Last weekend, a whole bunch of alumni families met at Aarohi. We got to reconnect with the campus and with each other and see how everyone is doing.
Turns out—everyone’s living regular lives. Open learning didn’t take that away. We’re all chasing aspirations, hitting bumps, getting back up, reaching goals, and missing some. Basically, we’re living life like everyone else. And honestly, it’s such a relief to see that OL didn’t make us special (whatever that means), or worse, superhuman.
- Young adults (18+) who’ve been with Aarohi are running businesses—some more successful than others—but each staying the course and figuring things out.
- Teens are diving into what they love to learn, and since it’s summer, many are also toying with the idea of earning from it—some already are.
- Younger ones are simply being their naturally curious selves.
- Some of them have returned to formal schooling or are pursuing bachelor’s degree.
- And parents are learning to navigate how open learning evolves as kids grow into teens and young adults.
All very normal stuff, like I said.
And yet, there’s something clearly extraordinary about this ordinary.
My personal journey with Aarohi started in 2016, and ever since Aarohi has been making it normal to pause and pay attention to how the pursuit of something feels—without getting spooked when it felt hard, or overly attached when it felt great. That ability to observe and calibrate what we feel—not dismiss it or glorify it—has come from years of reflection and thought clubs. And it’s become a kind of inner compass. That’s what makes being “ordinarily human” feel kind of extraordinary.
Aarohi, to me, has never felt like just an “alternative” space. It’s not an escape from education—it’s a reimagining of it. A space where learning is led by curiosity, by passion, by being alive. Where it’s okay to fall in love with something, obsess over it, then drift away and fall for something else. Where no one’s chasing marks or approval, but everyone’s chasing something deeper.
It’s okay to fall in love with something, obsess over it, then drift away and fall for something else!
It’s a space where collaboration is more natural than comparison. Where failure isn’t catastrophic, just temporarily scary. Where reflection holds more value than reprimand. Aarohi didn’t necessarily innovate in subjects or pedagogy—but it offered, and continues to offer, a spectacular journey that transforms the learner (and their families). And to me, that’s a pretty big deal.
What I find truly special is that it’s not just a place for people who don’t fit into the system—it’s for those who don’t need the system in the first place.
It’s not a refuge from failure—it’s a launchpad for wild, authentic growth.
Aarohi is a powerful, radical invitation to learn differently. To live differently.
I can’t wait for more children and teens to hop on the ride.
This is a guest post from Prashanth Udupa, parent of 14 year old open-learner, forever Aarohi.