From shaping small-town schools into nationally recognized institutions to leading premier campuses under the historic Podar Education Network, Sudhir Mahajan has dedicated over two decades to transforming academic environments, integrating intellectual, physical, and cultural development.

शिक्षा का लक्ष्य महज़ डिग्री नहीं होती, सिंधु की सीमा छोटी नहीं होती, 
और बागडोर देश की कल जो संभालेगा, उस युवा का लक्ष्य महज़ रोटी नहीं होती।

With these profound words, Sudhir Mahajan, Principal of Podar International School, Indore, sets the tone for his story—education is not mere credential-seeking but a vehicle to create responsible leaders and holistic individuals.

The Podar Education Network, founded in 1927 by Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Jamnalal Bajaj, and Anandilal Poddar, has a rich heritage rooted in value-based education. Mahajan has been part of this mission since 2012, and in 2025, after completing 13 years, he now leads the Indore campus of the institution as its Principal.

His vision defines holistic development through these three core dimensions:

1. Intellectual Development through an integrated CBSE curriculum that encourages balanced mastery across subjects.

2. Physical Development via well-equipped indoor and outdoor sports facilities provided by the network.

3. Character Development, grounded in India’s cultural ethos, learning to connect with others with empathy and understanding.

He shares a timeless anecdote: when a gentleman criticized Swami Vivekananda’s attire abroad, Vivekananda replied that in some lands a gentleman is made by clothing, but in India, our civilization and culture make a gentleman. He illustrates cultural harmony with these lines:

मंदिर में दाना चुगकर चिड़ियां, मस्जिद में पानी पीती हैं।
मैंने सुना है राधा की चुनरी, कोई सलमा बेगम सीती हैं।
एक रफ़ी था महफ़िल में, रघुपति राघव गाता था,
एक प्रेमचंद बच्चों को, ईदगाह सुनाता था।
कभी कन्हैया की महिमा गाता रसखान सुनाई देता है।
औरों को दिखते होंगे हिंदू और मुसलमान,
मुझे तो हर शख्स के भीतर, बस इंसान दिखाई देता है…

For Sudhir Mahajan, this cultural integration—Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—is not only historic but essential to nurture empathetic global citizens.

Principal Sudhir Mahajan’s commitment to education is deeply personal, stemming from his own upbringing in Bambhada, a village in Burhanpur district renowned as a village of teachers. Education, as he puts it, was embedded in his DNA.

After completing his early schooling in the village, he pursued his studies through various institutions—ninth grade in Khandwa, secondary schooling in Mhow, a B.Sc. from Vikram University, Ujjain, an M.Sc. from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore, and an MBA from a college in Gwalior where eminent personalities like former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and poet Shivmangal Singh Suman had studied.

His early professional life began with Vikram Woollens, an Aditya Birla Group company, where he worked as an Assistant Personnel Officer. Yet, education continued to call him, leading him to the role of Program Officer in the National Scholarship Program. It was during this time that he met Anand Prakash Choksey, a highly respected educationist whose influence redirected his career towards teaching.

In 2000, Choksey appointed him as an educator in New Vision Higher Secondary School, followed by a position at Macro Vision Academy in Burhanpur, a CBSE institution where he served for 12 years.

Eminent Educationist Sudhir Mahajan says that his first role model is Anand Prakash Choksey, from whom he learned to maintain a positive outlook in every situation. As he puts it:

न बुरा होगा, न बढ़िया होगा,
वही होगा जैसा नजरिया होगा।

His second source of inspiration is his father, Lakshman-Dashrat or L.D. Mahajan, a retired government headmaster, who instilled in him the unwavering belief that true societal transformation can only be achieved through education. This conviction has become the cornerstone of his life’s mission—to spread knowledge, remove ignorance, and kindle the flame of learning wherever possible. For him, the aim is not to create noise, but to bring about genuine change. He deeply connects with the imagery of poetic lines that envision melting mountains of hardship and new rivers of knowledge flowing from the Himalayas, carrying the light of education to every street, every village, and every heart.

He quotes Dushyant’s lines:

हो गई है पीर पर्वत-सी पिघलनी चाहिए,
इस हिमालय से कोई गंगा निकलनी चाहिए।

आज यह दीवार, परदों की तरह हिलने लगी,
शर्त लेकिन थी कि ये बुनियाद हिलनी चाहिए।

हर सड़क पर, हर गली में, हर नगर, हर गाँव में,
हाथ लहराते हुए हर लाश चलनी चाहिए।

सिर्फ हंगामा खड़ा करना मेरा मकसद नहीं,
सारी कोशिश है कि ये सूरत बदलनी चाहिए।

मेरे सीने में नहीं तो तेरे सीने में सही,
हो कहीं भी आग, लेकिन आग जलनी चाहिए।

By age 23, he had become a school leader, and by 24, his school’s academic results earned state-level recognition from the Governor and the CM. Over time, awards like Glory of India, Best Citizen of India, Progressive Principal of India, Swami Vivekananda Yuva Ratna, Radhakrishnan Shikshan Puraskar, and Jyotirao Phule Samman acknowledged his contributions to student guidance and social transformation.

At the Podar International School, he emphasizes three essentials: Curriculum, Faculty, and Environment. The Podar Innovation Centre drives R&D and offers Teachers Training to make education child-friendly and relevant in a global context. The school environment is designed to nurture students who understand science, emotions, and values.

Within this framework, faculty members are carefully selected for their expertise and are given regular training to remain child-friendly and innovative in their teaching methods. The school environment is designed to inspire students to join the mainstream of society, equipped not only with academic knowledge but also with the moral armour necessary to navigate modern challenges.

He advocates a three-way synergy for a student’s growth—teacher (driver), parent (supporter), and the student—working in harmony.

His guiding principle: integrity in work fosters national progress. Whether a teacher, farmer, or doctor, honesty in one's role contributes to country-building. He quotes the essence:

"नूपुरों से भी नूपुरों का नाद सुंदर है,
राम से भी राम का नाम सुंदर है,
आप सुंदर हो, सही है— पर आप से भी आपका काम सुंदर है।"

From 2000 to 2012, he served as Pracharya at Macro Vision Academy, Burhanpur. During this period, he also worked for some time as Director of Administration at Prof. Brijmohan Mishra Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences, Burhanpur.

From 2012 to 2025, he led Podar International School, Amravati, as Pracharya, expanding its student strength from 230 to 4,000. As of April 2025, he heads the Podar International School, Indore campus, continuing his mission of delivering integrated and holistic education.

Podar International School Principal Sudhir Mahajan  continues to serve with the conviction that nurturing well-rounded, culturally rooted, and morally sound individuals is the surest way to strengthen the nation’s future.