Sep. 21st Bala Vihar Update

1. Discussion points today:

Old Business:

We reviewed the research topics from assigned on September 14th:

A. What are the 17 major languages in India?

Varun, Rohan, Smruthi and others aided in this research... 

B. Who made the Indian Flag and when?

Aneesh had this assignment but was not able to join the class today because he was not feeling well. He did email us his findings:

"Last week, I undertook the task of finding out who designed the Indian Flag. Here is my
research.

•  Pingali Venkayya designed the flag in 1916.
• Venkayya was from Machilipatnam
• The flag was adopted by Congress in 1931
• It was made the national flag with a few changes in 1947."

             

New Business:

We covered the following new topics from the book Awakening Indians to India.

Ancient Indian Civilizations

Temples

Independence Day

Republic Day

Government Facts

Civil and Military Honors

2. To prepare for next class on Oct. 5th

Read ahead and discuss at home with your parents.  Awakening Indians to India is the main text we use for reference and discussion.  If you spend 10-15 minutes every other day, reading ahead and discussing with your parents and family members, you will be amazed how much you can participate and contribute to in class discussions.  Parents, if you have anecdotal stories related to topic that we will be covering in class, please share that with your 6th grader so they can share it with the rest of us the class.  How would you, as a parent know, what topics are coming up next?  Ask your 6th grader what they just read in the book!  :-)

3.  Swami Chinmayananda Centenary Year Celebration

Looking ahead to Summer 2015, please make plans to join us for the next Chinmayay Mahasamdhi Camp.  This will take place in Somerset, NJ during the last week of July into the first week of August.  More details to follow.

3. Important dates to remember:

January 25th 2015, there will be a presentation by the Dharmam Class during the Balavihar assembly.  Please plan on arriving a little earlier than usual to get ready for our presentation.  During the next few classes, we will discuss the content of our presentation, which can involve singing (e.g. Jana Gana Mana) and/or a skit.  Bring your ideas and share them with your class.