Anand vidyalaya – Sankranti special

This sankranti, we wanted to do something special for the kids at Anand Vidyalya. Arthi pitched in to do her story sessions [ Reading a kite called Korika & The rooster & the sun]. Her story telling sessions are a favourite among the kids. She also brought an earthen pot painted by her daughter, anush & lots of mango leaves. Once the story sessions were complete, the kids moved to the basement to make some mango leaf torans (bunting). Mango leaves are traditionally tied at the entrance of houses in India to welcome one and all. They are also generally considered very auspicious. Kids also decorated the earthern pot with mango leaf garlands.. For Pongal, Milk is boiled with some rice and jaggery in earthen pots  and is made to overflow representing of the bounty of food God has given us, filling our vessels to the brim and spilling over. Cows are decorated & are worshipped. They are also fed a combination of grass, sugar cane and jaggery. Colourful rangolis adorn each entrance and kids fly kites.. 

We gave each kid an icecream stick , a 1/2 meter thread, a straw, a 6 inch square  coloured paper & a triangle cut paper for the kite’s tail. Glue was shared by 6 kids. They were then encouraged to make their own designs on the kite using markers.  

Swapna, one of our blog friends got some Sweet Pongal made from home for the 100+ kids. Art had got some yellu bella a combination of [ sesame seeds and jaggery, popularly handed over at Sankranti] . It felt wonderful to celebrate a festival with the kids there.

You can find more pics here & here