To know where one is heading, one needs to know where they come from!
The Madras Seva Sadan, since its inception nearly ninety one years ago, has believed in empowering the individual while in turn empowering and reaching out to a larger community.
Our Founders, Sir and Lady M. Venkatasubba Rao, two extremely accomplished individuals, were rooted in tradition and culture, while still having a progressive outlook towards life. They based all the activities of their beloved Sadan on these very ideals. Their vision was carried forward in the decades that followed by their Grandniece, the Hony., Gen., Secretary of The Madras Seva Sadan, Mrs. C. Prema Kumar.
Mrs. C. Prema Kumar was also the Founder Correspondent of Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao School and modelled the school based on the person that Lady Andal was - a dynamic personality, who accomplished everything she set out to do. A trendsetter, yet a strong believer in traditional values, I have very often been told by people who had the good fortune of knowing her, that she was truly a Lady who exuded self-confidence and panache, traits that one will find imbued in virtually every student and alumni of the school since its inception in 1987.
Even though the Institution, in the last nine decades, has held on to what makes it unique and resilient, it has also consistently been evolving to keep up with the needs of the constantly changing society. The latest addition to the myriad activities and Units of The Sadan, is the Lady Andal School. With the world changing into a large Global community, it was time for a new beginning. This brought us back to what the Sadan has mastered over the years…. the ability to evolve. Due to the multitude of our students moving abroad after their schooling, we realised it was time to help them prepare with a more global perspective.
This also brings me back to the quote that I began with - ‘To know oneself’, where you belong and why you belong, is the first step towards discovering where you want to go and to not lose yourself in the process. A lot of thought was put into how we were going to achieve this goal of a holistic education through academics. The teaching methodology of the IB allows us the freedom to encourage our indigenous culture, language, art, etc. while at the same time opening the minds of the students to respect and appreciate communities and cultures other than their own, thereby creating environment and socially conscious individuals.
After months of deliberation on choosing the right syllabus, we were convinced that the ideology of the IB system would support and re-emphasise the Vision of the Founders, our Institution and that of Lady Andal School. I would like to thank all the staff, parents and children for choosing to join us on this new adventure that we have embarked on.
