Meet Our Experienced Leadership Team

Ms Ruchika Upadhyay joined Manthan School in 2013 and has taken over as the Vice Principal and the Head of Academics along with her role of the Social Studies Subject Lead. She upholds the values, vision and ethos of Manthan and as a school leader, engages with every function within Manthan and specific outside agencies to drive holistic development of the students on a wider scale. Her constant endeavour is to see students getting the best of exposure and experience through numerous initiatives and competitions across local and global forums.  

 As Academic Head, Ruchika is responsible for every aspect of the curriculum and teaching efficacy throughout the grades and disciplines. She continuously monitors, assesses and reviews these aspects in line with Manthan practices. These include frequent involvement and discussions among teachers’ groups and feedback-based methodology to consistently provide the best learning to the students to prepare them as responsible citizens. She calls herself a learner who is always trying to improve her own skills through discussions and debates on core subjects and recent global events with colleagues. This has encouraged her to look at things from different angles, and, with time, she has realised that seeing other perspectives is vital before coming to any conclusions. Being a part of the senior leadership team in Manthan has allowed her to develop and maximise her potential and helped her become a reflective learner and teacher. 

 Ruchika also teaches Economics and Social Sciences in High School. She feels happy when students tell her that she made a difference in their lives and gave them a sense of direction for the future. She feels a personal sense of accomplishment when her students pursue Economics at top institutions such as the London School of Economics, the University of Toronto, New York University, and Ashoka University, to name a few, and is delighted that they keep in touch, share all their new experiences, and discuss the methods they learn at their universities.  

Ms Priya Saxena commenced her tenure with Manthan in 2011, assuming the role of an English Teacher. Armed with a rich 14-year experience in teaching and learning, she holds an MA and an M.Phil in English Literature, complemented by a Bachelor’s degree in Education.

Over the span of more than a decade with Manthan, her steadfast commitment to the institution has allowed her to cultivate an intimate understanding of the values and vision championed by its founders. Throughout this period, she has seamlessly transitioned between various roles, consistently delivering to each endeavour with exceptional dedication and passion.

As the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Subject Lead for the English Department, and Senior English Teacher, Priya plays a pivotal role in shaping the educational landscape. In her capacity as a Safeguarding Lead, she recognises the imperative need for a safe and positive learning environment. Meticulously, she ensures the well-being of learners by offering support, guidance, and protection throughout their critical learning years, guiding them safely towards their goals in collaboration with her team. Her role involves a continuous review of Safeguarding procedures and a proactive approach to staff and student orientation to maintain vigilance.

In her capacity as the Subject Lead, Priya takes charge of the English Language curriculum at Manthan. Her responsibilities include conducting a comprehensive and in-depth review of instructional materials, actively participating in teaching practices, and making valuable contributions to the training and induction of teachers. All these endeavours are directed towards the overarching goal of ensuring an exceptional learning experience for students. As an English teacher at Manthan, she takes immense pride in the literary pursuits of her students. Witnessing their confident communication, participation in prestigious competitions on national and international stages, authoring chapter books, publishing literary pieces, and earning recognition for their language skills at the country level is an ongoing source of profound satisfaction. A constant wellspring of joy and inspiration for her is the invaluable messages and notes from her students, now placed globally, sharing their literary accomplishments and adventures.

Ms Sujatha Raghavan has been teaching Mathematics at Manthan since 2012. In her role as Math Subject Lead, she assists high school students in developing a passion for Math and achieving perfect Math scores on their SAT subject tests. Collaborating with fellow teachers to develop innovative teaching strategies, align curriculum, and create a supportive environment for both students and educators has been incredibly fulfilling since she got the opportunity to influence positive change and witness the growth of students firsthand.  

 Sujatha’s classes on calculus principles have encouraged many students to explore coding beyond school hours and even create board games. During class discussions, students have enquired how Calculus and Matrices can aid future learning and have become inspired to choose Math as their major for graduation. Sujatha is thrilled when her students use their knowledge to tackle problems independently rather than only worry about grades. The school ethos and culture that encourages risk-taking and innovation allowed her to explore new ideas and processes fearlessly. She became more confident in teaching newer curricula, and the continued successes of students have been the cherry on the cake.  

During her tenure, Sujatha has taken on a variety of responsibilities such as assembly activities, taking the lead for the annual day, Diwali Mela, and other school events, which have provided her with a wealth of knowledge and contributed to the team’s success. Her background in classical dance and singing allowed her to guide students in these fields also. This led to her being appointed the Pastoral Care Lead where she oversees the Special Needs team, the Activity team, the Physical Education team, and the selection and stocking of textbooks and stationery for all segments. This has broadened her perspective and aided in her holistic personal growth.  

Ms Vani Blusu has been a Manthanite for over a decade. She began as a Hindi language teacher but got to diversify her skills over time by becoming involved in other activities at the school and even began organising some of them in her role as the Activity Coordinator. As she grew with Manthan, she got promoted as the Content Lead. As Exam Officer for Cambridge Examinations, she had specific unique responsibilities, such as conducting all board exams and providing support in PSAT, Oxbridge, BMAT and other external exams. She is part of the core team determining what subjects to offer students in 11th and 12th grades for AS and A Levels.

Vani is currently the Teacher Leader for High School, and her role encompasses a broad spectrum of responsibilities which include providing ongoing support to students regarding their academic progress, as well as attending to their social and emotional well-being. She is responsible for monitoring student behaviour, ensuring the smooth administration of examinations, and handling subsequent tasks such as report card and grade book management, comments, etc. She is involved in planning remedial classes, overseeing corrections, and procuring necessary teaching and learning resources. She is also a Deputy Safeguarding Lead and is part of the team that handles safeguarding protocols for the school.

Vani collaborates closely with the College & Career Counselling Office to gain insights into students’ future aspirations and help them achieve their career goals. She has supported the office with accurate student transcripts by mapping the internal grades to thresholds set by Cambridge.

Vani has found Manthan to be a safe platform where one can express themselves and take the time to learn new skills without fear of failure. The appreciation she receives for her work is her reward and she finds immense motivation in guiding and inspiring young adults to strive towards achieving their dreams.

Ms Vijayalakshmi Chillarige joined the Manthan research team in 2013 and is the Science Subject Lead. In her first year, she taught science to some of the most confident students she had ever come across in her entire career. Students’ successes in various quiz competitions and science fairs have been a matter of pride for her and her team. The continuous association, participation and achievements of Manthan students in the various programmes conducted by the New York Academy of Science (NYAS) and Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) have been very encouraging.  

Though she had more than 20 years of teaching experience, Manthan provided her with a different learning platform. She felt encouraged to learn and explore at all times without worrying about failures. This pushed her to improve every time, as she was her own only competition. She got the opportunity to attend different Cambridge training sessions at both IGCSE and A levels and these helped her answer students’, teachers’, and parents’ queries comfortably. She practically demonstrated to the students the process of cultivating paddy in the school for one year! The excitement shown by the students during that process has remained an unforgettable experience. 

At Manthan, she got the chance to understand the recruitment process and the freedom to conduct interviews which helped her to improve her thought process in recruiting people with multiple talents and understanding others’ perspectives. While she was the CBSE Principal, she had the opportunity to attend conferences and interact with other school principals and guide them on organising events in their schools.  

Ms Sunanda Choudhury has been with Manthan since 2011 and has the experience of teaching all pre-primary and primary school grades. Seeing her kindergarteners grow up into young, responsible adults gives her an immense sense of satisfaction and happiness, knowing that she has been able to contribute to their journey in some way or another.  

This is Sunanda’s 8th year as Teacher Leader. She started as the TL of the Lower Primary School (Grades 1, 2 and 3) gradually moved up to become the TL of the Upper Primary School (Grades 4-5) and since 2022, has been the Teacher Leader for Middle School. She is also a Deputy Safeguarding Lead and is part of the team that handles safeguarding protocols for the school. 

Being a part of the leadership team at Manthan allowed Sunanda to openly express her feelings about everything and put forward her points of view during discussions. She has the freedom to make decisions for her team and the children under her care.  

Sunanda’s Manthan experience has taught her to empathise and appreciate other points of view. She evaluates situations better, handles crises calmly, and has become a great leader. Manthan has been more like a family rather than a place of employment where she has always received guidance and encouragement from colleagues and the founders whenever needed. This has often encouraged her to stretch her boundaries and take on additional responsibilities when the situation demanded – whether filling in for someone else or taking on a new role. It has been a journey filled with learning, and Manthan has helped her create lasting memories that she will cherish forever. 

Ms Sangita Sarangi is the Subject Lead for Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and has been associated with the school since 2014. Working at Manthan has instilled in her the ability to reason things out, be more patient, take up new challenges and develop her skills as a person, mentor and teacher. Breaking down a task methodically while keeping the objective in mind has been part of her role as a teacher and subject lead, and this has also helped in her personal life.  

Manthan provides a transparent and open platform where disagreements, doubts and opinions are welcomed. Sangita had the opportunity to study the CBSE and IGCSE curriculum, look at different computer subjects offered, and develop the curriculum and content according to the objectives. She has a great team of ICT teachers who support the school’s vision and have helped deliver the curriculum even during the pandemic-enforced remote learning situation.  

Sangita is happiest when high school students go beyond their curriculum and undertake independent research for projects in different subject areas using new technology. Mentoring students in such research work makes her proud of their drive and perseverance. The notes/ emails of gratitude from students, the opportunity to watch middle school kids blossom into successful adults, and the interaction with the worldwide network of Manthan alums – these are her rewards that cannot be measured. The feeling of gratification is the best prize. 

Ms Vijayalakshmi Jayaprakasam is the Teacher Leader of 4th and 5th grades in the Upper Primary school. She has been with Manthan since 2015. She taught science for seven years to primary school students with the main aim of making children understand that science is a part of everyday life. She firmly believes young minds are an ocean of ideas and very quick with interpolation. The happiness and satisfaction students experience when they conduct experiments, explore and draw interesting conclusions made teaching them very rewarding. They exhibit a sense of pride when they find or create something on their own.  

Each year, Vijayalakshmi looks forward to the Checkpoint exams like the children do. Through this preparation phase, she has noticed young learners develop a new sense of responsibility and zeal to perform. Their self-confidence improves, and they become better prepared to handle the challenges of Middle School.  

In her earlier role as the coordinator for Upper Primary, Vijayalakshmi helped plan and organise special assemblies, educational fairs, and celebrations at school and supported the then TL in her operational duties. Since taking over as TL, her responsibilities in the new role have changed. She misses teaching and the fact that she used to go home having learnt more lessons from the students. She now mentors and guides her team of teachers to create, nurture and support the same zeal. She is also a Deputy Safeguarding Lead and is part of the team that handles safeguarding protocols for the school. 

Ms P Nagamalleswari has been teaching French since 2013. She has an Advanced Diploma from English and Foreign Languages University and has completed B2 levels in French. She loves watching students learn from scratch and become fluent in the language. They present their language skills in skits and songs during assemblies. Many of them even write short poems and stories in French! This makes her feel proud as the French Subject Lead. She feels that she has achieved her goal of making them comfortable with a foreign language when they start treating it like their mother tongue. 

Nagamalleswari wants students to be so excited about learning that they look forward to their lessons and grasp the language well. It is such a satisfying experience to be able to help each student learn by whatever method they learn best. Adopting different teaching techniques and motivating them to engage in the learning process actively have been successful strategies for achieving great results in board examinations. 

Teaching, as a profession, has so many facets. It has taught Nagamalleswari to connect with people better and share experiences. The time management sessions that she attended helped her become more efficient. She has developed leadership skills while thoroughly enjoying the process of training and guiding her team members. She is a proud member of the senior leadership team at Manthan. The constant support and motivation she receives from everyone around significantly boosts her personal and professional growth. She feels fortunate to work alongside such dedicated and warm-hearted teachers and to be a part of such an incredible team. 

Ms Shanthi Kolli is the Teacher Leader for Lower Primary School (Grades 1 to 3) who started as a Senior KG Homeroom Teacher. She loves teaching young learners who come with an open mind and an unquenchable thirst to grasp new things – be it a poem, an idea, a story, a song or anything that brings the element of novelty. They are creative, uninhibited and fearlessly say what they feel. 

After three years with kindergarteners, Shanthi began teaching classes in Grades 1 and 2. The workshops conducted by the school equipped her with many teaching methods and helped her understand the curriculum. This made her transition to higher grades easy and seamless. She was regularly appreciated for my creativity and inputs concerning class boards, hands-on activities, class performances in assemblies and annual days, and other special class events, and was eventually promoted to Teacher Leader.  

This career growth has been very encouraging for Shanthi and has given her a great boost of confidence. Working closely with the founders and being a part of the leadership team has allowed her to observe the big picture and how it impacts even the smallest of events in school. She liked the core values of authenticity and respect that Manthan stands for. In Manthan, education is not just about learning the subjects but involves a more holistic process of developing key life skills such as inquiry, deeper learning, critical thinking, etc. These skills help children to become confident and wholesome global citizens eventually. She is also a Deputy Safeguarding Lead and is part of the team that handles safeguarding protocols for the school. 

Ms Farzana Begum joined Manthan on Hindi Diwas in 2012 and used to teach students from Grade 2 to Grade 7. She has since then been part of various IGCSE training sessions and was recently promoted to the role of Hindi Subject Lead.  

Farzana’s educational journey began with limited resources, but her determination was unwavering. She secured a government seat for Hindi Pandit Training (HPT) across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and later completed her Master’s degree. Her teachers have been her guiding lights who always supported her desire to learn and often helped her by lending books and other learning material. This created an immense respect for teaching in Farzana’s mind and she wanted to play the same role for others who needed that guidance.  

Farzana has taught Hindi in several schools before becoming a lecturer in a junior college. Later at MNR College, she donned multiple hats as Hindi Lecturer, examination officer, counsellor, and parent coordinator. This allowed her to become an efficient and effective multi-tasker.  

At Manthan, Farzana has found her groove and is dedicated to creating impact in learners’ lives. She has a passion for writing that continues to find expression in the form of poems written for staff members’ birthdays as well as in the form of literary contributions to Manthan’s Sparsh magazine.  

Ms S V Sweety has been with Manthan since early 2016 and is the Teacher Leader for the Pre-Primary School which follows skills-based learning methods to allow children to become independent. She strongly believes that positive behaviour can be taught and values and morals in children can be inculcated through activities such as assemblies, circle time, role play and storytelling. This helps children to understand and follow concepts like good, bad, truth, lies, kindness, selfishness, etc., much better. Her work routinely puts her in touch with many different yet unique children, and she uses that opportunity to create a positive impact on them. 

Working with children and watching their progress, working with different teachers, mentoring and guiding them as needed; interacting with parents during PTMs; listening to children’s reflections – they all have been enriching experiences and allowed Sweety to improve her own learning. She became aware that she encouraged, inspired, motivated and drew the best out of children. Appreciation emails and positive feedback from parents about how learning and classes were handled online during the pandemic motivated her to work harder.  

Being a part of the senior leadership team, Sweety also had the opportunity to understand operational and teaching dynamics, plan the curriculum for her team, attend training sessions organised by the school, etc. Her perception of her environment has changed. She has more empathy towards children with special needs. Manthan is known for its inclusivity. Watching teachers working with children who need extra support (of course, with parental help) is extraordinary.  

Sweety wishes to be a good influence on learners studying under her supervision. She is also a Deputy Safeguarding Lead and is part of the team that handles safeguarding protocols for the school. 

Ms Bhavani Bheemarasetty is a recent Manthanite who has a Master’s degree in Telugu and a Master’s degree in Sanskrit. She has worked as Telugu faculty and Head of Department for many years with renowned institutions such as Sri Chaitanya Techno School where she spent more than a decade. She has worked in other leadership positions too and has been the Assistant Coordinator at Presdential School.  

Bhavani moved to Hyderabad for her daughter’s education and joined Manthan as the Telugu Subject Lead. She also works to develop content for the subject across grades and her command of the language easily allows her to deliver lessons to learners of different learning capacities. She believes that the principles on which Manthan is founded and run work wonderfully with her life view and are a great backdrop for her teaching skills. This keeps her motivated to contribute to Manthan’s growth and success. 

If you are a Manthan parent, you already know Ms Lata Arora. She is the person who fills parent mailboxes with critical communication from the school. She is also the first point of contact for everything that needs to be communicated with the school. She is the Lead of Parent Coordination and Admissions, and manages parent-school relationship on a day-to-day basis. 

Lata has seen Manthan grow from 300 students to the current strength of close to 2000. Since her initial days as Admissions Coordinator, she has been hands-on with almost every admission and knows each student and their parents. She has coordinated, briefed, and counselled parents seeking admission for their children. As Parent Coordinator, she is responsible for all parent communication – letters informing of meetings, trips, workshops, etc. or the agenda and communication regarding parent-teacher meetings. She also handles appointments, organises meetings, and provides rapid and proactive responses to time-sensitive issues and requests. 

Lata’s work requires organisational skills, promptness and diligence. She provides support to the leadership team in the day-to-day dissemination of duties. Working alongside leaders from different domains has helped her learn and deal with varied personalities and understand their viewpoints. She feels fortunate to have brilliant colleagues and supportive leadership who have always coached and encouraged her in her role. 

Ms Shweta Katodia has been with Manthan since 2013. She joined as the Recruitment Manager when the school was expanding to a new campus in Tellapur and had the mandate to complete massive hiring of teachers and staff for the new campus. It was hectic yet exciting, and the initial recruitment phase was a fantastic experience that she will always remember with great joy and pride because she succeeded in attracting immensely talented hires. 

In her time at Manthan, Shweta has been continuously encouraged to learn and explore opportunities without worrying about failure. When she moved to the Tellapur campus, she continued with her recruiting responsibilities and also actively participated in organising teacher training sessions. She is now the Employee Relations Manager and responsible for the entire gamut of Human Resource functions. Her inspiration has been the core HR values of transparency, empathy and mutual respect that Manthan swears by. She enjoys the congenial work environment. She has autonomy to make important decisions and this trust has allowed her to improve professionally and develop her capacity. She is a stronger team player and has more confidence in facing any challenging situation with ease. This positivity and “can do” attitude are direct results of her Manthan association. 

Shweta has gradually built a team over the years to support her in the HR initiatives implemented in Manthan. She believes her experience in Manthan has made her a better individual and a responsible leader, which in turn helps her achieve her professional goals and often go beyond them. 

Mr Phani Kiran joined Manthan in 2009 and now leads the IT Team. He has grown personally and professionally with the school. He coordinates with the Administration, Research & Content teams, Teachers, Teacher Leaders, Subject Leaders, and his IT team, to ensure the use of the latest and the safest technology.  

IT services are used in three broad areas – for school operations, learning support, and technology learning- for which there are well-equipped ICT labs, necessary software, tools, etc. Phani enjoys what he does and is surrounded by a wonderful team of amazing people. Manthan is a place for continuous learning for everyone – students, teachers, and staff.  

The simultaneous growth of his career and his self has been Phani’s most significant achievement, and it gives him the motivation to keep scaling new heights. It has allowed him to face all the challenges and helped him develop new skills such as leadership, entrepreneurial skills, interpersonal skills and a positive attitude. He appreciates the Manthan family and his colleagues, who are now his friends, that he made along the way! He looks forward to work and loves contributing to Manthan’s growth.