Dear Friend,
It was 25 years ago that Shanti Bhavan took in its first sets of four- and five-year-olds to preschool and kindergarten. Since then, over 200 children have graduated from high school and gone on to college, with nearly 150 gainfully employed. There are now about 300 children at Shanti Bhavan from preschool to twelfth grade. Their endearing journey to prepare for successful careers has been an amazing and rewarding experience for those of us involved in their lives.
I thank everyone who has been a part of the success of the children. I am immensely grateful for your kindness and generosity. For this special anniversary, I want to remind ourselves of some of the highlights of these past years.
Despite their humble origins from some of the poorest families in India, the children have exhibited surprising resilience. We set high academic standards that are competitive with other quality schools, and time and time again, our children meet and surpass our expectations. The children learn to be leaders by developing excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Most importantly, they embrace the universally altruistic values of being humble, kind, and sensitive.
Most of our graduates, with our financial support and supervision, study at excellent colleges in Bangalore. Twelve graduates are now in top colleges in the US—Dartmouth, Duke, Middlebury, Stanford, University of Rochester, University of Chicago, amongst others. These and other graduates are preparing for careers in business, technology, and engineering.
Post college, most of our graduates now work in top companies like Amazon, ExxonMobil, EY, Goldman Sachs, Google, JP Morgan, and Mercedes Benz. Our graduates help their families financially and one day will assist others, thereby multiplying their contribution to society. All of us can be very proud of their accomplishments.
We have already started construction of the second Shanti Bhavan on the outskirts of Bangalore—some three hours from the present school—with the expectation of opening its doors to the first class of children in July 2024. We hope that both Shanti Bhavans will be models for similar initiatives elsewhere.
Your strong support of Shanti Bhavan has had a tremendous impact. On this 25th anniversary, I hope you will celebrate the progress that has been made and help us accomplish much more.
You can assist by contributing to the construction of the second Shanti Bhavan. Please know that this is an important mission unlike any other, and your participation will make a world of difference.
