Balavihar – the children’s activity

(Updated 2018)

You must try to combine in your life immense idealism with immense practicality. You must be prepared to go into deep meditation now, and the next moment you must be ready to go and cultivate these fields (Swamiji said, pointing to the meadows of the Math). You must be prepared to explain the difficult intricacies of the Shastras now, and the next moment to go and sell the produce of the fields in the market.

— Swami Vivekananda

“Balavihar” is the children’s activity and forms the mainstay of the samithi activities. It is organized by the volunteers and works all through the year. Usually the assemblies happen in the evenings but on holidays and whenever the children find time, they try to spend the time in samithi and the volunteers strive to engage them in purposeful activity.

The children who grew up from the Balavihar remain supporters of the organization and regularly attend samithi activities or visit samithi whenever possible.

Daily Schedule of Balavihar

The children assemble at samithi at 4 pm in the afternoon. The senior children of the Balavihar participate in the daily chores like cleaning the place, watering the plants, collecting flowers, making garlands for the evening worship etc. The junior members and new ones usually play and get acquainted with the place. The children usually play with balls or do skipping or run around the campus. Usually around this time they will have a snack of biscuits, fruits etc. At 5.00 pm a yoga class is conducted. The boys assemble in the jumbo mosquito (admeasuring 6mX10m with 3m height) net and to do asanas.

We are encouraging children to listen to bhajans and classical music. The volunteers conduct classes teaching bhajan and songs from ‘Pushpanjali’ etc. Carnatic Music classes and Mridangam classes are held which can be found on seperate pages on this site. The children of different age groups are encouraged to listen to music with the help of internet.

We are encouraging children to listen to bhajans and classical music while playing, helping elders of the samithi and making garlands etc. The children of different age groups are able to learn music while participating in all these activities.

At 6.15 pm children are given nutritional food. Every day 3 kgs. of food is cooked in the kitchen of the Samithi and all the children are being fed sumptuously. Cooking of the food is being done by the members of the study circle and elders of the Samithi. Our Samithi takes pride in having a band of volunteers who are attending to this task with great enthusiasm and are continuing it over years.

At 6.30 the children attend the prayer meeting. Then at 6.50 they assemble for the class on moral and spiritual education in which they are taught stories, poems, slokas etc. or will taught languages with the help of a computer.

Yoga and Strength Training

Sri Polimera Santosh Kumar, who is a member of the samithi and a trained yoga therapist conducts the daily yoga sessions. Sri Khadar Vali (84) a veteran athlete and yoga trainer regularly visits the samithi and conducts classes for the children.

Academic assistance

Academic assistance is also being provided to children. Volunteers help children with their homework and also teach them all the subjects. Some of the elders members of the samithi teach the senior members of the balavihar and help with their school curriculum.

Assistance to the needy children:
Many poor and deserving children attend Samithi regularly. They are encouraged to participate in all the activities of the Samithi. Our Samithi is providing the following types of assistance to the children.
– providing children with new dresses, bed sheets and mosquito nets.
– giving them educational materials such as text books, note books, pens, pencils and compass boxes.
– paying the examination fees in cases of children attending examinations like 10th standard etc.
– catering to their health by providing medicines in all needy cases.

2020

Vijaya Dasami conducted by girl children Oct 26, 2020

June 10 Aksharabhyasam of Chi. Jitya Sri D/o PV Subbarao.

2019 Dec 18 Sarada Devi Jayanthi

Oct 30, 2019 With Swami Aksharatmanandaji Maharaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

2019 Oct 27, Deepavali.

Aug 18, 2019

2018 June 23

Distribution of Yoga dresses to the balavihar children.

Sorting

Dr Chiranjeevi and Dr Ravindra Babu, members of the samithi, giving a

With yoga dresses

With certificates they won at a local competition.

2017 Jan 31

With the help of Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad, monkey bars, parellel bars etc were installed in the samithi. These were fabricated and installed in the samithi premises by youth members of the samithi.