Gitanjali JB

Gitanjali (born 27 December 1972) is a social entrepreneur and educationist. After having founded several business and social ventures, she is currently setting up Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh, as its Founding member & CEO. HIAL is an alternative institute for mountain development that aims to revolutionise higher education in India through the pedagogy of contextual and experiential learning. Gitanjali is a spiritual seeker with a deep interest in Indian Spirituality. She is a lifelong student of Sri Aurobindo’s philosophy, Vedas and the Upanishads.
Early Life
Gitanjali was born in Balasore, Orissa in a Punjabi Jain family. She studied in St. Vincent's Convent School till class 7th and then in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Balasore till class 10th. At the age of 16, she visited Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry which was to change her life forever. It was during this time she met her mentor, K.D. Sethna, (Amal Kiran), an 88 year old poet, writer and philosopher who, along with Sri Aurobindo & his spiritual collaborator, Mirra Alfassa also called The Mother became an important influence, in her life.
Business & Social Ventures
Helios Books
Gitanjali is the founder & publisher of Helios Books, an independent English publishing house founded in 2009. The vision of Helios Books is bringing out quality books in various genres, in order to showcase the best of India and its forgotten glory and other universal human values to the world.. Some of the titles published by Helios Books are Wind and the Rain, Back to the BCs, Sivagami Sapatham, Poorva, First Edition of Savitri and Bot. Sivagamiyin Sapatham was translated by author and journalist Pavithra Srinivasan for English readers to enjoy, the English translation of the book was published by Helios Books. A series of historical fiction based on Ashoka, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana titled "Back to the BCs" was published by Helios Books to kindle interest in Indian History amongst younger generations.
AUM Hospitals
Gitanjali acquired a majority stake in Auromed (AUM) Hospitals in Pondicherry in 2012 in order to provide affordable, holistic and quality healthcare to all. Since its acquisition AUM Hospitals has developed into a multi speciality transplant & tertiary care centre. Gitanjali has bold dreams to bring about a convergence of alternative & indigenous preventive and curative practices into modern medicine to make healthcare holistic.
Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh, HIAL
Gitanjali is the Founding Member & CEO of HIAL.
Interests
Educational Reforms
Gitanjali's interest in educational reforms was ignited when as a child she could not relate to what she was studying in the books. But the opportunity to do something about it came when she headed a Cambridge School in Chennai in 2015. She began to work on redrafting the curriculum which reached its culmination when she was invited to advise and lead the curriculum design and development for Maharashtra International Educational Board, MIEB, an international Board being set up by the Maharashtra Government in 2017.
Karate
Gitanjali is a black-belt in Karate and a world champion which she won along with her son, Aryan, at Pittsburg, USA in 2009 She enrolled in Karate to inspire her son who was 5 years old that that time, as she believes in teaching by example rather by than instruction or influence.
Published Articles
Some Central Themes in Sri Aurobindo's Major Works

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