From 21–26 October 2024, the Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Education and Research (SAFIER) team, Shivakumar and Priti, conducted visits and workshops that brought alive Integral Education (IE) as “The Education of the Soul,” inspiring teachers, school leaders, and parents to begin an inner and classroom transformation.

Visits and workshops — brief chronology

21 October — Future Foundation School, Kolkata:

The SAFIER team met five senior staff members, including the Principal, to celebrate the joy of implementing Integral Education practices and to stress that IE — The Education of the Soul — is the need of the hour.

22 October — The Mother’s International Institute of Education (TMIIE), West Midnapore: 

A half-day introductory workshop for 14 participants (TMIIE teachers, Sri Aurobindo Vidyabhawan teachers, and director Indrani Basu) introduced the Founders and the IE framework through talks, activities, and an awareness game. The concluding activity, Flame of Aspiration, moved participants and inspired them to strengthen themselves first to bring out every child’s strength in the classroom.

23–26 October — Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education (SAIE), Kolkata:

A three-and-a-half-day workshop for 35 Primary and Pre-Primary teachers facilitated the Framework, Practices, and Principles of IE with interactive talks, films, skits, experiential activities, and games. Principal Anthony Das inaugurated the workshop; Governing Body members Nandita Chandra and Anindita Sil participated fully. A two-hour parent interaction on A New Education for New Humanity drew about 70–80 parents.

Key sessions covered:

• A New way of Knowing Oneself

• A relook at the Current Education System

• Inspired teachers lead to Inspired students

• Decoding the Source of the Inspiration

• Knowing the Founders of Integral Education: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother

• Getting introduced to IE and experiencing IE

• Learning Vedic Mantra chanting as an aid to develop Peace and Concentration

• Becoming aware of one’s Inner weather: A guided Meditation

• Methods to Connect with one’s Inner Friend — The Psychic Being

• Connecting with Nature through Flowers and Expressing through Art

• Exploring one’s Physical (Body) through a four-point programme

• Exploring one’s Vital (Centre of Emotions and Feelings)

• Refining one’s Vital with the help of Poetry, Art and Music

• Looking at Developing the Mind

• An Introduction to Integral Project Based Learning: the 3 Principles of Education

• An assignment: A Project on ‘Awakening to the Physical’

The workshop closed with a flame of meditation to the Mother’s music and teachers writing aspirations on cards to kickstart inner exploration and live an integral life.

Follow-up

Two online interactive sessions on 23 November 2024 and 15 February 2025 continued the work on the project assignment ‘Awakening to the Physical’, sustaining practice and reflection.

Participant feedback from SAIE Oct 23–26 workshop:

1. “I discovered my inner being that was in slumber within, though not absolutely but to some extent which provided a kind of hand-holding in odd situations. The workshop touched that tune of the inner Harp that was not played earlier. … I am overwhelmed and enriched.”

   • Sanhita Banerjee, English teacher at SAIE school, Kolkata
2. “The concept of Psychic being was not so clear when I had read about Integral Education earlier. Now I have started to know the meaning of these words and am looking forward to knowing more about it. The most interesting thing I found from this workshop is the power of mantra and that there is a possibility of a different outlook towards life.”
   • Ananya Tarafdar, Biology teacher at SAIE school, Kolkata
3. “From this 3-day workshop, the main thing I realised is that all the powers, all energies are sleeping within us only. It is our duty to feel that power, the source, through knowing our Body (Physical), Emotions (Vital), Mind and Soul and then only we can consider ourselves as ‘Manush’.”
   • Jayoti Chatterjee, Chemistry teacher at SAIE school, Kolkata
4. “One insight that I gained from the workshop that has touched me is that I have started feeling myself in 4 planes: Physical, Emotional, Mental and Psychic. I feel I am on a journey, travelling with my body, mind and heart, in search of my soul. … For me the workshop is just the first step towards an eternal journey.”
   • Ajita Mitra, Vice-Principal at SAIE school, Kolkata
5. “From this 3-day workshop on IE, I became aware of my Inner being. I now know it was there before but it was not known to me. I have started to realise what I’m going through — in my Physical, Vital, Mental — which part is active. Sometimes there is an overlap too. … I have got a ‘marg’ — a way now to look forward to and live life this way. I want to learn more about Integral Education.”
   • Anindita Sil, Core-Committee member, SAIE school, Kolkata
6. “‘First experiencing, then believing’. Before this workshop, I was only hearing quotes by Sri Aurobindo and Maa, and saw others worshipping them without entirely understanding the ‘importance’ of their philosophy. Now after experiencing the ‘Anterer Bandhu’ or the ‘Divine within’ through various activities that we did, I realise how great Sri Aurobindo and Maa were. My whole education in Psychology was based on a very western approach of looking at things which did not give me as much insight as I got from these sessions.”
   • Maitree Bhattacharya, Psychology teacher at SAIE school, Kolkata
7. “The mind opened up to the fact that the Divine within is always there, waiting to surface. Only we have to constantly strive to be in touch with that ‘Psychic Being’. My suggestion is to have more mantra chanting and IE workshops should be a continuous process.”
   • Nandita, Core-Committee member, SAIE school, Kolkata

Conclusion:

The Kolkata visit gave teachers and parents a clear, lived experience of Integral Education as an education for the soul. The programme combined inner practices, pedagogy, and creative expression to awaken teachers first so they can inspire each child to grow from within.