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The ‘Chinmaya-Story’

The establishment of the Chinmaya International Residential School, one of the best residential schools in India, is not only interesting but also groundbreaking in many ways. It was the first time that a spiritual leader took an innovative step to establish an educational institute. In 1984 Swami Chinmayanand ji traveled on foot across the country for the collection of ‘Rupee 1’ from each person he came across to purchase the land to build an educational institute that he wanted to establish. This was a pure and a spiritual conquest where every citizen and individual in one way or the other; knowingly or unknowingly helped in the foundation of the Chinmaya International Residential School that we know of today.

Chinmaya International Residential School
Chinmaya International Residential School

Past

June 1984 was memorable for the institution. On that day, Pujya Swami Chidanandaji inaugurated the institute, at the time, he was the President of the ‘Divine Life Society’. To start with, only 96 students made the first batch of the residential school for Grades 5 to grade 8. At the time, a dedicated staff of 11 teachers made the very first faculty. Dr. Jaya Venugopal headed them. The enthusiasm of various contributors from across the globe sparked more interest in the development of the institute. The ‘Chinmaya-Story’ would be incomplete without the mention of Swamini Vimalanandaji and Dr. G.S Keshawamurthy who bought about the completion of the project. 

Present

It has been quite an amazing journey so far and the ‘Chinmaya story’ has grown to be an inspiration across the nation. With an impressive student body of 577 and an accomplished faculty of 69 dedicated members, forms the basis of the strong foundation. Today Chinmaya International has branched-out to 23 states across India and 19 countries counting. Today, the gates of the institute are open to people of all faiths, backgrounds and societies. The entire educational system at the school has an active involvement of the students as well and the ‘student body’ forms a vital part of the decision-making occasions. This comprises of the School Dean, the Sports Secretaries, the Literary and Cultural Secretaries, the House captains and the Class representatives.

Chinmaya International Residential School logo
Chinmaya International Residential School logo

Infrastructure

Chinmaya International Residential School is an icon when representing the ideal educational institute. Based on the concept of merging ‘the best of both the worlds’; the infrastructure comprises of some world-class amenities and all the facilities that are essential for the overall development of the young minds. The campus is breathtaking in many ways. it has been built across sprawling greens, making the institute is much more than bricks and walls. Behind the door is a world of experience and exploration. The Laboratories are well equipped and functional for all the relevant subject branches.

The Library at the campus is a proud collection of some of the best in literature and research. With a vast treasure of 19600 well-selected books and various CDs and DVDs; the reading room and various other research-related material, the library is a haven for thoughtful minds and readers. All classes are thoroughly digitalized across the institute and well equipped with smart boards.

The auditorium at the institute is one of a kind. CIRS conducts all its events, functions and shows here. It witnesses a huge gathering during the morning assemblies, where the entire school gets together. The auditorium has state-of-art amenities like telephones, high-speed internet and fax.

Also, worth mentioning is the swimming pool at CIRS, which has an automatic water purifying system. Swimming at the institute is much encouraged and active participation is expected from those interested. The sport is under the supervision of well-trained professionals who teach the young swimmers the finer aspects of the sport.

The Gymnasium at CIRM houses some of the best equipment’s for fitness enthusiasts. Here the state-of-art facilities are easily available for individuals who wish to train for better fitness. The gym is a modern facility, where the health-conscious enjoy their work-out sessions.

Hostel Facilities

Proudly called the ‘Chaatralaya’, (the Hindi/ Sanskrit word for student’s hostel) is a wonderful ‘home away from home’. These living quarters are not just spaces, but a nurturing ground where the children feel safe and well-taken care of. The Resident House Master heads and supervises the chaatralayas. Here, CIRS provides the students with counseling, guidance and casual talks over various aspects of the growing up years and beyond.

The Chaatralayas are under the surveillance of the Matron or the Warden round the clock. They are dedicated to offering support and constant care to the students residing here. The main method of guardianship here is through the channels of love, care and nurturing so as to ensure that the students grow up to be empathetic adults. The boys’ and girls’ Chaatralaya are separate. However, equal care and importance are given to both the wings.

The dorms are well-lit, well facilitated and spacious enough to make sure that the students live like a family while ensuring enough privacy for all. Each dorm also includes well-facilitated bathrooms at all floors with round the clock hot water system included. CIRS pays attention to every important detail and ensures safe drinking water for all students.

Each dorm comprises of a common room as well, where modern facilities like television, music system, reading materials and indoor games to keep the students occupied during their free time. The medical and the health facilities are also great at CIRS, with an around-the-clock emergency facility under the supervision of a well-trained medical practitioner. Also present, are both male and female nurses at the facility to ensure the substantial wellbeing of the students likewise.

Additional Features

The menu at CIRS is something to look forward to, where the food items are carefully selected keeping in mind the taste and health. The trained chefs prepare food with love and care under hygienic conditions at the in-house kitchen. The meals are a fun time, where members of the student body and the faculty merge as a family to enjoy their common love for food.

In order to help residential students maintain personal hygiene, the laundry service is also an important part of the in-house amenity. This is taken care of at the ‘Laundry Tower’, which is equipped with washing machines and dryers; this is quite a unique approach where the task is individually taken care of.

CIRS Cadet Corps
CIRS Cadet Corps

Sports Facilities

This institute is deeply inclined towards ensuring that the physical development of the students is well-taken care of. The campus makes available various sports and sporting facilities and encourages active participation there. To enhance the ‘sports spirit’ well-trained coaches for various sports are stationed. Various playgrounds, activity fields and games center form a vital part of the institute’s premise. The students of CIRS have also brought home awards for various team and individual sports achievements in various levels of sports ventures.

Academics and Admission

The academics form the backbone of the Chinmaya education system and the institute has made highlights for all the good reasons.

Education System followed: CBSE, IB

The Curriculum: the academic environment includes the ‘ancient Gurukul system’ along with the modern ‘chapters of life’.

The Learning Method: Concept-based and application-oriented system of teaching

Admission Process: Includes the systematic entrance examination held for admissions to various classes and follow the general syllabus for evaluation purpose. Separate exams are held for:

Grades V and VI – 2 hours

Grade VII to IX – 3 hours

Engineering- IB and CBSE

Medicine- IB and CBSE

Management – IB and CBSE

Entrance exam for IB diploma:

Duration: 45 minutes each

Pattern: Multiple choice question

Subjects: English, Math’s, Science, General awareness

*Creative writing is mandatory for the entrance exams of all classes

VISITING HOURS:

At the School office through prior appointment only.

Wednesday – 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

CIRS Front View
CIRS Front View

Concept of the SEVA Week

This is yet another unique approach of the CIRS to be able to instill within the students the value and importance of service to a fellow human being. The SEVA week is the focal point of the learning process, where each student is involved in a certain kind of service towards a cause. Here, students take trips to ‘shelters’ ‘villages’ and ‘centers’ and the students observe plight of other less fortunate people. They see how they can help those in need in their own small way.

This institute has been involved in active participation and has served the society in various manners like making ‘bookmarks’ with a social message and highlighting the issue of Cyberbullying. The students of the institute actively participate in learning of various helpful aspects of the society like ‘crowd control’, ‘volunteer work’ and ‘serving of water and juices at events’ in order to ensure the idea of service to mankind.

The CCMT Education Cell has recognized and honoured the SEVA movement for undertaking the service for a minimum of 120 hours. The prestigious ‘Bal Sevak Certificate’ has been awarded to the institute for its innovative step towards service to the society.

Value System and The Mission for Future:

The philosophy of the CIRS has been based on the purity of the heart and the noble act of service to mankind. This has been the base of the institute from its commencement. It allows us to look forward to an even brighter future of our society which will be symbolized by selfless and value-oriented individuals.

The institution teaches students the art of gratitude to the ‘Almighty’ and ‘pride for the motherland’; concepts that are much needed in our society today. Also, the importance of respecting a fellow human being and treating every person with equality has been ingrained into the personalities of each student from day one.

While the ‘material aspect’ of the education system has always been to help the students be capable of earning a livelihood; CIRS places equal importance in developing the character and personality of the students here. The institute believes that it is important to remain loyal to the Indian culture while embracing the modern academic system as well.

About the author

Education Writer at Edunify

I have a passion for word play and considers language as a tool for much deeper human expressions. I aspire to help the youth 'write a new start ' through this wonderful platform. Currently I am working on learning to enrich my 'Urdu'.


Arshi Tahir

I have a passion for word play and considers language as a tool for much deeper human expressions. I aspire to help the youth 'write a new start ' through this wonderful platform. Currently I am working on learning to enrich my 'Urdu'.

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