Theos-Talk Archives (January 2012 Message tt00241)

Hi,

I have heard that things are not so black and white that the Theosophical
Society should have chosen between the Olcott vocational school or
Krishnamurti School. I heard that there was a possibility that both schools
would have functioned in the area at the same time. According to my source,
Krishnamurti School proposed this alternative strongly. It even suggested
that it would compensate the very low rent from earlier years. This is why
some General Secretaries supported the continuing of the School.

The lease ends between 2014, but there is the time of two years to move. In
practice, the Krishnamurti School will stay in the area until 2016.

The decision, which the General Council made about Damodar Gardens last
December, is permanent; the Krishnamurti School must leave. Please let us
not mix politics or president speculation of the TS to it.

Sampsa



2012/1/30 MKR <mkr777@fMYvajvR1t6t-i0YbN8gn7HfyOFhaNIGw9FN6EbTMJqpOMlWYGqRe-Jk1ScvHNLy7AVWtoSYV94F.yahoo.invalid>

> **
>
>
> Here is an update on Krishnamurti School located in TS Adyar Property
>
> Since 1979, Krishnamurti School has been functioning on the TS Adyar
> Property known as Damodar Gardens. The lease ends in 2014 and at the recent
> General Council meeting a decision was taken not to renew the lease. It was
> also decided to use the property to provide vocational education by the
> Olcott Memorial School, established by Col Olcott, which serves the poor
> students in Adyar fishermen community.
>
> Annual General Council meeting of TS takes place in greatest secrecy and
> very little is known what goes on except for brief report published
> annually. (Most of us here have not forgotten the failed ultra secret
> attempt by a quartet of GC members from the West to disenfranchise all the
> members of TS and seize control of the Presidency.) Occasionally few crumbs
> of information trickle out through grapevine.
>
> Let us briefly revisit the situation surrounding the K School lease of
> Adyar property..
>
> Krishnamurti School is a super elitist school which serves the super rich.
> This is well known in Chennai. Moneyed parents send their average kids to
> the school in the belief and hope they will come out appearing smart.
>
> On the other hand, Colonel Olcott, in 1894, founded ?The Panchama Free
> School? as it was then called, to provide free schooling access to the
> children of the fifth caste (untouchable) who were denied access to the
> regular schools. Olcott Education Society (renamed from Panchama Free
> Schools Society) the education arm of the Theosophical Society continues to
> run the school with the vision ?Social change through the education of the
> underprivileged?. It continues to provide free education upto high school
> and continues to benefit the poor kids in the neighboring fishermen
> community.
>
> Olcott School is planning to use the Damodar Garden facilities after K
> school leaves, to offer vocational education for the students who complete
> high school. This plan is in line with the thrust of what Olcott wanted to
> do and is a laudable humanitarian endeavor that TS can be proud of. As a
> long time member of the TS, I see no way any theosophist can support the
> use of TS property for an elitist school. (By the way, it is reported that
> the K school has been enjoying the TS property for a pittance all these
> years.). There is continued strong support from the average public for the
> work done by Olcott School and its future plans.
>
> It is a well known that supporters of Krishnamurti School - followers of K,
> parents of students, alumni of the school - made a concerted effort to get
> the lease renewed. It was unsuccessful for now.
>
> It is learnt through grapevine that the supporters of the school were
> successfully lobbying many members of the General Council from the West to
> renew the lease and they fell for it. It was amazing that they were
> successful in convincing a significant number of members and they were
> supporting the renewal of lease at the GC meeting. One is wondering if the
> GC members were aware of the facts as explained above and the soundness of
> the recommendation of the committee which looked into the lease issue.
>
> I was in surprise for another new piece of information. The earlier reports
> show that the lease expires in 2014. But the School website says that it
> can operate till September 2016. Few people would have noticed the
> significance of this date.
>
> The present term of office of the International President expires in 2015.
> Considering the fact that the current president is currently in 89th year,
> the likely hood of having a new president in 2015 is very high. The
> supporters of K School may be hoping and planning to revive the issue with
> a new administration and continue to permanently use TS property to benefit
> the elite. How and why there is discrepancy in the lease expiration date
> need to be investigated. Has a behind the scenes deal been stuck?
>
> MKR
>
> PS: If anyone has additional info on the above, feel free to post or email
> me off-list.
>
>


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