Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan Centre for Special Children

Republic Day celebration at School

2012-01-27T02:17:00.000-08:00

Republic day was celebrated at SBP, the flag was hoisted and National Anthem was sung. Students of SBP sang patriotic songs and performed a drill. Some students delivered a short speech and dressed as National Leaders. Teachers fro other Institutions also visited and participated in the celebrations.

Sports for Persons with Disabilities

2012-01-20T00:48:00.000-08:00

Sports for Persons with Disabilities

Ministry of YouthAffairs and Sports under Govt of India has launched the Scheme of Sports andGames for Persons with Disabilities.

Special OlympicsBharat (SOB) has been designated as Nodal Agency for conducting training ofCommunity Coaches and for conductig of sports competitions at District/UTlevels.

Swami BrahmanandPratishthan has been given the responsibility of conducting the District Gameson the 1^st and 2^nd February 2012 at Bharat Ratna LateRajeev Gandhi Krida Sankul at sector 3A, CBD, Navi Mumbai.

The events includeathletics, aquatics, Badminton, Table Tennis, Bocche, Kho Kho and Foot ball.The coaching camp for 50 coaches will be conducted on the 27^th Jan.2012 from 8.00 am-5.00pm at Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan, CBD.

300 athletes withdifferent disabilities from Raigad and Navi Mumbai will participate in theevent.

Sri. L.B.Mahajan, theRegional Deputy Commissioner Social Welfare, Mumbai, will be the Chief Guest forthe Opening ceremony on the 1^st February and will declare the gamesopen.

The District Sports Committee includes

District SportsOfficer (Navi Mumbai)- Mr. Revappa Gurav

District DisabilityOfficer (Thane)- Mrs. Salima Tadvi

Deputy EducationOfficer SSA (Thane)- Mr.S.S.Patil

Special OlympicsBharat Representative-Mrs. Sandra Vaz

The closing ceremony

On the 2^ndFeb, the ceremony will be declared closed by, Additional Commissioner ofPolice, Navi Mumbai : Sri. Ashok Dongre

December Birthday celebrations

2012-01-12T02:59:00.000-08:00

On 22nd December the birthdays of studetns and staff members falling in the month of december was celebrated. The colour for the month being Red the entire school was painted colour red. all the studetns and staff members came dressed in red colour...

Fun games were organised for the students - the one who could pick maximum number of red coloured items won the first prize..coupled with other interesting games for the kids...

Art work of Special Children during Road Safety Week

2012-01-12T01:53:00.000-08:00

While Mumbai celebrates the Road Safety Week, children at SBP-center for differently able, express it through their art work

Picnic at Ayush Resort, Panvel

2012-01-12T01:08:00.001-08:00

The students of SBP were taken for a day picnic at Ayush Resort, Panvel on 10th Jan.2012. The students had a wonderful time playing in the toy train and taking a walk in the bird sanctuar

Food Fest at SBP

2012-01-06T00:26:00.000-08:00

A unique way to the beginning of the New year is observedtoday at school where children and their parents are enjoying the foodfestival.

All the children have come in colorful clothes, observingthe ‘Rainbow’ theme that has been observed during this year at school.

110 parents cooperated in this festival with some doing theactual cooking while others contributing ingredients like rice, milk, spices,papads, pickles etc. The menu for the day is Vegetable Biryani, rice, Daltadka, aloo bhaji, chole, puri, thepla, chappatis, achar, gajjar ka halwa,kheer and srikhand.

Before the festival begins, Annapurni, the Goddess of food(who has the serving spoon in her hand) is worshiped and placed in the bowlcontaining coin and rice. The table next to it has a large salad dressing withunique arrangement of carved vegetables artistically done.

While the parents waited to serve behind the tables,children came to the room class-wise, paid Rs25 and started to servethemselves, they were instructed to take how much they could eat and were assured that they could come back for more if they needed to but wastage of food would not be tolerated. The children waitedin line for their turn, some of the children had to be helped by theirparents/teachers during serving and eating.

The children said their prayer before taking their first bite“Thank you Lord for the food we eat”

The teachers trained the children to hold the plate and selfserve correctly. This type of training will help children to learn to eat andbehave at social functions, thus helping them integrate into the society.

While the children waited in their classroom for their turn,some of the children started singing ‘Kolavari dee’ banging the fork and spoonon their table for some back ground music. One girl got up, held her friend’shand and started to dance. The more impatient ones gatecrashed.

It was a well organized event where the parents too were able to interact with each other and with the children.

The money earned during this event will be utilized in buying the equipmentrequired in home science unit of vocational centre at school.

Camp at Kalyani Village

2012-01-05T23:56:00.000-08:00

The students of SBP were taken to Kalyani Village, Vasai for a three day camp from 27th Dec. to 29th Dec,2011. 50 students along with the staff members attended the camp. Camps are organised to give an opportunity to students to stay away from and this also gives an opportunity to the teachers to assess their students on the level of personal independence.

On all the three days variety of fun activities are planned by the teachers. some of the activities include water play, rain dance, dip in the pool, playing games in the garden, camp fire, indoor games and so on..
On the second day the students also visited Vajreshwari temple and dipped theri feet in the hot springs.

They also visited a village named which won a President's award "Adarsh Village" for its cleanliness and discipline. It was a unique experience to see such a clean village. the people in the village did not need police station as there were no cases of theft or mis conduct. The head of the village addressed the students and gave them valuable advice. The most enjoyable experience for the students was when a camp fire was organised. The students sang and danced with fun.

The students were unwilling to leave on the third day and infact some students started crying as they did not want the camp to end...

Health Check up camp by Amway

2011-12-20T03:03:00.000-08:00

Amway opportunities conducted a general health check camp for the students of SBP on 20th December 2012 and distributed health tonics to them.

Shramadan by FCC team

2011-12-20T02:31:00.000-08:00

Fevicol Champions Club - Nerul Zone, celebrated FCC day by providing free of charge service "Shramadaan" to our Institution on 20th December 2012. FCC is a Pidilite Initiative formed in the year 2007 and the members are carpenters by profession. On this day the FCC Members give their time and service to the society. This is the first time such an initiative was taken by FCC members at our Institution. The Institution has received donations in the form of money and equipments from various donors and Corporates. But this kind of service by the FCC members is appreciable and unique.

Fun Fair 2011

2011-12-09T02:05:00.000-08:00

Organized by Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan on 7th Dec 2011 at the Lawn Opp Guarav Mhatre Kala Centre and Central Library at Sec 3 CBD Navi Mumbai. 15 Institutions of Navi Mumbai & Raigad District participated in this event . The staff members and members of Swami Brahamanand Parents Association planned for Fun Games and interesting Art & Craft activities like paper jwellery, clay modeling, Taste & Tell for all the special children. 600 participants attended which included students, staff and parents of all Special Schools and they had a gala time.

Dr. Surekha Patil

President of Self Advocacy group Navi Mumbai and Raigad Chapter with his committee members

Inauguration by Rtn. Pramod Mishra

Tattoo

Paper Jewellry

FUN FAIR 2011
The food was sponsored by Bhagwat Dham , Frooti Sponsored by Mrs. Sukhjit kaur & Icecream by Darshan Balgi & Mrs. Rao. Gifts sponsored by Rotary Club of New Bombay Hill Side. The programme was inuagrated by Rtn. Pramod Mishra, President of Rotary Club of New Bomay Hill side, Dr. Surekha Patil and the Committee members of Swami Brahmanand Pratishth

Pratik and Disha

2011-11-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

We love to dance...

Umesh

2011-11-30T21:56:00.001-08:00

I am so engrossed in my work

Siddharth

2011-11-30T21:48:00.000-08:00

I help my Mom

Suraj

2011-11-30T21:44:00.001-08:00

I can sketch well...

Jessal

2011-11-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

When all my friends are at School learning to read and write I come to School and learn to sit straight...

See my ability not my disability

2011-11-30T03:04:00.000-08:00

I am creative as you are

2011-11-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

Friends

2011-11-30T02:59:00.000-08:00

November Birthday Party at SBP

2011-11-30T01:40:00.000-08:00

On 30th November the students and staff members of SBP celebrated the birthdays of students born in the month of November. The colour for the month was Orange..The students and staff members came dressed in Orange. Every class displayed their creativity and came up with innovative aids.

Vipassi

2011-11-30T01:36:00.000-08:00

Accept me as I am!!!!!!!

Commemorating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2011

2011-11-29T03:01:00.000-08:00

United Nations has declared 3rd December as the International Day of Persons With Disabilities and is being observed since 1992. The main idea of onserving this day is to promote awareness regarding disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. It was originally called "International Day of Disabled Persons". The theme for this year is
Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development"
Inclusion at all levels is the focus of all those who are working for the welfare of persons with disabilities.
Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan will be organising a Fun Fair for the special children of Navi Mumbai and Raigad District on 7th December. Fun games, art and craft activities, cultural programs and many more entertaining activities have been planned by the staff members of the Organisation.

http://social.un.org/index/Home/tabid/40/news/190/Default.aspx

Magic Show- Amway

2011-11-22T02:55:00.000-08:00

A Magic Show was organised by Amway opportunities for the students of SBP on 22nd November. The students had great fun...

Presentation - Khyat Educational Institution

2011-11-22T02:35:00.000-08:00

A presentation was made by Mr. Dilip Bhutani, the Director of Khyat Educational Institution and the students under going the job training program. The students have completed two months of training program and will be placed in jobs from the first week of December. The students spoke with confidence.

Help educate Underprivileged Children

2011-11-22T02:18:00.000-08:00

The Aviva Great Wall of education, an initiative by Times of India and Aviva India, an opportunity to help educate underprivileged children. The Great Wall of Education, as the name suggests, is a wall made entirely out of donated books. As part of Aviva’s global street to school program, books from The Great Wall of Education are used to educate thousands of underprivileged, to give them the future they deserve. This year, with the support of partners such as The Times of India, Pratham Books and Save the Children The Great Wall of Education has been brought to Mumbai. A cardboard box ia placed in the school premises where students and Parents donate books.
http://eventfaqs.com/eventfaqs/wcms/en/home/news/Aviva-Life-Insurance-initiates-1320665552040.html

Children's Day Celebration at School

2011-11-15T02:39:00.000-08:00

Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan celebrated childrens Day in a unique manner. 25 studetns from the neighbouring schools were invited to participate in the days activities along with the special children. The Regular students were placed in different classes. The teacher of every class had planned activities where some had Rangoli, some made Nehru caps, some made flowers and modelled clay. Fun Games were organised for the students and gifts given to all.

The CSR team from Reliance Communications also visited the centre and interacted with the students. Ms. Anupam Nidhi the Head of Group CSR expressed her wish to extend the partnership on a long term basis. At the end of the day the students and Volunteers were asked to share their experiences. Mansi a student from Bharati Vidyapeeth beautifully expressed her feelings about the special children. She said, "Give them a little love and they give you their heart." students from NMMC school and Good Sheapherd School also extended the hand of friendship towards the students of the centre.

Lunch and all the expenses of the event was sponsored by Reliance Communications, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group.

Our Vocational Unit at Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan, Centre for Mentally Challenged.

2011-11-11T01:25:00.000-08:00

It was a humble beginning, the year was 1997. ‘Falguni Vocational Centre’ was started in our school when Mr. and Mrs. Bipin Shah donated money in the memory of their daughter late Ms.Falguni Shah from Ahmedabad.

With just 8 students, various activities were started that included weaving, agarbatti making, candle making and hand work like embroidery/sewing and making of simple paper bags. Over the years the number of students taking part in such activities increased and there was not enough space to accommodate more than 20 students, hence one more floor was constructed and a full fledged Vocational centre was developed in the year 2002-03.

We got help from various individual donors from India and from abroad. State Bank of India, Belapur assisted us with expensive equipment.

In the year 2003, home science activities were introduced to the vocational unit. To equip the students to the changing times new activities were introduced and modern gadgets and equipments were installed. Weaving and agarbatti making activities were replaced by other activities like chocolate making, house keeping, vegetable cutting, making of seasonal items, handicraft items, grinding and packing of spices/ flour, jewelry making, paper bag making- fancy gift bags, eco friendly bags, gift and office envelopes.

In the year 2006, Project “Grow green” a nursery was inaugurated with the support of Rotary Club of New Bombay Hillside.

Presently there are 40 students attending the vocational training center.

Our sincere thanks to Amway Opportunities who helped our organization in upgrading the unit by donating embroidery machine, screen printing frame, paper cutter and grinding machine

The training program at the Unit focuses on discipline, independence, socialization and quality output. Only those products that meet the market expectations are sold at reasonable rates. The students are paid a stipend depending on their output and sale. This motivates them to perform well and boosts their confidence.

Products are sold during the annual exhibition and also stalls are put up in various corporate during festival seasons.

In the year 2010, Swayam was started, which is a self help group of 15 Parents under Swami Brahmanand Parents Association. The parents and the adult person with PIDD are engaged in making variety of spices and grinding of wheat flour. Exhibitions are put up by parents at various spots on and off to sell their products.

In the year 2011 the organization joined hands with Khyat Educational Institution which conducts job training programs for persons from the under privileged back ground. At our request they have started a training program for Persons with Disabilities where four students from our Institution are being trained in job skills like stacking of products in shelves, folding garments and displaying garments on hangers.

The mentally challenged children are differently-able, they just need proper guidance and encouragement to become the useful member of the society.

Article in Hindustan Times

2011-11-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

Article in Hindustan Times Live Navi Mumbai on October 29, 2011 on Self Advocacy Program

SBP's Sweekar Unit at Uran

2011-10-20T01:48:00.000-07:00

Sweekar Centre at Uran, Raigad district was founded in the year 1999. Mrs. Shirish Poojary Founder of Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan conducted a survey at Uran and found many children who needed special intervention. At the initiative of CRY "Sweekar" was conceptualised. Uran being a rural area was lacking in many essential services. Parents of special children had to travel for two hours all the way to Mumbai for any kind therapy or medical assistance. Sweekar is the only centre catering to the needs of children with special needs at Uran. Today the centre has 32 students mostly from the low economic background. Initially the children who sought admission were all above the age of 15 and had not atended any school all through out their life. The students very sincerely attend school and have progressed immensely in these years. More and more students seek admission at an early age due to increased awareness. At present the school runs at rental premises. Due to lack of space many students could not be admitted. The school has a full fledged Occupational Therapy Unit donated by Rotary club of New Bombay Hillside under the District simplified grant. A school Bus was also donated to the cnetre by M/S Balmer & Lawrie Co. and Rotary Club of New Bombay Hillside and Rotary club of Thane North End.

20th Exhibition cum Sale at SBP

2011-10-19T01:32:00.000-07:00

Gift Bags

Gift Envelopes & Handicraft Items

Folders

Diyas

Mr. Krishnan Inaugurates the Exhibition

Rangoli made by our staff member Ms. Vibha Dhandekar

chocolates

colourful cnadles

Candles

20th Exhibition cum sale of articles made by the students of SBP's Falguni Vocational Unit and SWAYAM (self Help grp) was exhibited and sold on the 15th October in the School premises. The Exhibition was inaugurated by Mr. Krishnan, AMWAY and Dr. Bani Ganguly, Geneticist. Products such as Diyas, lanterns, candles, handicraft items, gift envelopes, chocolates, Linen variety, Jewelry and spices were displayed in 6 stalls. Conforming to theme this year "Rain Bow" the stalls were decorated artistically by the staff members. The School vibrated with colour. As every year this year too there was whooping response. Fun games and food stalls were also organised by the Parents Association.

Diwali Party at School

2011-10-18T02:43:00.000-07:00

Friends forever

Kareena starts her design

Students waiting for the Rangoli Competition to begin.

Diwali Party was celebrated at School on 14th of October. The students displayed a Drama on Diwali and lit crackers. A Rangoli competition was also organised for the students. students exploited theri creativity and came up with unique designs. Five types of sweets and snacks were distributed to the studen

Saraswati Puja at School

2011-10-08T00:06:00.001-07:00

2011-10-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan organised a dandiya program for the studens and parents of the Institute. The students, Parents and the staff members came dressed in colourful traditional clothes and danced to the beats of live music by Mst.Sagar Mhatre and his team. The program began with an ARTI.

Dandiya Program at School

2011-10-07T03:24:00.000-07:00

Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan organised a dandiya program for the students and Parents of the Institution on 1st of October. The students, parents and the staff members came dressed in traditional clothes and had a gala time. The program started with an arti followed by "dandiya masti 2011" as the group danced to the beats of live music by Mr. Sagar Mhatre and his team.

National Cerebral Palsy Day

2011-10-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Chamran likes to swing on the ladder
Physiotherapist working with Chamran
Occuational Therapy sessions with Devdarshan
Varsha Das can write on the board...
Young Devesh Shetty learns to make a garland
Harinder Kaur who is placed in the Vocational section cuts vegetable
Neil David is busy making torans for the School exhibition
Aditya Vishwakarma learns to string beads
Prachi Chavan learns to read...

2011-10-03T03:11:00.000-07:00

My Student Sunil

2011-10-03T03:04:00.001-07:00

Painting on Canvas By Sunil

Sunil at work...

My Student Sunil…
October 3rd is celebrated in India as National Cerebral Palsy Day. On this occasion I am reminded of my student Sunil. Sunil was brought to our centre at the age of 7 in the year 1999 by a well wisher of the Organization. He was placed in my class- Junior group.
Sunil was diagnosed to have cerebral palsy. His speech and motor movements were affected. After just a few days of interaction with him I realized that Sunil had very good comprehension and was an enthusiastic worker. He was willing to put in hard work.
Sunil is a self driven person. With the right kind of exposure and opportunity he started learning quickly. His grasping power was good. He showed progress in all areas. He even tried to perform his personal skills by himself under the supervision of the occupational therapist and his Teachers
His sense of determination amazed me. Although his reports stated that he had moderate level of retardation I knew that he functioned at a higher cognitive level . He was also endowed with excellent memory. His inquiring mind helped him gain general information. He also started performing well in academic related activities.
In spite of his jerky hand movements he learnt to eat by self and perform all finer hand movements. He started writing and colouring. He attended special drawing class where he learnt to sketch and colour. He participated in drawing competitions. He had good imagination and always looked forward to challenging tasks. He managed to a make a beautiful painting on canvas under the supervision o f his drawing teacher.
He served as a good role model for others. I had the opportunity to learn much from him..I learnt that hard work always bears fruit. His inner motivation served to help him progress which is of great value.
I am glad to have met Sunil as he taught me to value life, he taught me never take life for granted. His motivation helped motivate me to reach out to more such individuals and do whatever little I can to make this world a better place to live in.
Today at the age of 19 he helps his mother at home and keeps himself occupied. He helps in the family business of washing and ironing clothes.
These children are pure examples of what positive thinking and self motivation can do.

Teachers Day Celebration in School

2011-09-21T02:58:00.000-07:00

Teachers day was celebrated in School on 3rd of September by the Swami Brahmanand Parents Association. Program started with a beautiful solo dance by Jasmin Bakshi. The students of both the Centres (CBD and Uran) performed dance and sang songs for their teachers. The teachers also exhibited their inherent talents by performing dance, song and skit. Fun games were organised by the parents and all the teachers participated with great enthusiasm.

It is not always that they get to play.

The parents appreciated the efforts put in by the teachers in the development of the students and expressed their gratitude to each and every staff member of the Organisation.

Grand Parents Day

2011-09-20T02:33:00.000-07:00

GrandParents of Swami brahmanand Parivaar had a memorable day on the 17th September when Grand Parents day was celebrated at School. The grand parents discovered that they could mould clay in to beautiful carricatures like their grand children. They were also given candles to decorate which they did with great concentration. They expressed their feelings and discussed the challenges faced by them in the upbringing of their grand children. Some were too emotional to speak. There was a round of Antakshari. The grand parents left with a happy smile and promised to participate in all the school functions regularly.

Self Advocacy Program

2011-09-20T00:21:00.000-07:00

Parivaar Sahyadri, Maharashtra inaugurated the Self Advocacy program for the young adults in Navi Mumbai region on 10th September under the leadership of Ms. Pranita Madkaikar and Mrs. Charu Shah as coordinators for the Self Advocacy Training workshop for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities sponsored by Parivaar & CBM. Mr. Purushottam Burde Secretary Parivaar Sahyadri and Mr. Dashrath Parab Treasurer of Sahyadri Parivvar and President of SBPA ( Swami Brahmanand Parents Association) have initiated this program for Navi Mumbai.

The Training program is being conducted at Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan, CBD, Navi Mumbai.. Twenty-eight students and 7 special educators from 7 special schools of Navi Mumbai and Raigad District are participating in the program.

Initially a meeting was held with the Principals of Special Schools along with one Mentor and two parents from each school. Seven schools participated in the meeting. The sessions began from 10th September.

The first session was aimed towards Mentoring the Mentors..The Mentors were given imputs about the training program and their roles as mentors.

The second session which was held on the 17th September at SBP, Navi Mumbai, this was the first training session with the self advocates. It was a very enriching experience. Activities planned were practical situations presented with fun that provided an opportunity to make an assessment of the Listening skills, Speaking out in a group, Decision making etc.

The training program will be conducted on every Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

On the 22nd October elections of the self advocates will be held and a committee will be formed to represent the New Bombay Chapter. The elected committee will represent persons with Intellectual disabilities and voice their issues.

This committee will be supported by three volunteers - Mr. Behl, Mrs. Sujatha Bhaskar and Mrs. Vrushali Gorpade.

Ganesh Utsav celebration at School

2011-09-19T03:12:00.000-07:00

Ganesh Utsav was celebrated in School from 7th to 9th September. Students and staff sang devotional songs and conducted AARTI on all the three days. On the 9th Ganesh Visarjan was also done in the School. Students had a gala time ....

August Birthday Celebration

2011-09-19T02:34:00.000-07:00

August Birthdays were celebrated on 30th of August and the colour for the month of August was Blue. Students and staff dressed in Blue came all prepared to celebrate the birthdays of their friends. Every class had prepared teaching aids pertaining to colour blue.

SBP Staff Picnic: From behind the camera

2011-09-10T00:52:00.000-07:00

This was my first staff picnic with the good people at Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan, and I had a whale of a time. Especially in being the official photographer of the group!

So it started off excitingly, as I was struggling to make it to Belapur from a crowded, busless, trainless Thane to be in time to catch the Picnic Bus. The last phase consisted of breathless running to catch the bus, filled with teachers all agog whom I had held up for over an hour. But true to their nature, no one expressed any irritation or anger; instead I was given a vada pao, knowing I hadn't had any breakfast!

All agog and raring to go!

So we set off, on our way to Ozar and Lenyadri and malshej Ghat, overflowing with excitement and anticipation. And there is the mandatory antakshari, accompanied by dafli and loud singing!

Everyone sing aloud!

We drove along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, amidst the cool breeze and the greenery of the mountains till we reached Khalapur, were we took a much-needed chai and Bournville break.

First group photo.

And then our bus started its long climb up the scenic Sahyadri, drenched green by the Monsoon's blessings. After that it was a time to take a short snooze (and a break to pet a doggie) till we reached our first destination, Ozar.

Sahyadri mountains at Khandala Ghat.

At Ozar, I had a bunch of interesting experiences from behind the camera. There was the placid lake, the ancient temple with modern extensions, the busy bazaar and the hundreds of pilgrims. There was the experience with nearly losing my shoes, and as a prayer, I bought a very cute little Ganpati.

Mischievous smiles while waiting for darshan.

Ozar lake is a beautiful place, opening your mind to the far horizons. The soothing morning breeze and the calm of the place, as against the noise within the temple was a welcome relief.

Ozar Lake.

And then we went on our way towards Lenyadri - the Ganpati temple that's actually inside an ancient Buddhist hillside cave. At first I was discouraged by the day's heat and the steep climb up, but seeing the enthusiasm of the others, happily joined in.

All agog for a steep climb!

And so we go up, up up, meeting monkeys and palanquin-bearers and pilgrims from many states and butterflies and lots of experiences, till we reach right at the top.

Group photo outside the temple.

And then for a quick descent and some cooling limbu-paani at the base of the steps. What joy! Then we went off our little ways, sampling things at the little bazaar. And then it was an experience getting back all stragglers into the bus so we could move on to our next destination: lunch! It was a plentiful if not delicious meal, so we have to be thankful for it.

And then came the long road trip over narrow mountain roads to Malshej Ghat. Once we reached the place, the attitude changed from one of shared pilgrimage to uninhibited picnic mood. There were two waterfalls at one spot - we stopped the bus and plunged headlong into the waters!

Soaking up the fun!

After several hours of fun, while I was busy photographing the mountains and the monkeys, we settled down to change and have some hot bhuttas. Finally, though no one wanted it, it was time to start the long journey back home. After driving out of the mountains, we stopped for a chai break at a dhaba just before Murbad.

Hot tea and happiness.

And then after a final group photo, it was time to say goodbye to a happy day. In the long trip back home, some were snoozing (like me), while some were busy listening to bawdy music as night descended upon us. The picnic was done, the memories will linger.

***

View all pictures on my Facebook album.

And some more pictures of Ozar, Lenyadri and Malshej.

Staff Picnic on 20th August

2011-08-23T03:32:00.000-07:00

The staff members of SBP had a memorable day on 20th August. 31 staff members assembled at School at 7am and boarded the bus to visit the two famous Ganesh temples of the Ashta Vinayak - Ojhar and Lenyadri. Two most beautiful spots with breath taking scenary..On the way back the group stopped at Malshej Ghat and took a dip in the thick gushing water falls, some young enthusiasts even did a little bit of trekking and reached the tip of the fall..The staff members had lots of fun as this was an opportunity for them to relax and take a break from the monotonous life.

Gopal Kala festival at School

2011-08-23T02:57:00.000-07:00

Janmashtami was celebrated on 19th August in the School. Students came dressed as Krishna and Radha. A small pooja was conducted by the Managing Trustee Mrs. Shirish Poojary. Students also tried thier hands on the Dahi Handi.

Human Pyramids were formed by studetns with the help of Techers and at last

one student struck the pot with a coconut amidst encouraging cheers from all assembled with rocking music playing in the back ground...Aakhir hum bhi kisi se kum nahi..

Raksha Bandhan Celebration

2011-08-16T01:54:00.000-07:00

Raksha Bandhan was celebrated in School on 12th August. The girls tied Rakhis to their brothers at School, a unique sense of belongingness, a promise by the brother to his sister..lifelong Raksha..more true in the case of Special Children.

Independence is...

2011-08-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

...being a child first and Shivaji later on.

..the ability to drink tea with no one holding the cup for you.

...the ability to smile for no reason at all.

...the ability to eat a Mango Bite without worrying about cavities.

...the ability to open a biscuit packet without anyone's help.

View more Independence Day photos on my Facebook album.

Bal Kalakar - AIESEC- Navi Mumbai

2011-08-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

On 7th August AIESEC- Navi Mumbai organised a program named "Bal Kalakar" for the underpreivileged children of Navi Mumbai to celebrate Friendship day at Sanjeevni School, Kharghar. 13 students of SBP also participated with our Occupational therapist and one special eduator. 800 students participated in this event. The program consisted of fun games, art, craft and dance activities.

Career Options for Mentally Challenged

2011-08-06T01:16:00.000-07:00

A meeting was held at SBP on 6-8-11 by Job Training Centre"Office Skills'. Parents and students, Ex students of SBP and Skills and Ability school, Nerul attended. A step taken towards economic independence.

GO Green, Grow Green

2011-08-06T00:56:00.001-07:00

Grow Green- Project initiated by the Rotary Club ofNew Bombay Hillside and The British School of Tenerife in the year 2006-07, now has a variety of plants for sale.

Students of Bharati Vidyapeeth visit school

2011-08-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

The Students of Bharati Vidyapeeth had a wonderful time at our Occupational therapy Unit.

Towards Inclusion

2011-08-05T04:07:00.001-07:00

The IV th std students of Bharati Vidyapeeth School visited the school. They interacted with the students of each class by participating in the ongoing class activities. They were given information about how they could interact when they come accross a person with special needs. The students enjoyed interacting with each other.

going

Nag Panchami Celebration

2011-08-05T03:46:00.000-07:00

Nag Panchami was celebrated at School. Students made NAG out of clay and worshipped.

PARENTS ASSOCIATION MEETING ON 31ST JULY

2011-08-04T23:23:00.001-07:00

A meeting was held on 31st July in the School premises by Swami Brahmanand Parents Association. They discussed about plan of action for the year and the responsibilities of the new committee members. Mr. parab also shared information about Sahyadri Parivaar. Mrs. Shetty spoke about her experience in the self help group. They decided to work together and face challenges posed regarding the future of their children.

News Article- DNA Navi Mumbai- 4-8-11

2011-08-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

DNA NAVI MUMBAI NEWS
4-8-11

OFFICIALS AT BRAHMANAND PRATISHTHANLET PARENTS TAKE SOME TIME OFF

Regular Schools which organises special programs for their wards and Parents as a part of various events are common. But this usual activity creates a different appeal when held within an institute meant fot mentally and physically challenged children. Belapur based Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan's initiative of organising a fun day only for parents have won many hearts. For the first time in the history of the institute half a day was reserved especially for the parents of their wards while the management volunteered to look after the children.

Considering the stress filled life the parents of their wards undergo on daily basis, the institute decided to host a special event in their honour. The two hour programme saw participation from 75 parents. "Nurturing mentally challenged children requires immense patience and perseverence. Their daily life is very stressful and a means to get way from the mundane activities was sensed to be welcome change," said the Sukanya Venkatraman, Principal of the Institute.

Teachers had jointly organised the games and fun events for the occasion. Since parents were required to participate in the event all by themselves, the onus of taking care of the children was taken by the institute's staff. "We dont have the luxury to leave our children unattended so often have to let go of outing options. For once the institute took note of our emotions and held fun filled activities that lasted for two hours. We had the opportunity to laugh, play and enjoy to our hearts content as the management took care of the children" said Deepti Bakshi of 12 year old Jessal Bakshi.

To bring about maximum participation even the games selected by the institute was high on interaction and communication. Couples were asked to dance on a newspaper, ballon bursting competition was held as well as musical chair. The School essentially caters to the educational requirements of mentally challenged children with various associative problems. "It was sight to cherish, there were husbands and wives dancing mindless of any problems or issues. Mothers were competing for a chair during the musical rounds. The ballon bursting saw parents going all vocal and giving directions etc. This relaxed ambience created by parents wholehearted participation made our efforts a success," said a teacher from the institute.

PARENTS DAY CELEBRATIONS

2011-08-03T02:43:00.001-07:00

30th July - Parents Day Celebration

2011-08-03T02:13:00.002-07:00

On the 30th of July, the Management and staff members of SBP organised Parents Day. 75 parents attended the program. Parents participated enthusiatically in all the games planned by the teachers. Some parents also shared jokes and sang songs. Parents expressed happiness at being able to enjoy themselves without being worried about their kids who were being taken care of by the teachers and the attendants. They welcomed the happy change as they are most often stressed while caring for their wards. The Parents thanked the teachers for giving them a memorable day in their life.

JULY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

2011-08-03T02:02:00.000-07:00

Last working day of the month and the children and Teachers came dressed in Indigo (colour of the month). Children had a gala time. They also proudly displayed aids made by their classes using colour indigo. The Founder’s celebrated her birthday along with the children and staff members.

Self Advocacy by Parivaar Sahyadri, Maharashtra

2011-08-03T01:52:00.000-07:00

The Sahyadri Parivaar a branch of Parivaar organized meeting of Principals, Teachers and Parents of Special Schools in New Bombay on 28th July at Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan to speak about Self Advocacy. Mr. Parab,Mrs. Charu Shah, Mrs. Pranita Madkaikar Coordinators Of Parivaar Sahyadri conducted the meeting and nine special schools participated in the same. Workshops would be conducted to train the students, mentors and volunteers starting from 10th of September on all Saturdays for seven weeks. The final workshop would be held on the 22nd October when the self advocates would select their own President and office bearers of the Navi Mumbai Chapter. The day has come for our special students to voice their opinions on issues concerning them

Navneet Drawing Competition

2011-07-22T03:50:00.000-07:00

Ms. Lakshmi Shetty and Mst. Pronnoy Mohandoss won the Mega Prize in the Inter School Drawing Competition organised by Navneet Publication.

Sponsorship Required

2011-07-22T02:52:00.001-07:00

NAME : MS. SHRUSHTI MANOHAR PATIL

D.O.B : 20/03/2004

AGE : 7 YRS.

I.Q : 20 (APPROX)

CLASS : PRE-PRIMARY GROUP

DISABILITY : MENTAL RETARDATION

ADDRESS : POST KARANJA, TAL- URAN DIST - RAIGAD

SPONSORSHIP REQUIRED :
Rs. 12000/- per year towards monthly fees, traveling expenses and extra curricular activities.

Shrushti is attending school since last 2 years. She is placed in the Junior group and needs training in personal skills, speech and language, Pre academic skills, Motor Skills etc.
She takes interest in learning but has poor concentration and is restless. Besides class activities she is exposed to dance, sports, yoga and music. Shrushti is regular to School.
She belongs to the low economic group. She has one brother one and half years old and one sister aged 6 yrs. Her mother works as a domestic helper. Her Father is a laborer. Their monthly income is less than Rs. 5000/-

Sponsorship Required

2011-07-22T02:50:00.001-07:00

NAME : MS. SWATI KANGARE

D.O.B : 01/10/90

AGE : 20 YRS.

I.Q : 50

CLASS : PRE VOCATIONAL GROUP

DISABILITY : MENTAL RETARDATION

ADDRESS : 62/2 JNPT TOWNSHIP SEC- 1 TAL- URAN
DIST - RAIGAD
SPONSORSHIP REQUIRED : Rs. 12,000/- Towards monthly fees , traveling expenses and extra curricular activities
Swati is attending the Sweekar centre in Uran. She is placed in the pre vocational class. As she is not showing much interest in writing and reading skills more stress is given on training in pre vocational activities like sewing, paper bag making. She takes interest in work assigned to her and does it neatly. She participates in extra curricular activities like sports, music, dance.
Swati enjoys coming to school and is regular.
She belongs to the low economic group. Her father works as a laborer and mother is a house wife. She has two elder sisters. Their monthly income is approximately 7,000 Rupees.

Students in need of Sponsorship

2011-07-22T02:45:00.000-07:00

NAME : MST. SACHIN MORE

D.O.B : 08/09/84

AGE : 26 YRS.

I.Q : 40

CLASS : VOCATIONAL

DISABILITY : CEREBAL PALSY WITH MENTAL RETARDATION

ADDRESS : BOHRI, TAL – URAN, DIST - RAIGAD

SPONSORSHIP REQUIRED : Rs. 12,000/-Towards monthly fees, traveling expenses and extra curricular activities.
Sachin suffers from Cerebral palsy with mental Retardation. He is attending the Sweekar Centre at Uran. When he first attended School at the age of 17 he was dependent for all his personal skills like eating, Toileting, dressing. Sachin was highly motivated. The training program planned for him and sincere efforts of Sachin and his Teacher helped him become independent to a great extent in all the personal skills. He needs minimum supervision. He is at present also learning Vocational Skills like making wicks for the lamp. Since he has good memory he counts agarbatti sticks and keeps them ready for packing. He enjoys coming to School and is regular. He belongs to the low income group. His mother is the only earning member and earns around Rs. 4000/- per month.

SPONSORSHIP REQUIRED:

2011-07-18T03:51:00.001-07:00

NAME : MST. ANIKET KHAIRE

D.O.B : 18/10/97

AGE : 13 YRS.

I.Q : 40

CLASS : PRE-PRIMARY

DISABILITY : MENTAL RETARDATION

ADDRESS : C/5/13/3/4 SECTOR 1A, CBD. NAVI MUMBAI

ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP
AMOUNT REQUIRED : Rs. 12,000

Aniket has been regularly attending school since he was 6 yrs old. He has severe mental retardation with epilepsy, and is hemiplegic on one side. He is dependent for all personal skills, and needs to be attended to from time to time for his toilet needs. He is being trained in communication skills, motor and social skills. He needs intensive occupational therapy for coping in his day to day life skills. He also has challenging behavior which has to be modified with specific behavior modification techniques. He has one brother who has just finished 10th. His father is a clerk and his mother is a housewife. Their monthly income is just about Rs. 6500.

SPONSORSHIP REQUIRED

2011-07-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

NAME : MS. SUPRIYA PATIL

D.O.B : 27/06/91

AGE : 16 YRS.

I.Q : 30-35

CLASS : VOCATIONAL

DISABILITY : MENTAL RETARDATION

ADDRESS : AT BELAPUR, POST KONKAN BHAVAN

DIST. – BELAPUR TAL- THANE

ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP

AMOUNT REQUIRED : Rs. 12,000

Supriya has been regularly attending school since the last 10 years. She is unable to progress in reading & writing skills because of severe mental retardation. She is independent in simple personal skills. She is being trained in pounding spices, beadwork and wick-making. She has a friendly and helpful nature. She participates in extra-curricular activities like music and yoga. Her parents are illiterate, and their monthly income is just about Rs. 5000.

GURU PURNIMA CELEBRATION AT SCHOOL ON 15TH JULY

2011-07-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Guru Purnima was celebrated in School. Students showed reverence to Swami Brahmanand by chanting Mantras. Some students displayed their talent by singing bhajan and reciting shlokas. It was also the Foundation Day of the School. The School has completed 21 Yrs.

Young Athlete Program- Special Olympics

2011-07-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

The Young Athlete Program is initiated by Special Olympics for the children below the age of 8. Seven of our students are registered for this program are being trained by the Sports Instructor and their Class Teacher. Parents are also involved in this program.

Our Students: Harneet Kaur

2011-07-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Harneet Kaur is not interested in playing. There is a Montessori teaching aid placed on the desk in front of her, her assistant tells her to rotate the beads in the spiral rings to create the beautiful combination of colored beads but she pays no attention. Her assistant lifts her hand and helps her to rotate the beads but she pulls her hands away and stares into the open space. Her classmates look at her, willing to help her and the friendly ones want to communicate with her but she makes no response.

Harneet is 9-year-old, severely mentally challenged child. All her milestones were delayed and her IQ is just 22.

Harneet Kaur has started coming to school from this June; she has never ever attended any school before because her mother was not aware that there was education available for severely mentally challenged child. Harneet finds it difficult to walk or lift her self up from her seated position because she has never learnt to do so. Her mother helps her in all her activities. She is completely dependent on her mother. She is not even toilet trained. Her mother lifts her, carries her and brings her to school and she goes back home by auto-rickshaw.

Her father is a truck driver and her mother is a housewife, she has two more siblings. Due to their poor financial condition, her mother is not able to pay her fees and she is placed under the sponsorship program which will fund her school fees, uniform and other activities.

12th July- Founder’s Birthday celebration

2011-07-12T02:44:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Shirish Poojary the Founder and Managing Trustee of SBP celebrated her birthday along with the children and staff members on 12th July at School.

9th July- Program by AMWAY Opportunities

2011-07-12T02:34:00.000-07:00

Amway opportunities organized a program for the students on 9th July in the School premises. 50 students and two staff members attended the program. A magic show was organized for the children. The kids had great fun and enjoyed the day.

9th July Parents Meeting – Falguni Vocational Unit

2011-07-12T02:25:00.000-07:00

A Meeting of parents of the Falguni Vocational Unit was held on 9th July. Present in the meeting were Mrs. Shirish Poojary- Managing Trustee, Mrs. Hansa Maru –Trustee, Mrs. Sukanya Venkataraman- Principal, Mrs. Sunit Marwah – Vocational Coordinator, Vocational Instructors- Ms. Shital Panchal & Mrs. Aditi Kadam, Mrs. Nidhi Katare- Special educator. Mrs. Sunit Marwah informed parents about the class rules and regulations, Class Goals and the objectives set for the year. The activities planned by the teachers to achieve the objectives was also shared by the teachers. Mrs. Shirish Poojary spoke about the importance of Parents participation and involvement in the school program. Mrs. Hansa Maru also a representative of the SWAYAM self help group spoke about the success of the group and encouraged parents to start other self help groups.

Parents Meeting on 2nd July

2011-07-04T04:25:00.000-07:00

2nd July- Class Program Presentation by all the class teachers.
Present in the meeting were the Managing Trustee Mrs. Shirish Poojary, Principal Mrs. Sukanya Venkataraman and Parent representatives of each class. Mrs. Poojary began the meeting by informing the parents regarding the importance of parent involvement in the training program. She also threw light on the curriculum developed in the School which stresses on life skills. She stressed that parents give opportunity and exposure to their children. She also informed Parents that the Teachers also keep abreast of the latest developments and the Management arranges for workshops for the benefit of the teachers. The Teachers informed Parents regarding the class rules and regulations, Class Goals and the objectives set for the year. The activities planned by the teachers to achieve the objectives was also shared by them. Other professionals like the Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist, Sports Instructor, Computer Instructor also discussed their program with the Parents.
Mrs. Venkataraman summed up the meeting inviting feedback and suggestions from the parents.

Swayam Rakhi Sale

2011-07-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

Swayam - our self-help group of ex-students - is organising a sale of Rakhis this time too. Last year we enjoyed great success with our first sale of rakhis. So this year too our children have a made a range of rakhis ranging from the fanciful to the simple. Do have a look at some of them:

Three steps to get your Swayam Rakhi:

1. Have a look at the catalogue and choose your rakhi:

2. Note the code number and call 91-22-27573961 or contact us on Facebook to place your order.

3. You can mail a cheque in the name of Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan to Swayam, Nav-Shanti, Disha School Marg, Plot no. 7, Sector-8A, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai - 400614, Maharashtra, India.

JUNE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

2011-07-01T02:59:00.000-07:00

30th June - Keeping in mind the theme for the year 2011-12- Rainbow, the staff and students dressed in VIOLET colour on the last day of the month and celebrated the birthdays of 35 children and 6 staff members. the Class Teachers along with their students displayed their creativity using the colour Violet.

29th June- Session for teachers with the speech therapist

2011-07-01T02:29:00.000-07:00

The Speech Therapist Ms. Sarah Gadkar shares her professional knowledge with the Teachers of all the classes on language development program.

25TH JUNE- PARENTS GENERAL MEETING

2011-07-01T02:12:00.000-07:00

The first General meeting of parents for the academic year 2011-12 was held on 25th June. The Managing Trustee Mrs. Shirish Poojary and the Principal Mrs. Sukanya Venkataraman informed the Parents regarding the Rules and Regulations of the School. General School information was given to the new parents. Parent Representatives of the past year narrated their experince as the class representative. Mr. Parab of SBPA shared information regarding "Sahyadri Parivaar" the parents group representating Maharahtra, and self advocacy program held in Pune and Mumbai.

PROGRAM BY THE ASSOCIATION FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

2011-07-01T01:53:00.000-07:00

A Program by the Association for Senior Citizens was organized on the 18th June at Gurudwara, CBD, Navi Mumbai. 50 students accompanied by the Managing Trustee, Principal and three staff members and Parent attended the Program. The students entertained the senior citizens by presenting songs and a group dance. Fun games were organized for the students by the members of the Association. The children had great fun

School Re-opens

2011-06-15T03:36:00.000-07:00

The school re-opened after a long summer vacation on 10^th June 2011. Swamiji’s punyatithi was celebrated on 7^th June.A small prayer was held in the school where all the parents and children attended the meeting. Prasad and lunch was served to all.

Annual Report Day

2011-04-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday 16th April was annual report day - when parents and teachers met to discuss the students' progress. Images from a busy, busy day:

Report day

Mahendra Singh Thakur

2011-04-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

Mahendra is thirty-one years old and has been attending Falguni Vocational Centre since 2005.

Mahendra is independent in his personal skills. His training programme now includes activities for economic independence such as weighing and packing of spices, making paper bags. He is able to manage these activities with minimum supervision.

He likes painting on pots and diyas and is good in drawing. he is very friendly and interacts with everyone. Mahendra performs the duties given to him with responsibility.

He is good in sports and is a good swimmer. He is also a very good dancer. During the year he participated in the cricket match and represented the Navi Mumbai team.

Picnic to Rock Garden, Nerul

2011-04-07T01:37:00.000-07:00

30 student from younger group with 14 staff members went for picnic to Rock Garden at Nerul.

This a rock garden planned and designed by NMMC (Navi Mumbai municipal corporation) this is opened for public only during evening hours and allows picnic for school during morning hours. there are many rock statues and playground equipment and it is a safe haven for special children to enjo a day o

celebrations on 31st march

2011-04-02T01:09:00.000-07:00

On 31st march, we celebrated Caregivers' Day with parents. The parents thanked the caregivers who took care of their children in the school with love and patience.

On the same day, awards were given to Best Teachers. Two attendants were appreciated and awarded for their services to the organisation. The award winners were:
Smita Waghmare - Best Teacher (2nd time in a row)
Grace Rekha Simois - 2nd Best teacher
Nidhi Katare - she is a new teacher. She was felicitated for highest points scored by her in the appraisal.
Lakshman Mhatre & Sumati Thakur were awarded.

The Best Student Awards were given to:
Siddharth Jain of Vocational Section (Falguni)
Khalid Kutty and Ashwini Patil (Disha)
Chetan Sarvankar and Swati Kangare (Sweekar).
Students showing good performance in individual classes were all awarded.

View the album here:

31 st prog

Suraj Kotian

2011-04-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

Suraj is 22 years old, suffering from mental retardation. He attends the Falguni Vocational Unit at the CBD Belapur Centre. He is independent in his personal skills.

He gets training in vocational skills such as paper bag making and making spices. Besides he also participates in extra-curricular activities likes sports, dance, yoga etc. He is a very good dancer and participates in various programmes and competitions.

He has one elder brother. His father is a driver and his mother is a housewife. Suraj is sponsored by a well-wisher of the school and we are very grateful to them for giving him this opportunity.

Magic Touch performs a drama on value education

2011-03-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

The NGO Magic Touch visited SBP campus on 29th March. They have a mission of "Unfolding the divinity in little hearts".

They performed a drama about underwater fishes living in harmony. A beautiful goldfish is very proud and does not share anything with the other fishes. The goldfish becomes very lonely. Then she learns to share and becomes happy again.

You can view all the pictures at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=339913&id=688523522&l=cbbb2a0909

View the full album on Picasa here:

drama

Mahek Sheikh

2011-03-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

Mahek Sheikh is 8 year old severely retarded child. She has been attending the Uran Centre 'Sweekar' in the rural area of Raighad district since June 2010. She has no speech and is able to walk with support. Occupational and speech therapy is given to her regularly at school.

Her mother is a housewife and father is a clerk in a small shipping company. Her parents were reluctant to send her to school because they could not afford to pay her fees. However, she is sponsored by a kind well wisher (our sincere thanks to her for creating such opportunities for her)

Efforts are made to train her in simple activities like drawing and scribbling. In helping her participate in group activities and games and learning to adjust to her classroom companions.

Holi Celebrations

2011-03-19T02:23:00.000-07:00

Holi was celebrated by the children and staff on March 19th, 2011.

View the full album on Picasa:

holi

Newsletter for the month of February

2011-02-26T03:07:00.000-08:00

On 4th February A cultural program ‘Saath Saath’ was held at Vishnidas Bhave Auditorium, Vashi

On 11th February, all the teachers of SBP attended the workshop on autism conducted by Asha Asher, a special educator from US. It was held at NIMH

On 14th all the participants of the program ‘Saath Saath’ were felicitated by Nikhil Jasuja, all were provided with ice-cream, chikki and snacks. Certificate of appreciation were presented to all the volunteers by the management of the school.

On 15th February, 12 students participated in the cricket match organized by AWMH, Maharashtra at Goregoan sports club.

On 16th Feb, drawing competition was held in the school, organized by Amway. This was competition for normal children of the distributer of Amway along with special children’

On 19th February, student participated in various contests organized by Sanjeevanji at Airoli, activities like Rangoli, sports, fun games and essay writing.

On 21st February, 10 students along with teachers attended creative workshop organized by Jiddha Special school. They learnt paper Mache, pottery and handicrafts.

On 26th February, children participated in cultural event organised by Lions club of Khoparlkhairne.

Fund raising show - Saath Saath

2011-02-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

A fund raising show was held on 4th February to raise the money for Brahmagiri, a residential home for adult mentally challenged. Shankar Mahadevan was the cheif guest and the show was a great success.

Vocational activities

2011-01-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

In our vocational unit children are trained in various acivities.

In grinding activity, children grind flour, dry masalas which are later weighed and packed and sold, Children get a stipend which is an incentive for them to work.

Some of the children help in chopping of the vegetables, which are weighed and packed. The housewives living in the neighbor hood patronize the sales and are happy to buy the chopped vegetables from the school.

During the diwali festival, children get busy for diwali sale and many different types of diya are painted by the children. The children show great concentration in their work and produce beautiful hand-made articrafts during the exhibition.

Some of the children take interest in needlework and stitch many things like cusions, bags, bedsheets and many more things.

An Appeal

2010-12-29T21:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,
Swami Brahmanand Is organising a fund raising program on 4th February 2011 at Vishnudas Bhave auditorium, Vashi. the funds raised will be used for our Project "BRAHMAGIRI" a sheltered workshop cum residential home for the adults with Mental retardation. we look forward to your support in our mission of creating a better life for persons with special needs.

Activities during the month of December 2010

2010-12-20T04:02:00.001-08:00

From 3rd December to 7th December, disability week was celebrated in the school. Rally was organized in which many students participated. Students also participated in ability competitions which was organized by skill and ability school at Nerul. Different activities were organized such as drawing, painting, craft, rangoli making, computer based activities, etc. many children took part in competitions. 13 year old Karishma won the first prize by designing a greeting card on computer, 16 year old, Aditi, won the first prize in rangoli making, 16 year old Siddharth won the third prize in solving puzzles.

On 3rd December, Twenty five of our students took part in sports meet organized by Thane Zilla Parishad and Rotary Club of Dombili. They came back with 5 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 4 bronze medals.

Amway , under the banner of ‘Sunshine Foundation’, organized children’s day on 3rd December 2010. During the celebration, they donated the vocational equipments to the tune of Rs55,000 which included sewing machine, paper cutter, sealing machine, cupboard, grinding machine, food weighing machine, screen printing, etc. They also fun fair that included tattoo making, magic show and many games. Snacks were also provided.

Activities during month of November2010

2010-12-20T03:59:00.001-08:00

On 19th November, the first quarterly staff-feedback meeting was held in school office, where teachers and parents representatives participated and discussed their teaching program and the progress shown by the children in their class.

On 20th November, Staff development program was conducted by T.D, Kumar who is the retired income tax commissioner of Mumbai. Topic of training included ‘empowerment, team work and leadership’.

wordless Mondays

2010-12-20T03:04:00.000-08:00

APPEAL TO SPONSORS

2010-11-12T04:33:00.000-08:00

SWAMI BRAHMANAND PRATISHTHAN

Regd No-E12466(Mumbai) dt:9/11/89

APPEAL TO SPONSORS

Dear Friends,

We’ll begin by saying thanks for all the physical and moral support you have given us over the years in helping our special children learn to lead a life of independence and dignity.

With your support, Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan has now completed twenty years of service. In these years, countless mentally challenged individuals have succeeded in standing up on their own feet, and are able to lead a life of self-reliance and equality in society. Not just that, many of our students have participated and won prizes in activities like the Special Olympics (Gold in Hockey, Austria, 1993), National-level swimming & badminton championships, dramatics, art and many other fields. We are immensely proud of each and every achievement by our students, big or small.

Currently, eighty-six children are enrolled in our school ‘Disha Special School’. Alongside, we have also been running successfully Falguni Vocational Training Centre with forty students and ‘Sweekar’ a centre for mentally challenged children in the rural areas of Uran with thirty students. We have successfully started ‘Swayam’, a self-help group in collaboration with out Swami Brahmanand Parents Association for students who are age 21 and above. These young entrepreneurs are setting out on a path of self-reliance and enterprise, holding their heads high in society.

Now we are taking our endeavor a few steps forward. We are planning to set up ‘Brahmagiri’, a home for mentally challenged senior citizens. For that, we are organizing a special cultural program “Saath Saath” on 4^th February 2010, in which celebrated singer Shankar Mahadevan has agreed to be the chief guest. On that occasion, we will be releasing a souvenir.

We appeal to you to help us by buying sponsorships in the souvenir. The money raised will be used for creating the funds for ‘Brahmagiri’. The rates are as follows:

1. 1/8th page strip: ` 500/-

2. Quarter page : ` 1500/-

3. Half page B/W : ` 2500/-

4. Full page B/W : ` 4000/-

5. Inner front cover: ` 21,000/-

6. Inner back cover: ` 15,000/-

7. Outer Back cover: ` 20,000/-

size; crown size (7.5" x 9.5")
Cover: Art Card multi color
Inside Pages: White printing paper single color

We hope that you will support as large-heartedly as you have done in the past.

Cheque may be drawn in favor of "Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan" or you may do direct transfer to 'Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan Souvenir' A/C-30038981521, State Bank of India, Konkan Bhavan Branch, CBD, Navi mumbai

All donations are exampted under section 80G vide Cert. No DIT(E)MC/80-G/1915/2007 - valid upto 31/03/2011

Looking forward to your enthusiastic participation

Thank You

20th Annual Exhibition at School

2010-11-12T03:40:00.000-08:00

On 30^th October, the articles made by children were made available for sale. Students were excited, they wait for this day, when annual Diwali sale is held in the school exhibiting the articles made by children throughout the year. They love to see the sale of their stuff being sold and some of them will proudly drag you to the items that are made by them.

There was continuous stream of shoppers throughout the day. There were different sections exhibiting various articles like candles, home made chocolates and ground masalas and flour, handicraft items and beaded jewelry. Catering stalls were managed by parents, who also arranged playing and winning gifts at the games section.

We were delighted that Anmol Sukhwani, our well wisher from IWCA- Indian Women Charity Association of Madrid inaugurated the exhibition and bought many articles that were made by the children.

It was a vibrant day and a huge success!!!

Happy Diwali

2010-11-03T23:19:00.001-07:00

Some lamps you light will burn through the night,

Many will die with the wind, some won't light at all.

But the flame that you must never let die away,

Is the flame that lets you see your dreams.

Wishing you a happy, hope-filled Diwali.

Preview of the exhibition on 30th October 2010

2010-10-22T03:13:00.000-07:00

If you were to visit the school now, you would see all the children are busy making articles for the exhibition that is to be held on 30th October. this is the 20th Anniversery of our school and the things made by our children will be on display at school on that day
.
There is much excitement in the school as each child is busy making beautiful things for the big day

Some of the things that will be on sale on that day will be

There will also things like

and ofcourse those spices made by our swayam group that are prepared with such care

Hope to see on 30th and relish the joy on the proud faces of our children who will sell their stuff with much happiness and smile...not to be missed...see you then :))

Parents' representative's Meeting

2010-10-12T03:09:00.000-07:00

On 9th October, at 10:30 am, parents’ representatives had a meeting whereby discussion was taken on different issues. Nine parents attended the meeting.

Parent were informed that the children should come neatly dressed, come on time, and should be trained on proper discipline.

They were informed about the progress of the children shown in three months since the school has re-opened

All the points that were discussed in the teacher’s meeting last week were again discussed with the parents.

A planning was made for dhandia program to be held on 16th October, parents and the siblings are requested to participate in that program.

A planning was also made for the exhibition on 30th October, each class has to put up a stall and the respective parents are given duties. These points were discussed in great detail.

Parents were also informed about the big musical program called “Saath Saath” which is to be held on 4th February 2011 in which Shankar Mahadevan would be invited as the chief guest.