Our teachers
NANDINI RAMMOHAN
Nandini has a Masters in Social Work from IGNOU. She is a textile designer and a craftsperson. She has been working with children for the past 12 years, out of which 5 years has been with a preschool –Magic Puddles. Currently, at Ohana, she works with all the grades for art. Her focus with children revolves around art and play. She believes that children should explore the world of art for themselves rather than be adult directed. She also believes that schooling has to be joyous, yet challenging. Nandini has an interest in music, dance, theatre and is trained in Hindustani Classical Music.
ravi chari
Ravi is from Bombay and has done all his education up to post-graduation there. He has been working with young children for the past 20 years and loves the sense of wonder and curiosity they always bring with them. He has been part of Ohana for nearly a decade now, and is currently the coordinator for grade 10. He works with grades 1,2,9 and 10 for Sexuality Education.
Being a teacher for Ravi means being aware of “Who I am and how I am connecting with children and other adults in the community”. He believes that often, children grow up to become a little like the adults they are around - it is important that adults acknowledge this responsibility and ensure that they observe themselves and see how their interactions with children are playing out on a daily basis.
Personally, Ravi loves spending quiet time by himself, going on long walks and reading.
POOJA SAGAR
Pooja works as a library educator, and teaches Environmental Management for high school students. She is a storyteller and children's book author.
NIVEDA MANJUNATH
An ex-student of Centre For Learning (CFL), Niveda did her Bachelor’s at St. Joseph’s College of Art’s and Science. Following this, she took a year off and worked at an NGO in the Himalayas as a teacher and this is when she found her love for teaching. After completing her Master’s at Mount Carmel college, she pursued her passion, teaching, as a profession. She is currently a mother, a teacher, a passionate nature lover, sports enthusiast and feels like she never has enough time to do all that she would love to in life.
MALINI SHENOY
Malini has a Bachelor's degree in Commerce with training and certifications in Computer Applications, Counselling, Montessori, and Alternative schooling methods. She has over 11 years of teaching experience for the younger kids at the preschool and primary levels. She is an easy-going person with an ability to instantly connect with children of all ages and she enjoys teaching, playing, and having fun with them be it in class, circle time, or extra-curricular.
At Ohana, she is the coordinator for Jala 1 and she teaches English to Jala 1 and Science to Jala 1,2 & 3.
shashank gowda
Shashank is a dedicated yoga practitioner & callisthenics enthusiast, finding strength his body & mind. His passion spans from the thrill of football to the serenity of swimming & the exhilaration of trekking through mountains. Through his camera, he captures diverse stories in portraits that emphasise the beauty & depth of the human experience. With a heart for reading, he continuously seeks to deepen his understanding of the world, all while emphasising the beauty & interconnectedness of our shared human journey.
CHETANA RAMESH
Chetana joined Ohana as a teacher in June 2023. Prior to this, she had been part of the community as a parent for the past 6 years. She is excited about her new role as a teacher after years of practising law in the field of indirect tax litigation. She currently engages Grades 5-9 in English and middle school for Humanities. Chetana is an avid reader and works with Grade 2 in library sessions.
RANJITHA SESHADRI
A graduate in Microbiology, and having completed the CEFR level C1 in French, Ranjitha has been an educator since 2005. Passionate about education, she has worked in the past, as a teacher of French as a Foreign Language and Primary Science, in a couple of International Schools in Bangalore and in Alliance Française de Bangalore. Equally passionate about literature, she briefly donned the hat of a translator of childrens' books, and is currently exploring theatre as a medium of expression , and its role in teaching methodology.
tejaswini purohit
Tejaswini has been with us since November 2021 and is known affectionately as Mrudul. She is a biomedical engineer by profession and after working in IT for nearly a decade, she started her teaching journey with an NGO. Currently, she runs the Science program for middle school and facilitates Chemistry for Grade 8 and 9.
prajwala vinay
Prajwala has been working with Ohana since 2022. She teached arts and crafts across the school and kannada for junior school. She loves spending time with children of all ages and immense joy in teaching them. Takes a great interest in art experiments and different methods of teaching. Prajwala appreciates the forward thinking educators at Ohana and enjoys her time with adults as well as children. When not at school, she is a freelancer, loves trekking and cooking as well as participating in shows.
SWARUP TELLAKULA
Swarup is a junior school teacher who has been working with Ohana since 2022. He started as a volunteer and is now a full time class co-ordinator.
He teaches Mathematics and Humanities for junior school. Science and games for Montessori.
He is interested in working and learning from curious young minds. He wants to help create an environment where structure and creativity co-exist.
While not at work, one can find him indulging in various theatrical , musical and art experiences, or in the kitchen, cooking and baking.
preeta pattar
Preeta has been with Ohana since December 2021. She is currently the coordinator for grade 5. She engages the middle school students in maths, and the high-school for physics, both subjects she is passionate about. Preeta is a ‘pakka bangalorean’; she was born, brought up and has completed her education in Bangalore. She has been teaching for a few years in various schools after leaving the corporate field. She worked with an NGO - ISPF - which implements many of Dr. Arvind Gupta’s teachings. According to Preeta, experience was her greatest “teacher’ and that no amount of preparation can prepare you for situations with children. A large part of why she is in Ohana is that Ohana offers her a freedom to approach topics. She loves teaching and learning knitting, crochet, embroidery, and origami.
SMRITI
The name of This Librarian/ What-You-So-Choose-To-Call-This-Person/ Slytherin-Ravenclawian/ VFD Member (what is that you ask...) is also Smriti (SRG), so they claim. SRG enjoys Food of various kinds and also many activities, among those, reading Lemony Snicket and perusing his unfortunate illustrator Brett Helquist's Art. SRG also ponders the subject of fortunately, Unfortunate Events. C'est la Vie she proclaims during the random intervals and pauses of Life and in general. If suddenly you are to find a novel or book or academic article or some other gibberish, written by an author with a citrusy-sour sounding pseudonym, it is most likely to be,
Yours Truly,
This Ohana Librarian,
ARUN KUMAR R
Arun holds a BE (E&C) and an M.Tech degree, and has been with Ohana since April 2022.
He teaches Yoga for the junior school, and mathematics for the high school. He also handles administrative work for the school, particularly in the finance department.
He has a PG diploma in Yoga shastra and trains people free of cost.
SONALIKA DUGAR
An architect who worked to bring back life into heritage buildings and occasionally dabbled with theatre, Sonalika is now working as a teacher at Ohana. She takes Library classes for middle school and enjoys the hands-on experience of making toys with children for the Mela. She loves travelling to new places and exploring new cultures. She likes looking at the world through the lens of both art and science and drawing connections between the different aspects of life.
MEGHA D
Megha holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and has corporate experience from multinational companies. After a fulfilling career, she took a year off and discovered her passion for teaching. Megha is an easy-going individual with an ability to connect instantly with children of all ages. She finds joy in teaching, playing, and having fun with her students both inside and outside the classroom. As the coordinator for mathematics, she is dedicated to creating an engaging and enriching learning experience for students.