This IIM Alumnus' Big Dream Was Starting A School: A Himalayan Trek Changed His Life And Ideas Of "Schooling" 

Anubhav Jain went on his first Himalayan trek with us as an MBA student 10 years ago. He emerged from the trek a different person; knowing in his heart that one day, he must return and bring others on the very journey that changed him.

That moment arrived in December 2024. Standing at the edge of a dense Chhattisgarh jungle with his students on their first wilderness trek, he felt the same nervous excitement. And fear.

Was he crazy to bring his students here? Was it reckless idealism?

“I wondered if my zidd (stubbornness) would backfire. Is my love for the outdoors putting my students in ‘danger?’ But if not now, when? This is the age when children’s personalities develop. Who they become at this age – their thoughts and ideas – will shape the kind of adults they grow up to be,” shares Anubhav.

And with a leap of faith, students from The Abode, School of Dreams set off into the wild jungles of Chhattisgarh, wide-eyed wanderers and all heart.

It All Began In 2014…

The earlier one imbibes a love for the outdoors, the deeper the relationship with nature.

It certainly wasn’t the case for Anubhav. His love for the outdoors began a little later in life at the most unexpected place – an MBA programme!

He learned about the Himalayan Outbound Programme (HOP) with Indiahikes after enrolling in IIM Indore. It was a four-credit course and mandatory back then. The programme seemed like a fun trip, a chance for batchmates to hang out.

Four days into the Himalayan Outbound Programme changed everything for him.

“Goodness, we were clueless! It’s the same way you never know whether you like poetry or not until you read it. That’s how I stumbled into a love for the outdoors - accidentally, and what a great blessing in disguise,” recalls Anubhav.

“My first impressions of Anubhav during the HOP? I was deeply impressed by his humility and his curiosity. I clearly remember our conversations - even though it was 10 years back! Conversations that were philosophical yet focused on action that would bring purpose to life,” shares Izzat Yaganagi, Director at Indiahikes School of Outdoor Learning.

That was 2014. Anubhav loved the experience so much that he signed up as a volunteer for the HOP even after graduating from IIM. He volunteered thrice from 2015 to 2017.

Each trek deepened his conviction in the transformative power of the outdoors. He felt an immense gratitude for having lived it firsthand—because only through experience can one truly grasp its impact.

Trekking Inspired Monumental Shifts In Perspective And Purpose 

Somewhere between his time as an MBA student and a volunteer on the programme, a profound shift in perspective took place.

On looking at “education” from a new lens

Anubhav studied outside his hometown, Kareli at a very young age. Kareli is 100 kilometres from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. 

Like most places in India, the literacy rates on paper are stellar. The quality of education? Not so much. Doing well in examinations is considered important, and everything else is secondary.

The big dream was always to open a new-age school in Kareli. But the definition of education changed after attending the HOP. It began with the kind of people Anubhav met in the mountains.

“I met beautiful people who have achieved so much in life, working in the mountains with such humility. Many of your trek leaders had left conventional, lucrative jobs to work in the mountains. You had CEOs and directors of companies volunteering for the HOP, simply out of passion for the outdoors,” muses Anubhav.

With that, came new ideas about what education means. Education is not limited to fancy degrees and what books you read. Education must build character and humility – that one remains rooted no matter how far you go or achieve in life.

On learning how to lead with empathy and altruism

The challenges and activities on the HOP nudged new ways of thinking. On the HOP, teams must plan and execute a successful Himalayan trek. The mission is considered “successful” only when everyone in the team summits.

“We were already worried for ourselves – can “I” complete the trek? It turned into an emotional experience where you have to push your own self and also help somebody else do it. But our thought process shifted – it’s not you alone in this journey. Helping others began to recharge our energy, instead of draining us. The memory of literally carrying people along, motivating them, and witnessing their joy at the end was the sweetest memory. How difficult it is to be truly empathetic and altruistic,” says Anubhav.

Coming Full Circle - What Trekking Has Taught His Students

Fast forward exactly a decade later in the jungles of Chhattisgarh, life had come full-circle. His students were trekking together for the first time – experiencing the same range of emotions he did.

Some students were in the spirit of “I’m going to do this and I will reach first!” Some raced ahead while others lagged behind. Soon, tiny complaints began making the rounds. “Where are we?” “Why are we doing this?” “I’m homesick.” “See, I told you we shouldn’t have come here!”

The trek, the activities, and reflection sessions changed all of it.

Children understood what working together and healthy competition means

Everyone pushed their limits but never left anyone behind. When one person stopped, everyone stopped without hesitation. "Trekking helped them see that in order to do their best, they do not have to make others lose. Sab ka bhalo ho, apna bhi bala ho,” says Anubhav.

Children gained a deeper understanding of the world and themselves

“What years of teaching and preaching could not do, just one day of picking up trash as part of Green Trails at Indiahikes taught students why they should not litter. They began questioning what a tissue paper was doing in a forest so remote! And now, they are practising this in school as well. They have started questioning their own behaviours and realising that ‘I do not have to be this person,’” shares Anubhav.  

What kind of person do I want to be? The purpose of education is to nudge us towards the right answers. Being immersed outdoors is among the first but significant steps in that direction.

Children returned more confident with a spring in their steps

The Abode School of Dreams started with UKG, and the first batch joined the school in 2017. They are now in Grade 7. 

The entire class, as a family, trekked together. Nobody opted out. Many students were venturing out of home on their own for the first time. Every child has returned home completely charged and energised!

"We had our annual function of the school on 8th January 2025. The children who went on the trek shone in a different way, despite still being tired or having fallen a bit unwell. They performed on the stage with so much confidence and spontaneity compared to their rehearsals a few weeks before the trek. Their self-worth has increased multifold. Parents have been calling us to share that the trek has completely changed their children," Anubhav explains.

Last we checked, students haven’t stopped asking when they can go on a Himalayan trek!

The seeds of an idea were planted in the Himalayas years ago, leading to the creation of The Abode, School of Dreams, fittingly named. A school where “Children come first,” which is a philosophy we at InSOUL whole-heartedly live by, too.

This story moved us in indescribable ways. We hope it moves others to walk their own paths of purpose and meaning.

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