Last month, our team travelled to Mumbai to attend Saparya, the national conference of the Indian Montessori Foundation, and we returned from the gathering with deep gratitude and renewed responsibility. One of the most moving moments was the felicitation of Zarin Malva — our beloved Zarin Aunty — whose life’s work has shaped Montessori education in India and whose guidance has deeply influenced Supraja. Witnessing her being honoured, surrounded by the generations she has mentored, was profoundly meaningful. In Supraja’s earliest days, Zarin Aunty’s clarity and honesty helped us see what it truly means to serve our community. Her uncompromising commitment to Montessori principles continues to guide us in our efforts to remain faithful to the work.
The citation read at the conference beautifully captured her extraordinary contribution:
It is with deep respect and gratitude that we felicitate Ms. Zarin Malva for her life’s work and her enduring contribution to Montessori education in India.
Zarin Aunty (as she is affectionately known) has spent a large part of her life in the service of the Montessori philosophy. Her journey reflects integrity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to the child. Her work has been Montessori-inspired in the truest sense. She began working with Ms. Dubash as a girl and later received her AMI Montessori training in Philadelphia, where she developed a strong grounding in Montessori work.
In 1988, she initiated the AMI Montessori course from Shri Jain Mahila Samaj, laying a firm foundation for high-quality Montessori teacher education. In the years that followed, she took this work forward through the RTI Montessori Training Course, continuing her mission of preparing teachers striving always to closely adhere to Montessori principles. In doing so, she not only carried forward the work of earlier stalwarts, but also re-invigorated Montessori practice.
For close to four decades, Zarin Aunty has been deeply involved in training teachers, offering guidance and mentorship to the alumni who sought her help. Generations of Montessori educators have benefitted from her clarity of thought, exacting standards, and profound understanding of the developing child. Known for speaking her mind with honesty and conviction, she has always placed the work first – above personal comfort or compromise. Her insights into the Montessori approach have made her a trusted and influential voice in the Montessori community.
Equally significant is her contribution to keeping people together, rallying them and inspiring them to understand and work for children beyond the classroom. She has helped foster a shared sense of purpose among Montessori teachers and Montessori schools. Through her commitment and by personal example, she has offered strength to people who carry the work forward. Her legacy lives on not only in those she trained directly, but in the work of Montessori practitioners across the country. The Montessori trainers who have trained under her count themselves fortunate to have had access to her wisdom.
Today, we honour Zarin Aunty for her lifetime of service and her profound impact on Montessori education in India, nurturing trainers, teachers, and parents, and touching the lives of countless children.