Vigyan Ashram
March, 2007

Vidgyan Ashram is a school outside of Pune in the village called Pabal. “Vigyan” means ‘Search of Truth’ and “Ashram” symbolises ‘Simple living and High thinking for us, a organization where all are equal. Started in 1983 by the late Dr. Kalbag, his wife, Amma, is still there teaching today. She welcomed me to Vigyan Ashram after it was recommended by a friend from Mumbai. The school uses a radically different approach than the traditional, classroom style of Western education. Instead, it relies upon hands-on learning as the foundation for progress and understanding. The students who attend are "drop-outs" i.e. those who have been pushed out of the educational system (80% by the 10th grade). While here, the students grow food, poultry, build housing (including all buildings on the campus), furniture, and create their own innovations. They also conduct water well prospecting and have a M.I.T.-sponsored computer technology laboratory. When I was there, they were working on building a pedal-powered charger for flourescent light bulbs so that local village homes can have a few hours of light each day. Currently, there are 8-10 hour blackouts during the day due to the electrical drain of the IT industry from surrounding cities of Pune and Mumbai.