Sustainability Practitioners League.
The Sustainability Practitioners League (SPL) - Season 1 was formally inaugurated on 25 July 2026 at the Achariya School Auditorium, Puducherry. The League was inaugurated by Dr. Annamalai Ragupathy, MS, MCh (Ortho), UK, Managing Director, Karpaga Vinayaga Educational Institutions, as the Chief Guest. The event brought together principals, heads of institutions, teachers, students, educationists, industry professionals and sustainability advocates.
Dr. Annamalai Ragupathy appreciated the vision of creating responsible citizens through measurable practice rather than theory alone. He highlighted the importance of combining academic excellence with ethics, leadership, sustainability and service, and congratulated ZHA Foundation Charitable Trust and Achariya Group of Institutions for initiating a citizen-led movement aligned with Viksit Bharat Vision 2047.
The event also marked the commencement of the Sustainability Practitioners Community of India (SPCI), chaired by Dr. J. Aravindan, Founder & Chief Mentor, Achariya Group of Institutions. The Board will include educationists, scientists, industry leaders, innovators and representatives of participating institutions who will annually review, validate and approve the certification framework and curriculum.
Strategic Partnership
During the event, a Strategic Partnership was formalised between Achariya Group of Institutions, represented by Dr. J. Aravindan, Founder & Chief Mentor, and ZHA Foundation Charitable Trust, represented by Mr. Karki Ashokkumar, Founder & Managing Trustee. The partnership establishes a long-term collaboration to jointly implement and scale the Sustainability Practitioners League (SPL) across educational institutions. As part of the agreement, Dr. J. Aravindan will serve as Chairman of the Sustainability Practitioners Community of India (SPCI) Board, providing leadership for the review, accreditation, authenticity, governance and approval of the Sustainability Practitioner certification framework, curriculum, assessment standards and future programme enhancements, while ZHA Foundation will continue to lead the research, methodology, digital platform and national mission implementation.
SPL is presented as a citizen-driven initiative supporting Viksit Bharat Vision 2047. The organisers emphasised that nation building is a shared responsibility of citizens, educational institutions, NGOs and professionals. The long-term aspiration is to inspire an 'Indian Dream' by nurturing innovators, ethical leaders and responsible citizens.
Unlike a conventional inter-school competition, SPL is a year-long gamified league where students continuously practise sustainability through structured activities. Progress is measured digitally through evidence, reflections, innovation, community service and leadership contributions. Schools compete through collective contribution while every student grows personally.
The programme introduces four Sustainability Practitioner Maturity Levels. Levels 1 and 2 are designed for school students, while Levels 3 and 4 are designed for college students. Leaderboards track achievements at student, class, school, district, state and national levels. Parents and institutions can monitor development in communication, personality, decision-making, ethics, leadership and sustainability mindset.
Season 1 will continue until January 2027. Students strategically complete certifications, community service, innovation projects, ZED Talks and ZED Expo activities. The concluding Human & Talent Days and Responsible Citizens Conclave will celebrate outstanding contributors and showcase innovations.
The League is built on pilot implementations carried out over the past three years across Coimbatore Corporation Schools, Mahatma Group of Schools (Madurai), Moovendhar School (Peravurani) and K.S. Apoorva School (Dindigul). Lessons from these pilots have been transformed into a scalable digital platform.
The framework has been developed by Karki Ashokkumar, Founder & Solution Architect, ZHA Foundation Charitable Trust, through research publications including ZHA Methodology for Sustainability Mindset (Vol.1), ZHA Practitioner Certification (Vol.2), ZHA Sustainable AI Framework (Vol.3), and ZHA Methodology for Sustainability Quotient (Vol.4), the latter co-authored with Dr. J. Aravindan.
The ZHA Foundation Charitable Trust extends its heartfelt gratitude to every individual and institution whose belief and support made the launch of the Sustainability Practitioners League (SPL) a memorable national milestone.
Our sincere thanks to Dr. J. Aravindan, Founder and Chief Mentor, Achariya Group of Institutions, for graciously accepting the responsibility as Chairman of the Sustainability Practitioners Community of India (SPCI) Board and for providing visionary leadership to this national movement.
We express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Annamalai Regupathy, Chief Guest of the inauguration, for inspiring the audience with his visionary address and for encouraging educators and students to become active contributors towards building a sustainable and developed India.
We extend our appreciation to the leadership, management, faculty members, coordinators, social coaches, advisory members, volunteers, and the entire Achariya Group of Institutions for successfully hosting this historic launch and orientation programme.
Our heartfelt thanks also go to the Principals, Correspondents, School Managements, College Managements, Coordinators, Social Coaches, Teachers, Advisory Members, and thousands of students from schools and colleges across the Union Territory of Puducherry who united to support this initiative. Their enthusiastic participation marks the beginning of a transformational journey where Puducherry proudly becomes the birthplace of India's Sustainability Practitioners Movement.
The overwhelming support received from educational institutions across Puducherry demonstrates the State's commitment to nurturing responsible citizens and future sustainability leaders. This collective participation positions Puducherry as a pioneering model for integrating NEP 2020, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Viksit Bharat Vision 2047 into student development through measurable action and community engagement.
We also acknowledge the members of the newly constituted Sustainability Practitioners Community of India (SPCI) Board, comprising distinguished educationists, academicians, industry leaders, scientists, researchers, and sustainability professionals, who have come forward to guide this national mission with integrity and excellence.
Special appreciation is extended to the dedicated team of ZHA Foundation Charitable Trust, our technology partner Next XR, our volunteers, well-wishers, and every contributor who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to transform years of research into a scalable national movement.
Special thanks are due to Dr. Aravin Raja MBBS, Director of ZHA Foundation; T. Sarathkumar, Operations Manager of ZHA Foundation; Dr. Rajakumaran, Director, Achariya Group of Institutions; Mrs. Jayanthi, Chief Advisor; Mr. Devanandh; Mr. Bakiyaraj; and the Achariya marketing team, for their invaluable contribution and dedicated efforts towards the success of this launch.
Together, this marks not merely the inauguration of a programme but the beginning of a citizens' movement-one that aims to empower every student to become a responsible leader and contribute meaningfully towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
History will remember that the national Sustainability Practitioners League (SPL) began its journey from Puducherry, where educational institutions united to demonstrate that nation-building starts with developing responsible, compassionate, innovative, and accountable citizens.
The organisers stated that Puducherry has become the launchpad for a national Sustainability Practitioners Movement. Through accountability, digital measurement and continuous practice, the movement seeks to develop responsible citizens, encourage innovation from childhood, provide mentoring through over 100 professional advisors, and contribute towards a developed India by 2047.
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