Dalai Lama inaugartes Somaiya School in Mumbai

Spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Saturday inaugurated the Somaiya School in suburban Mumbai. Surrounded by children performing the 'lezim' Maharashtrian folk dance, he discussed the richness of ancient Indian knowledge and traditions.

He urged the students on the need to work hard on building up on that ancient knowledge and move forward for faster progress.

"Institutions like this should co-ordinate, discuss and exchange their experiences with one another for growth and development. There is a great need for educational institutions to be developed with the ethos of persevering and promoting Indian culture," the Dalai Lama said, commending the work of Somaiya Vidyavihar.

Nestled among old trees and lush greenery, the new Somaiya School stands on a three-acre plot within the sprawling 65 acre Somaiya Vidyavihar Campus, in Vidyavihar suburb of northeast Mumbai.

Built over 100,000 sq. feet, it has two wings including one dedicated for the pre-primary section besides resource rooms, learning centres and other features with a student-teacher ratio of 10:1.

"The focus of our school is to build the child's self esteem by giving an environment that encourages them to good academics. We use international methodology, whilst inculcating Indian Values. We are the only school that will teach various languages such as English, Marathi, Sanskrit, Hindi and French from the young age beginning Grade 1," said trustee Amrita Somaiya.