Bala Vihar
Our children ask us many questions about our scriptures, the different forms of God and Goddess, the lives of saints and sages and even about death. Many times we don't know how to answer them in a way that is true and also speaks to their hearts. As adults, we have been distanced from our very own scriptures and have failed to unlock and uncover their gems.
Bala Vihar by Chinmaya Mission is a place where children and teens can learn about spirituality through the systematic study of Hindu Scriptures from ages 2 (Shishu Vihar) until high school. Learning doesn't only happen through a discourse or lecture but through stories, activities, interactive discussions and even cultural programs and family retreats.
Chinmaya Mission runs Bala Vihar all over the world and trains their teachers to conduct classes in-person or on virtual platforms. In North America alone, around 18,000 children and youth have registered in this program.
Students 9th grade & up become part of the Junior CHYK (Chinmaya Yuva Kendra), the Chinmaya Youth program. The JCHYKs, under the guidance of the adult coordinators carry out activities like seva projects, workshops, fundraisers and many other initiatives that augment and strengthen their Bala Vihar learning.
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CMA has decided all classes will be online due to COVID-19 during Fall 2021 session.
Plan for Bala Vihar Sessions in Fall 2021:
The Online classes for Ashram Bala Vihar will be conducted in 2 sessions. The timings are as follows:
10am-11am: Session 1 (all BV grades & Adult classes)
---10 minutes transition
11:10am-11:50am: JCHYK, Language, Other enrichment
---10 minutes transition
12pm-1pm: Session 2 (all BV grades & Adult classes)
NOTE:
* 12th gr classes are currently offered only in Session 1.
* Marietta classes will be held Online from 4-5:30pm.
Chinmaya Bala Vihar program highlights:
- Learn Hindu culture & spiritual philosophy in a fun manner through stories, discussions, games, arts & more
- Build the understanding of Vedanta in structured and systematic manner as guided by spiritual masters
- Provide an enriching environment for children to meet, share a common value system and feel a sense of identity with the Hindu Culture & their spiritual traditions.
- Enforce building of character, strength & confidence needed for a positive & happy future
- Give a solid foundation of the Vedantic values needed for success in a multi-racial community
SFMS Balavihar Teachers classlist
| Class | Teacher Name | Room Number |
|---|---|---|
| Sujatha Thota | Shishu - Balagopal | |
| Prek - all_Marietta | ||
| Smita Shinde Patil | PreK - Ganesha | |
| Ramyamayi Ratakonda | KG - Lakshmi | |
| KG - Saraswati | ||
| Iti Sodhani | 1st grd - Lakshmana | |
| Hemalata Chakrapani | 1st grd - Sita | |
| Aparna Raghupati | 2nd grd - Anjaneya | |
| Pooja Jaiswal | 2nd grd - Hanuman | |
| Neelima Sunder Sen | 2nd grd - Maruti | |
| Haritha Jayanthi | 3rd grd - Devaki | |
| Chandana Kolluru | 3rd grd - Yashoda | |
| Lakshmi Vedala | 4th grd - Parashurama | |
| Saraswati Yagnavajhala | 4th grd - Prahlad | |
| Madhav Panatula | 4th grd - Vamana | |
| Kavita Choudhury | 5th grd - Durga | |
| Sandhiya Krishnamoorthy | 5th grd - Shiva | |
| Nikhila Vijayan | 5th grd - Vishnu | |
| Usha Kamath | 6th grd - Kabir | |
| Anusha Mohan | 6th grd - Mirabai | |
| Vandna Pandya | 7th grd - Dhiraja | |
| Sankar Valluri | 7th grd - Satya | |
| Anandi Suri | 7th grd - Sauraja | |
| 8th grd - Sushruta | ||
| Mahalaxmi Kumar | 8th grd - Tulsidas | |
| Padma Kashyap | 8th grd - Valmiki | |
| Pranitha Kalvakuntla | 9th grd - Chinmaya | |
| Praveena Surasani | 9th grd - Tejomaya | |
| Aparna Pateria | 10th grd - Sivananda | |
| Suri Anantharama | 10th grd - Tapovan | |
| Gauri Mhaskar | 11th grd - Shankara | |
| Bhavana Subramanian | 11th grd - Vidyaranya | |
| Shekhar Kanetkar | 12th grd - Omkara | |
| Guru Kashyap | 12th grd - Pranava |
An innovative way to jump start a value based education program has been created for our children. It is a structured, age appropriate program which runs from PreK- 12th grade.
The multi-dimensional approach (Prayers, Chants, Stories, Philosophy) of looking at scriptures as they apply to our daily lives makes spirituality more relevant for children. We want our children to lead a truly happy, peaceful, and successful life. There is no better way but to introduce them to the science of living through this program.
Book Names by Grades :
Bhajans and Rhymes - Shishu Vihar
The Alphabet Safari - Grade PreK
The Alphabet Safari - Grade KG
Bala Ramayana - Grade 1
Sri Hanuman - The Super Superman - Grade 2
Krishna Stories - Grade 3
Bala Bhagavatam Vishnu Avatars - Grade 4
Symbolism In Hinduism - Grade 5
India, The Sacred Land - Grade 6
Key to Success & P.O. Box Mr. God - Grade 7
Yato Dharmah Tato Jayah(Mahabharata) - Grade 8
Hindu Culture- Grade 9
Self Unfoldment - Grade 10
Gita for me - Grade 11 & 12
The enrichment classes are optional and fees for these classes are charged separately.
Enrichment Classes at the South Forsyth school location (SFMS)
Language Classes for Bala Vihar kids
CMA offers languages classes for Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam and Sanskrit to registered bala vihar kids. Registration for language classes can be done along with the bala vihar registration. Class fees covers books etc.
CMA Bala Vihar Competitions
CMA Bala Vihar conducts various competitions for all kids every year.
Republic Day Competitions:
This year the Republic Day Art, Writing and Speech Competitions were held on Jan 24th & Jan 30th.
Results of the competitions are posted here.
Gita Chanting Competition: 
Our Annual Gita Chanting competition took place March 28th 2021 on Chapter 2, "sāṅkhya yoga".
Results of the competitions are posted here.
Here is some information about the competition:
The verses to be memorized:
PreK-KG: Verses 1-10
1st-2nd grade: Verses 1-15
3rd-4th grade: Verses 1-20
5th-6th grade: Verses 1-25
7th+ grades: Verses 1-30
Adults: Verses 1-30
Note: CM worldwide is also offering a competition on Chapter 2 this year (which is why we chose Chapter 2 for our competition). The range of verses for the national competition will be a little different (more verses in general) than the ranges we have chosen for our local competition. For 7th and higher grade, the range for the national competition is verses 1-38, so we will teach up to verse 38 for that group. If there is sufficient interest, we will also offer a competition at our center for verses 1-38.
We will also have a challenge event for adults (most likely Sunday Apr 11th 2021 afternoon). As we did last year, there will be 2 components to this event: The first part is recitation from memory (verses 1-30), and the 2nd part will also be a quiz related to the meaning of those 30 verses. Adults can choose to participate in one or both those components.
How to register for the Chanting Competition:
Please send an email with the following details.
- For the kids competition - Child's full name and grade level.
- For the Adults competition - Adult's full name, and which component(s) they wish to participate.
Printouts: The printout of the Gita Shlokas is available here: PDF file
Recordings: A recording of verses 1-20 in teaching style by Swami Shantanandaji, along with a pronunciation guide PDF is available here.
Bala Vihar service projects
CMA provides ample opportunity for bala vihar kids to do selfless service. Kids can serve every Sunday at the bala vihar location helping in tasks like parking, setup, cleanup, bookstore, ticket sales, food sales etc. based on their age. There are also opportunities to help at the ashram doing various tasks like cleanup, organizing, gardening etc. In addition to this, there are several service projects that are coordinated by CMA to help the outside community like MedShare, lunchbags for the homeless, Soup kitchens etc. as well as participating in toy & food drives that are conducted every year during Thanksgiving.
Bala Vihar classes at Marietta
Chinmaya Mission Alpharetta offers Bala Vihar and adult classes at Marietta location also.
Currently Enrichment & language classes are not offered at this location.
Location : Online for Fall 2021
Powers Ferry Elementary school, 403 Powers ferry road, Marietta, GA - 30067 (when we can have in-person classes)
Timings Sundays 4-5:30 pm; Classes will begin after Labor day
Schedule:
- 4:00 - 4:30 pm - Assembly (prayers, pledge, Gita chanting, aarti & announcements)
- 4:30 - 5:30 pm - BV classes for kids; Vedanta class for adults
Fees for Aug 2021-May 2022 is: ( additional registration fee of $50 after July 25th)
- $150 for family with no kids
- $300 for family with 1 kid
- $450 for family with 2 or more kid
Fees for Jan 2022-May 2022 is:
- $75 for family with no kids
- $150 for family with 1 kid
- $225 for family with 2 or more kid
If you are interested in registering your family, please do so here: Marietta Registration
Upcoming events
Announcements
- Due to COVID all classes will be online in Fall 2021. We will monitor the situation to determine when we can open in-person.
- Open House and book pickup on Aug 8th 10-11:30am at South Forsyth Middle School.
- Registration for Fall 2021 is Open now Classes will be held in 2 sessions: 10-11am and 12-1pm on Sundays.
