Childhood is the symbol of the future and the hope of all victories to come.
-The Mother
AuroBharati, Sri Aurobindo Society organized a three-day workshop on Bal Samskriti: Towards Creativity and Integral Development from 25th-27th May, 2023 at Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry. Thirty students from the age group of 5-13 representing different schools of Puducherry participated in the workshop. During the inaugural session, Dr. Kishor Kumar Tripathy, Member Secretary, AuroBharati, Sri Aurobindo Society said that AuroBharati has started this special programme for the children with an objective to focus on the emotional, intellectual, physical, vital and mental development with special emphasis on nurturing skills through various activities including Physical exercises, Meditation, Origami, Indoor Games, Traditional games, Mantra Chanting, Storytelling, Crown making and many other components.
The first day of the workshop started with physical exercises and traditional games. Objective of the traditional games was to help the children to learn to work in a team, build confidence and establish a sense of unity. A crown-making session was taken by C N Shankar, where all the students prepared beautiful paper crowns decorated with crayons. Students were given complete freedom to explore their creativity by making different types of crowns using their creativity and self-expression. The significance of this activity includes making every child special when they wear the crown like a king or queen.Traditional games, interactive musical sessions, and paintings were the activities undertaken during the second day of the workshop. Session on traditional games was taken by Charu Tripathy and C N Shankaran, the kids enjoyed their time by playing different types of games and exploring fun activities.
A session on music was conducted by Dr. Thiruvaluvan ji, Tamil Teacher at Sri Aurobindo International Education Centre. He briefed about the teachings by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on the integral development of the children. He referred to beautiful stories and shlokas from the Thirukural and in a practical session, they practiced the spirit of music. Next was a
painting session which allowed them to express their creativity and develop their artistic abilities. During the session, students were taught how to enhance their painting skills by self-observation and creativity. Beautiful artworks on nature, landscape, flora, fauna, portraits, patriotism, and spiritual and social life were portrayed by the participants. A session on ‘Living with nature’ was conducted by Dr. Kishor Kumar Tripathy. The beauty of nature including engaging and outdoor learning was part of the session.
On the third day, meditation, mantra chanting, craft making, and painting were some of the focused areas. Kishor Kumar Tripathy interacted with the students about the chanting of sacred mantras and its effect on the development of memory and concentration. Speaking on ‘mantra chanting’, he said that mantras can be recited in repetitions. When we chant the mantras with utmost devotion, we realize powerful vibrations within the body and mind. Chanting of the mantras can be used to evoke different states of consciousness to harness the power of intentions and a deeper state of awareness. The students practiced Gayatri Mantra during the session.
Shri Thirumalai, C N Shankaran, and Charu Tripathy took a special session for the children on making art and craft with an objective to express their thoughts, emotions, and desires through craft. The art of collage was introduced to children and children made sunflowers using their creativity. The last session was about painting. Children created beautiful artworks including nature, sacred landscapes, spirituality, and community life through their powerful mediums of expression. During this session, the students not only learned the basics of art and Crafts but expressed themselves freely.
On this occasion, an interactive session with the parents was organized with the objective to develop potential and overcome barriers to effective learning. The session was conducted by C N Shankar and principles of Integral development were discussed based on the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Speaking at the concluding session, Mrs. Charu Tripathy, Associate Director, AuroBharati, Sri Aurobindo Society said about the importance of creativity and integral development. A participation certificate was given
to all the participants. Parents and teachers representing some of the schools also shared their creative experiences during the workshop.
The three-day workshop was a successful event where the participants enjoyed the different components used to enhance creativity and integral development. Participants appreciated the module and expressed their views on the organization of the workshop.
