In every institution built on purpose rather than profit, challenges are inevitable. Schools that grow out of ideals especially those serving rural and underprivileged communities often face trials that test both conviction and creativity. For Manya Patil Seth, these values of service, perseverance, and purpose were not abstract concepts but a natural inheritance.
Born into a family where public service, politics and the arts were deeply entwined, Manya Patil Seth grew up in Pune as the youngest of three daughters of the eminent social-activist-politician Shivajirao Girdhar Patil. Her father began his social activism in his teens, participating in the independence movement and later serving in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Council and even the Rajya Sabha. Eventually, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2013 for his public affairs contributions.
Manya Patil Seth mother, Vidyatai Patil (née Vidyotama Deshmukh), shared a spirit of adventure and entrepreneurship with her husband, modelling for her daughters a life of independence, exploration and service.
Manya describes her childhood as “quite magical … simple … youngest of the three daughters … surrounded by gardens, flowers, trees, pets.” In that environment she says she was “very reserved and extremely shy,” loving reading and solitary play. Yet, Manya Patil Seth was quietly absorbing the example of enterprising parents, be it – travel, business-ventures, a democratic household where freedom of choice was encouraged, not forced.
Manya Patil Seth Creative Beginnings and Formative Years
Even as a young girl Manya realised her affinity for the creative realm. Manya Patil Seth tells of design ambitions at age 8-9 , she wanted to do dress-designing. In school she remarks she “was never a very bright student in terms of academics … average … but in anything that required an artistic skill, I was very good … always topped in art subjects.”
Following this inclination she studied textile design in Mumbai, then proceeded to a fashion-design degree at the celebrated Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. She even earned costume-designer credits on six or seven films.
Manya’s elder sister, the legendary actress Smita Patil, worked in over 80 films and became a feminist icon in Indian cinema. While Manya did not follow directly into acting, this rich familial environment- arts, activism, freedom of choice shaped her worldview that creativity, service and empowerment could coexist.
Rooted in Service
Although Manya says she’s “not trained as an educationist,” Manya Patil Seth path to heading a school was framed by family legacy and social purpose. Manya Patil Seth father and mother were passionate about education for the under-privileged, rural children who lacked access to good English-medium schooling. About 29 years ago, her father began an English-medium school in his constituency – small, for farmers’ children from modest-income families. Over time the school evolved, was affiliated to CBSE, and Manya assumed leadership in 2022 following her father’s passing and a handover from her sister.
Vision, Challenges & Innovations
Manya articulates the foundational vision: access to good English-medium education for rural children, aiming to bridge the transition from local schooling into higher education. The school continues to operate as a non-profit enterprise, where the fees is kept minimal; any surplus is reinvested back into infrastructure or learning-facilities.
She explains that the school’s journey has not been without challenges. The pandemic years, in particular, posed enormous hurdles. Located in a rural area where even today internet connectivity can be erratic, the school had to quickly adapt to remote learning despite limited digital infrastructure. Teachers, scattered across different states from Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to Himachal and Uttarakhand rose to the occasion with remarkable creativity, using WhatsApp groups, mobile phones, and hand-drawn lesson notes to keep students engaged.
Another significant challenge came with the transition from the state board to the CBSE curriculum, which demanded a complete overhaul of teaching methods, evaluation patterns, and faculty training. Beyond these operational shifts, Manya continues to grapple with a more persistent issue – the low enrolment in classes 11 and 12. Despite offering higher secondary education with adequate facilities, many parents prefer to send their children to local coaching centers or smaller day schools, as residential education often proves expensive for farming families from low and middle-income backgrounds. Balancing affordability with quality remains a delicate task but one she approaches with both pragmatism and empathy.
Despite the challenges, Manya Patil Seth has ambitious plans and looks forward to introducing facilities such as a sports lab, gaming lab, robotics and tinkering lab, specialized AV rooms, and much more. She also envisions optimal utilization of the existing digitized smart classrooms, along with the two ICT labs and the math, language, science, and art labs. She emphasises that the education journey must be innovative, not just procedural: “I tell my new teachers… you just go ahead and experiment… If you don’t allow people to experiment… how will they grow?”
Leadership Style & Personal Philosophy
Manya’s leadership style is shaped by her upbringing and creative background. She says she doesn’t believe in conventional “work–life balance” for her professional and personal merge. She preserves mental-energy by avoiding “mindless socialising,” preferring close, enriching friendships, and time in her garden or with her cats.
Her emphasis for her team – “Be passionate about what you do. If you’re passionate you will learn what you need to learn.” She fosters a culture of risk-taking and curiosity. In her words, she breaks rules “thoughtfully.” The key challenge she identifies is not resources, but people’s readiness to change especially when entrenched mind-sets resist innovation.
On the sweeping changes in technology and AI, her view is grounded – “AI is just one more thing. We should be competent at ruling it. … We must never ever give up the really, really old-fashioned way of learning or teaching … we have to learn how to combine these two elements.”
Legacy & Impact
With her heritage and her present role as President-Trustee of the school (and the underlying Trust), Manya occupies a niche intersection, balancing – arts, service, education perfectly. Under her leadership the school is not merely imparting academic instruction, but seeking holistic development, community upliftment, and a sense of empowerment for children who might otherwise be educationally marginalized. Her story proves that creativity and compassion can translate into structured impact.
