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Navi Mumbai Kendra
Gyan Bharati, a forum for the spread of information and learning was inaugurated by Shri M Ramchandra, Chairman, Shri Bighna Nayak, Vice Chairman, and Shri Harish Aiyer, Secretary of Navi Mumbai Kendra on June 7, 2025. Exhibitions, workshops, lectures, talks and discussions are planned on ancient India and present day life, informed Dr Shanta Belvadi.
A two-day programme on ‘Say no to Plastic’ was delivered by Shri Rohan Chavan, CSR professional from Bisleri International. Shri Sagar Mhatre, photographer and Smt Shreelata Menon of MEE spoke on the theme. Smt Archana Churaria conducted the programme. The event featured an exhibition of eco-friendly products, a workshop for children on making gift items and curios from paper, and a video show on birds.
Indian Knowledge System Talks
The Navi Mumbai Kendra started the IKS cell in March with the inaugural session on March 21, 2025 focusing on ‘Learning from Indian Scriptures’ by Vedanta Scholar Uday Acharya. The session was attended by 62 participants. The second talk was on ‘Aryabhatta and Aryabhatian Mathematics’ by Dr. S. S. Prabhu, Professor at TIFR, Mumbai. This was followed by ‘Learning from Upanishads’ by Brahmachari Samarth Chaitanya of Chinmay Ashram on May 17, 2025.
Navi Mumbai Kendra
The 4th Annual Day of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Navi Mumbai Kendra’s Children’s Club was celebrated on February 16, 2025 with a beautiful exhibition-cum-sale, splendid performances, and the long awaited prize distribution.
The Chief Guest, Shri Jitendra Singh, Founder-Chairman of ISC UDYOG Ltd. Group of Companies, along with Smt. Singh went around the exhibition that showcased drawings, small earthen pots with plants, colourful bookmarks and other items made by children. The items were also on sale, earning the children the very first income of their lives. A medley of performances followed. Students of Sahana Institute of Performing Arts showcased a perfect presentation whose highlight was a performance providing glimpses of the Ramayana. The prize distribution for various contests held during the year was also conducted.
'Tie and Dye' Workshop
On April 13, 2025, a 'tie and dye' workshop was held for members of the Bhavan's Children's Club. More than thirty five children from different schools of Navi Mumbai participated in the workshop. The students happily created various designs under the guidance of Amita Kini, founder of Suchitra Classes and Art Gallery, and President of GSB Mahila Shakha.
This was followed by a drawing and painting contest on the theme of monsoon.
Indian Knowledge System
IKS cell is a newly-developed initiative by the Navi Mumbai Kendra. Its objective is to promote IKS as a cultural centre. As part of its activities, on March 21, 2025, Uday Acharya, a Vedantic scholar, spoke on 'Learning from Indian Scriptures'. Dr S. S. Prabhu, Professor, TIFR Mumbai, spoke on 'Aryabhatta and Aryabhattian Mathematics' on April 15, 2025. The IKS cell will regularly conduct talks, seminars, conferences etc. along with research projects and other activities.
Dance Drama in Puppet Style
The 793rd performance of ‘Ramayan’, a dance drama in puppet style, by Rangsri Little Ballet Troupe, was held at Navi Mumbai Kendra on April 12, 2025. The performance received high accolades from a housefull audience. ‘Ramayan’ has human performers as puppets who, despite wearing masks that concealed their facial expressions, connected with the audience through their gestures and movements.
Environment Awareness and Preservation
The Navi Mumbai Kendra organised a ‘Movie time with a cause’ on April 13, 2025. Children from different schools of Navi Mumbai including Avalon Heights, Father Agnel, Poddar, North Point, Goldcrest, St Mary, Vibgyor, Sacred Heart and other schools gathered eagerly for a special Green Marshall’s show.
Fascinating documentaries on dolphins and flamingos and their habitats were shown by Shivranjani Gudibanda and Heeral Shah Doshi, followed by an interesting discussion on saving the environment and conservation of nature, followed by a poster making event on the same theme.
Navi Mumbai Kendra
Bhavan’s Children’s Club members interacted with Dr Ajay K. Bhat, a hardware engineer who works at Apple in San Francisco, US, during a novel ‘Meet and Greet’ programme on January 12.
Dr Bhat’s engaging conversation and valuable insights left the children inspired, motivated and enlightened.
Dr Bhat is also an enthusiastic sportsperson who has summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, has participated in winter sports and skydiving.
Photography Workshop
During a Heritage Photo exhibition, organised by Navi Mumbai Kendra, on January 25, the members of Bhavan’s Children’s club were taught photography basics by Sagar Mhatre. Children were allowed to handle an SLR camera. They took many pictures following the instructions.
Heritage Photography Exhibition
Bhavan’s Photography Society organised a photography contest where 461 entries by 81 participants were submitted. Fifty were selected for the cultural exhibition which was held from January 21 to 26. There were three categories stipulated by Mr Krishnan Subramanian, the head of the Society—Indian architecture and temples, Indian classical dance and music and Indian festivals. The judges were Vaibhav Jaguste, Subhash Jirange and Rajendra Waghmare. The MD of Saurashtra Cements, M S Gilotra, was the chief guest. Dr Shantha Belvade delivered a talk on the significance of the heritage exhibition. Secretary Sagar Mhatre announced the winners and the prizes were awarded by Shri M N Ramchandra, Chairman and Shri Bighna Nayak, Vice Chairman of the Kendra.
Republic Day Celebrations
Republic Day was celebrated at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Navi Mumbai Kendra with Retd Jt CP Shri Sanjay Mohiteji and Bhavan’s Chairman, Shri M N Ramchandraji, hoisting the national flag. The executive committee members, staff, well-wishers and others joined in the celebrations.
Navi Mumbai Kendra
Navi Mumbai Kendra’s Children’s Club organised an Iyengar Yoga session on December 22, 2024, for its members. The children came armed with yoga mats, water bottles, and laden with enthusiasm and energy. They eagerly listened to the Yoga Teacher Mehul, observed his poses and followed them.
Art Exhibition
Ten Children’s Club members held an Art exhibition with My Retired Life senior citizens on December 14, where lovely paintings and drawings, sketches, pour paintings and woodworks rubbed shoulders with photographs and other art work. Around 22 artists participated in the four-hour long exhibition. The response was very good and more than 250 art lovers visited it.
Navi Mumbai Kendra
Dr Veena Adige, journalist, author, Hon. Joint Secretary, Bhavan’s Navi Mumbai Kendra, was conferred a prestigious award during the Vishwa Konkani Samaroh 2024 in Mangalore on November 6, 2024 by Chief Guest Shri Avadhut Timblo, chairman of the Fomento Group of Industries, Goa.
Organised by the Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation, World Konkani Centre, the Late Basti Vaman Shenoy Vishwa Konkani Seva Puraskar was conferred upon Dr Adige for her social and cultural achievements.
Teaching Diwali Traditions
A unique method of conveying Diwali meaning, traditions and rituals through the popular Treasure Hunt game was conducted by Heeral Doshi for the Bhavan’s Children’s Club members on October 30, 2024. The children from different schools picked up chits containing clues on Diwali. It was a novel method of teaching children the importance of Diwali. An on-the-spot Diwali card making contest was organised and the young artistic ones made spectacular and attractive cards. A few games were organised for children and they enthusiastically participated in the games.
Grand Book Release by Karadi Tales
A beautifully written children’s book with lovely sketches called ‘Is that a Kudkud Kumbha?’ was released by publishers Karadi Tales of Chennai on October 26, 2024 at the Navi Mumbai Kendra auditorium. This grand book release function organised by Karadi Tales and the Indian Women Scientists Association, Vashi, was attended by Shobha Viswanath, Co-founder and Publishing Director of Karadi Tales. The programme included a story telling session by authors Samita Aiyer and Vijaya Chakravarty and sketches by illustrator Ambika Karandikar from Pune, and involved the Bhavan’s Children’s Club members throughout the function. The book release saw enthusiastic participation. The highlight was the ‘Kudkud Kumbha’ song by young Nihar Shembekar from Pune.
Navi Mumbai Kendra
Bhavan’s Navi Mumbai Kendra celebrated Kala Utsav by showcasing Masterpieces by top Indian artists and sculptors from July 12 to July 14, 2024 on its premises. The art exhibition garnered a good response.
Guru Poornima Celebrations
Guru Poornima celebrations were conducted at the Kendra by inviting children from municipal schools and performing a havan on July 21, 2024.
Independence Day Celebrations
Shri Ajaykumar Landge, ACP Crime branch, Navi Mumbai, was the Guest of Honour who unfurled the tricolour on Independence Day. Eminent people of Navi Mumbai, Bhavan’s committee members and staff, and well-wishers were present on the occasion.
Shri Ajaykumar Landge joined Maharashtra Police in 1990. He has served in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane, and has been active in Anti-Naxal Operations in Nagpur. He was awarded the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service on January 26, 2022.
Patriotic songs by Bhavan’s Children’s Club and a lively Karaoke session by members of the Kalaranjani group was the highlight of the event.
Vanmahotsav
The Vanmahotsav festival, a quiz, a fancy dress competition and the ‘forgotten food’ information programme was organised with the Indian Women Scientists’ Association (IWSA) on August 10, 2024. The children had a quick tour of the library and the computer room, followed by a presentation on ‘Forgotten Food Forest’, where naturally-born edible fruits and vegetables abound and people have forgotten them. A written quiz on the talk was won by Mihir Kukreja, Vinaya Kukreja and Vedant Gudibanda.
A Fancy dress on the theme of Independence Day was conducted. The first prize went to Sumedha Pai of St Mary’s School, who dressed like Bhagat singh and spoke eloquently about him. The second prize went to Mukund Kamath of North Point and the third, to Arjun Adige of Avalon Heights, both of whom personified C.V. Raman.
The children then enthusiastically planted ‘forgotten food plants’.
Ventriloquist Sunny Enthralls
Members of Bhavan’s Children’s club were enthralled and mesmerised by the antics of ventriloquist, comedian and puppeteer Sunny, on July 21, 2024 at the Kendra.
The ventriloquist’s show was followed by a Drawing contest. The subject was ‘Festivals’ and the winners in the junior group were Mukund Kamath, Avishka Avdhani and Prisha Barai. In the senior group the winners were Mihir Kukreja, Leysha Saxena and Vedant Gudibanda.
Navi Mumbai Kendra
The Indian Women Scientists Association Library, Ruparel College and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Navi Mumbai Kendra together conducted a session of story-telling and one on the technique of growing microgreens on June 1, 2024 for the members of the Bhavan’s Children’s Club.
‘Andher Nagari Choupat Raja’ was depicted by the members of IWSA Library through acting, PPT and narration. Dr Srirupa Mukherjee, Dr Maitreyi Paul,
Dr Param Anthappan, Dr Santini Nair and Ms Sukhvinder Sandhu donned various props to showcase their characters and interacted with the children in an interesting and hilarious manner.
Dr Shyam Palkar, Assistant Professor of Botany in Ruparel College, Matunga, spoke on microgreens with his presentation and later conducted a workshop on growing greens. The children received potted plants and also created their own microgreen plants with the seeds, soil and compost provided by the Ruparel team. There was also a crossword puzzle on this theme in which everyone, including the parents, participated.
Greeshma Cultural Outreach
The prestigious Greeshma Cultural Outreach program of the Infosys Foundation and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Navi Mumbai Kendra was inaugurated on June 7, 2024 with an impressive Dhol Tasha, scintillating Bharatanatyam performances by students of Ms Gayatri Subramaniam and soulful bhajans by Pandit Sanjeev Chimalgi. The programme culminated on June 13.
All the events were very well attended and highly appreciated by the audience. They were telecast live by the BVB Bangalore YouTube channel. The performers were national and international award-winning artistes.
Present at the inaugural function were Shri K G Raghavan, Ms Nagalakshmi Rao, and Shri Piyush Jain from Bhavan’s Bangalore Kendra; Shri Milind Pande from Infosys Foundation; Shri Jagdish Lakhani and Dr Daftary, from Bhavan’s Head office, Mumbai. Shri M Ramchandra, Chairman, Bhavan’s Navi Mumbai Kendra lit the traditional lamp.
Chakri bhajan by Sadguru Shri Gurubabaji Maharaj Ausekar was one of the programmes on June 8.
On June 9, Lavni ke rang by Shakuntala Bai Nagarkar and company also had an overwhelming response. The artistes who had come from all over Maharashtra, were colourfully and beautifully dressed in nine-yard silk sarees with jewellery and flowers. A medley of vibrant folk dances and melodious songs enthralled the audience on the fourth day. On June 10, the programme began with melodious songs pertaining to Greeshma Ritu by Neha Chimmalgi.
Then followed folk dances like Gondhal from Maharashtra, Garba from Gujarat, and Samai dance from Goa. A beautiful Ekpatri Kirtan by Charudutta Aphalebuwa on June 11 at the Bhavan-Infosys Greeshma Cultural fest enchanted the audience. On June 12, Mukhtiyar Ali kept the audience glued to their seats with his lovely Sufi music. He sang Kabir and Meerabai’s songs. An impromptu jugalbandi with Sanjeev Chimmalgi was a delight.
On June 13, the finale of the week-long cultural extravaganza saw Kathiawar dances by the very popular Saptak Folk dance group. Hailing from a village near Rajkot in Gujarat, the eighteen dancers presented several Raas, Garba and Dandiya numbers.
Fancy Dress
Members of Bhavan’s Children’s Club displayed their innovativeness and confidence during the online Fancy Dress contest held on June 17, 2024. Shantha Belvadi was the judge for the occasion.
The first prize winner was Anika Bhat. Mihir Kukreja won the second prize, Vedant Gudibanda third prize while Ansh Kute got the consolation prize.
Navi Mumbai Kendra
Pour Painting is a colourful and exciting, though messy work. Members of the Bhavan’s Children’s Club enjoyed the freedom of painting without a brush and produced lovely pictures. Amita Kini, founder of Suchitra Classes and Art Gallery, conducted the interesting workshop. Parents and kids appreciated and loved the workshop.
Navi Mumbai Kendra
A photography club was inaugurated on April 14, 2024 at the Bhavan’s Navi Mumbai Kendra.
A presentation on light and shade photography was given by Dr Nima John, officiating head of Amity Film School, Mumbai in the presence of club president K V Subramaniam, secretary Sagar Mhatre and treasurer V Krishnamurthy, Rajendra Waghmare, secretary, Photography Club of India and Bhattacharjee, a prominent photographer.
Microscopic Marvels
Microscopic Marvels was an interesting and fun filled activity conducted by Navi Mumbai Kendra’s Children’s Club on April 21, 2024 at the Kendra.
Thirty-seven children from different schools of Navi Mumbai, flocked the venue, armed with colouring material and plenty of enthusiasm.
Arti Kute held the audience spellbound with a story and an interactive question answer session, leading to the microscope and its qualities. Besides a real microscope, Arti had created a working microscope which the children lined up to gaze through the eyepiece.
This was followed by a colouring session where the children were given printouts of a telescope with its parts listed and made colourful pictures.
Navi Mumbai Kendra
The third annual day of the Bhavan’s Children’s club held on March 23, 2024, was a kaleidoscope of activities.
The exhibition put up by the children’s club members was inaugurated by Smt. Madhavi Mutatkar, Creative Head at Impact Vision and former President of ZEE Network, in the presence of Shri Satish Mutatkar, Director, Producer and Author. The variety entertainment consisted of dances, songs, poem recitation and speeches. Smt. Madhavi Mutatkar gave away the prizes won by the club members in various activities around the year, honoured the ones who were the judges, the workshop organisers and those who assisted in various activities during the year.
Shri Satish Mutatkar autographed his books on Sachin Tendulkar and Krishna.
Art Exhibitions, Ghazal, Geet and Bhajans
Bhavan’s Navi Mumbai Kendra has had a spate of exhibitions in the last three months. Photography and Painting exhibitions held in February by the Photographic Society of India and STOP Foundation of Indore in the Bhavan’s Navi Mumbai Kendra were inaugurated by Shri M N Ramchandra, Director of the Kendra. The Art Dhamma exhibition was held earlier. Kala Ranjani with the theme of ‘Ghazal, Geet and Bhajans’ by Vinod Trivedi and Bhavanaben Gada was held on March 25, 2024. The Garba dance performed received an enthusiastic response.
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