GROWING A LEGACY How Maranatha is fortifying a strong educational tradition in India. By Dustin Comm Photos by Tom Lloyd
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n the northeast of India lies one of the very first Seventh-day Adventist schools ever opened in the country. Located in the state of Jharkhand (meaning “bushland”), the Khunti Adventist School has a quiet, rural setting but a booming enrollment. More than 1,300 students attend the school which opened in 1937. The campus started with humble beginnings–the Adventist families in the community constructed a mud hut classroom with a thatched roof and hand-dug a water well. However, the campus has grown from a single building to today’s sprawling 37-acre campus, with classrooms for elementary and high school students, dormitories, a cafeteria, and staff housing. Although it is a Christian school in a majority Hindu region, the Khunti school has come to be regarded with distinction. The people here live in villages and lead simple lives, earning humble wages through a trade, like tailoring or pottery-making. As one of the only English-speaking schools in the area, families are eager for their children to attend Khunti, where they also learn about Jesus and the Bible. Student Arzoo Warsi comes from a Muslim family but has attended the Khunti school where she learns about Christianity. “I learned many things about Christ,” says Warsi. “I learned how to read the Bible. I learned how to pray to God in every situation—not only in need, but in every situation when I am happy or sad. I carry one Bible always with me, and in morning and before going to bed, I read it, and I pray to God. Whenever I’m alone—I feel
“I learned how to read the Bible. I learned how to pray to God in every situation.”