(We have been a part of Purnapramati for the past 8 years. In this article we have tried to share some of our experiences which impacted us the most and shaped us in Purnapramati.)

              When we joined Purnapramati in our 4th standard, the school felt very small compared to our earlier ones and number of students in each class was very minimal too. The teachers were very caring. It took a little while to get adjusted to calling our teachers akka and anna and then, it was as if they became our akkas and annas. The atmosphere was very free: we could talk and discuss with our teachers without apprehension. We also started learning Samskruta starting from names of various objects and the basic Shabdas & Dhaatus as well as subhAshitAs. This adhyayana of Samskruta has stayed with us till date, and now, we are about to write Sahitya pareeksha of Sanskrit University this year. It was in our 1st year that we were introduced to 2 special subjects which were unique to Purnapramati: Tattvadarshana  and Paramapara. Tattvadarshana started off as various stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata and other neetikathas. In Parampara we learnt various stotras and most importantly the greatest asset of any student of Purnapramati: Bhagavadgeeta. We were taught the shlokas pada by pada and had to memorize them. This continued until we were able to give kanThapATha Pareekshe of all the 18 adhyAyas to Sri Pejawara Swamiji. Our academic learning was also different from other schools. Focus was on understanding the concepts rather than preparing for exams (we weren’t given marks or grades; our report cards had only detailed observation of us by our teachers), we went on field trips to better understand the topics in our textbooks. We also had ‘Guest Lecturers’, experts from different fields, who  came and interacted with us. We also got introduced to the idea of ‘utsava’ as our annual day. All in all, our 1st year was spent in getting acquainted with this new idea of Purnapramati.

                Our 2nd year in Purnapramati was special from many aspects. It was the year when we started dedicating the whole year to a main theme which was jalam jeevanam uchyate. We focused on Kumudvati, a river in Shivaganga region, which had dried out due to various malpractices by the people in that region. We climbed the Shivaganga hill, we tried to understand why the river had been reduced to such a state, we mingled with the local people there, understood the environment, and tried to revive the kalyAnis surrounding it through which the river would flow again because of the recharged groundwater. We spent a lot of time in learning about rivers in general, about their origins, rain-fed and snow-fed rivers, the system of small water bodies which make the river possible. We also learnt a lot from experts in various fields who visited us in our school as well as accompanied us on our trips. Radhakrishna Bhadti anna, Dr.Lingaraju anna, Rajendra Singh anna and other distinguished people. Our Utsava that year was noteworthy as it was also based on our academic learning and not just a cultural program. We had the opportunity to present what we had learnt in front of experts in that field.  That year, practical experience and theoretical knowledge combined into one wholesome learning. This year, it was our fortune to meet Sri Sananda Swamiji for first time, as Purnapramati samman was conferred upon him. He became one of the crucial aspects of Purnapramati’s identity, and became an exemplar for all of us.

              In our 3rd year, the theme chosen was jeevo jeevasya jeevanam. We were divided into groups and were given specific topics to study for the whole year. We learnt about various Ecosystems, such as rivers, forests, mountains, deltas etc. We also learnt about various purANa kathAs associated with them and studied scientific aspects as well.  We went to a lot of field trips including Tippangondanahalli reservoir, Amruth Mahal kaval, Kavloor, Krishnagiri, Biodiversity park and others. We got to learn a lot with Yellappa Reddy anna. Another important aspect of Purnapramati’s identity: Electives started in that year. We were given the chance to pursue a kala guided by expert teachers. We had to choose among Sangeeta, Bharatnatyam, Drawing, Kalaaripaayattu and nature. In that year, we were also able to spend more time with Sanada swamiji also and learnt from him about various scientific topics. That year utsava was very different. We had organised jaatre where we had put numerous stalls and presented all our learning of the year along with models. Distinguished people from all over India had come to enrich our knowledge. On the whole, that year was memorable with a kind of all-round-learning.

                 In our 4th year, the Theme of the year was centred around Fabric. We learnt about the various types of fabrics, their cultural significance, and environmental impact. In that light, we also understood the significance of Khadi Movement and the concept of self-sustenance. We also had year-long interactions with Madhav Sahasrabuddhe anna, who taught us how to spin yarn from cotton. We had a major change in the academic method, we switched from classroom system to Montessori system or mainly independent model of studying. Instead of being in a class with children of our own age group and taught everything by our teachers, we were put into groups with children of different age-groups and had to put our effort in understanding concepts with guidance from our teachers. Each student was free to learn different concepts at his own pace and dedicate enough time for each subject without time-bars. We made booklets by ourselves, wrote worksheets, corrected each others’ papers and learnt together.  We also got the chance to help our juniors by explaining what we knew, to them, and learnt more deeply from it. We had to learn to be responsible for our work, make our own plans, complete them. Until then, teachers were running behind us and prodding us to do our work. We also got the opportunity to be a part of activities such as ‘Eyes On Nature’ programme of IISc, Summer classes in Planetarium etc. The year was a great lesson in understanding that we ourselves are answerable for what we do and what we don’t.

                Our 5th year was quite distinctive as it was a flurry of events. We had to learn to manage our regular subjects without much help from teachers. We had a lot of new interesting subjects with new teachers that year. We also had a lot of guest lecturers such as Nanda Kishor Acharya, Pranav anna, Geetha Kaidal akka, who were experts in their fields. Whenever a distinguished person came to Purnapramati, we used to have long classes until we were exhausted. It helped us for the following years to listen to long lectures with attention. Anandavana’s Bhumi-pooje happened in that year. We also got the chance to perform in front of Magadi Ranganathaswamy. We also went on a 3-day yaatra to Hampi, which was a very nice introduction to the working of history. We went on an expedition to Mallasandra, another historical site. Utsava happened in Udupi that year as it was the parayAya of Sri Pejawara Swamiji. We also celebrated Republic day in Udupi. We went to Neelavara Goshale, and for most of us, it was the first time we could do gO-sEve. The samman of the year was given to Shri Ravindra Sharmaji, about whom we could learn. Overall, we tasted the joy of  ‘svAdhyAya’.

                Our 6th year had a big change. After studying in the independent model for two years, we again changed to classroom system as our SSLC board exams were nearing. We had new teachers again. We had grown quite used to our ‘Montessori system’, but the teachers helped us get adjusted to classroom system again. Geeta artha classes started that year. We began to eventually understand the Geeta which we were reciting since years. We enjoyed those classes and slowly started understanding the motive of Purnapramati: Beejaraksha and how we could take it forward. We also started to plan for our next phase as we were nearing board exams. Sanand Swamiji’s visits became more frequent to Purnapramati. We had Utsava in Udupi for the 2nd consecutive year. We were able to finally give Samagra-Geetha Kanthapaatha Pareekshe. It was to be the last utsava we participated in actively. On the whole the year was a contemplative one.

                Our 7th year was a very significant one. It was the year of our SSLC board exams.  But, more importantly Anandavana started that year. It can easily be considered the biggest change we experienced in Purnapramati. The way of living itself was completely different. Anandavana is meant to bring into practice, implement all that we have learnt over the years, we are to learn in the future. Our living had to be completely eco-friendly. Experiments such as dry-toilets happened. We, children had to play a major part in functioning of Anandavana. What was previously the responsibility of adults, now became an apparatus for our experiment. Sri Sanand Swamiji who was the motivation for building Anandavana, was our guiding light for all our endeavours. His stay in Anandavana was one of the biggest treasures. We learnt a lot from his experiences and way of living. In Anandavana, we had to learn to adjust to live with others who sometimes were a lot different from how people would be at home. Also Shastra-Paatha started in Anandavana. We got a glimpse of our shAstras. kalAs such as drawing, Kalaaripaayattu, and Sangeeta. We learnt to study rigorously when preparing for 10th board exam. With Swamiji’s guidance in every step, we could score fairly well in the exams. Overall, the year in Anandavana gave us huge insight into life.

             Our batch had the rare opportunity of growing along with Purnapramati. Though sometimes we are a  little envious of our succeeding batches for their relatively structured and consistent method of learning, we are very happy that we could witness the success and failures, the joys and hardships and learn from them immensely. All of this was possible because of the relentless efforts of all our teachers. We can’t thank our teachers enough for having shaped us into who we are today.