-Paromita Sengupta (Bengaluru)

TSOR aerial view: state of flow philosophy

Dr. Suneel Thummala is founder-director of the newly promoted greenfield The School of Raya (TSOR, estb.2023), Bengaluru. Sited on a nine-acre campus in Dasanayakanahalli, a suburb of the garden city, TSOR, distinguished by its unique architecture of six circular buildings with green terraces and large classroom windows, is a candidate school of the Geneva/Hague-based International Baccalaureate (IB) examination board.

Newspeg. In August, this co-ed international day school is all set to welcome its first cohort of 50 primary (classes I-VIII) children mentored by 35 highly qualified teachers.

History. A polymath alum of Bengaluru’s Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University (USA) and top-ranked Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, Dr. Thummala worked in advanced medical research in Virginia Commonwealth University, prior to his return to India in 2017 to serve as a trustee-manager of the family-promoted Bengaluru-based Indian Academy Group of institutions. The Indian Academy Group comprises five colleges (pre-university, undergrad and postgrad) with an enrolment of 5,000 students. Two years later, Thummala started ideating, designing and eventually promoted TSOR “where education transcends the ordinary, inviting students to embrace a transformative journey like no other”.

TSOR’s USP (unique sales proposition) is its “artistically packaged” environment-friendly campus which includes India’s only skatepark within a school, a 55 ft. high climbing wall with two speed lanes, a FIFA approved football ground, 200m oval athletics track among other outdoor sports facilities. A 25,000 sq.ft indoor sports complex provides facilities for basketball, badminton, swimming, squash, combat sports and strength training, supplemented with sufficient seating capacity to host national-level sports competitions.

Dr. Suneel Thummala

Direct talk. “Raya means ‘flow’ in the ancient Pali language, reflecting the school’s philosophy of helping students achieve a state of flow to attain maximum potential, productivity, and satisfaction. This concept is deeply embedded in the school’s ethos and visibly reflected in our physical structure and design. The purpose behind TSOR’s unique architecture and IB-enabled curriculum is to nurture young minds and inspire mindful living by integrating nature with concrete. Our circular design language replaces the corridors and boxes of conventional schools with winding pathways, ramps, courtyards and greenery. The objective is to transform school education into an engaging journey of discovery and experiential learning,” explains Thummala.

Future plans. With construction of TSOR’s nine-acre green campus — with maximum capacity capped at 750 children — 80 percent complete, Thummala’s next objective is to implement this avant-garde school’s ambitious teaching-learning blueprint. “Achieving this will require dedicated effort, passion, and persistence. We intend to ensure that the learning experience of our students is our best advertisement by transforming the TSOR dream into reality and providing an exceptional educational experience for our young learners,” says Thummala.

God speed!