Chinmaya Mission Vidyalaya

The first series of workshops under ‘Articulating Futures’, was held at the Chinmaya Mission Vidyalaya in New Delhi. This school had the ideal environment to hold this radical workshop.

‘Keep Smiling is our School motto. This means : be brave and courageous always, face every experience in life with a smile on your face.In other words, be balanced in life under all circumstances joy or sorrow, success or failure, honour or dishonour, prosperity or adversity. This calmness of the mind expresses itself in a smile.’

The above is the motto of the school. Chinmaya School has been inspired by the teaching and philosophy of Swami Chinmaya and has many branches both in India and abroad. Aiming for an overall development, the school follows an educational structure set up by the CBSCE board of India. The school focuses on developing the Indian identity of students, by integrating traditional and cultural practices into the school’s extra curricular activities such as Geeta chanting and festival celebrations.

What is interesting about this school from an outsider’s perspective is the inflow of two very diverse influences. The students are constantly trying to find a middle path between the Indian teachings and lifestyle the school encourages and the western influences that the youth are heavily subjected and drawn to.

The school hence was an ideal place to hold these workshops since the students are battling with this shift in their identity on a regular basis.

To read more about the school and its philosophies, click here http://www.chinmayavidyalaya.in/index.asp

Tags: Bookleteer, Design, Future forecasting, India, Narrative, Niharika Hariharan, Proboscis, Social community design, Workshops