Ashwin Patel & Raj Iyer
ST LOUIS: Showcasing rich Indian cultural tradition during the celebrations of 72nd IndianRepublic Day by children of Balvihar in St Louis ages 5 to 18 of India can be deemed as proud moment of Bal Vihar family.
Teachers and students with the help of parents put together a gala show of information including photos, videos and artifacts to showcase the rich culture, history and diversity of India. This year they had to get creative with the use of digital tools to capture the imagination and accolades. Bal Vihar celebrated the Republic Day event on January 24, 2021 via Zoom.
The students were split in 2-groups. First group consisted of students from Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Kindergarteners focused on the religious deities of India. First graders were tasked with researching on Festivals of India. Grades 2 and 3 focused on all four regions of India.
Second group of 4th through 7th graders were given the more advanced topics to research. 4th graders focused on Dashavatar (10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu). 5th graders took up Architectural Marvels of Ancient India. 6th graders dived into the contributions towards the field of Science and Math by Ancient Indian scholars/practitioners. 7th graders compared and contrasted regional architecture within India.
Students in each group put together creative digital presentations that were shared with other students and parents during the meeting. Each group posted their class material online and can be reviewed anytime.
The Republic Day program started in the morning at 10 am with a recorded welcome speech from our president Dr. Sudhir Brahmbhatt that was played for both the group. That was followed with videos for each grade level in that group. At the end, there was fun quick on Kahoot that the students participated in. The culmination was with the presentation of the Awards most viewed and most liked.
Voting on the videos for judges and viewers was open until 01/31/2021. Thanks were proffered to the dignitaries from diverse backgrounds including the President of Magic house, CEO, Interfaith Organization of St. Louis, and many more community organizations and nonprofit and profit organizations leaders
The special guests interacted and enjoyed learning about the research that the students had done for the extensive illustrations. The celebration was a splendid virtual display of India’s festivals, culture, heritage and Food. Bal Vihar through these activities aims to help its students learn and connect to their rich Indian heritage and hope to inculcate an interest towards visiting some of these places.
The Center for Indian Cultural Education – Bal Vihar of St. Louis, a non-profit organization, has current enrollment of 250 + students. Since its inception in 1992 has been serving the Metro St. Louis Indian community. The primary focus of this organization is to provide Indian cultural education to students age 5-18, its application and integration with the global multicultural and multifaceted society. The ultimate goal is “to throw the light of cultural knowledge on every child, to make every child an outstanding citizen and to spread the song of peace and harmony around the world.”
