The School Of Nature

The Sholai School in Tamil Nadu, founded by Brian Jenkins, a follower of J Krishnamurti, is an example of nurturing children in gentle collaboration with nature

- Jamuna Rangachari

I think we need to build relation- ships with children. They learn all they need to and more, if given the right atmosphere,” says Mr. Brian Jenkins, a British-born social anthropologist, who is the founder and principal of Sholai School in the Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu.

Mr Jenkins (BJ) has had a long association with India. He came to Bodhgaya first in 1969 and learnt Satipattana Vipassana from Anagarika Munindraji. He returned to the UK and kept exploring holistic systems of teaching and learning. He joined Brockwood Park School, an international co-educational boarding school in UK, based on J Krishnamurti’s principles. While there, he also learnt a lot by associating and travelling with J Krishnamurti, who came there often. All of this inspired him to settle in India. The process began in 1986, and after exploring a lot he started Sholai School in Kodaikanal in 1989, with his own two children and four local children, in the beginning.