Nehru Memorial Museum & Library presents Nehru BAL MELA November 25, 2008

Nehru Memorial Museum & Library presents Nehru BAL MELA

titled Dhanak Din: Living Together in Harmony

New Delhi: Transcending barriers of class, caste and religion, encouraging active involvement with science, nature, culture & history, fostering values of harmonious living in a fun way that makes learning an enjoyable process are the aims with which Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) presents its annual children and youth festival titled Dhanak Din: Living Together in Harmony, a three-day Nehru BAL MELA for children, teachers & parents on November 27, 28 & 30, 2008 at Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, Teen Murti House, New Delhi.



Woven around the theme of peace, nature and creativity, the fair seeks to be inclusive, earth nurturing, peaceful and celebrates diversity with a wide range of learning oriented fun activities. It is the right opportunity to let your child free and have fun alongwith a deep meaningful engagement with his favourite activity. Dhanak Din, especially designed for the children between the age group of 5-18 years, also encourages the active participation of those who love to work with and for the children. The fair breaks the restraints of 'channel surfing' through stalls as a mere spectator but allows a deeper involvement with the participants which makes them co-creators and owners of the event.



Says Ms. Mridula Mukherjee, Director, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library: "The mela simply reiterates that "fun is serious business'. It is, however, not a stand-alone event but the celebration of a longer process of deep engagement which we have encouraged through children and parent workshops throughout the year. For this mela in particular, we have planned a series of events including talks, film screenings, fun games, exhibitions, scientific experiments, nature trails, puppets, magic, theatre and music by and for children."



While some of the activities require prior registration many others are open to all. Those who wish to participate can choose one registered activity and any number of unregistered/open activities. Children and their parents can easily participates in various open activities like pottery making, clay modeling, toy making, paper craft, free writing, kite flying, mehandi applying, face painting, skipping, charkha weaving, dancing, music and much more.



Children can also volunteer for various registered workshops and events like radio workshop, creative writing, photography, arts, T-shirt painting, science toys, nature walk, history walk, heritage, theatre workshops, handling puppets, learning astronomy and magic etc. Almost every registered activity enables the child to understand the concept thoroughly and proves to be helpful in the long run. For instance the Community Radio Workshop teaches the method of production of radio programs and clears doubts about the basics concept of script writing, voice recording, editing and production. The final product is then shared with the audience in the fair. Comics is another interesting activity that challenges the child to create satire and provides a solution on the day to day issues life. Students can also opt for Heritage & Nature Walk to get a simplified perspective of the historical monuments, flora and fauna around Teen Murti while understanding the significance of history, ecology and city design. Kabaad se Jugaad is another hip activity amongst children that teaches them to experiment and make meaningful use of seemingly useless things. The Science game activities, facilitated by the Nehru Planetarium educate kids about lights, rainbow, solar system etc. The energetic Theatre Workshops are a sure shot method to add confidence to the child's personality. It not only enhances the creativity but also teaches team spirit. At the same time, this is also an opportunity to view the ongoing exhibition on Bhagat Singh's life (Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna) that is certain to bring perspective to the revolutionary's role in modern context.



More significantly, Dhanak Din is designed not as a stand-alone event but a celebration punctuating the longer process of deep engagement that includes workshops and interactions with schools and children and would continue even after the fair. Young people who have demonstrated social leadership will also be the part of fair. Abiding by its pledge of providing a platform to the unprivileged, NMML ensures that kids and students from the remote parts of the country get a fair chance to participate and work hand-in hand with the kids from urban society. These participants are also felicitated with certificates based on their level of participation.

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About Nehru Memorial Museum & Library



Standing true to the spirit, wisdom and legacy of a great visionary Jawaharlal Nehru, the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) is currently engaged in several innovative projects and programs. Besides being a premier center of academic excellence, the NMML has been evolving to be a vibrant and child-friendly place. Addressing the issues and concerns of children, it runs regular activities and events and develops meaningful partnerships with key stakeholders, such as teachers, parents, schools, educators, civil society organizations and government institutions.



The values and principles which Nehru stood for - peace, conflict resolution and dialogue, passionate secularism, equality, love for nature, accessibility, relating and engaging with people – is reflected in the content and design of the mela. This festival of colours and flowers is woven around the themes of harmony, peace, non-violence and diversity. Living together in harmony is the leit motif of the festival.