When talent meets opportunity, dreams become reality. The second-semester students (session 2022-24) of the Department of Education, Patna Women’s College Autonomous, bore witness to this ‘live your dreams’ concept at Kilkari Bal Bhavan, Saidpur, Patna as part of their field visit program on April 06, 2023. The institution, which became functional in May 2008 has since then been constantly nurturing young dreams into reality.
The basic premise at Kilkari, established by the Department of Education, Government of Bihar, is to provide opportunities to children, in the age group of 8-16 years to identify their latent talent, hidden potential and innate interests. The highly motivated team of instructors, under the able leadership of its Director, Ms. Jyoti Parihar is operating this institution.
The institution has been constructed around the BaLA design, which means Building as Learning Aid. Inside, the city’s only second butterfly garden, apart from the one at Patna Zoo draws the visitors’ attention. Kilkari, which is built on an uneven, multi-level design pattern, the student trainees witnessed groups of children engrossed in activities like – music, dance, drama, art and craft, painting, reading, creative writing, pottery, sports, martial arts, computer training, video and audio recording and training, photography, scientific experimentation and even banking .the student trainees observed an on-campus, indigenous banking system called ‘Gullak’; it has been developed to inculcate saving habits in children. The entire impetus is on practical learning and making the children self-reliant.
Kilkari has a self-regulating mechanism in the form of ‘Bal Panchayat’. This committee is operated solely by children to resolve internal matters of the organisation. For the trainees it was a wonderful example of democratic self-governance. Kilkari promotes every form of original work undertaken by its students such as publication of books, research thesis, scientific innovation, prodigious music, dance, literary, theatre talent; every form of artistic expression is acknowledged and provided suitable platforms to excel. Many students from Kilkari have appeared on radio, television and films. Recently, an arsenic water filter made by one of its students was patented and is in line of commercial production.
A documentary, ‘Aisi kai Kilkari’, made by one of the children showed the inception and rise of the institute to its present position. In an interaction with Ms. Parihar, trainers, who were once students and some talented children of Kilkari Bal Bhavan gave an insight into the sheer love and devotion that they have for their work. “There is no pressure on the children. The onus is on the teachers”, iterated one, and this was the message that the trainees took with them.
