The boarding schools I went to were GNFC school in Mussoorie and GRD Academy in Dehra Dun. At first GNFC was the school all the parents collectively sent us to, until about 1989. It was a traditional Sikh boarding school that had a British influence, and had separate campuses for boys and girls. The majority of the students were Indian Sikhs, with some Thai Namtari Sikhs, and us American 3HO Sikhs. The majority of faculty and staff were Indian, and there were about a half-dozen American “guides” with us (incuding the notorious Nanak Dev Singh), and out of those, three were actual teachers and the rest were sort of just assigned to watch over us. One of the guides was made head-nurse by GNFC, and became in charge of the infirmary.
Then there arose a conflict between the 3HO organizers of the India “program” (they were called Sikh Dharma Foreign Education or SDFE) and GNFC. The rumor I got was that SDFE was stiffing GNFC on the bills, and GNFC gave us the boot. SDFE told us however that GNFC was scamming us. I’m really not sure what the real story was, but in 1989 SDFE began constructing its own school in Dehra Dun, called GRD Academy, and was to be structured a lot closer to Yogi Bhajan’s idea of a proper school, and was also co-ed. From then on it became a quest of theirs to form a school in their own ideals (or as they said “to have a school of our own”).
GRD Academy was funded by a man named Raja Singh who was a rich sikh from Delhi. The school was constructed from the ground up, and we attended class and lived in the dorms all during construction. Food supply was often short, and class was often haphazardly organized. Some of the “guides” who were with us at GNFC stayed along for GRD and played more important roles in the shaping of the school, and many more young adults were brought in from the US, some of whom had attended GNFC and graduated from there. Our Principal, Mr. Waryam, was recruited from GNFC as well. He was a nasty drunk.
There were two guides with US Military backgrounds, and they were brought in to teach us military style drills, something that Yogi Bhajan was particularly fond of at the time. For some reason, the Indian students at GRD were exempt from the military training. The 3HO children were to remain at GRD only for a couple of years, and I really don’t know why it didn’t work out, because I was back home by then, attending a new experiment for 3HO youth, the New Mexico Military Institute, which also did not last much more than three years. Also in the time of the last years of GNFC and GRD, a state-side school in Albuquerque, NM was founded, called Amritsar Academy, and where Nanak Dev ended up after leaving GNFC in 1986, which also shut down sometime in the early nineties,.
When Punjab became more peaceful and opened up to visitors, SDFE took on the task of moving all the 3HO children to another new, privately owned, and purely 3HO school environment, and that is what Miri Piri Academy is today. MPA is owned by Sikh Dharma-3HO. I never attended MPA, and never visited either. It appears to be more focused on Sikhism and Sikh Culture, and less focused on academics. I know that it still operates the same way that SDFE organized sending guides over: very low pay, in exchange for room and board. They recruit individuals with no knowledge about childcare, or experience with teaching. They plunk these people in positions of authority over many children, and have no business being there. Some teachers or guides at MPA simply graduated from GNFC, GRD or MPA, and went straight into these positions, with no training or higher education, and certainly no education about childhood development or education. I’m unaware of the statistics for graduates of MPA who pursue higher education. My guess is that it’s relatively similar to my own generation. The majority of youth who pursue higher education ultimately gain critical thinking skills and independent thought, and pursue their own lives outside the realm of 3HO.
We were beat and slapped by the Indian teachers and guides at GNFC, and were also made to do lots of bizarre corporal punishments, that had lots to do with awkward positioning and endurance. At GRD, the beating was not non-existent, however was rare. The corporal punishment remained about the same as GNFC, and was often inflicted by the guides, and the Indian teachers at GRD rarely ordered punishments. Amritsar Academy had it’s own “seva” style, or “karma-yoga” type discipline. I don’t know first-hand what the disciplinary style of the staff and teachers is at MPA, and I’m not comfortable talking about the various rumors that circulate, because I have no way of verifying them. Please comment below if you have a first-hand account.
12 Replies to “A brief summary of the India program”
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I graduated from GNFC in 1986 and took a few classes at a local community college in Virginia. After taking a few classes and deciding to leave 3ho I moved to Phoenix and went to a year of high school there, wanting a somewhat normal schooling experience, which I definitely did not get in India! I had the 'fortune' of running into Nanak Dev Singh in Phoenix somewhere around 1989. I do not know what I expected from here, some 5 years after last seeing him. Perhaps something like, "I'm sorry you were physically and emotionally abused for 6 years in my 'care'" would have been nice? But of course nothing like that was said.
Hey there!
I didn't realize that Mr. Waryam was a nasty drunk. I just thought he was a nasty, mean man. He would come into the classroom in the middle of the day (I was 15) and come straight at smiling and snarling "fatso" at me in front of everyone (I was NO fatty, as I now realize from photos– but back then I sure thought I was.) This was during a time when I was considering killing myself already, so you can imagine the humiliation. I also remember his wife always had black eyes– I thought they were dark circles, but years later, as an adult, I realized they were black eyes from being hit in the face. FUCKER.
"There were two guides with US Military backgrounds, and they were brought in to teach us military style drills, something that Yogi Bhajan was particularly fond of at the time. For some reason, the Indian students at GRD were exempt from the military training."
I attended GRD from in '90 and '91 – I don't remember anything like this. No "military feel" or "drills" actually just allot of skateboarding & basketball. There was some separation between the American & Indian students but this separation wasn't administered, it was the social behaviors of the students.
One main thing to note: Anyone you ask in 3HO, who's qualified to answer, will tell you that the first two schools had issues & kids were mistreated, even by older american students. Most are very sorry those things happened, Miri Piri was created to make a better place.
I didn't attend Miri Piri, but I know people who have. Many are now in universities or have already graduated ranking colleges, some going into masters and PHD programs.
@anonymous above: Thank you for commenting. If you attended GRD in the 90's perhaps you were aware that it too was created to "make a better place" for 3HO children. GNFC was also "to be a better place" than the child-swapping of previous years that resulted in a lot of abuse and neglect. I will not ever be convinced that Miri Piri Academy is a better enough place to warrant shipping young children half-way around the globe for boarding school.
Yes, anyone qualified to talk about the boarding schools in India will probably tell you they had issues, and probably lament a bit. If they are members of 3HO, they will probably also tell you that the benefits outweigh "those issues". However, they might not mention that those "issues" included violent and physical abuse, corporal punishment, neglect, and sexual abuse.
I'm glad some MPA kids are getting degrees. College is a great place for developing critical thinking skills. Having critical thinking skills is the foundation for independent thought — once one can think on his or her own, he or she has more freedom to decide which religion, faith or spirituality to pursue as an adult.
"Yes, anyone qualified to talk about the boarding schools in India will probably tell you they had issues, and probably lament a bit. If they are members of 3HO, they will probably also tell you that the benefits outweigh "those issues". However, they might not mention that those "issues" included violent and physical abuse, corporal punishment, neglect, and sexual abuse."
Elders in 3HO that I've talked to about the dysfunctions of GRD don't sugar coat it – they didn't live there, so only we know first hand the heartaches that we personally experienced, but they do know the heartaches of their own experience from dealing with the real issues from their own children upon returning home.
It was from this reality, of painful firsthand experience, that a "self managed & family founded" school needed to be created – The other schools were around before western students attended. Thats why parents from the original ashram decided to independently join hands and fund Miri Piri, directly from money earned in an honest career. The dysfunctions of the other schools wouldn't be, were not nor have been, tolerated.
The severity of correcting the wrongs of past is of the highest priority in the minds of these parents, many of which are some of the original people of 3HO.
I remember being a kid in GRD thinking what would be worse a few slaps or some yogic punishment like rocket pose for 30 minutes? The first was always the better. At GRD I was slapped so many times, often on a daily basis. I have a love/hate relationship with my India experience.
Thanks for your comment.
My suggestion would be to not concern yourself with the way in which my blog "paints" 3HO. There are plenty of websites and blogs that most certainly paint 3HO to be a utopia. Whereas, I honestly talk about my own feelings, my experiences, my memories, and the things in my day to day life that trigger them.
If you are concerned about how my honest writing conveys the image of 3HO as a whole, this is simply self involved. I do not remain closeted to protect anyone's image, period.
I am posting your comment because your comment so transparently reflects the collective insecurities of an organization with a troubling history and a very uncertain future.
I attended all the India schools from GNFC to the current incarnation, Miri Piri Academy. I also went to the summer camps with Nanak Dev. I attended University here in the US, and lived life on the non-3HO side of the fence. Now, I am in 3HO and a practicing Sikh.
I am not criticizing your feelings which you are 100% entitled to, but my experience and opinion is very different than yours.
Even though I was picked on, beaten by teachers, and had a tough time in India, those experiences did made me a stronger and more secure person today. Being away from my parents ( which I was @ 6 years old ), helped me to think independently, and learn how to deal with diverse situations with grace. The yoga and meditation helped me to have clarity and neutrality in many life decisions.
Many children in the US, are physically, sexually, socially, and mentally abused all the time. A large percentage, by their own relatives. Bullying is rampant within public schools and the drop-out rate is enormous. Depression and substance abuse is wide spread. There is no guarantee that your life would have been without scars if you grew up outside of 3HO.
It pains me to hear that your experiences were so negative and anger inducing, but I feel that your description does not paint a truthful and balanced picture of 3HO. It really vilifies 3HO and does not take into account some of the intention behind what 3HO is about. I think if someone was a first time reader on this site, they would be getting a very biased opinion.
For many people 3HO and Yogi Bhajan has empowered their lives, provided support, improved their health, and given them tools to survive amid all of the issues we face in a modern society ( over medication, drug abuse, neglect, highly processed and unhealthy food, depression, fear, anger, poor family structure, etc. ).
As in any another organization there exists some rotten apples, but it does not make the whole lot bad. 🙂