Management

Manasa Jyothi is actively managed by Shobha Madhyastha, and Maartje van den Brand from the Netherlands. Since 2011 they have created a team with 6 people that work daily with the children. All staff members follow non-violent principles in order to give the children a good example of how to work and live without any struggle. The happiness and guidance of the children is their most important aim.

The teaching is mostly done by Miss Maartje and Miss Shobha. In the future Manasa Jyothi hopes to extend the staff with more people who are specialised in working with handicapped children. Manasa Jyothi is a perfect place for volunteers from all over the world. The children are used to new volunteers and foreigners.

Since we have moved to Koni most volunteers came from the Netherlands via Miss Maartje. For the upcoming months a psychologist from the Netherlands and a teacher from Germany will come to support the team of Manasa Jyothi Koni.

Miss Shobha Madhyasta

Hailing from a reputed family, Shobha acquired her unique and versatile personality from her parents, Sri Gopala Madhyasta and Mrs. Kamala Madhyasta.

Shobha got her BA degree from Bhandarskars College.  She is a Sanskrit teacher and also a Yoga teacher, and has conducted Yoga classes at Bhandarskars College.

After the sad demise of her father she looked after family business for many years in high ethical standard.  

She has worked as coordinator of FSL before taking up administration of Manasa Jyothi.

She is serving the  ICICI Prudential Bank as a advisor, and also works in the development committee of Govt. Junior college Kundapur.  

As well as serving as a director of Mahila cooperating society Kundapura.

Maartje van den Brand

Miss Maartje van den Brand is originally from the Netherlands but the last 10 years she has been adopting the Indian life style and culture as if it where her own. She speaks Kannada and lives with an Indian family.

Her father, Mr. Jan van den Brand, has been a jail superintended in The Netherlands for many years, but the last 25 years he dedicated his live to work voluntary for different organisations, including UNICEF and the UN, to improve the Human Rights of people in prison.

After high school graduation, at age 18 Maartje moved to Canada, Ontario, for one year to increase her awareness of the world and study. After this year she went back to the Netherlands and started her studies in Health Care and Physiotherapy in Amsterdam. After graduation she decided to apply for the NGO SOMOI, a non-profit organization that works in Indonesia. She worked for a year in the slums of Makassar, Sulawesi with children with special needs.

When she came back she became a board member of this NGO for 5 years until she moved to India in 2007. Coming back after her year in Indonesia Maartje decided to start her own practice as a physiotherapist in the Netherlands. She also worked at a school for mental and physical disabled children for 7 years. In 2007 she felt that her need to do ‘good’ called again. She decided to give up her practice and teaching position and left her family and friends behind to move to India.

Arriving at Manasa Jyothi she felt that she was needed in this place, because the circumstances at that time were not good at all. She was actually planning on staying just for a couple of months to improve the health care of the children and to implement an educational program from Manasa Jyothi. But the children from Manasa Jyothi stole her heart and she decided to stay and dedicate her life to the children of Manasa Jyothi. 

Shobha and miss Maartje have been working day in and day out for the benefit of the special kids of Manasa Jyothi. In-fact they are the real positive force behind the success story of Manasa Jyothi Institute. Shobha has received Para-legal volunteer certificate from Legal Service Authority of Karnataka.

Manasa Jyothi is proud and fortunate to have the amazingly dedicated and service oriented pair of Miss Maartje and Miss Shobha.

Trustees

President:

Dr. B.V Udupa

Karthik  Scanning  Centre  Kundapura. 

Secretary : 

Mr. P. Prabhakar Pai 

Retd. Bank mananger, 

kUNDAPURA 

Treasurer : 

Mr. B. Srinivasa Udupa 

Retd. Bank Manager, 

JAPTHI 

Other Trustees : 

* Dr. Adarsha Hebbar

Adarsha Hospital Kundura

Mr. P. Jayavanth Pai 

Canara Bank Employee & newspaper Correspondent, 

KUNDAPURA 

Mr. U. Surendra Shenoy 

Kundaprabha Editor, 

KUNDAPURA 

K. Krishna Kanchan

M/S K.K. Marble and Granite Kundapura

Mr. B. Sathya Narayn Udupa 

Advocate Japthi

Mr. B Udaykumar  Shetty 

Bailur Educational Trust (R.), Kundapura

Mr. Vasudeva Karanth 

Retd. Manager, Syndicate Bank, Saligrama 

Mr. Muralidhar Ulloora

Chartered accountant

Bangalore / Japthi

Mr Vijay Balegar

Business man Basrur

Auditor : 

M/s. Malya & Maiya, 

KUNDAPURA 

Legal Advisor : 

Mr. Ravikiran Murdeshwar, 

KUNDAPURA 

Administrator : 

Ms. Shobha Madhyastha, 

KUNDAPURA 

Mob: 9964373283 

Chief Mentor

Maartje van den Brand, The Netherlands

Mob: 9663052804

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