Enjoying

 

The last days of the school year are hot and difficult. This year we used the time for games, art, singing, sports and remembering the traditional and simple games that children used to play before there was a television with cartoons in every house. It was really good fun.

 

 

Concentration

They may only be in 2nd class at school but when it comes to doing henna work the concentration of these young artists is first class!!

New Year and Navratri

Happy New Year!!!

Friday the 23^rd March marked the start of the new calendar year according to the Indian Calendar. So welcome to Vikram Samvat 2069!!!

It is a day which also signifies the start of Vasant Navratri, a nine day festival devoted to the goddesses Laxmi, Saraswati and Durga.

Our students started to celebrate the day early by going around their villages before school with their teachers and greeting passers by, wishing them a happy new year, giving them a tilak (red mark on the forehead as a sign of respect and auspiciousness) and also giving them a small piece of sweet so that the year ahead may also be the same. It is a practice which slowly fades away and there were several comments from village elders about how happy they were seeing our students maintain this beautiful tradition.

Students were also urged yesterday to make sure when they wake up this morning that they pay special attention to how they start the day. Teachers insisted that especially today the students should wake early, bathe and make their morning worship with full concentration. Then, still in the early morning they made sure to do ½ and hours study, making the atmosphere and direction for the year ahead.


After coming to school the students, teachers, doctors and staff from the hospital and members of the ashram from throughout the world joined together at the Shiv Mandir in Jadan Ashram for puja and prayers for the Navratri festival and to wish everyone a happy new year.


From all of us here in Jadan have a great year ahead and enjoy!!!!

 

The future has arrived

Sorry about the quality of the photo and the fact it was taken just after all the students left for the weekend. Suddenly I realised that exciting things are happening in school and I forgot to put it on the blog (too busy in the excitement).
What the photo may show you is how our classrooms in school now look. As you can see there is an interactive whiteboard with a projector and a traditional blackboard. What you can't see is that the projector is attached to a computer (it is behind the board locked so that small hands can't reach it) and that that computer is attached to a network with the most amazing software for teaching and explaining the courses the children have from KG till 12th. All in English, Hindi and 10 other languages (Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati etc). Also locked away are a keyboard and webcamera.
It has been a pretty exciting time. It was clear from the time when we decided to install the equipment that the children would enjoy. What I couldn't have imagined is how the teachers have taken to it. At first there was nervousness - keep in mind several staff had never used a computer before!!! Then as their training started there was reluctance from some and instant immersion from other staff. Slowly those who were new to the computer world have taken to it like ducks to water. Now they are exploring possibilities that even the company didn't think of!! (yesterday I saw a teacher had taken a photo of one of the girls with the webcam, put it up on the projector and they were learning the names of the parts of the face from her photo!)
We have installed the above screens in 20 of our classrooms (stretching the budget borders to the limit!) and the students are taking turns to be in those rooms. Our school is the first school in the district of Pali to work with such technology.
If anyone is interested in the system we are using the website of the company is www.educomp.com
Enjoy!!

Our artists

The students who participated in children's day celebrations in the competitions for art, mehendi, rangoli and handwriting received their awards today. Congratulations to all!!!!!!!!!!

Dance, song and colour. Celebrating children's day.

Children's day was a day of art, decoration, colour, dancing and roleplaying. The children of 1st and 2nd class dressed up as characters from Indian history and mythology. Their lives were celebrated with song and dance. The boy is dressed as Jawaharlal Nehru, who's birthday is on the day of Children's day. At his behest India celebrates it's future, the children, on this day.

Mehendi (henna) art on Children's day

All of the girls seem to be experts at doing henna designs. Consider that in this program they have a maximum of 30 minutes to do both hands. They are pretty good!! Sorry about the quality of photos, you can't really see the intricate detail.

More Rangoli

Children's day Rangoli

Rangoli - a celebration of colour. Rangoli's are made with anything that is available. In the top one you can see they have also used stones, flower petals and dhal as part of the design

Primary school art works

Here are a few samples of the art works done by the young students on children's day

View of the school

This is a view of the school as at September 2011. For those interested Google Earth has updated their images of Jadan Ashram to photos from 2010. It is interesting to see the Om Ashram, Hospital and School. Enjoy.

Anahat nada

For those who were in Strilky and were listening to the satsang about meditating on the sound of one stick. These are the sticks.

King of Cool

The look with the glasses, fantastic

Back at school

I was back in school yesterday after two months in Europe. It is so beautiful to listen to the children sing again.
Hari Om to everyone in Europe and to all the kids who were in Strilky.

First day out

Siddhi, our new foal, enjoying her first run out of the stable with her mum Ganga. Beautiful.