I wish all readers a merry, peaceful
and harmonious Christmas
and a good transition into 2024!
 |
Teacher Prabhavathi and student E. Keerthinandana (first row on the left)
at the Yogasana Sports Championship
Dear friends of the Shanti Ananda School!
A wonderful early Christmas present for us was the triumphant success of E. Keerthinandana, class 6 student, and our yoga teacher G. Prabhavathi at the State Level Yoga Competition (December 11th in Guntur): both qualified to take part in national level competitions. The yoga topic, which is very important at our school, will be the focus of the next newsletter.
Five committed people commented on the current situation at the school:
- Herbert Fründt, my brother, main donor and supporter since 2006
- Ivanka Anders, Herbert's wife, who recently attended the school with Herbert
- Horst Wagner, architect / construction manager for the new school buildings and music teacher
- Michael Reisinger, construction consultant for the new school building and
- I, inspirator for creativity and pedagogy as well as project direction
I hope you enjoy reading!
Yours, Helga Shanti Frün
Yoga Triumph
From left to right: A. Saraswathi, Raja Sekhar, Mandal Education Officer, Circle Inspector, 6th class student E. Keerthinandana, Yoga teacher G. Prabhavathi, Helga Shanti, Horst Wagner, Chandra Mohan, M. Saraswathi
On December 13th a ceremony in the school was arranged to honor E. Keerthinandana and G. Prabhavathi.
The parents of the radiant winner E. Keerthinandana were present; Mandal Education Officer and Circle Inspector of Police graced the function with their presence.
In the entire state of Andhra Pradesh (comparable in size and population to Germany), there were only six members who qualified to compete at the national level.
This means that 1/3 of the aspirants for
the international level come from our school!
This is a great triumph that was recognized by the press as well. We are very pleased that the yoga classes – having been introduced in 2008 - achieved such extraordinary success.
Of course, this is a huge motivation for the students, that good and very good results are feasible and possible.
Boys’ yoga demonstration at the welcome party
for the 'royal couple' Herbert and Ivanka
Herbert Fründt
Herbert Fründt, a main donor, who has supported and advised us from the beginning, visited us again this year and spent a week in the guest house. On November 27th a lavish reception for him and his wife Ivanka took place. The event was celebrated with dances and yoga performances by our students in the amphitheater. A tambourine performance by Ravi, an excellent musician from Puttaparthi, was the culmination of the festival.
Herbert spent a week in the guest house and observed the progress of the mini-project week. The focus of these three days was on creative techniques (painting, paper folding and cutting, clay work, rangolis, designing with natural materials). Herbert's stay ended the day the mini-project week results were presented.
Herbert and Ivanka are welcome on the ground
“I really enjoyed my time in Mudigubba, starting on Monday, November 27th, with a wonderful, touching welcome from all members of the school family and ending on Friday with a creatively sophisticated presentation of the mini project week by the proud children.
In my speech on Monday, I had the opportunity to give space to various visions:
- Regular contact between former graduates and current students in order to initiate a dynamic process between these groups.
- Conversion of buildings originally intended as “staff quarters” into orphanages in order to be able to offer these children optimal opportunities as well.
It was an exciting and creative time in our school what has now become a paradisiacal environment. I'm very grateful."
Ivanka Anders
Ivanka with husband Herbert
"10 years ago, in 2013, I visited the Shanti Ananda School for the first time. Even then, I was impressed by the school grounds, the classrooms in the little houses, spread across the large grounds. The children were so curious, approachable and happy.
Today the school grounds have been transformed into a paradise with countless, even tall, trees and a large lake (that didn't exist 10 years ago).
As I was able to observe during the project week, small and large works of art were created by the children's hands with the help of the very committed teachers, proudly presented by the children.
Over the years, a great and wonderful school could emerge.
And I am sure there is ONE here who gently holds this paradise with all its people, animals and plants in his hands.
I am very grateful for my stay at Shanti Ananda School in Mudigubba."
Horst Wagner
during traditional stick dancing
“I am a social worker and was involved in the project from the beginning. I was the architect for the new school building (2010 – 2017); I am also a musician, give music lessons and have conducted some music workshops.
But my greatest concern is to make unhappy people happy. My long-cherished dream will soon come true; we decided to start a new project with orphans.
When we welcomed our main sponsor Herbert Fründt on November 27th with some guests, the others and I particularly noticed that the area is now like a forest - a little green paradise.
We are also committed to continuing the project beyond our own lives; my daughter Durga, who studied hotel management, might be interested in joining. It is very important to us that this wonderful school, which enables many children to live a loving everyday life and learn based on human values, will continue to be maintained in the future.”
Michael Reisinger
with one of our puppies
“I am from Berlin and was on the school grounds for the first time 10 or 12 years ago; I also worked on some construction work for a few weeks in an advisory capacity.
I came back after long time and was surprised to see the area so green; this piece of desert has become a very beautiful country with tall trees and a large lake that used to be dry.
I am also delighted about the additional new buildings that are to be completed for orphans.
I was very pleased to meet the main donors who have donated the lion's share of the funds over the years.
Horst's daughter Durga could perhaps lead the project in the future. I have known her since she was little, have watched her personal growth and think she is the right person with her heart in the right place.
I wish the project continued success. All love!"
Helga
with children on the ground
“I have been involved with the Shanti Ananda school project since 2006 and have accompanied it for 17 years. My main concern was and is lived creativity, which, in my opinion, is what makes people human.
I am pleased that we have successfully integrated creative elements into everyday life; for example, there are several mini-project weeks and one project week on a variety of topics every school year.
The children feel comfortable in the school family, and the graduates are popular at secondary schools. The teachers form a strong team and the school has a good name. However, there is still a lot to do, for example improvement of learning techniques, expansion of educational offerings and further training.
As a new project we are planning to take in orphans; They should live together with foster parents as a family. 'Their' houses were made possible by a generous donation from Herbert Fründt as well as Ivanka and Ivo Anders. Donations are still needed for completion.
It is important to hand this beautiful project over to a new generation in the future, as the main actors are now all of retirement age.”
Those were a few words from people with hearts about our project, which has now grown into a teenager and has expanded its scope of action.
Merry Christmas from India,
Your Helga Shanti Fründt
Contact
Shanti Ananda School Website
Shanti Ananda School on Facebook
Donation Accounts
FCRA account
Shanti Ananda Education Society
State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch
40043801956
IFSC: SBIN0000691
General Account
Shanti Ananda Education Society
Andhra Bank, Mudigubba Branch
Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India
185410100193769
IFSC: UBIN0818542
German Donation Account
Shanti Ananda Education Society
Anahata Stiftung, Munich, Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
BLZ: 700 205 00
IBAN: DE72700205003751241124
BIC: BFSWDE33MUE