NEWS & EVENTS

Panchakanya Talk

An interesting talk on famous Indian Panchakanyas was held on June 17, 2026 in association with STHIR and SIESSLLD. Ms Eika Chaturvedi Banerjee, founder, Eikam Resonance delivered the talk.
This was followed by Vinayak Rajat’s empowering talk on The Bharatiya Arthashastra Tradition: Texts, Thinkers and Ideas on July 25, 2026. Shri Bhat is an Arthashastra expert, Coordinator for Thematic Minor, IKS Division, MoE. Both programmes were conducted online and were well-attended.

Workshop

In an attempt to wean school going kids from technology, iPad, computers, TV and the like, Bhavan’s Children’s Club organised an interesting workshop by Rekha Shirsat on July 19,2026 on their premises in Vashi. School children bent their heads over the pipe cleaners and came up with beautiful flowers, pumpkins and other craft items.
Children from various schools of Navi Mumbai attended the programme and used their imagination and colour combination to produce colourful items.

Fingerprint Art by Kids

Fingerprint Drawing conducted by Amita Kini, founder of Suchitra Classes, Chembur, had an excellent response. Young kids, members of Navi Mumbai kendra Children’s club, ranging from four years to fourteen displayed their creativity and talent in finger painting on April 12, 2026. Amita Kini distributed basic drawing figures and the children developed them into beautiful creations.

Crochet Workshop

The age-old stitching practice, crochet was revived by the members of Bhavan’s Children’s Club on April 26, 2026 in an interesting way. More than forty children from different schools of Navi Mumbai participated. Even mothers, fathers and grandmothers were interested and tried their hands at the activity.
Bhavika Gandhi showed the intricacies of the art through the lec dem process. She demonstrated the art and made the children watch videos and follow her instructions. Most were novices but the others who were well versed produced lovely ones.

Drawing Contest, Summer Camp and Astronomy Session

The Mini Canvas 2.0 Sit and Draw competition organised by Bhavan’s Gyan Vapi on May 9, 2026 along with Vibgyor and Gujarat Bhavan attracted more than a hundred children. Various topics were given and the children drew them on the spot. Prizes were distributed on the same day.
A weeklong Summer camp was also organised by Gyan Vapi from May 10 to May 16 and had Yoga, meditation and shlokas rubbing shoulders with bird watching by Sagar Mhatre, chemistry by Dr. Vijaykumar Belavadi, dancing, and craft. Children made decorative items from waste material, had a unique fashion show organised by Shantha Belavadi and Truptee Thakkar where they made dresses and accessories from newspapers and also had story telling sessions and games. The Astronomy Session by Suhas Satam and telescope session by Rushikesh Deshpande was also organised by Gyan Bharati in May.

Hanuman Way of Life

Bhavans IKS Cell organised Hanuman Way of Life by Dr. Trilok Sharma on May 13, 2026 and presented a blueprint for effectively navigating professional and personal life by integrating specific character traits into a cohesive life system. It encourages a proactive solution oriented approach to challenges. The Hanuman way involves being articulate, truthful, and diplomatic, knowing when to speak and when to listen.
Dr. Sharma said that the Hanuman way embodies the perfect merger of head and heart.

Children's Club Annual Day

Creativity at its best was displayed by members of the Bhavan’s Children’s Club on their Sixth Annual Day on February 22, 2026 when they displayed interesting items made by them. The Chief Guest, Vidushi Sahana Bharadwaj, Director of Sahana School of Performing Arts and Savitha Joshy, committee member of Kannada Sangh, went round the stalls and appreciated the work.
Children from various schools performed beautiful dances, sang songs, presented stand-up comedy shows, recited poems, did gymnastics and showcased their talents.
Children who had won awards in extracurricular activities at the state level, and national level were felicitated on the occasion and those who had conducted programmes during the year were presented with mementos by the Chief Guest.

Indian Knowledge System

The first IKS conference was held on February 21, 2026 and was organised by The IKS cell of Navi Mumbai Kendra.
A three and a half hour non-stop academic debate and deliberations on various facets of IKS and its integration with the educational system was held. It was attended by 150 delegates composed of teachers, students, and IKS members and organised by D Sen Gupta and Harish Aiyer.

Martyr’s Day

The Kendra’s Gyan Bharati organised a Martyr’s Day on January 30, 2026 when Dr. Shobha Radhakrishna, a renowned Gandhian and an internationally acclaimed speaker, spoke on Gandhi Katha.
The Kala Ranjani members sang songs dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi and paid homage to him.

R-Day Celebrations

Brigadier Pravin Shinde (VSM) unfurled the tricolour at the Navi Mumbai Kendra on the occasion of Republic Day. He has received two bravery awards in his service of 34 years in the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment and also the Vishisht Sewa medal. Currently he is Security Advisor and Consultant for SBI. Present on the occasion were the committee members of Bhavan’s and well-wishers. This was followed by a Vande Mataram dance by students of Trupti Thakkar.

Vibrant Photo Exhibition

The three day 2nd National Salon Exhibition of 44 lovely photographs was inaugurated on January 23, 2026 by Chief Guest Shri Ujwal Landge, partner, EAP Associates. Superb pictures were a poem in beauty, art and culture and were appreciated by one and all.
Present on the occasion were Shri Subramaniam, President, Shri Sagar Mhatre, Secretary, Shri Sasidharan, Shri Krishnamurthy, of the photography club; Shri Ramchandra, Chairman of the Kendra, Shri Bighna Nayak, Vice chairman, and other dignitaries. Prizes were awarded to the best photographers in various categories. A vibrant session on ‘The Language of the Camera’ was conducted by Shri Sagar Mhatre on the concluding day.

Karaoke Contest

Kala Ranjani of Navi Mumbai Kendra held the finale of the Karaoke Contest on November 29, 2025. The Chief Guest was Dr Nilesh Jaywant, District Governor Elect of Rotary International District 3142 while Shri Anand Natarajan, retired IRS officer was the Master of Ceremonies. The judges were Deepak Das, Prem Kumar of Club Nostalgia and Ujwala Udare. It was a well-attended lively programme with several winners.

Cyber Security Session

Gyan Bharati of Navi Mumbai Kendra in association with ISACA, had organised a session on Cyber Security on November 30, 2025. The speaker was Shri K G Ayyar, an expert in the field of Information Technology and Cyber security. He spoke on the various aspects of cyber crime and offered solutions for security.

Unity in Diversity

‘Unity in diversity’ was the theme for the Children’s club on November 16, 2025 for celebration of Children’s Day. Children from different schools of Navi Mumbai dressed up and spoke about their states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Kashmir, Bengal, Karnataka, Coorg, Telangana and other places. The programme was for the children, by the children and of the children.
During the Open Mike programme, the children performed beautifully on tabla, keyboard, harmonium, and performed graceful dances and sang lovely songs.
This was followed by an interesting Quiz contest where children were asked questions on India and culture.

Vande Mataram Recorded

Bhavan’s Children’s Club members recorded ‘Vande Mataram’ with the melodious song sung by twelve children from different schools of Navi Mumbai, accompanied by tabla and keyboard. They came together to celebrate the 150th birthday of the song written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee on November 7, 1875 and it was a learning process and experience for them. The recording was done on December 7, 2025. Four young dancers danced to the tunes in Bharat Natyam and Kathak styles. They were accompanied on tabla being played by children in a professional manner