Shikshantar 23rd Birthday Celebration - Pre Primary
The excitement of reaching yet another milestone at Shikshantar was visible in the children and the team at Vanar Years preparing to celebrate Shikshantar’s 23rd birthday.
With the theme “Oorja Within and Around Me”, the children explored activities as a part of their curricular experiences and prepared to share them eagerly with their parents. The parents enjoyed unwinding by getting in touch with their inner Oorja alongside the little ones exploring different corners.
Zentangling on small square chart paper pieces and pasting them on a newspaper base in a spiral form. Yarn winding on recycled cardboards was an activity which was not just fun but helped the parents focus on themselves and their inner Oorja. Forming Mandala patterns with dot art on circle cutouts of brown paper recycled bags was a serene expression of harmony.
The simple joys of rhythm and music was seen in parents playing music using percussion instruments made by the little ones to put together simple melodies and singing along in a collaborative experience.
The parents celebrated the ongoing ‘Durga pooja’ and ‘Dusshera’, joyfully dancing the traditional Dhunuchi and Garba dances set to the tune of pleasant flute music. Hub area had a feel of a mela with little children merrily dancing with their didis and parents and exploring displays for children’s art around several traditional festivals - Golu dolls of Ramayana characters, a clay model of Krishna and his friends in Gokul. As the beats shifted from calming to more lively, the powerful effect that music had on the group’s energy was clear.
The story corners - Japanese storytelling form of ‘Kamishibai’, using paper puppet animals made by the children, pulled everyone in with the playful narratives and unique styles. The skillful narration and dramatization by the didis and bhaiyas added vibrance to the experience of story narrations.
Shikshantar instills sustainability as an integral value in working with the children from the early years. In keeping with this philosophy, recycled materials like used paper were used for a lot of the experiences . Other materials used were the brown paper bags from quick delivery services that we have all come to depend upon in daily urban life.
As a part of the birthday tradition, everyone gathered in Nandanam to collect their energies and sing songs. Minoti Didi addressed the gathered parents to share the importance of understanding one’s Oorja in a world captured by the need to rush, from daily work habits to the way we consume our media. Singing the birthday song for Shikshantar, all assembled left with lighter hearts, freer minds and much to think over bringing a lively day to a close.