OHANA'S history

The inception of Ohana can be traced all the way back to 2004, with another school altogether. ‘Magic Puddles’, a pre-primary school in J.P Nagar, was run by Ravi Chari, Vijji Chari, and Nandini Ram Mohan. For years, Magic Puddles ran as a small school catering to children of several local residents. Montessori material, art and craft, field trips – were all staple at the school, led by a team of passionate educators including Chitra Rajagopal, and Nandini’s friend, Arthi Saktheeswaran. 

In 2015, Arthi pitched an idea to Ravi and Nandini: Why not create another school for older students? Why not take the work we’re doing here and expand it? And so began the journey to where we stand today. 

Nandini, Ravi, Chitra, Arthi, and Prerna Kaul came to form the ‘Working Core’, which would run the future school. To aid the Working Core, a parallel group was formed - the  ‘Thinking Core’, which had people from diverse backgrounds including entrepreneurs, Montessori teachers, industrialists, and doctors.

The hunt for a school space began in the year 2015.  After much searching, Aarti and Prerna found a place in Mailasandra – the Pink House. Here, with a batch of just seven students, the Working Core began running a school.

At the Pink House, every single day looked different. Library sessions would be held in the middle of the road, thanks to a remarkably low traffic. The students would jump over the compound wall to garden in the adjacent field. One Dussehra, the team gathered all the students and went ‘pandal-hopping’!

Life was exciting, but just in the space of one year, the school strength went from seven to twenty five! The search for space began anew. We eventually chanced upon our current location in Kengeri, an erstwhile Montessori school called Rhombus. The red-brick courtyard won our hearts, and we quickly shifted. 

Today, we are over a hundred strong with ninety students, twenty faculty members and an incredible support staff. 

Our intent at Ohana is to build a community that perseveres in the quest for something greater than knowledge. We believe that every individual is inherently curious, naturally intelligent and capable; not a mere vessel to be filled with information and skills. We intend to meet life through observation, sensitivity, collaboration and rigour. 

We hope Ohana grows to be a space free of prejudice, competition and commonplace notions of success. We intend to continue working on establishing more openness and authenticity in our interactions with each member of the community, most importantly the children. In this way, Ohana aims to grow into a community school. Ohana is a process; not a noun, but a verb. Ohana envisions itself as a river, meandering through life, patiently carving its contours, enriched and enriching, hanging and growing while retaining its uniqueness for generations to come.

A child finds the following at Ohana:

● Diverse perspectives

● Lived experiences

● Unlimited support

● Accessible wisdom

● Large resourcepool

These are made available to an inquiring mind by community members; elders, parents, aunts, uncles, siblings and peers; quite simply put, extensions of our families. This is how Ohana intends to stay true to its meaning; “extended family”.

The living spaces (porches, verandahs, rooms, playing areas, etc) of Ohana are built on a foundation of strong values to ensure that we remain rooted and uncompromising in our pursuit. Therefore the following shall serve as our mentors in this journey.

Sensitivity

Ours is a small haven within the larger ruthless, competitive world; one that we

may choose to distance ourselves from but cannot ignore. We strive for Ohana

to remain a sensitive place for all its children and parents; regardless of their

abilities, needs and learning styles.

Inclusivity

Somewhere in the larger collection of categories and boxes we have created,

boundaries that we have drawn, something unique that each of us brings is

lost. This is most true about children. At Ohana we intend to see through all the

meshes and filters and see the individual’s light for what it is. By acknowledging

this uniqueness we become inclusive to all abilities, belief systems, religions,

castes, classes, sects and genders.

Sanctity

Simplicity is what we consider sacred and hold close to our hearts. Things and

values deserve reverence. These could be common objects around us, feelings

and ideas within or without; they could be perched on trees in our background

or treasures that the child finds when she looks outside the window or just

gazing up at the sky. Treating both the physical self - the individual - as well as

the entire world that holds this individual with respect, is something we think

about constantly at Ohana.

Rigour

At Ohana we believe that everyone needs mentoring, guidance, and

encouragement to build discipline and rigour to realise their potential. Our idea

of rigour is to provide opportunities such that individuals give their best with

leisure and commitment.

Courage

We look at courage that comes through in daily life; speaking for oneself,

standing up for truth and others. It is also the courage to ask questions, not

only of others, but of oneself. This includes the courage to admit that one was

wrong. This is not the kind of courage that easily slips into valour or an

abandonment of physical fear alone.

Man and Nature

The symbiotic relationship between Man and Nature needs exploration; and can be possible only when all the day-to-day ractical choices we make at school are child and nature-friendly. If Ohana were a solar system then the twin Suns around which we orbit are our children and a deep reverence for Nature. In the fragmentation that spans between children and   adults often, between Man and Nature; at Ohana we would like to look at it all as one.

Cooperation instead of Competition

The world our children have inherited is run on systems that teach us to compete. Nature, when understood very topically, teaches us to compete. Educational structures such as assessments and exams teach us to compete.

We encourage all individuals at Ohana to pick cooperation and team tasks over those that only values the individual; be it in the classrooms or the playground. A constant reminder to ourselves and the children is that the community must come together in as many ways as possible. 

We live in an era when all that we have cherished as human experiences is now available at the click of a button. Today, we consider the plastic and metallic bodies with silicon hearts a reservoir of immense knowledge. Indigenous knowledge, lived realities and shared experiences, grandmothers’ stories, and diverse perspectives, are diminishing in value. At Ohana we intend to make a change. We credit importance to the human spirit over the convenience that

modern technology brings in all aspects of our thinking, working and being.

“We intend to swim against the tide for we dare to dream.”