A Coach and a Friend
Mr. Ashwath Aiyappa, a professional cricketer, comes to The Peepal Grove School, an alternative residential school in india, to coach our boys cricket. He takes up the responsibility of igniting the spark of talent within them and bringing them as close to playing like professionals as possible. After having interviewed the captain of the school team, we found that Ashwath not only trained the boys physically, but psychologically as well. He acted as a counselor for them and helped them with more than just cricket. Ashwath Aiyappa at Peepal GroveThe team felt much at ease with him as a coach and this could be attributed to two things – his professionalism and his friendly nature. Of course, he kept his relations with the team even off-field, having his meals with the boys, being ‘one of them’ and this helped them see Ashwath as more than just a coach – a friend. Instead of training the team as a whole, he trained each one individually, according to their personal strengths and weaknesses. In fact, since there were only four batsmen in the school, he helped improve their batting skills such that even four could be enough. The results of his training were seen in some recent cricket matches – two against school staff and one against Rishi Valley, another alternative residential school in india. Though the team did not emerge victorious in the matches, they had made the opponents work harder than usual. Ashwath was proud of his team with one of the batsmen scoring a half-century for the first time in his life. He stated that though they lost, they lost with pride. The Peepal Grove School is an alternative residential school in India, where students live in tune with nature and are provided spaces and opportunities to express themselves individually while learning to live in a community.
On the Right Track
If you visit this alternative boarding school in India on a Sunday evening expecting to find a lot of weekend sloppiness around, you will be in for a surprise. What you will find are students in sportswear, running towards the gate to get cycles for the cycling expedition. These expeditions can last from two to four hours, depending on the stamina of the cyclists. The cyclists usually go around the hills, into the unexplored areas. And although sometimes small accidents happen, like punctures or breaking of the mud guards which slow down the cyclists massively, the other students show solidarity and help them get back on the road. And whatever their purpose for cycling , to check their physical endurance, to bask in the natural surroundings or to have a nice outing, they all come back to P.G.S. with a smile on their face… and a bucketful of sweat. The Peepal Grove School is a leading ICSE alternative boarding school in India. Apart from excellence in academics the students have ample opportunities to explore other dimensions of their personalities.
Simply Spanish
Sergio Bhaiyya who hails from Spain and his wife Marina Akka, a native of Italy, joined The Peepal Grove School, alternative residential school in india as Yoga instructors this year. In addition to yoga, interested students and teachers undertake basic lessons in Spanish from Sergio Bhaiyya. The last word that would come to one’s mind while describing Spanish classes would be “boring”. While we have gone through the basics of Spanish like the alphabet, numbers, verbs, measures of time and greetings, most of our classes have been unconventional. To cite an instance, on entering the class one day, we found ourselves in Restaurant “Sergio” ( Sergio’s restaurant). We were introduced to the names of some Spanish delicacies and what more; Bhaiyya even took orders from us and issued us the bill. The only thing missing was real food. Perhaps the most unforgettable of all was the Spanish assembly where we rendered a simple, yet magical song on the Elements as taught in class. After about a dozen fun-filled Spanish classes, some of us are dreaming of the day we could be found on the streets of Madrid or Buenos Aires, happily conversing with the locals. And the worst part about Spanish classes? Its only once a week!! Eso es todo, amigos (That’s all, folks). The Peepal Grove School is run by The Satsang Foundation, alternative residential school in india. It aims to fulfil the vision of Sri M, who founded the school in 2006 to provide schooling in an environment of friendliness and positivity.