Every morning at 6.30, Sonal Jhawar leaves Bhopal on a journey that determines whether a rural school can function that day. By the time she reaches Rehti, around two hours away, she has already crossed a fragile landscape, one where heavy rains can flood the lowlands and where the sighting of a tiger can force roads to shut down. On such days, Somaiya Vidya Mandir cannot open.Jhawar is one of five teachers who commute daily from Bhopal to keep the school running. In Rehti, they are joined by local teachers and support staff. Yet this is not just a story about educators. It is also a story about the children of Rehti, many from tribal communities, who travel long distances daily to attend school, and about the entrepreneur who first sowed the seeds of this initiative decades ago.Set in rural Madhya Pradesh, Somaiya Vidya Mandir stands as a testament both to daily acts of determination and to the larger vision nurtured by the Somaiya Group in Mumbai.Origins in pre-independent IndiaOn May 16, 1902, visionary entrepreneur Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya (K J Somaiya) was born in the remote village of Malunje in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra. Raised in modest circumstances, he completed his schooling in Mumbai before returning to Ahmednagar to help run his father’s small grocery business.He later entered the sugar trade and eventually became a partner in one of the region’s leading sugar firms. Alongside his entrepreneurial ambitions, he was deeply inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda’s vision of a self-reliant India. Samir Somaiya at the schoolIn 1939, Somaiya established sugar factories in Sakarwadi and Lakshmiwadi in Ahmednagar. Reflecting on this period, Samir Somaiya, Chairman and Managing Director of Godavari Biorefineries Ltd, tells The Indian Express in a phone interview: “By the mid-1930s to the end of that decade, my grandfather [K J Somaiya] decided to enter the sugar industry and set up his first factory in 1939. Around 1942, during the Quit India movement, he also started his first school in rural Maharashtra—Somaiya Vidya Mandir school in Kopargaon taluka. His business grew rapidly, becoming highly successful by the early 1950s.”Over time, K J Somaiya earned the title ‘Sugar King of India’. He later served as president of both the Deccan Sugar Factories Association and the Deccan Sugar Technologists Association.Story continues below this adIn 1959, he laid the foundation of Somaiya Vidyavihar in Mumbai, extending his vision beyond industry into education. The idea behind the schools, Samir explains, was to ensure quality education for workers employed in the Somaiya industries.also read | How a 500-year-old British school found a new home in the heart of IndiaIn recognition of his contributions to industry and education, K J Somaiya was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2000. Today, says Samir, the Somaiya group runs 11 schools, “and in each of them my interest in nature has led me to a simple question: why not create spaces that build sensitivity towards the natural world?”Back at Somaiya Vidya MandirSomaiya Vidya Mandir, Rehti, stands amid a dense forest landscape. Beyond stretches of teak trees and wild grass, the only other visible landmark is Madhuban Eco Retreat—an eco-luxury forest resort also owned by the Somaiya Group. “It was Kanhaiyalal Munshi, then head of the Central Provinces (present-day Madhya Pradesh), who encouraged K J Somaiya to acquire land in the region where Somaiya Vidya Mandir stands today,” says Samir.With its hut-like structures, earthy tones, and understated architecture, the campus blends almost seamlessly into its natural surroundings. Jhawar, the head of the school, who has just arrived from Bhopal, explains how every aspect of the institution has been designed in harmony with nature: through sand, sound, and stone.Story continues below this ad Somaiya Vidya Mandir, RehtiMeanwhile, students gather in the central courtyard for the morning assembly. Built with an emphasis on local materials and vernacular design, the campus draws on natural light, cross-ventilation, and open courtyards to create a comfortable learning environment despite the harsh heat of central India.Every corner of the school offers something that captures the eye. In one hallway stands a sound installation sourced from Svaram, the sound-healing centre in Auroville, Pondicherry. In the staff room, a tree mural adorned with children’s handprints nurtures a quiet sense of belonging. Dedicated activity rooms support motor-skill development, while classrooms, play areas, and learning spaces incorporate the BALA (Building as Learning Aid) approach promoted under the National Education Policy. “The campus design also includes plans for solar panels,” Jhawar notes with pride. A sound installation sourced from Svaram (Express photo)Nearly 60 per cent of the students come from tribal or below-poverty-line families. According to Jhawar, the idea for the school emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when children in this remote region had little access to online learning. What began as a response to an immediate educational gap gradually evolved into a full-fledged institution, inaugurated in June 2024.Today, the school serves children from Rehti, Budni, Nasrullaganj, and Obedullaganj—a stretch of Madhya Pradesh where access to quality education has long remained limited. Jhawar explains that students travel along three main routes, each connecting clusters of villages to the school. “One route comes from Rehti, a larger nearby town; another from Chakaldi, a relatively more well-off area; and the third from the surrounding villages,” she says. “The children enrolled are between three and seven years old, and there are roughly six classrooms dedicated to nursery, junior KG, and senior KG.”Story continues below this adDiscussing the fee structure, Jhawar says that even families with limited means continue to pay fees regularly because they believe in the school’s vision. For those unable to afford the costs, a growing ‘Support a Child’ programme enables donors to sponsor a student’s education. These are families she came to know closely during her outreach efforts. “Around 70 per cent are wage labourers or seasonal farmers with unstable incomes,” she says, noting that employment opportunities are scarce.An Instagrammable campus and big ambitionsThe lane leading to Vedansh Verma’s home in Salkanpur is broken and waterlogged, likely from overflowing drains. He is among the 125 students enrolled at Somaiya Vidya Mandir. Yet inside the modest house, his mother, Pooja, wears a smile that seems untouched by hardship.An anganwadi worker for the past three years, Pooja has just returned from a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where she joined others demanding salaries pending since August 2025. Her husband runs a small shop near the temple, a business that only makes money during the pilgrimage season. Even so, she remains determined to secure a better education for her son. Inside Somaiya Vidya Mandir, Rehti“I was unhappy with the other schools in the area, but the final blow came when my son was not allowed to sit for an examination because we could not pay the fees on time,” she recalls. “I had asked for just a few hours. A delayed payment would not have affected the school as much as it affected my son’s morale. That was when I came across an advertisement for Somaiya Vidya Mandir.”Story continues below this adPooja believes Verma now has opportunities that his siblings did not. As she speaks, she effortlessly slips English words into her sentences. “I did go to school,” she says softly, “but my circumstances did not allow me to continue my education. I want to change that for my son.”Meanwhile, Arun Chouhan, who runs a State Bank of India kiosk, recalls the exhausting night he spent travelling back and forth between Bhopal—where his wife was due to deliver their second child—and Rehti, where he had to submit his child’s admission form. “I came across Somaiya Vidya Mandir on Instagram, and it was unlike anything I had seen before,” he says. “I knew my child had to study here.” The play area at Somaiya Vidya Mandir, RehtiChouhan is among the relatively better-off residents in the area, which is inhabited predominantly by Bhil tribal communities. Most families here depend on hunting, farming, and small businesses. “If the rains are good and nature supports us, we can manage our children’s education and run the household,” he explains. “But when the crops fail, even the money we invest does not come back.”In Impact of Education on Scheduled Caste Youth in India (1989), S Radhakrishnan and Ranjana Kumari note that a family’s decision to educate its children is shaped primarily by its economic condition and its attitude towards education. Equally important, they argue, is the availability and nature of educational institutions themselves. For many marginalised communities, schooling often depends on whatever facilities are accessible and affordable, most commonly government-run institutions.Story continues below this adIn that context, Somaiya Vidya Mandir represents something unusual for families in and around Rehti.Teak trees and tribal beliefs“At our university in Mumbai,” says Samir, “there are two distinct objectives: one is to take education into the forest for people; the other is to bring the forest to those who do not have access to it.”Among those who visited Rehti from Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai, is Anup Mourya, now a naturalist at Madhuban Eco Resort. His days begin with guiding guests to spot tiger claw marks, followed by birdwatching excursions. “I missed all this in Mumbai; something about nature held me back here,” he says.Among his favourite places to visit is the Malbaba Temple, where devotees offer stones while making a wish. “It is a tribal custom,” he says. Mourya often spends his time with staff at the school, collectively exploring the curiosities of the natural world. Among those he is frequently seen with is Nitesh Yadav, supervisor at Somaiya Vidya Mandir.Story continues below this adA place of hope and possibilityYadav says he grew up in Rehti and later joined Somaiya Vidya Mandir after his brother, who works as a supervisor at the resort. He initially came on as a security guard, but over time, those around him recognised his aptitude and willingness to take on additional responsibility. Alongside his duties, he continues to pursue music as a parallel interest.Jhawar says that after school hours, Yadav would use the school’s instruments to pursue his interest in music. He eventually began posting his performances online, steadily gaining followers. “I have no idea how my reels began appearing on the feeds of locals here,” he says, unaware of how social media algorithms work. Today, he has become an “Instagram hero” in the otherwise quiet landscape of rural Madhya Pradesh. According to Jhawar, his growing visibility and performances have also helped draw greater attention to the school. Sonal Jhawar overlooking the upcoming campus (Express photo)For Saloni Chouhan, a fellow teacher, the school carries a similar sense of hope. After graduating from Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, she moved to Indore to prepare for the civil services examination. She cleared the prelims and appeared for the mains twice but did not progress. Looking back, she reflects on having spent too long in preparation. “I left my preparation, started as a librarian and then moved here,” she says.She speaks of the challenges of working in a region where opportunities remain limited, particularly for women. After years marked by academic pressure, rejection, and isolation, Chouhan says she has found renewed purpose in her work with children and the institution. “I’m happy here, and maybe I am where I was meant to be—around these children,” she says.Story continues below this adThe experience is similar for the support staff, including Sarita Varkane, Laxmi Uikey, Priya Rathore, and others, among them single women, mothers, and those fighting the circumstances of their birth.Holding together these varied lives and aspirations is Somaiya Vidya Mandir. Around 2 pm, Jhawar is already racing against time as the car carrying teachers back to Bhopal must leave soon. Alongside the challenges of difficult terrain are other constraints: the current shortage of fuel that can disrupt school functioning, parent grievances, heat waves, and the memory of a student lost to a scorpion bite. “Perhaps this is what it takes to build and run a school in Rehti: unwavering courage,” she says.