7th
Gandhi Festival
Present situation of our society and increasing violence in
the world force us to think that why Mahatma Gandhi (Father of our Nation)
insisted on “Satya & Ahimsa“ (Truth & Non-violence) ?
Aims &Objectives
- To know
Mahatma Gandhi – How a simple boy Mohan became Mahatma.
- To know the
importance of Truth & Non-violence.
- To know – how
“Sarvodaya“ is important for “sustainable development.“
- To know – how to
“Be the change“.
- To know – our
Bapu through discussions, creative games, exhibition, poems, stories and
paintings.
Duration
30 Sept. to 2nd
Oct. 2012
Participants
- Member Schools
- Saras Bal Kendra, Amar Nagar Jaipur
- Godawan Bal Kendra, Nehru Nagar, Jaipur
- Individual members of Bal Bhavan Jaipur
Activities of Gandhi Festival
30 September 2012
- Discussion session with children
on Gandhian Values by a Resource Person.
- Reading session
& discussion
- Painting Session
- Writing
Session
1st October 2012
- Sub Editor of
Times of India Mr. Navnit Garg told small stories
from Bapu’s life and answered children’s Queries.
- Poetry Session.
- Debate Session –
“Nonviolence in today’s reference“
- Exhibition – “Bapu & Children“.
2nd October,2012
1st session
of the day- Sarv Dharam Prathna.
2nd session
of the day
Mahatma Gandhi Kabbadi Pratiyogita : Six teams Participated.
Creative
Games
- Children were first divided into six groups, named as – Satya,
Ahimsa, Dandi, Sabarmati, Charkha & Soot.
- Creative sports based on Gandhian values. It was fun &
easy learning about co-operation, renunciation & non-violence.
- Prize
distribution to winning teams.
Outcome
–
In the three day Gandhi Festival, we were successful in creating
a wholesome and engaging environment conducive to learning Gandhian values.
Through creative writing, poster making painting, debate, creative sports,
music and a host of other activities, the children got an opportunity to
understand and appreciate how Mahatma Gandhi's teachings affect all our lives
in ways both small and great.
The debate was introduced for the first time this year and
the children’s enthusiasm during this session deserves special mention. Rather
than becoming a shouting contest it was heartening to see the children raise
pertinent questions such as “How would have the Mahatma dealt with Osama Bin
Laden in a non-violent manner?” “How does one make our police non-violent?” and
“What is the appropriate non-violent response to a crime such as chain
snatching?” The children then engaged in constructive deliberations to try and
answer these burning questions. An example of their faith in Bapu’s philosophy
was the assertion that “if the British Empire, upon whom the sun never set, could
be humbled by non-violent means, surely it could be used successfully against
extremists like Osama.”
We
hope that even if the participants took back a few lessons from this gala
event, it would go very far in entrenching the basic tenet of unity in
diversity. The participating children are now in a position to understand how
small efforts on each of our parts can ensure not only harmonious co-existence
between diverse people, but also how each of us has a stake in the collective
phenomenon of sustainable development.
