At SIT Graduate Institute, our faculty are practitioners as well as facilitators of the learning process. In addition to their teaching responsibilities, faculty members practice what they teach, in positions such as consultants to international NGOs, advocates for social change within our local community and beyond, developing peace-building camps and facilitating conflict-resolution workshops. Faculty of the PIM program are not only instructors on topics relevant to our student body, but are practitioners who are able to continuously learn from their fieldwork and apply it to their classes.
One such faculty member is Dr. Janaki Natarajan, who teaches both at SIT Graduate Institute and at a local undergraduate institution, Keene State. For many years, Janaki has been instrumental at linking her students with Bapagrama, a Ghandian school in Bangalore, India which is focused on the education of Dalit children. We are pleased to share with you an article on her work which was originally published in ‘Keene State Today’.
Living and Learning at Bapagrama
Last summer, Dr. Baker, professor of psychology [at Keene State], visited a school in India that was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and is kept alive by the dedication of Dr. Janaki Natarajan Tschannerl. At Bapagrama, no one is an outcast, and everyone learns – especially the teachers.
by Linda Baker
photos by Linda Baker and Steve Clark

Janaki with Kat Harris
For years I have known about Bapagrama, the school that Dr. Janaki Natarajan Tschannerl runs in Bangalore, India. I know KSC students and faculty members who have been there, and I have fantasized about going myself.
Last summer I finally went.
On June 21, my colleague Steve Clark and I landed in Bangalore and were greeted by Raja, a member of the Bapagrama community, who drove us to the school grounds. We shared the road with cars, trucks, motor scooters, auto-rickshaws, pedestrians, and cows. The traffic was so dense and fast moving that I couldn’t detect any lanes. As I gazed out the car windows, I couldn’t take my eyes off the women’s colorful saris. It took us almost an hour to arrive at Bapagrama, where we were greeted by Janaki’s welcoming arms. Read the rest of this entry »