Overview
A large part of India is ‘rural’ and unless one addresses it and engages with it, any initiative in rural India is bound to be rootless & shallow. One can only grow from where one actually is. Being located in village Telbaila, Shaktiyogashrama too cherishes its engagement with the soil and its people.
Education, empowerment and development of skills that can also become a source of livelihood is the chief thrust of the ashram programmes in the rural sector.The educational programmes emphasise a value-based learning,personality development & self-empowerment along with an eye looking into the future, to equip the rural community to confidently stride into the global world through subjects like computer training & spoken English, communication skills and work structures.
The challenge of any rural programme is to allow the rural community to be self sufficient and a more creative version of itself and not just a maladjusted urban replica. Any rural programmes has to retain the strengths of the community while gently working on its weaker areas. This is the effort of the Shaktiyogashrama ventures.
Programs
Music For Change
Music is food for the soul; music develops the heart; music is a pathway to God.
In an effort to sow the seeds of a musical tradition in village Telbaila, the rural wing of Shaktiyogashrama has initiated the ‘Music For Change ‘ Programme in which children of the village school are given free weekly training in classical music. This programme is likely to further develop to include many activities that can compliment standard academic education to develop the versitality, values and personality of the village children.
A Ganapati Project
With a vision to bring arts to the village, the ashram is planning the ‘Ganapati Project’, a rural initiative to help create traditions of craft in village Telbaila. The project involves training select members of the Telbaila village community in the craft of creating Ganapati images that will :
- Sow the seeds of an art/craft tradition that can enrich their lives.
- In the long run train them to create beautiful images through which they can also earn their livelihood