The Children of Shanti Bhavan

Bye Bye Bye

2011-12-28T02:03:00.006+05:30

More beautiful good-bye cards from our students to our teachers!

The New Little Heroes of Shanti Bhavan

2011-12-17T01:44:00.001+05:30

By Shilpa Raj

On the 3^rd of December, the whole school was treated to a pleasant surprise.

At the school assembly, the new kindergartners stepped on stage confidently and began their well rehearsed performance. Standing in a semi circle, they went around in pairs introducing themselves in clear English and then stating the names of their favorite animals.

Using lively expressions and actions they imitated their favorite animals. For instance Kishore, said, “My name is Kishore. My favorite animal is dog.” He barked like a dog and left the audience in fits of laughter. His peer, Angel said, “My name is Angel. My favorite animal is gorilla.” Everybody enjoyed watching her beat her chest with her little fists and growl.

As the audience rose in applause, the four year olds bowed and left the stage elegantly as their teachers and care takers looked proudly on. Just a few months ago when they arrived, none of them knew how to speak English, brush their teeth, use a bathroom and tell the difference between a fork and a spoon. But today they are bright, energetic children with amazing curiosities.

Their class teacher, Ms. Geetha says, “They are so lively. Every day the first period is spent listening to the children telling me all about what they did in the dorms.When we were learning the alphabets I would say ‘A’ and give examples of words starting with ‘A’ in English. But they would scream out examples of words in their own languages like ‘Amma’ in Tamil and Kannada which means mother.” Smiling, she adds, “I love the children very much. I enjoy teaching small ones. They are a great joy.”

Besides learning their alphabets, the children watch videos, color with crayons, listen to stories, recite rhymes, and take nature walks around the huge campus. Their day begins at 7:30 when they wake up to the sound of music. After a quick wash up and dressing-up they stand around the corridor in their dorm and exercise. After breakfast, their classes begin at 9 am and end at 1 pm and in between they have a snack break and assembly.

“Three years ago financial restraints made it hard to admit new children. We missed having the little ones join Shanti Bhavan. But this year the fifteen new kindergartners so far have brought great joy and happiness to us,” says Mrs. Rajeshwari, the Head of the Residential staff and first grade teacher. The children are very cheerful and confident at Shanti Bhavan.

Hardly three months ago, the four year old Jayanthi was sleeping on the floor of her tent among the thirty other tents clumped together in a squalid slum alongside a railway track in the middle of Bangalore. A small tap a little distance away from the tents is the only source of water and all the families share a common toilet.

To get to the slum one has to leave the tar road and take a narrow mud lane which is scattered with garbage. Inside the tent Jayanthi’s feeble grandmother slept on a wooden cot while her parents, her younger brother and she sleep on the mud floor. The cooking was done in one corner of the room, filling smoke. Their few belongings lie in another corner.

At Shanti Bhavan, Jayanthi no longer has to lie on the floor, eat just ragi once or twice a day, or shiver in the cold. A big smile shines upon her face as she goes about playing on the grounds, learning in class and shaking her hips to the sound of music.

“Jayanthi is very caring towards others. She will console other children when they cry. She is very bright. She loves to draw faces,” her class teacher Ms. Geetha says.

Her neighbor, Jamuna, who also comes from the same destitute slum, is just as happy as Jayanthi in Shanti Bhavan. Little Jamuna has finally brought smiles on her mother’s face. Ever since Jamuna joined Shanti Bhavan, her father tormented her mother and demanded that the child be returned home. He would ask her angrily, “What kind of a school have you put her in? Bring her back.”

Two months after Jamuna joined Shanti Bhavan, her parents visited her. Jamuna’s father was shown around the school building where the older children were having their prep. He smiled and kept silent. His silence spoke of his acceptance. His wife cried when she saw him return and kiss Jamuna affectionately. Both of them were very happy when Miss Geetha told them that Jamuna was a fast learner, loves meeting new people and is very talkative.

As for Jamuna’s peer, Samuel, Christmas is finally round the corner. When he arrived he asked his housemother with tears in his eyes, “When will I go home?”She answered, “When Christmas comes,” trying her best to simplify that the holidays will be starting in December. Ever since then he asks occasionally, “Has Christmas come? Has Christmas come?”

With only a week left for the holidays, the children are overjoyed and thrilled by the excitement of going back to their parents, grandparents, siblings and friends who they had left behind. Yet, they are simply happy spending their days with their friends in Shanti Bhavan.

Teacher Comments

2011-11-26T23:04:00.003+05:30

Below is what some students had to say about their classes and the wonderful teachers that lead them!

“I never thought a man as big as Nick could dance like an excited 10 year old!” – Puneeth Kumar

“Dancing is a lot of fun. A new volunteer named Nanja teaches us. She is an amazing dancer!” – Anjali

“Nick teaches us History. He makes the class really fun.” – Aravind

“Darius takes Civics for us. He too is very just and kind.” – Aravind

“I forgot to tell you about my new English teacher who is also our coordinator. Her name is Ms Rahil. She is a very good English teacher. Even though I am bad at English, I really enjoy her classes. However, she is also very strict.” – Naveen

“Rahil teaches us English and her classes are nice.” – Ashwath

“Mr Nick and Darius make our history and civics classes fun.” – Papitha

“Nanja is an awesome dancer and taught us 3 beautifully choreographed dances.” – Papitha

“A volunteer named Nanja teaches us dancing. She is really good. We have learned 3 dances to really cool songs.” – Vijayalakshmi

“I enjoyed Nick and his puppet Michael the most” – Anushya (about Children’s Day)

“There are also some volunteers who are very fun and talented. One of these volunteers Nanja takes dance classes for us.” – Lakshmi

“Rahil is the volunteer coordinator. She is fun and dances really well. She takes English classes for us. Her teaching is fun. We watched a movie in her class. We all like her.” – Nandini

“Rahil is currently the volunteer coordinator. She is very positive and kind!” – Sunil

Diwali Celebrations at Shanti Bhavan

2011-11-15T02:39:00.002+05:30

"Boom! Bam." I thought I was going to turn deaf. Who cared? It was Diwali after all.

Everyone was so excited from morning. It was a holiday and we slept in. For breakfast we had idlis and hmmm well, I thought I'd rather skip the day’s events and head straight to the celebrations at night.

We were all ready for the evening's show. Unfortunately it started drizzling so we had the cultural program, organized by the children, in the assembly hall instead of having it outside in the dining hall like last year. There was so much fun watching children of different age groups dancing to music varying from Tamil folk dance to Chris Brown's 'Kiss Kiss.'

After the programme was over, we had a quick dinner of vegetable pulav and got ready for the most awaited part of the day. Everyone gathered on the lawn outside the dining hall and waited for the grown-ups to equally distribute the different kinds of sparklers and crackers.

Screams of excitement filled the air. The smaller kids lighted their sparklers, and the older ones preferred the crackers and missiles. The night turned into day, as darkness was replaced by the light from all the lighting. It was such a joy to watch the kindergartners who are new to the school light their first Diwali sparklers and scream with joy as they whirled it before them. Seeing their excitement reminded me of my first Diwali night long ago in Shanti Bhavan when the loud sounds and lights scared me.

As I stood next to my friends, turning a sparkler, I realized that this was going to be my last Diwali at school before graduation, and my classmates and I were ready to make the most of it.

Unlike me, those who were adventurous lit crackers and sent rockets into the sky. I stepped back to see them fly into the distance and burst into different colors. We were having so much fun.

I wished Diwali night would last forever. It was a very special day for me because this festival of lights had brought teachers, aunties, children, some of the graduates, volunteers, and the support staff together. It was a day I will always cherish in my heart.

-Jancy

Student Poems

2011-11-10T23:50:00.002+05:30

I am from
I am from the eyes of my mother,
the tears of my sister,
and the words of my uncle.

I am from the broken thumb of my grandpa,
the burning clothes of my mother,
and the cuts on her hands.

I am from the light in the dark,
the flowers in Shanti Bhavan,
and the warmth of my aunties.

I am from the letters of the alphabet,
the colors of the rainbow,
and the days of the week.

I am from the hopes of my family,
my grandpa selling cucumbers,
and the dusty roads of Tamil Nadu.

- Puneeth Kumar, 9th Grade

Hope
A poor woman in the street
sitting and waiting,
mostly hoping,
someone would buy the deep fried fish
she has pinned her hope on.

A drunken man who made her his wife
with a promise of a better life
washed it away with his bottles of liquor.

Trucks go by
Buses honk
Vendors push their half empty carts
her eyes darts all over the passers-by
hoping
someone would buy the deep fried fish
she has pinned her hope on.

I stay at home
waiting for that knock that I have grown used to
she enters looking tired
I see the lights of the vehicles in her eyes
and the dust of the street on her hair
I see hope in her smile
but this time it's not pinned on the deep fried fish
It's pinned on me.

- Venu, 5th Grade

Stories 1

2011-11-01T04:11:00.001+05:30

The kids were asked to answer the question: What was your first experience with art? Here are some of their lovely responses.

The first time I sat in the art room, I knew that art would turn me into someone great. Our first art teacher came into the art room and told us to sit down. She gave each of us a paintbrush, some paint, and a piece of paper. She shifted our desks into a circular shape. In the middle, she kept one desk, and on top of it, she kept a flower vase. She told us to try and paint a picture of the vase. It looked really complicated. As I started to paint bit by bit, I could see her staring at me with the corner of my eye. As I looked up and turned to her, she smiled at me. When I told her that it was difficult, she just kept smiling and then said, “Try, try, try, until you succeed.” As I kept those words in my mind, I started to paint. When I finished, I went and showed it to her. She said that my painting was the best. I was so happy! Then at dinnertime she came up to me and said, “Saranya, I cut a piece of your painting.” I was shocked. Then she said, “Please don’t be sad. The piece of your painting is going to be stuck on Dr. George’s birthday card! “ I felt that art could do a lot for me in my life.

By: Saranya

Shanti Bhavan, 6^th grade

When Mary Mitchell first came to Shanti Bhavan, she played us songs from Dhoom Machale and Titanic. I loved her way of playing the piano. I loved the way the music that she played kept my friends happy, interactive, and excited. In my mind I thought one day, I will get to play the piano and I will be like Mary. In the 5^th grade I said to myself, “You will never get to play the piano,” and then I heard the word “piano” which distracted me from my negative thoughts. It was Mrs. Ruth asking us who wants to learn the piano. Eighteen hands shot into the air. All eighteen hands restlessly waiting to be chosen. Then Mrs. Ruth saw me and asked, “Yeshwini, do you want to play the piano?” My heartbeat was 5X more than the normal heartbeat. All seventeen eyes looked at me eagerly waiting for my answer. With an excited voice, I said, “Yes!” Then Mrs. Ruth smiled at me and wrote my name on the board. I was full of mixed feelings. I wondered how easy or difficult it is to play the piano. At 4:00 pm, Mrs. Ruth called me and told Katherine to be my teacher. After my first lesson, I thought playing the piano is not as easy as you think. I walked out of the music room with a tired mind. Till now, I try my best to get to the level Mary Mitchell plays and I know I will.

By: Yeshwini

Shanti Bhavan, 7^th grade

Even More Farewell Cards!

2011-10-11T00:07:00.004+05:30

More Farewell Cards!

2011-09-24T22:46:00.005+05:30

Dance Class Fundraiser!

2011-09-21T02:37:00.004+05:30

Our first fundraiser for the Fall was this past Sunday at Dance New Amsterdam and it turned out to be a great success! Above is a video of the final routine that the class learned from the kind ladies at Infin8 Dance. So the only question to ask now is...who did it better? Our wonderful fundraiser attendees, above, or the kids of Shanti Bhavan, below? Thanks again to everyone who came out on Sunday!

Interview with Kreethishree

2011-09-15T02:59:00.013+05:30

This week's fundraiser, a Bollywood Dance Class is in support of this young girl's education. Our goal is to raise enough money to send her to Shanti Bhavan for a full year, about $1600. Below you can get to know this 4th grader, Kreethishree.

You can buy your ticket for this Sunday, September 18th here.

Interview:

How old are you?
9 years old

When is your birthday?
June 29^th

How old were you when you came to Shanti Bhavan?
3 years old

What grade are you in now?
4^th grade

Where are you from?
Bangalore

Tell me a little about your family…
Keerthi’s mom and three brothers now live in Erode. She has two older brothers and a twin brother. Her older brothers’ names are Brani and Goutham. Her twin brother’s name is Kishore. Her mom’s name is Kilvali. Keerthi is close with her mom and brothers.

What is your favorite thing about Shanti Bhavan?
Keerthi says her favorite thing is the good education. She goes on to add that everyone is kind and everything is free at Shanti Bhavan unlike at home where everything has to be paid for. Keerthi says she really likes Shanti Bhavan.

What is your favorite food?
Peanut Butter

What is your favorite hobby?
Dance!

What is your favorite subject?
Science

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Keerthi wants to be a software engineer and a singer. Her favorite singer is Justin Beiber.

Fundraiser this Sunday, September 18th!

2011-09-13T17:49:00.004+05:30

This Sunday, September 18th, infin8 Dance will team up with Shanti Bhavan and hold a Bollywood Dance Class fundraiser in New York City. Infin8 dance is a group that believes that dance can inspire social movements. This is our first, major fundraiser for the Fall and it will raise money to pay for fourth grader, Keerthishree's tuition to Shanti Bhavan for a full year. Visit Facebook to learn more about infin8, the event, and to RSVP.

Teacher's Day

2011-09-10T01:44:00.000+05:30

Volunteer teacher, Orsella asks the kids about their plans for Shanti Bhavan Teachers Day.

Praveen Plays Piano

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simply beautiful.

Meet Harish

2011-09-02T12:48:00.000+05:30

Videos taken by piano teacher, Allegra Boggess.

"I Am From"

2011-08-28T11:30:00.000+05:30

I am Puneeth Kumar from
the eyes of my mother,
my grandfather selling cucumber,
the scoldings of my sister,
the corn in the backyard,
the oily smell of pooris.
I am from the injured thumb of my grandpa,
the burnt body of my father,
the cut on my mother’s hand.
I am from the smell of flowers in Shanti Bhavan,
the speeches of my school’s founder,
and the advice of my housemothers.
I am from the blood of my dead father,
the sight of the burning clothes of my mother,
and from the teachings of my teachers.

A Poem by: Puneeth Kumar
8th Grade

All Dressed Up

2011-08-26T23:41:00.003+05:30

Meet Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru! Preschoolers all dressed up for India's recent Independence Day!

Him – A Poem About Dr. George

2011-08-25T06:31:00.002+05:30

Him

He-the feeling of the undefined;
The heart that accepted all races’ breath
That ultimate soul truthfully determined
Upon us, the story of stubborn hasty death.
The sculptor who carved that laughter is
He—who cares to light the dying stars,
His—gentle expressions of love in kisses,
That mocks the hatred of man’s endless wars,
Opening the artless mind from its confines,
To heal the wound that didn’t.
Fueling integrity to the incoherent lines,
His passion for mankind which couldn’t.
Him—Dr. Abraham M. George, the eternity
Of his courage, to be ours for infinity.

By: Nivya
9th Grade

One Happiness is Not Enough

2011-08-25T06:28:00.001+05:30

In a town named Xian in China in the year 1914, darkness crept upon the evening light. A scream splattered the stillness, as a 3-year-old girl was having her feet bound. Distress and agony showed on her face as she struggled against the clutches of her mother. Her grandmother, who was doing the binding, looked up for a brief moment, but put her head quickly down as she felt her heart melt for her little angel, her granddaughter Chang. She knew that she had to follow her son-in-law’s order. He had already planned to join his daughter’s hand with the General’s son who lived in the lavish house next door. He had said firmly: “Bind her feet as small as you can. The smaller they are, the more impressed will the General be,” and he replied softly, “the faster she gets married, the quicker we shall get the store.”

A new scream brought her back to the present. Tears flooded Chang’s face, and her eyes were red and swollen. She would always remember this day.
Through a small crack in the window, the small body, the General’s son, stood in a trance-like-state, viewing the scene before him. He saw a little girl screaming, and his heart went out to her. He quietly decided that he would make her happy one day.

In 1917, the binding of feet was banned by the Chinese government, and some of those who had bound feet just started removing their bindings, but it was not possible for Chang. The General’s son, Que, had proposed marriage to Chang to her father, and according to her father’s wishes Chang had to get married with her feet bound. As for the tradition, she was carried on a royal chair to visit all the four gates of the town and was then taken to her husband Zue’s house.
At the age of 13, both understood each other very well, and both understood what each other wanted. One night as Chang lay on her bed with the moonlight illuminating her face, her breathing soft and even, Zue entered the room carrying a bowl of warm water. He kneeled quietly in front of her feet and slowly started unbinding her bound feet. As the last fold was removed, he gasped with shock. Dry skin was peeling from her feet, and they were in an odd shape which clearly showed that they were broken. He had promised to make her happy, and the only way he could do that was to get married to her because he knew that other men would have considered her small feet fashionable.

As he quietly bathed her feet in the warm water, she woke with a start, and her eyes fell on him. She tried to pull back her feet, but he just held them tightly, not allowing her to pull them back. He looked up to her and asked, “Chang, do you want your feet bound?” She shook her head vigorously, and her loose black hair felt straight along her shoulder.
He replied, “In that case, I’m going to help you with your feet.” Gently, he kept her feet straight and bound them such that her feet would look normal and grow again. Chang, who watched him intently silently and quietly fell back to sleep. Zue kissed her gently on her forehead and left her alone in her world of fantasy.

“Zue!” The General’s voice basked in the morning.”Chang hasn’t yet come to the store. Her father and I made a deal that the store’s profit would be shared between us, but if she doesn’t work, her father will not get the profit,” his voice snarled at Zue. “Go find her. Our shop is not profiting, and we need her to influence people to come to our store.”
Zue went to her room and saw Chang struggling to stand and walk. He helped her, and she smiled at him and his heart soared.

Four years later, the General passed away, and his magnificent and profitable store went to Chang and Zue. Due to the absence of the General, many people started coming to the store. Chang walked normally with only a slight limp. The store’s two wellwishers, Chang and Zue, looked at each other as a smile escaped both their lips. They held a secret, which would become the world’s knowledge in a few months.

By: Amrutha
10th Grade

"Thriller"

2011-08-24T22:00:00.002+05:30

Fourth and fifth graders perform the "Thriller" dance for Halloween in 2009!

More Goodbye Cards!

2011-08-22T23:30:00.009+05:30

More goodbye cards created by the children for our loved volunteers. Volunteer today and make a difference in their lives.

"Baby" Dance

2011-08-21T04:51:00.003+05:30

The kids perform a dance to Justin Bieber's "Baby."

Happy Independence Day India!

2011-08-18T03:41:00.004+05:30

Our kids celebrating Indian Independence Day on August 15th 2011. (First picture provided by CNN).

Card Creations

2011-08-16T23:26:00.002+05:30

Some handcrafted cards!

Work Hard, Get Smart, Go to College!

2011-08-10T23:47:00.005+05:30

The kids planning out a banner. "Work Hard, Get Smart, and Go to College!"
Sounds good to us!

Back to Blogging!

2011-07-28T22:51:00.004+05:30

We're back and have some exciting updates! Shanti Bhavan has been nominated by Picture A Healthier World, a website/organization that sells donated photography and gives all the profits to non-profit organizations. We have the chance to be that organization for a month! Please vote here and share it with your friends!

Also, our website has just been updated, please visit it here: http://www.shantibhavanonline.org/

2010-12-01T15:29:00.003+05:30

The choir performing with Mary-Mitchell Campbell, founder of ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty) during her visit this past week.
11th grader Prashanth singing a solo for the school.
11th grader Saridha announcing a piano piece before her performance.

Harish and Praveen Playing a Piano Duet!

2010-11-27T12:41:00.004+05:30

6th grader Harish and 11th grader Praveen play the piano duet "I Love Coffee, I Love Tea" arranged by Bernard and Carolyn Shaak - the childhood piano teachers of Allegra Boggess, the current piano teacher at Shanti Bhavan. When asked if there's anything the children would like to say to Mrs. Shaak at the end of their performance, both students respond with enthusiasm!

Dancing with the (5th, 6th, & 7th Grade) Stars

2010-11-15T12:32:00.006+05:30

Watch as some of our girls from the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades learn, practice, and perform a jazz dance choreographed by volunteer Jodi Belden who took a break from her work as assistant editor at Elle Magazine in New York City to come and work with our children in rural India.

2010-11-14T14:00:00.002+05:30

November 13th was Children's Day and it was celebrated at Shanti Bhavan with lots of dancing, singing, skits, and ice cream!
Teachers dancing together.
Ms. Irene and Auntie Gita dancing together and looking beautiful, as always!

The volunteers singing a song together.
The children enjoying the program!

Photo Journal: Diwali Celebration at Shanti Bhavan

2010-11-13T12:43:00.009+05:30

Take a look a look at how Shanti Bhavans celebrated Diwali 2010 through the camera lens of our artist in residence, Yazmany Arboleda.

Diwali (also spelled Devali in certain regions) or Deepavali, popularly known as the "festival of lights", is an important five-day festival in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, occurring between mid-October and mid-November.

For Hindus, Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. Deepavali is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago,Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, and Fiji.

The name "Diwali" is a contraction of "Deepavali" (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvalī), which translates into "row of lamps".^[3]Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas or dīpas) in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. Most Indian business communities begin the financial year on the first day of Diwali.

The kids at SB look forward to this day all year long, and to be witness to their joy as they play with all of the fireworks it a great blessing.

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11th-graders Jancy and Divya decorate Shanti Bhavan for Diwali, festival of lights.

The Gentlemen Plead the Fifth (Grade)

2010-10-30T02:28:00.001+05:30

Having fun with the boys from the fifth grade class this week!

Naveen's Beautiful Piano Performance

2010-10-29T00:49:00.000+05:30

Making Faces with the 3rd Grade (Part 1)

2010-10-27T21:42:00.017+05:30

As part of one of our mentorship programs, the third graders were photographed this afternoon using their most expressive faces.

Science Experiment

2010-10-25T18:01:00.000+05:30

Two of Shanti Bhavan's science teachers Mr. Pandiyan and Mr. Doss work with 12th graders Abliash and Poovarasan and 11th grader Prashanth for a chemistry experiment.

Practicing Hard in Guitar Class!

2010-10-15T09:11:00.003+05:30

8th graders Preetha, Anjali, and Renuka in guitar class with volunteer Mike Boggess.

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12th grade English class acting out Macbeth!

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PT time!

Graduates Visit Shanti Bhavan

2010-08-21T16:57:00.002+05:30

The graduates visit Shanti Bhavan for the first time in two months! They received quite a welcome!

2010-08-14T18:27:00.001+05:30

8^thgraders hold up their country placards during a United Nations simulation

As part of their Civics class, 8^th graders acted as members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and discussed policy options for dealing with the Iranian nuclear crisis. Specifically, they debated the pros and cons of military action versus economic sanctions. Although a final resolution was not reached, the students learned about how the UNSC operates and how it attempts to deal with various threats to international security.

2010-08-04T09:47:00.001+05:30

Tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students enjoy a friendly game of basketball against a few of the volunteers- Amit, Rahul, and Sabala. Basketball is a popular activity for older students, and even some of the volunteers, to participate in!

Piano Lessons at Shanti Bhavan

2010-07-31T01:02:00.004+05:30

Amarnath from the 5th grade shows off his piano skills with this performance of "I Love Coffee, I Love Tea"

Field Day 2010

2010-07-24T21:09:00.003+05:30

Watch the students show off their athletic skills as they compete at Field Day 2010.

Third Graders in Art Class!

2010-07-22T10:29:00.003+05:30

Third graders with their pipe-cleaner creations made in art class with volunteer Andrea!

Hindi Class and National Anthem

2010-07-17T21:20:00.002+05:30

The children of Shanti Bhavan perform the India National Anthem at morning assembly.

Ms. Sheeba, one of Shanti Bhavan's newest faculty members, teaches an animated Hindi class to the 7th graders.

Voice Lessons

2010-07-17T13:08:00.003+05:30

5th grade Sabrinath during his voice lesson with volunteer Alison. Sabrinath, Bhuvenashwari (6th grade) and Thanuja (7th grade) study voice together twice a week from 6:30 - 7:30 A.M.

2010-07-11T15:25:00.003+05:30

4th graders Dinesh, Praveen, and Shree Shakti in recorder class with Summer. Great concentration, poise, and posture!

Performances at Shanti Bhavan

2010-07-10T21:38:00.002+05:30

Bina, a graduate of the first class, doing a classical Indian bharatanatyam dance for the Shanti Bhavan 2010 Graduation Celebration.

Shanti Bhavan celebrated School Day on July 5. The day included performances by the volunteers, aunties, teachers and of course the children.

2010-07-06T14:33:00.001+05:30

The Third Graders are eager to share their knowledge and predict what is going to happen in their story. Our comprehension skill of the week was how to make predictions when we read. We learned a cheer complete with hand motions, “what you know + what you see and read = a prediction!”

2010-07-06T14:17:00.001+05:30

Vel excitedly answers the last question of his weekly reading quiz for Third Grade. He was tested on weekly vocabulary words, story settings, and the difference between a common and proper noun.

2010-06-29T10:42:00.002+05:30

Here the 4th grade class shows off their museum drawings after their activity class. When asked " Do you like the draw?" The 4th graders responded: "We love coloring and drawing things that we see around us!"

2010-06-29T10:31:00.002+05:30

Here the 8th-12th Grade girls are seen taking Gymnastics with our Guest Volunteer Anna Rivera. When asked "What they enjoyed most about Gymnastics?" They said: We love how it pushes us to be flexible and stay open and we can apply this to life as well!

A New Year Begins at Shanti Bhavan

2010-06-19T18:51:00.004+05:30

PT is in full swing! Here are the younger grades playing in the dirt and making beautiful designs with the flowers. The older students enjoyed playing a game of volleyball with volunteers Shreya Bhatt, Molly Huish, and Maura McNamara.

Shanti Bhavan Graduation

2010-06-11T16:39:00.003+05:30

Shanti Bhavan celebrated its first graduation ever on June 6th. 14 students will be moving on to college to study their chosen professions. The ceremonies were filled with pomp and circumstance, with speeches by the children and special guests including S. D. Shibulal, co-founder of Infosys, and Rolf Saligmann, Consul General of Germany.

Family members of the graduates attended the ceremonies. Here, valedictorian Pushpa stands with her smiling family. The families all expressed how proud and hopeful they were of their children and thanked the staff of Shanti Bhavan for providing them with this opportunity.

The nights leading up to the graduation ceremony were filled with fun and celebration with performances by all grades, the visiting volunteers, the teachers and aunties. Here the graduating class sing "In My Life" by The Beatles.

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To escape the sweltering heat during the very last week of school, grades 1-5 had the opportunity to swim for 15 minutes a day. Here the 5th graders splash and play. At the end of the day, the water from the Dolphin Pool was pumped to the watermelon fields.

1st grader Prashant thoroughly enjoys himself during a theater class led by volunteer Rebecca Versaci.

8th grader Vijay practices Pachelbel's Canon in D major during his free time. It is an all-time favorite of the piano students.

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Kusuma, Sebastian, and Keerthishree play on the jungle gym during evening PT.

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3st grader Rajesh works happily on his creative writing project.

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1st graders excitedly show off their muscles on the soccer field!

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The 12th graders relax together after morning classes.

Shreeshakti proudly presents her "My Two Homes" project to the rest of the 3rd grade.

Princes and Jeopardy with the 4th Gade

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Fourth graders after performing the Little Prince for the school.

Fourth graders playing math jeopardy!

Marvelous Melodies!

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In music, the third graders learn a dialogue song; the boys and the girls take turns singing to each other. “Girls, girls, I’ve been thinking what a great world this would be, if the girls were all transported far beyond the Northern Sea”

Twelfth grader, Rajini rehearses for the upcoming performance while the First graders offer moral support.

Work and Play at Shanti Bhavan!!

2010-03-20T13:45:00.004+05:30

The 10th and 12th graders of Shanti Bhavan are very focused on their Indian board examinations. Here are the 10th graders walking into the dining hall after finishing an exam. The were greeted by a standing ovation from their peers and teachers.

Here is a picture of 2nd graders Karthikeyan and Naveen listening to a story read by volunteer Rebecca Versaci. Rebecca is doing a series of theatre lessons working with Indian children's books.

2010-03-19T22:26:00.002+05:30

Rajesh and Satish from the 3rd Grade read their latest scavenger hunt clue during their afternoon activity class Led by volunteer Ashwin Rao, as the first graders look on. When we asked Rajesh if he was having fun, he quickly nodded yes and ran off to find the next clue!

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Here, the 3rd Grade boys are playing a fast paced game of Lagori during evening PT. They try to stack seven stones before the opposing team tags them out. Its a great group building activity.

2010-03-06T18:44:00.002+05:30

The 4th and 5th Grade celebrated Holi, the festival of colors and spring in the traditional way by smearing brightly colored powder on their faces. The volunteers and the students had a joyous and beautiful time together.

2010-03-06T18:00:00.002+05:30

Volunteer Barry conducted introductory self-defense classes with the girls from 5th grade up. These early morning classes gave them a range of responses to potentially difficult situations.

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Here, Kiran of the 3rd Grade shows of his drawing of the moon!

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Here Sumathi, of the 3rd Grade shows off her drawing! When asked if she liked the assignment, she said: "Yes! I like to draw".

2010-02-25T14:03:00.002+05:30

This Tuesday, the children of the third grade learned about the shapes of the moon.
They discovered these different shapes by drawing the moon in their science notebooks. The black side of the green ball is the side of the moon we always see. The children had to draw what they saw of the ‘black’ side of the moon: a hole circle, a half circle, nothing, … Later on, we gave these drawings the right names: full moon, first quarter moon, last quarter moon, new moon.

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Here 3rd Grade Math led by Volunteer Kendra D'hondt answers the question: 10 divided by 10 equals?

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Here Shanti Bhavan kids playing a Math Game. Each group has four players, they get a division problem and the first child of each group runs as fast as they can to the other side, where they collect the correct amount of rocks for the answer. THen, the run back! Whoever sits first and raises their right hand and shows the correct answer by the amount of rocks collected wins a point for the team.

2010-02-10T15:10:00.002+05:30

The Senior Accounting Students discuss their upcoming exam with volunteer Robbie Bathal. When asked if they are inspired by Accounting: Vijay answers: "Robbie makes the subject come to life! It makes it easier to learn".

2010-02-10T15:04:00.001+05:30

The Girl PT/Games at 6:30am started doing Yoga! In this picture: Bhavani and the 5th and 7th grade girls. When asked how Yoga makes Bhavani feel she said: "Yoga makes me relaxed, but it is also a lot of hard work on my muscles! I am happy we have a Yoga class to look forward to in the mornings"!

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Checking each other's work- Seventh Grade Grammar: In this photo, Samuel and Nanda.

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Children gear up for Kabadi-a traditional Indian game. In this photo, the upper grade boys at PT.

2010-01-28T21:40:00.001+05:30

Shanti Bhavan students also performed various traditional dances for guests. In this photo, sixth and seventh grade girls perform the graceful Kolatum dance, which involves interaction with other dancers using sticks.

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First grade student Thenmozhi is a peacock in Peter Pan goes to India. “My job was to be a peacock and dance,” she said. When asked about her thoughts on how the play went, she exclaimed, “it was very nice!”

2010-01-28T21:26:00.004+05:30

Shanti Bhavan students perform Peter Pan goes to India for their German guests. In this scene, Peter Pan meets village chieftain who welcomes him and his entourage to the Pongal celebrations. Students had been rehearsing for weeks; memorizing lines, dance steps, and preparing costumes. Thanks to the hard work of the children and staff, the production was a success!

2010-01-28T21:23:00.003+05:30

Hosting the IGCC Annual Football Tournament, Shanti Bhavan cheerleaders and soccer players pose for a photo before the day’s festivities begin. Soccer players were divided into four color-coded teams: Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow.

8th graders robotics class

2009-11-29T22:23:00.002+05:30

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2009-11-25T20:14:00.001+05:30

This is not an actual post. This is only to verify our claim token with Technorati so you can find us there too!

The Good side of Evil

2009-11-08T14:39:00.002+05:30

It was five in the evening and everyone held their breath, waiting for the arrival of the witches, ghosts and gypsies. When they did arrive, the cheers from the children and staff greeted them. The witches had decided to put a program for us. The 4^th, 5th and 6^th grade children danced for the song “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.

Then we had a small fanfare of many interesting games and activities put together for us. They were beanbags, scavenger hunt, face painting, three-legged race, art and craft, counting buttons, and many other very awesome activities. The prizes were chocolates. Everyone immensely enjoyed himself or herself.

After dinner, the 8^th and 12^th grade students went trick or treating. They wore weird costumes and danced around the school. They got a huge booty of sweets and chocolates from the staff and volunteers of Shanti Bhavan. Over all, Halloween was scary and fun at the same time.

Robots Invade Shanti Bhavan!

2009-10-14T22:00:00.006+05:30

Here is our volunteer Eduard, teaching two of the 11th graders how to make robots! Eduard's university donated all of the robotics equipment. It develops the childrens' computer, physics, math, and creative thinking skills. After Eduard leaves, the children will still be able to learn and play with the robots!

2009-09-13T15:57:00.003+05:30

Recently we celebrated Teacher and Mother's day at Shanti Bhavan. This was a chance for us to show our Aunties and teachers how much we love them and appreciate all their hard work. We got a day off from school too :) .

This is Bharat (a.k.a Barack) strutting his stuff in a fashion show as part of the Teacher and Mother's Day performance.

Rakshabhandan!

2009-08-15T10:32:00.002+05:30

Here are Rajini and Manimala, and Prameela (teacher) demonstrating how we celebrate Rakshabandan. Rakshabandan is a day when sisters show affection for their brother by tying a Rakhi (woven bracelet). The tying of the Rakhi symbolizes that the sister is under the protection of her brother.

Beware the Ides of March (if you don't study)!

2009-06-25T20:25:00.003+05:30

The 10th grade studied very hard for their board exams this March,

but they still found time to have a little fun.

Here we're about to enjoy Julius Caesar on video.

A Motley Crew

2009-06-25T20:18:00.001+05:30

3rd, 4th and 5th grade boys love soccer practice!

2nd Grade Loves Nature Walks

2009-05-29T22:20:00.003+05:30

Weekends are a great opportunity for (l-r) Madhubala, Nandini, Maria Sneha, Shree Shakthi and James to enjoy the beauty of Shanti Bhavan.

KG Cuties

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Kindergarteners enjoy a beautiful weekend afternoon on the playground.

5th Grader Chethan leads PT Exercises

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"When I am leading PT I feel nervous because everyone is watching me, but I also feel excited." -Chethan (5th Grade)

Kindergarteners Practicing their Plies

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"Dance class is so fun, i like the music". -Thenmozhi (KG)

Kavitha and Vijay in Class

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Kavitha (10th grade) cracking up during some free time.

Riddles, a MUST at Shanti Bhavan!

2008-11-14T22:30:00.002+05:30

Bhavani (4th grade): The Master Riddle Smith.

Spooky Moves Under the Black Light

2008-11-14T22:04:00.001+05:30

"We danced so much and the black light was very nice". - Berkmans (5th grade)

Shanti Bhavan Masquerade Artisans

2008-11-14T21:36:00.001+05:30

Pushpa from the 11th grade modeling her artwork.

"It will be really cool to see my mask glowing in the dark". - Abilash (10th grade)

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

2008-11-14T20:28:00.004+05:30

Ajay committed to win the spoon race on Halloween!

"It was so hard to hold the spoon with my teeth. I'm very happy my team won". - Ajay (4th grade)

Francis running in style during the Costume Relay Race!

"The churidar was so difficult to put on, but once it was on, I ran as fast as I could". - Francis (9th grade)

Kumar from the 9th grade captured these great moment during the Halloween carnival.

Halloween Dancing Fun!

2008-11-14T17:04:00.003+05:30

"For Halloween, I danced to a scary song and I was a zombie...we all practiced a lot for the dance. It was really fun"! - Bharath (4th grade)

Happy Diwali!

2008-10-31T22:21:00.000+05:30

7th graders enjoy a couple sparklers for Diwali at Shanti Bhavan earlier this week.

Grass Masala

2008-10-31T22:00:00.000+05:30

"I'm sitting and making Masala. The Masala is grass. I make it with a rock." - Vikram (1st Grade)

Airborne

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"I'm jumping from the extension building. I stay in the Gym dorm, but we were having class there. I'm not the best jumper but I'm pretty good." - Chetan (5th Grade)