By Lucie Reed

In a world which chronically praises individual performances over communal and empathetic advancement, education is the decisive tool to curate sustainable development and growth. Thamarai is an educational STEM learning center grounded in equity and youth empowerment. Nestled in the small village of Alankuppam just outside of the international township, Auroville, Thamarai challenges the rigid framework of traditional schooling through an integrative and centred approach to learning. They model their method of ‘integral education’ from the philosophies of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, which seeks to strengthen the physical, refine the vital, advance the mental, uplift the psychic, and contact with the spiritual. The school’s name, Thamarai, symbolises the ‘lotus flower’ in Tamil – an enduring image of growth through unity and wholeness which is curated by the students’ desires, not the facilitators. True to Auroville’s hope to act as a bridge between cultures and people, the past and the future, and eternal learning, Thamarai has purposefully rooted itself in a marginalised community. Here, challenges such as addiction, inadequate literacy and social skills, debt, and abuses are brought to the surface. Thamarai is able to address these systemic struggles through after-school programs and outreach that nurtures the full potential of children, parents, and the community as a whole. Since its founding in 2006, Thamarai has helped roughly ninety students annually. Their most remarkable contribution lies in their conscious effort to dismantle entrenched social biases. Using an integrated education model, Thamarai fosters an inclusive environment where they report that caste and non-caste students share a space at Thamarai in nearly equal proportions –  an inspiring testament to its mission to promote unity, growth, and equity.

With a foundation rooted in the ethos of Auroville and philosophy of integral education, Thamarai’s work becomes a powerful case study for how grassroots educational models can contribute to pressing global challenges. Particularly, their work aligns with the aspirations outlined by the United National Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5), and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10). Thamarai exemplifies the transformative power of education through more equitable and sustainable communities, and proves that these goals to foster sustainable futures are beautifully possible. Additionally, their educational experiment is increasingly relevant in today’s context, as it directly addresses inequities in access to quality education and reimagines the role of schools to nurture the whole, not a part. However, as their innovative education receives much praise it also poses questions of what lessons larger institutions can draw from their system, and how can their model be scaled to balance the systemic needs of a large community with an interpersonal approach to learning? 

Thamarai’s educational model molds their students into a “flexible shape so that he may be able to face challenges and meet the changing and growing needs of complex life”¹ by aligning with many SDGs. In the context of  SDG 4, quality education, Thamarai is a schooling model centred on sustainable development of the self in all planes. This ensures steady growth through the duration of their students’ lives in all subjects. Sustainable growth cannot come without first the individual having a centred and balanced education, which Thamarai provides through their integral education model. They ensure that schooling teaches one how to live, not simply recite. Thamarai noted that their STEM model “subtly breaks down barriers” of caste, gender, and more, and can be tailored to each student by individually allowing them to express creativity while simultaneously speaking a language full of equity. Their sports programs, especially their all-girls frisbee team and football programs which integrate each gender together, breaks down stigmatising gender barriers and reflects SDG 5, gender equality. 

Thamarai is a vessel through which love and acceptance can be poured out, and a testament to the transformative power of holistic education. Sustainably created in every aspect and driven through solar power and acute environmental awareness, Thamarai provides a safe place which enhances government education and teaches a student how to understand all parts of living: the physical, mental, psychic, spiritual, and vital. It additionally challenges us to rethink how schools can move beyond education, and also heal, unite, and empower communities. The question still remains: how can lessons from Thamarai and the philosophy of integral education ensure no child is left behind in the pursuit of sustainability and equity in all contexts?

Thamarai Website: https://thamarai.org

1. Seikh, H. A. (2020). Philosophical thoughts of Aurobindo: Its impact on modern educational system. International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 5(8), 232-234. ↩︎