Instructing children in Hindu dharma
PINKY BHATIA on Melbourne’s Balagokulam
Gokulam is the place where Lord Krishna’s magical days of childhood were spent.
It was here that his divine powers came to be recognized. Balagokulam is an international forum for children to discover and manifest that spark of divinity which exists within them. Run nationally in each country, Balagokulam is where Hindu children in Australia learn Hindu values in an enjoyable manner and in the process, learn to appreciate their cultural roots. An all-round personality development is achieved in practice, with added advantage for the children who make new friends, participate in extra curricular activities, like skits, songs, etc. and learn a sense of responsibility needed to grow up to be an ideal citizen.
Balagokulam in Melbourne is fairly new and they are very passionate about their goals which are to facilitate children to appreciate, learn and practice Hindu way of life, instill pride and confidence about their identity in them, raise Hindu awareness in society around and develop social awareness and leadership skills among children. Evidently, it is a very noble, but challenging objective!
I had the pleasure of attending one of the Balagokulam sessions and what was evident is that they truly contribute to what is termed as “Vyakti Vikas” (all-round integrated personality development). At Balagokulam, a 360° personality development is achieved based on Hindu dharma: Physical, in the form of exercise and games; spiritual, in the form of study of scriptures; mental, in the form of yoga and other techniques; and intellectual, in the form of stories, debates, quiz and projects.
The curriculum is also based on the concept of “Creating Pride” as they believe that a proud Hindu understands Hindu philosophy, is convinced of its importance for a peaceful world, practices Hindu values, helps fellow Hindus and identifies himself as a Hindu.
The thing that jumped out at me was that if I leave aside the “Hinduism” bit, Balagokulam achieves two major objectives – firstly, group dynamics teaches children a bit about themselves and assists in building their confidence, and secondly and most importantly, it helps children in better dealing with the challenges that they face by being a part of two cultures. I highly recommend taking your children to be a part of this experience. It will not only help them learn Hindu values in a fun environment, but will also get them new friends.
What’s more, don’t just take your kids, get involved in anyway you can and assist this cause for the children of our community. Balagokulam is held on the as Sunday of every month with a defined programme, at Mt Waverley North Primary School Hall, Mt Waverley, 3149. Melway ref: 61H11. For more information, please contact Abhijit Bhide on 0402081193 or email: balagokulam.melbourne@hotmail.com
