Bala Vihar

Children are not vessels to be filled, but lamps to be lit. The seed of spiritual values should be sown in young hearts …..

Swami Chinmayananda

Our children, our future

Bala Vihar is a weekly gathering of children, between the ages of five to twelve years that takes place in Chinmaya Mission Centres or in private homes, under the supervision of trained teachers.

The aim of Bala Vihar is to help children bloom and grow spiritually, and imbibe values through fun-filled activities. Bala Vihar enhances the overall development of the personality of a child at all levels — physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual.

A foundation for happy living

Weekly Balvihar classes include chanting, bhajans, stories of devotion and moral values, interactive discussions, and creative games. Conducted worldwide, the 90-minute Bala Vihar classes are based on a specially designed syllabus inspired by Swami Chinmayananda with these goals:

To inculcate in children and youth reverence and pride for our ancient culture, and give them a healthy foundation to build their life

To provide an atmosphere of growth that is filled with physical discipline, healthy emotions and noble ideas

To create self-confidence to be able to act and serve cheerfully with true affection

To provide a vision that generates personal discipline and dynamic leadership

To nurture their dormant faculties, so that the children can improve, cultivate and express their creative abilities and individuality

To help our children and youth develop a healthy resistance against peer pressure and the negative temptations of ‘modern’ society

A family affair

Swami Chinmayananda’s precious gift

Family Spiritual Bond

Parents often gain insights from their children’s Bala Vihar (BV) learnings during car rides. BV parents support home chanting, guide festival rituals, and nurture karma, bhakti, and jnana yoga practices. Inspired by their children, many join Chinmaya Study Groups, living the motto: "The family that prays together, stays together."

Early scriptural foundations

Centres are encouraged to follow guidelines from a standard curriculum, adapting it when necessary, according to their local requirements. A typical Balavihar curriculum includes: Alphabet Safari, (a journey through values), ABC of Vedanta, Ramayana, Shrimad Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Symbolism in Hinduism, Hanuman Chalisa, and Festivals of India. The syllabus is child-friendly and taught in age-appropriate levels.

Guided enquiry

In the elementary years emphasis is on learning and practicing values. Children are introduced to values in a fun way through Alphabet Safari and the Vedanta Alphabet. Complex questions like: ‘Where is God?’ ‘What does He do?’, ‘If He is everywhere, why can we not see Him?’ are logically answered. Shravanam and mananam start in childhood itself.

Value-based living

Each week a specific value such as caring, sharing, forgiveness is taught and discussed. In the next class, children share with their friends whether and to what extent they practiced that value. Through the medium of storytelling, children see these values enacted and come to love the Lord as Hanuman, Rama and Krishna and strive to emulate their qualities.

Comprehensive teacher training

Chinmaya Bala Vihar, the largest of the Chinmaya Mission's grass-root level activities, has a well-established resource network, complete with training material, teaching guides, artistic presentation (dance/drama) and workshop templates, activity guides, experienced coordinators, and administrative advisors.

Bala Vihar's standardised syllabi, disciplined classes, innovative activities, and unique special events continue to inspire students, parents, programme directors, regional coordinators, volunteer teachers, and administrators alike. Thriving on mutual support and feedback, Bala Vihar continues to rapidly multiply around the world.

Bala Vihar Resources

Publications

Chinmaya Mission has published a wide range of pictorial storybooks, colouring and activity books, complementary textbooks and workbooks, chanting and bhajan CDs, interactive CD-ROMs, and an international monthly magazine. These publications are skillfully prepared by Chinmaya Mission's ingenious volunteers and combine learning with fun, and fun with learning. They provide useful teaching tools for parents, and simplify the concepts of friendship, love, responsibility, and righteous living.

www.chinmayakids.org

Chinmaya Mission's worldwide Bala Vihar website is designed to offer mental, spiritual and emotional avenues of growth to children. Imaginative and interactive, the site provides daily ‘power capsules’ stories from the epics and Puranas, art, essay and poem contests, jokes and much more. A click of the mouse can create more sevaks, create more classes, and reach out to more homes, schools and even workplaces.

Whenever you need me, close your eyes and look into your heart - and I will be there.

Swami Chinmayananda

Bala Vihar Camps

Chinmaya Mission residential and non-residential spiritual camps for children during weekends and school holidays are a favourite. The camps which vary in duration from two days to three weeks are framed around entertaining, thought-provoking themes and subjects. They offer a very special time for living in a spiritually rich, fun focused, action-oriented setting ideal for making friends and developing positive qualities.

Fostering teamwork, friendship and leadership, the camps are highly interactive and specifically fashioned for specific age groups. A camp schedule typically includes Vedanta classes, Sanskrit chanting, meditation, yoga, group discussions, creative workshops, bhajans (devotional songs), sports and recreation (treks, movies, talent shows, skits).

Central Chinmaya Mission Trust

Saki Vihar Road, Powai, Mumbai - 400 072.

Tel : +91-22-2803 4900

E-mail : ccmt@chinmayamission.com