2019-05-01_Yoga_Journal

40 YOGA JOURNAL

SEVA SPOTLIGHT

COURTESY OF SATTVA

Perhaps it’s not a coincidence

that the Gayatri mantra, which

concludes with “may this

inspire our understanding,”

is chanted daily at the Khushi

Charitable Society’s school in

Rishikesh, India, where self-

awareness is the backbone of

a complete education.

Often called the birthplace

of yoga, Rishikesh is the home

city of Anand Mehrotra,

a yoga teacher known for his

motorcycle-riding retreats

through the Himalayas

and founder of Sattva Yoga

Academy. Mehrotra established

Khushi in 2002 as a way to

fund two tuition-free schools

for children from low-income

families who couldn’t otherwise

afford uniform costs and school

fees. “In the deep teachings of

yoga, it is impossible not to

serve,” Mehrotra says.

With Rishikesh flourishing

as a yoga destination during the

past several decades, locals from

neighboring states migrated

to the Ganges River banks in

search of jobs. “As I grew, the

town grew,” says Mehrotra,

who started meditating with

a local guru in the 1980s when

he was four years old. The city’s

population increased by a third

between 1991 and 2001—and

more than doubled between

’91 and today (from 45,000

residents to 102,000). This

influx of people included lots

of low-income families with

school-age children.

Beyond the sponsored

education, students receive

one meal a day, annual eye

exams and dental exams,

medical treatments, plus yoga

and meditation as part of their

curriculum. “Our mission is to

make the kids self-aware and

self-sustainable,” Mehrotra says.

But despite all these

offerings, retaining children

at school can be challenging,

and families sometimes require

additional support. Take

Mukesh, whose father, a laborer

and the sole breadwinner for his

family of six, wanted Mukesh to

quit school and start working

when he was eight. (In India,

it’s not uncommon in some

families for children to start

working at this age.) Khushi

paid the family to keep Mukesh

in school.

Now twenty years old,

Mukesh is studying computer

science and volunteers teaching

math. He is one of hundreds

of graduates who received

higher-education scholarships

from Khushi to pursue careers

such as computer science and

graphic design.

For hundreds of Rishikesh

children, Khushi is more than

a path to a brighter future; it’s

a place where they can learn

and carry out the meaning of

seva (selfless service). “This is

just one of the gateways to

a natural expression of

expanded awareness,” Mehrotra

says. “When you are fulfilled,

you like to give.”

Teaching Moments

The nonprofit Khushi Charitable Society offers free schooling, meals,

and health care support to kids from low-income families in Rishikesh, India.

BY YELENA MOROZ ALPERT

Khushi

Charitable

Society

FOUNDER:

Anand Mehrotra

WEBSITE:

khushi.org.in

AT A

GLANCE

2,000

children served

1,000

medical checkups

performed

100,000

meals served

50

graduates who

returned to

volunteer at Khushi