Hariharananda Balashram - Blessings of Shri Gurudev
The tradition of supporting orphans and poor children in the ashram is not an uncommon feature among some of the greatest Masters who lived in this holy land of India.
In our own tradition, Swami Shriyukteswarji was maintaining orphans and poor children in the ashram. He was also interested in women’s education and had plans to set up a girl’s school at one of the ashrams but it did not materialize. Inspired by Swami Shriyukteshwarji’s ideals of education for the wholesome development of a child, Paramahamsa Yogananandaji later established a school in Ranchi and it was called as Brahmachari Vidyalaya.
In our own tradition, Swami Shriyukteswarji was maintaining orphans and poor children in the ashram. He was also interested in women’s education and had plans to set up a girl’s school at one of the ashrams but it did not materialize. Inspired by Swami Shriyukteshwarji’s ideals of education for the wholesome development of a child, Paramahamsa Yogananandaji later established a school in Ranchi and it was called as Brahmachari Vidyalaya.
Our beloved Shri Gurudev, while living in Karar ashram as a brahmachari without any source of income, still found ways to help the poor and needy. In the year 1973, Shri Gurudev built a school in the village of Bhisindipur. The school was named Shriyukteshwar Vidyayatan as a tribute to his beloved master, Swami Shriyukteshwarji. Inspired by the vision of Shri Gurudev and the ideals of Swami Shriyukteshwarji and Paramahamsa Yoganandaji, another school was born.
Birth of Balashram
The year 1999 is filled with the memories of destruction in Odisha. Cyclone 05B also known as the Paradip super-cyclone devastated the state of Odisha leaving millions of people homeless and many children as orphans. In this backdrop, a group of about 120 educators gathered in September 2002 in Arua and discussed a plan to start a school for underprivileged children.
On July 29, 2004, our beloved Shri Guruji Paramahamsa Prajnananandaji, formally founded a residential school and named it as Hariharananda Balashram after his beloved Gurudev. It is an English medium CBSE school for socially under-privileged children from rural and tribal areas of Odisha. The school is in the beautiful little village of Arua in Kendrapara District of Odisha, India. School campus is surrounded by lush green paddy fields, mud huts and picturesque villages.
Growing up over the years, today Hariharananda Balashram is a completely free English medium residential school affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education. The school houses nearly 600 students studying from LKG to Grade XII with teachers, staff, and superintendents to assist in running the school.
Ideology
There is no dearth of schools where smart children are selected from the elite sections of the society and trained in the school to perform well in examinations with the sole purpose of earning big money.
Here at Balashram, our purpose is to create good citizens with moral values and essential skills who would earn an honest livelihood doing what they like and help the world that they live in. However, the importance of academics is not understated.
The logo of the school says “Make your dream a reality”. Here we try to help the child recognize its innate abilities and promote its interest.
Admissions
Any orphan or semi-orphan child dependent upon destitute guardians or a child of extremely poor parents who have little or no property and no proper means of livelihood are qualified to apply for admissions to Hariharananda Balashram subject to the restriction that the child should be in the age group of 4 - 5 years at the time of admission and usually not more than one child per family shall be admitted. Children of all religions, caste and creed are welcome to join the institution provided they adhere to the routine of Hariharananda Balashram.
Every year 40 students from the State of Odisha are admitted in the school at the entry level by the Mission’s survey team. They visit the poor villages and slums of the cities in Odisha and after a thorough investigation select the children. At the moment, the school is not equipped to handle physically and mentally challenged children.
Our Mission
- Promote a disciplined, caring and supportive environment for the all-round development of students.
- Provide students proper education, life skills and values to face day-to-day challenges.
- Empower students to achieve educational, and career goals through a tailored -learning model by providing environment within and beyond the classroom.
- Recognize the innate abilities, and develop the natural strengths and inclinations of a child to help him grow in his field of choice.
- Prepare students as educated, responsible, patriotic and contributing citizens with clarity in their mind.
- Research, devise and provide the best academic program for a co-education system.
- Develop self-confidence in the students and accept the education as a way of life to enjoy it.
- Enable our school community to learn how to ask questions, solve problems and make smart decisions.
Our Vision
We are always focused towards providing value-based education for the holistic development of students, enabling them to build the society.
Project Chrysalis
Project Chrysalis, initiated in 2016, was designed to ensure bright futures for students graduating from grades 10th or 12th at Hariharananda Balashram. The project provides academic guidance and financial support to these students as they pursue further education, whether through regular graduation courses or job-oriented programs. The initiative continues to assist students until they complete their studies and are able to secure employment, ensuring they are empowered to support themselves and contribute meaningfully to society.
