My experiences with truth, the Gaia way!

When our son Amrit walked into The Gaia Centre during the summer of 2014, myself and my wife Renuka were engaged in a verbal spat… As with every couple – in any part of the world – we normally don’t agree to disagree!

But in this case, our opinions didn’t match at all. I was of the view that the son of an extrovert journalist like me, and an outgoing, expressive mother like Renuka, does not require any formal training in communication. WHY……? I roared!

Renuka vehemently stuck to her point, to get him into The Gaia Center. She had heard rave reviews about the way they mould the kids’ personalities, in the way they express themselves and the ways they communicate.

She was not ready to take ‘No’ for an answer.

And I would now admit I was wrong.

What started as a summer camp in The Gaia Center has become a weekly routine, a year-long association through the Solar and Lunar Terms and weekly trips to Oud Metha…. All of these coming with amazing results.

The transformation we have seen in Amrit is phenomenal, to say the least. A lot of this credit should go to The Gaia Center for shaping his personality, in ways that they only do, and for significantly sculpting his communication & public speaking skills.

Right from voice modulation, to eye contact, to body movements, to punctuating his speech, to neutralizing his accent to suit the various characters, to exposing him to the world of acting, drama and stage, The Gaia Center has worked wonders.

We still were wondering till we saw the results – at the annual Dreamspeak performances of Amrit. From a speechless wonder in the first edition four years back to eloquent Mr. Fantastic to a wily detective in Byomkesh Bakshi to an eccentric scientist in a tribute to Roald Dahl… the journey has been amazing. The icing on the cake was when he topped the UAE in his Trinity College Speech and Drama Level 5…

So, whether he had his ICSE Boards or the IB projects’ submissions, the weekly trip to Gaia will not stop. There was no compromise here.

The good time that the kids have at The Gaia Center is evident from the enthusiasm and vigour with which they run to the class week after week. Often, this prompted a lot of parents like us to wonder as to what exactly they do at the Centre.

I am sure the kids have a lot of fun as they go about their activities and tasks at every session, and of course lots of hard work and learnings – driven by the passion, energy and commitment of the Gaia team. Beyond the tangible results, more importantly, the Centre has instilled the Self-Belief in every child – and all this in a very unconventional way of learning, which is what kids of today need and look forward to!

As I write this, I need to make yet another call to Amrit from below the Oud Metha Building / The Gaia Centre… “Amrit, we have been waiting in the parking to pick you up!!! When will you come?” Pat comes the reply, “Some more time…. I am not done yet.”

As we wait for Amrit, we are wondering, What’s Up Next? The Gaia Centre continues to amaze… The best is yet to come!!!

Venkat, Renuka, & Amrit have been part of Gaia for over 4 years. We have loved seeing Amrit grow and flourish into the young man he is today. It is the support and commitment of parents like Venkat & Renuka that makes creative education fun!