“Passion, Purpose and Stepping towards Progress.”
Guru Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda are the two great personalities who are always in my mind; their words are a great source of motivation for me. On 10, October 1979 I was sitting in the office of Manav Bharti Nursery Teachers Training Institute, the words by Swami Vivekananda Ji “ Awake arise and stop not till the goal is achieved” and “Universal Brotherhood” by Guru Rabindra Ji crept in my mind. I was in the state of indecisiveness, but confident that I have to do something. Suddenly the word “THE UNIVERSE” stuck to my mind and made me determined that why not “UNIVERSAL”. This word got fixed in my mind and a voice came from my heart that this is it. In 1980 with all the strength of my mind and with definite aims and objectives, I registered UNIVERSAL EDUCATION SOCIETY under the guidance and support of Shri. M.C Aggarwal.
With the birth of UNIVERSAL EDUCATION SOCIETY, my journey started from B-398, Nirman Vihar. I started with the blessing of Supreme Power, Havan and chanting of Mantra and took the first step towards my mission. The resources were limited but this could not deter me as the aims were high.
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goals requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
— Martin Luther King. —
With the strong will power the ways started opening. Slowly we started growing and the voice of one child grew to 2, then 4 and then to 10 — school started blossoming and was soon filled with the voice of small children all across. The focus was not only limited to education but also on various extra curriculum activities which was the part of the overall school events. Whether school had 25 or 50 students, my objective was always on the all-round development of child’s personality. With the growing participation of the students beyond the school boundaries, our students started bringing medals and appreciation. As a result, I started receiving calls from the parents and guardians that “Ma’am when are you starting new class, we are very happy”. It was the inquisitiveness of the students to learn, our curiosity to teach and the efforts of our teachers all of it together paved the way and in November 1983, the school got the authorization till Primary from M.C.D. I still remember the words of the inspection officer “I have written the report of your school very aptly and you will see that this school will rise to great heights”. Sooner the school vehicles started running on roads, and with the blessing of our elders, members of the organization and the cooperation of the guardians and parents the size of the school increased.
I then made resilient effort that school should have its own building, consequently in 1984 DDA allotted 2 acre of land to UNIVERSAL EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY. With the blessing of Maa Durga, Havan and with purity of mind and soul I kept the foundation of the building on 29, September 1984. Formal inauguration of the land was done on 30, September 1984, by Union Minister of Urban Department- Shri. H.K.L Bhagat ji, Executive and Councilor- Shri Chaudhary Prem Singh ji, Chief Executive Councilor- Shri Jagpravesh Chand ji and Vice Chairman DDA- Shri Prem Kumar Ji.
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
— Frederick Douglass. —
This perfectly matched our situation and with the emerging financial crisis, our fighting spirits succeeded and the first floor of UNIVERSAL PUBLIC SCHOOL got constructed. On 5, May 1985, the first phase of five years was completed and the students entered the school holding the Tulsi Plant and portrait of Maa Saraswati with veena-Goddess of Knowledge and wisdom.
In the second phase of 5 years, with school’s own building and playground the activities in the school continued to grow. The Education standard continued to rise, number of classroom increased and celebration of various events like Sports day, cultural programmes and many other occasions became the part of the School Events. To encourage the students, dignitaries and eminent personalities of that time were invited as chief Guests like Shri Kulanand Bharti, Chaudhary Prem Singh, Education Minister Shri Sahib Singh Verma, Director of Education, CBSE Chairman Shri V.P Khandelwal, President of India Gyani Zail Singh ji on various Events in the School. This further boosted the performance of the children day by day.
There was a continuous and ongoing effort that there should be the latest teaching methodology with state-of-the-art infrastructure with all the requirement of a progressive institution – a well-equipped Computer & Science Labs, a well-stocked Library, a huge play field for all major games like Cricket, Football, Skating, Basket Ball, Horse Riding etc. Moving forward, in 1987 the School got recognition till middle, then secondary and finally in 1991 affiliation was granted by CBSE for full-fledged Sr. Secondary School with all the latest amenities.
In the third phase, the school activities continued to grow and second block of the school was built. Two Blocks; Vedant Block for Ist to Vth class and Vyas Block for VIth to XIIth class were developed. Swimming pool, construction of high tech Science Laboratories, Library equipped with latest books and Encyclopedia of International Level.
I am always inspired by the principles of our great leaders Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekanand, Guru Rabindra Nath Tagore and so is the School where we try to imbibe the human values in education right from Vedas and Puranas. Subsequently School Magazine also got published which became the matter of pride for me. Students also started visiting the Parliament House meeting the President and Prime Minister of India, this further enhanced and made the students reach the next level of motivation.
In 1996 focus was laid on further enhancing the teaching methodologies. During my trip to USA in 1996, 1998 and 2000, I came across with the education practice followed there. The usage of digital books and CD’s in Library and Marviya Pedagogic method was followed there. With the progressive attitude from the very beginning, three computer labs, Digital Library and the Audio Video Education was made available in the classrooms in 1998, this kept the students in pace with the technical advancement.
I was fortunate enough as I was awarded Bal Mitra Award by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, organized by Nehru Bal Samiti under the spectrum of Each one teach one of Education For All (EFA), a global movement led by UNESCO. My sheer excellence in the field of education also made me recognized by Hon’ble C.M of Delhi Mr. Sahib Singh Verma for the International Women’s Day Award 1995-96.
With the cutting-edge philosophy which is a constant source of inspiration for me further motivated and made me craft four books,(1) How to Nuture Your Child’s Talent and Personality, (2) Step by Step Nursery Admission, (3) Ancient Education with relevance to Modern Education and (4) A Practical approach to Quality Education in Schools- A roadmap. In nutshell these books aims to develop the potential of every child through a distinct program specifically designed keeping in mind of their individual needs.
I also attended International I.P.A conference in Tokyo representing India in 1990. In International Conference at IIT Delhi in December 2009, I presented my book “Ancient Education” in relevance of Modern Education which was highly appreciated.
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
— Benjamin Franklin —
“पतझड़ हुए बिना पेड़ पर नए पत्ते नहीं आते ठीक उसी तरह परेशानी और कठिनाई सहे बिना इंसान के अच्छे दिन नहीं आते।
Inspired by all these axioms, I believe that devotion towards our goals and indomitable courage will undoubtedly lead us stride towards success. Always remember that “Little by little becomes a lot” I believe that each child needs knowledge as well as wisdom. Knowledge comes from books and wisdom originates from inside. My vision is not only to sow the seed of true education in young children but also to develop such qualities in them which make them strong enough so that they can struggle with the challenges of life and arise as a good human being. My true journey is noteworthy only when I feel proud that the students of Universal Public School will contribute in making our Nation once again become “VISHAV GURU.”