A Mechanical Engineering graduate from the Bangalore Institute of Technology, Mr. Chaitanya had always nursed different kinds of dreams. He dreamt of starting a school as a youngster and eventually did it at the age of 21 when most of the people of his age tend to settle into well paid jobs and being complacent with it. The inherent desire to bring about a change in the educational system was the key factor that saw him setting up a Montessori school in the garage from his house. The seeds of Chitrakoota School were sown somewhere there with a team of dedicated and enthusiastic and small yet earnest staff. Mr. Chaitanya has followed his dream with utmost zeal, passion, dedication and an unwavering faith which has led to startling results.
He has received good support from his teaching staff from the Montessori school who have walked the path all along and are a part of the Chitrakoota School today. His staff enjoy working with him for the fact that he gives them the ownership of the work and makes them a part of his dream. Mr. Chaitanya gives immense freedom to his staff to work and is a tough task master at the same time. He believes in walking the path with his staff by encouraging them to be their best. He always inspires his staff, friends and family to dream big and backs them with all the support that they need in every aspect. He gives equal credence to building the people along the way – a thought shared and regarded very highly by his staff, friends and family alike. This is evident from the growth of the staff who made the humble beginning with him at the Montessori school rising to key positions today at the Chitrakoota School.
Founded in the year 2004 by Mr. Chaitanya, Chitrakoota, a CBSE affiliated school has come a long way today having won many accolades. Much similar to the thoughts shared by William S. Burroughs, an American writer and visual artist who said, “The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values”, Mr. Chaitanya has embarked on a journey of bringing out a change in the educational system through many innovative practices and methodologies of function adopted in his school, Chitrakoota. Mr. Chaitanya strongly believes that education must be for life. The values inculcated in the students and the freedom to explore themselves, makes the children at Chitrakoota different from their counterparts. The focus is not only studies but also on the overall personality development by encouraging them to participate in dance, music, theatre, debate, quiz, art, poetry, sports etc. Children at Chitrakoota are groomed for life. They are taught to be fearless and given ample scope to be expressive. The school regularly posts updates on any events/activities by using the social media like Facebook to keep parents updated.
The school was shifted to the Nagadevanahalli campus spread over a vast area with state of the art facilities in the year 2013. The younger wing of Chitrakoota, Chitrakoota Montessori, the Pre-Primary Montessori school located at Hampinagar campus also houses the Montessori Teachers Training Institute. It has been recognized as one of the Best Montessori schools in Bangalore. In the past 14 years since its inception, Chitrakoota under Mr. Chaitanya was nominated as the District Principal for two consecutive years for the academic year 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 from the National Olympiad. He personally trains the teachers under a specialized training programme before their induction. He is someone who is always leading by example and inspiring one and all to be their best making him a role model to look up to. Punctuality in his work and personal life is something he values a lot. He prefers to be in the company of genuine people who are honest and growth oriented. It is not surprising that one can only find him in the midst of such people who focus only on personal growth and making a difference in their lives and those around them.
He is deeply inspired by Mr. Aporesh Acharya, a motivational speaker who is the Founder and Mentor at MILT. By nature, Mr. Chaitanya is a very positive and creative person. His parents have also influenced him a lot. Looking back now he feels that characteristics like never complaining, running risks have become deeply ingrained in him without his knowledge, largely owing to the way he was brought up. In his own words, he says he suffer with constructive discontentment by which he means he shall be satisfied with whatever he has but shall not be content with whatever he is. He is a public speaker and enjoys speaking on topics of his expertise and about which he is very convinced.
He is doing his bit for the social cause by rendering services for a home for orphan children called ‘Snehalaya’ run by MILT where he serves as an administrator. From the personal end his family takes care of both residential and educational needs of the children. Likewise, he ensures all the children of ayahs at Chitrakoota are educated at the school. He does not believe in the legacy practice and is of the opinion that any capable person can take over the reins of the school. It need not be his children only just because they are his family. Indeed it is a rare trait!
