About Us
Our Story
Arth is founded on the idea that all children are born competent, capable and eager to learn and that all children can and must experience success in school. When the founders could not find a school they would be comfortable sending their kids to, they started one themselves.
We believe that children have a deep need to make sense of this world they grow up in, and hence the name, ‘arth.’
The school has been founded by Ankur, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus with a vision to create preschools where learning is a truly joyful endeavour and where children love to come. He worked as a teacher in a wonderful reggio-inspired progressive pre-school in New Delhi where he was mentored by educators who have taught in progressive schools across USA, UK, Canada, Japan and India. He researched and studied global best practices and curricula across the developed world and came up with a child-centered program for children between 18 months to 5 years of age fit for the Indian context. Thus was born Arth.
Come, let us introduce you to our team.
our ADVISORY Board
Sonya Philip
Sonya is the founder/president of Learning Matters Foundation. She has been an educator for over three decades with teaching experience in the US and in India. Sonya is a reading specialist and is trained in several recognized Reading Programs. She regularly works with students and conducts workshops for school educators. Ms Philip completed her Masters in Education from the American University and was trained as a Special Ed expert at the Lab School in Washington.
Dr. Manas K Mandal
Dr. Mandal is a Distinguished Scientist and former Director General - Life sciences at DRDO. He was also the Director, Defense Institute of Psychological Research for about nine years. His major area of research includes domains associated to Emotional Intelligence. He is an authority in this domain and has been involved in the recruitment of the elite forces of the country.He is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at IIT Kharagpur , and a visiting Fulbright Lecturer at Harvard University, U.S.
Susan Griss
Susan is a pioneer in the field of arts-in-education. Ms. Griss teaches graduate courses at Bank Street College of Education in NYC, and for sixteen years, taught K-12 teachers throughout the U.S. in the Creative Arts in Learning Program at Lesley University. As a leader in professional development she has worked for the NYS Department of Education, the Arts Education Office of the NYC Board of Education, for NYSCA’s Empire State Partnerships Summer Institute
Dr. Sudhirkumar Barai
Dr. Barai is the present Dean (Undergraduate Studies) at IIT Kharagpur and the former Chairman of the Career Development Center, IIT KGP. He is also the founding Program Co-ordinator for LEAP (Leadership for Academicians Program) under MHRD, Govt. of India. He is a Professor of Structural Engineering and his research interests are Computational Intelligence Applications, Structural Health Monitoring and Concrete Technology.
Core team
Ankur Agarwal / Founder & Director
Ankur is the founder and director at Arth. Ankur’s life’s mission is to create nurturing, safe spaces for children that provide them an environment full of love, joy & responsibility and supports them in chasing the answers to their curiosities - exploring, experimenting, failing and persevering, and in the process learning how to learn. An engineer from IIT Kharagpur, he is passionately curious and has a diverse set of interests ranging from design and architecture to human behaviour.
Priya is a graduate who has completed her Honours in Bachelor of Science in Human Development. Having studied child development and child psychology, Priya aspires to help young minds learn and grow better. She loves a challenge and often puts herself in new situations that encourage her towards positive changes. A coffee head and foodie, Priya never leaves an opportunity to express her opinions about the same.
Having completed her Graduation in Political Science from Bhawanipur College, Auindrilla has a knack for documenting the wonderful work of our young learners. Her excellent writing skills coupled with constantly working on her self, you can see her enjoying art with the Arthlings whenever you walk into the space. When she is not involved in bringing alive ideas into reality, you can find her submerged in gardening and creating new artworks.
Besides being a brilliant dancer, Sonai likes to bring her creative self into play through story-enacting in the classroom. Having a completed a Diploma course in the Bharatnatyam dance form, Sonai is also passionate about bringing self-awareness through healthy food habits. She is also a go-to person when it comes to creating wonderful designs in Canva. When she is not busy striking conversations with the Arthlings, she is spreading her love for dance.
Nikita is our very first educator and has played different roles since the onset of Arth’s journey. Currently, ze* is leading our Arth Hours after-school enrichment Program merging fun and learning for our young Arthlings. Being a DMT Practitioner and having run a mental health start-up, Nikita enjoys guiding teams reach their fullest potential. Besides exploring new ways of learning, you can find Nikita talking (a lot) about time-travel and parallel verses. (*ze is a gender-neutral pronoun)
Completing her graduation in geography from Calcutta University, knowing about different natural phenomena in the global world has her interest. Her skills also delve into art and craft. She believes that it enhances one's creative mind and help one to think out of the box. Comedy movies and vibing in retro songs have always been her get-aways from her work life.
An Expressive Arts Therapy Practitioner, TISS and Xaviers' Alum, Priyanka brings her energy, creativity and sparkle in the hearts of children she works with. From putting ideas into action, we love to see Priyanka Didi bring so much joy in the classroom. Besides being committed to bringing social-emotional learning alive in her work, you can find her sipping lemon iced-tea anytime you walk in.
Drishti right after completing her Bachelors in Human Development joined us to try her creative capacities as both a designer as well as a facilitator. Being around kids certainly puts a smile on her face. She likes exploring and challenging her capabilities. Her love for art is unparalleled. Canva is her magic wand while changing, evolving and learning along the way!
Besides being a psychologist, Apala also likes to express herself through photography which she says, brings her creative aspect out. Having completed her Post Graduation in Applied Psychology, she also likes dwelling into philosophies of life and understanding different personas.
Hi, I am Manaswini and I have done my B.A Honours in Psychology. I have a Diploma in Fine Arts. I am a trained Odissi dancer and I am familiar with several Indian dance forms like Kathak and Bharatnatyam as well. I am passionate about early childhood education and love working with young children. I am committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment where children can thrive
Loved by our Arthlings, Sohini gets the energy flowing in the classroom. Pursuing Sociology as her Post-Grad. from St. Xaviers, Sohini dreams of delving deeper into the aspect of early childhood education to make learning fun and memorable. When she is not hanging out with her close friends, you can find her absorbed in exploring different forms of music.
Hi! My name is Nikita Mukerji. I am an early childhood educator at Arth. I have done my Bachelor’s in Philosophy honors and I have a Diploma Certificate in Nursery and Pre-Kindergarten teachers training. I love art and music and believe creativity is the root of finding one's self. I believe children are like kaleidoscopes and that they should be allowed to form their own patterns. I feel blessed to be a part of this beautiful journey and hope to grow along with our tiny Arthlings at Arth!
Hi, I am Snehal. I grew up in Surat and graduated from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. With the mind of an MBA student and the heart of an early childhood enthusiast, I have developed my passion in dancing as well. I feel the happiest when I’m with kids and love to spend time working with them. Putting a smile on a child’s face is my best reward.
Hi! I am Saloni and I have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. I have a deep appreciation for creativity in all its forms, whether it's dancing, doodling, or any other artistic pursuit. I especially enjoy sharing these activities with kids, as there's something truly magical about seeing their imaginations light up. Additionally, I'm an entrepreneur. I’m the founder of Scrap Paper Scissor, where I provide gifting solutions to corporations and individuals.
Hi there, this is Isha. I've done my Bachelors in English Literature. I feel privileged to be able to revisit my childhood while working with children. While I love being an educator, I always look forward to learning new things through the eyes of my students. Reading books and capturing candid moments of things around me through my phone is something I live by.'
Friends of Arth | Ex - Team Mates
Abby / Atlas
Abby is a Multimodal learner, educator and a design expressionist for Innovation and humanistic change. They work around the central idea of Human Infrastructure development with focus on Children and their Rights. Abby is a management accountant by education and pursued a career spanning 5 years working with top MNC's while simultaneously pursuing their hearts calling to cherish and nurture children and their childhood. From streets to classrooms, Abby has spent years learning and working with children, where they learned, applied and, at times, rejected practices to foster a child led learning approach. As a Non Binary and Queer Educator you can find them igniting and unlocking dialogues, breaking stereotypes, writing poems and giggling with children.
Pragya is a graduate of Loreto College. She believes in learning from new experiences and takes life as it comes. Apart from freelancing as a social media strategist, she is a plant enthusiast and a part-time digital content creator for Pinterest. Learning/unlearning/updating is what she truly follows.
Jasmine, one of our chirpiest educators, is also an Expressive Arts Therapy Practitioner (EAT) & Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) Facilitator. She believes in the power of using creative arts-based approaches to create an enabling environment for young minds. Besides being an avid reader, you can find ‘Jazz ‘ dancing and munching on mouth-watering desserts.
Simran Jaiswal is an educator at Arth. She has a Master's in Human Development from J.D.Birla Institute and a Diploma in Fine Arts from Rekha Chitra (All India Fine Arts Association). She has also completed her Abacus Brain Study Course from Shiny Star. She's a true Karma believer and a big street food lover. She believes in the quote "Live in the sunshine where you belong" and tries to live in the moment. From working as a freelance model to establishing her own start-up and now working as an educator, Simran has always wanted to learn something new, take up risks, and have an adventure.
Susmita comes with immense experience of working with various organizations before she joined Arth. She enjoys challenging herself constantly to better cater to our Arthlings. She loves to write and has a knack for public speaking. A coffee lover and originally from Delhi, we are glad to have found her!
Besides coming up with creative ideas for the classroom, Anupriya brings an adept knowledge about learning materials to be used by our Arthlings. Being in the Final Year of College, she envisions of pursuing Masters’ in Child Educational Psychology, hence deepening her knowledge in the arena. When she is not engaged in learning more about educational theories, you might find her reflecting her thoughts and travelling across the city.
Krittika, a graduate from SRCC, Delhi, left her corporate job to find a place where her creativity could find a room. That’s when we discovered her! She claims to be this person who can ‘make anything out of anything’ and that makes her a wonderful artistic addition to the team.
Being a spoken-word artist and story-teller, Rupanwita finds immense joy in bringing stories alive through her work. She likes to capture moments of wonder through the camera. You can find her on youtube talking and spreading awareness around mental health.
Khushi Agarwal / Apprentice
Khushi is our youngest educator at Arth, gearing up to appear for her 12th boards, is always full of life and sparkle in her eyes. She has so many stories to tell and as a theatre artist she believes that one could play so many different roles in just one life. With a smile that never fades away, she isn’t afraid to fall on the ground and bounce back. She believes in growing, wondering and accepting herself everyday.