BAL-BHAVAN Movement in India

E.O.Abraham Elenjickal ( Director Board Member- Alleppey Bala-Bhavan)

The very aim of Bal-Bhavan movement in India is to supplement the present system of education through creative activities. We are not giving the due importance for fine arts in our carriculam. There is no doubt that the aesthetic sense and histrionic talents play a prominent role in developing the individuality and personality of our children. In almost all those children, who enter our educational institutions have some hidden talents, particularly in arts. Our educational institutions cannot do much in developing these talents. Bal-Bhavans make an earnest attempt to draw out these latent taltents and develop them and thereby we would do our best to promote their personality and individuality.

A flower blossoms and spreads its delicious perfume all around. The leaves grow and move in the wind in its own position. The roots go deep into the soil A plant grows and lives in this way. The growth and development of an Individuality is the same like that of a plant. Individal cannot be developed by merely strengthening any of the instincts. Education is meant for the alround development of the individual.

“School Education” aims to impart instruction in various fields of human knowledge. With the massive inflow of information and knowledge from various disciplines the syllabi and the curriculum tends to be heavy and time consuming. In the process the important objective of education namely, providing opportunity for self-expression and self discovery to students is often ignored. The students thus tend to be passive partners in a school situation and hence refrain from participation in the complete educational process. Thus, the children being at the receiving end, the process of education become routinised and becomes dull to them.

In order to supplement the school education Bal-Bhavan Movement has come into existence as an after school agency to promote the alround development of the children. It still continues to serve the child community not only after school hours but also during holidays and vacations when children are often neglected and need to be motivated and steered towards creativity. It is a fact that 45% of the population of India are children, who are below the age of 15. If we ignore the children, it means we ignore a vast majority of our county on whose shoulders lay the responsibility of shaping India for the 21st century. India’s greatest asset is her man power and to-day’s children will be citizen and leaders of tomorrow.

The Bal-Bhavan Movement has proved that the concept of creative education through various media is successfully in creating opportunities for children for self-expression. We are learning all the time, that education is a life long process. But what we should judge is how the educational experience to which we are exposing the children and young helps them to become creative. The new concept of creativity is simply to let a child discover its latent potential. For us every child it creative. It is environment, whether in the form of a family, a neighbour-hood, a school or a club that hinders or boosts its creativity. This only means that a right type of environment helps creative expression. The expression may however be “through certain media, writing, painting, clay modeling, singing, percussions, dramatics, games, crafts etc….