-Dilip Thakore (Bengaluru)

Bhandari (right) enriched education objective

Shriyans Bhandari, director of the CBSE and Cambridge (UK)-affiliated K-12 Heritage Girls School, Udaipur (HGS, estb.2014), has invested his several extra-curricular passions and noteworthy achievements in ornithology, photography (A Photographic Guide to Some Common Birds of Aravallis (2013)) and athletics into the curriculum of his relatively new boutique boarding school, with excellent outcomes. In the EducationWorld India School Rankings (EWISR) 2023-24, HGS is ranked India #6 and #3 in Rajasthan in the girls boarding schools category with high scores under the parameters of leadership, infrastructure and community service.

Newspeg. On the tenth anniversary of HGS, Bhandari signed student and faculty exchange programmes with the inter-cultural programme of the American Field Service (AFS) and Groton School, Massachusetts (USA) to add an international dimension to the holistic education of this exclusive boarding school which has capped admissions at 200 girls mentored by 40 well-qualified teachers.

History. An alum of the vintage, blue-chip Mayo College, Ajmer, and a business management graduate of Jai Hind College, Mumbai and the top-ranked Babson College, Massachusetts, ab initio, Bhandari entertained a deep desire to take HGS — promoted by his entrepreneurial grand parents the late Jaswant Singh and Sudha Bhandari — to the next level. Currently, HGS provides its 200 girl boarders over 15 co-curricular education options and opportunity to play a wide range of games and sports including rifle shooting, karate, yoga and basketball on its scenic 12.5-acre green campus offering spectacular vistas of Lake Bagela.

Direct talk. “At Mayo College and thanks to my indulgent parents, I was given sufficient time and opportunity to follow and develop co-curricular and sports interests which enriched my education experience. Therefore, I have encouraged the management and teachers in HGS to not only provide excellent academic learning but also every opportunity to our children to develop their co and extra-curricular talents. Moreover, one of the striking features which impresses all visitors to HGS is our visibly happy and fulfilled girl children learning in a uniquely environment-friendly environment,” says Bhandari.

As HGS’ high scores in EWISR 2023-24 indicate, community service is an important co-curricular for this progressive school. GreenSole, an initiative conceptualised by Bhandari and former marathon athlete Ramesh Dhami in 2015 and adopted by HGS, has won wide acclaim. Under this project, discarded shoes and sneakers are collected by students for repair, recycling and conversion into new useable footwear which is distributed to disadvantaged children in rural areas. Since the project was initiated, through the use of sophisticated technologies for curing leather and canvas, 700,000 pairs of torn and discarded shoes have been converted into good quality, reusable footwear for children in Rajasthan and beyond.

Future plans. Encouraged by enthusiastic public response to HGS, Bhandari has drawn up a careful expansion plan. “Over the next few years because of intense pressure for admissions, we intend to double our capacity. Simultaneously, we have finalised a blueprint to establish an all-boys boarding school in Udaipur modeled on HGS. We believe Udaipur has the potential to emerge as an important education hub of the country,” says Bhandari.

Wind in your sails!