It does not come as a surprise that Col V N Sathya Rao bats for holistic development as he himself is an all-rounder in more ways than one. A national level badminton player he also played Squash and Golf as part of the Army team. A battle scarred veteran who participated in insurgency/military operations in Kashmir Valley-1996-98, was a member of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in 1988-90 in Sri Lanka, he took voluntary retirement after serving in the Army for 20 years.
Presently, he has taken charge as Director, Narayana Education Group and is working to set up two international schools in Hyderabad which are slated to open in 2025. Col Sathya has travelled to 53 countries and in his second innings he played a major role in setting up and nurturing Indus schools. As a core member of the strategy decision making team at Indus Trust where he worked for 20 years he set up 4 IB K 12 schools at Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune & Belgaum. He also played a major role in the establishment of 10 Indus Early Learning Centres at Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai & Belgaum.
A stickler for discipline who even now cycles 30-40 km every week, Col Sathya gives a lot of importance for sports and leadership. He was the director of the Indus Schools of Leadership, a unique school from 2010 to 2023. He says, “There is no school in the world such as this.”
He feels sports and outdoor activities are important. He took students on mountaineering expeditions. He says, “The benefits are so many. They challenge themselves, overcome fear, gain confidence, experience buddy system.” He further adds, “When a student completes a 60-feet rope course a streak of competitiveness builds up. It changes his or her perspective to life. We need to put students through experiences that stay for life. We included activities such as 50 km trek, 75 km cycling, rock climbing, river rafting.”
Talking about the difference an Army officer can make to a school, Col Sathya says, “Apart from discipline, administration is our forte. An officer can conduct events with few resources and set up systems and processes. Our strength lies in leading from the front. The advice he gives officers joining private schools is invaluable-“The day you shed your uniform, shed your ego.”
In International schools students come from affluent backgrounds who are normally classroom bound but when they are introduced to outdoor activities and live in communities they learn a lot.
