Meet Our Montessori Family
Dedicated educators and mentors working together to inspire curiosity, confidence, and lifelong learning in every child.
Meenu Sahi
Founder, Director VHMI
Founder, Director VHMI, Meenu Sahi, Head Montessori Wing at Vivek High School, Chandigarh and Montessori Director at Vivek High School, Mohali; Founder and Executive Director VHMI, Chandigarh. Meenu Sahi, an AMI 3-6 (primary years) and 6-12 (elementary years) diploma holder, pioneered the Montessori movement on both campuses of Vivek High School 12 years ago. A renowned school in North India, Vivek High School dates back more than 40 years. She transformed traditional school classrooms in Chandigarh and Mohali, establishing the first Montessori learning environments in the region that incorporate mixed ages.
Currently, Meenu oversees the infant community, 3-6 primary years, 6-12 elementary years and adolescent Montessori programs at both Vivek High School Chandigarh and Vivek High School Mohali, Punjab. Under her leadership, numerous new Montessori environments have been successfully established. With 82 such environments, she serves as a key figure on the board of Directors for both schools.
Notably, Meenu played a pivotal role in launching the first AMI training centre in Chandigarh, marking it as the very first of its kind in North India. She is the founder and executive director of Vivek High Montessori Institute (VHMI) Chandigarh, which offers AMI diploma courses for the 3–6 and 6–12 levels, as well as orientation courses for ages 0–3, 3–6, 6–12, and 12–18 for educators, parents, and others interested in child development and education. Through VHMI, she continues to strengthen the Montessori movement in Chandigarh, Punjab, Delhi, and Haryana.
Recently, she has undertaken a transformative initiative to bring Montessori education to the grassroots level through the AMI Esf Community Rooted Education (CoRE) program in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. This program is currently training over 68 Anganwadi workers and pre-primary Government school teachers in the Montessori approach. The initiative aims to bridge the educational gap and empower these frontline educators, seeking to fundamentally enhance the early childhood experience for hundreds of children across the district.
Before venturing into education, she garnered over 10 years of experience in the field of Investment Management with the ING Group in the Netherlands, and holds a Master’s Degree in Mathematical Finance as well as the CFA charter.
Meenakshi Madaan
Programme Coordinator
Ms. Meenakshi Madaan is a dedicated Montessori educator and visionary leader who currently serves as the Vice Principal at Vivek High School, Mohali. With a career spanning over two decades, her educational philosophy is rooted in the belief that children learn most effectively when empowered by joy, wonder and discovery. She champions the idea that every child is unique, and she takes profound pride in nurturing learning environments where young minds eagerly look forward to each day.
Ms. Meenakshi Madaan holds prestigious AMI Montessori diplomas across multiple age levels- Primary (3–6 years) and Elementary (6–12 years) and is presently pursuing her Adolescent Diploma (12 – 18 years). These are complemented by postgraduate degrees in Archaeology and a B.Ed. Her leadership seamlessly blends curriculum innovation with the authentic Montessori pedagogy, overseeing teacher training, curriculum planning and strong parent partnerships through workshops and community outreach.
A lifelong learner, Ms. Madaan has attended international forums, including the 29th International Montessori Conference in Thailand. She is also trained in Abacus and Vedic maths, early childhood care, digital pedagogies and child safety. Beyond academics, she is a mentor, parent collaborator, and advocate for holistic development, integrating practical life skills, sensorial learning and emotional values such as empathy and resilience into everyday school life. Her warm, firm and inspiring presence continues to shape a vibrant, compassionate and excellence-driven Montessori community.
Ketaki Rangnekar
Programme Coordinator
Ketaki Rangnekar is an AMI-trained Montessori educator with both Primary and Elementary Diplomas. She has been actively engaged in Montessori education for over a decade. With 9 years of experience working in the Elementary environment, Ketaki brings a deep understanding of child development, Montessori philosophy, and classroom practice.
Ketaki has also been associated with the RTI Montessori Training Centre in Mumbai for 10 years and is currently associated with VHMI since 2024, Ketaki has continued this journey as an active associate, contributing experience and committing to the Montessori Pedagogy.
Rachana Rathi Singhee
Programme Coordinator
Rachana Rathi Singhee is a passionate and experienced Montessori educator and has dedicated over 15 years to fostering the natural development of young children. She holds a 3–6 Montessori training certification from Bengaluru and a 0–3 AMI Diploma from Denver, USA.
she has helped design and establish specialized environments for children under three in Bengaluru, Nagpur, and Chandigarh. She is deeply committed to counselling young parents as they navigate the complexities of the modern world. Dedicated to the Montessori movement, she has played an active role in helping set up and run the Vivek High Montessori Institute (VHMI). A natural innovator, she loves to explore fresh, creative ideas and Montessori material to elevate children’s learning, and she looks forward to driving new initiatives that spread Montessori education even further across the region.