthusiasm and motivation these street kids exhibited in such an informal environment and ironically, these were the same children (beggars, rag pickers, drug addicts) who were tagged ‘misfits’ in the conventional education system!
As the number of kids increased, Ananya was formally registered in 1998 and the school at its present location (a 1.5 acre campus off Sarjapur Road) came about in December 2003.

 Ananya is a unique learning space, as the name suggests, (‘ananya’ meaning unlike the rest) with an emphasis on self-learning through a creative approach. Its unique features are: non hierarchical division of children, focusing on not just academic development but also their emotional, physical and social development as well, an adaptable curriculum tailored to individual needs. Children have the option of appearing for the school leaving certificate examination through National Institute of Open School.

Young adults take up a life skills programme and receive appropriate vocational training with the main aim of creating economically independent individuals who are comfortable with their choices and can live a life free of discrimination, fear or prejudice through ACCEPT. As part of ACCEPT, young adults are taught to make informed choices about their livelihood and given on-the-job experience.

Success stories
Arun, who is training to be a mechanic at ACCESS, a partner organization, has also been selected for a training camp for the state hockey team. Amidst mounting pressure from home to join the family work force, Arun chose to stay back at Ananya to follow his dreams. And there is Shubhashini, who came to Ananya when she was 15 years old, full of despair and had gone through very hard times in life. She has been being trained in papermaking and is undergoing training in a software company, learning to use the computer for accounting as well as similar office procedures. Today, she is busy neatly weaving back the fibres of her life together!

The future
Ananya is approaching its first decade and Dr Shashi is positive about the many more years to come and Ananya still dreams of what more it can provide for all of its children and others to follow.  And the happy smiles of children at the school stand testimony to the huge difference it has made in their lives, by giving them a sense of self-esteem and helping them discover their potential and teaching them to be learners for life.