2019-05-01_Yoga_Journal

(Ann) #1

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
Free download pdf