Welcome to Educational Praxis and the Bapagrama Educational Center.    Bapagrama Educational Center, located in Bangalore, South India, was started in 1949 by Saraswathi Natarajan, a respected activist in the struggles of the poor and exploited peoples, with Gandhi's advice.  The school has a long tradition of social service and community organizing.  Named after Thakkar Bapa, a co-worker of Gandhi, who believed in equality of all people and who was against the caste system, the school became a place for children from poor families to learn and grow.  The founders' efforts are still alive today with the help of Bapagrama teachers and community activists in the Bangalore area.  The international group Educational Praxis, based in Vermont, as well as all those who have traveled to Bapagrama, are very important supporters of the school.  The school is co-educational, anti-caste and secular.  It is the only free school in the area, and students walk to it from nearby villages. For most of the students this is a chance to continue to study beyond elementary level.  There are about 400 students who participate in a course of study that includes literacy, agriculture, science, appropriate technology, mathematics, sustainable development, community organizing, arts and social sciences.  Bapagrama Educational Center is recognized by the state of Karnataka, and is partially funded by the state, with the rest of its support coming from donations.