https://vahids.medium.com/how-bala-samskar-kendras-are-passing-sanatana-dharma-to-a-new-generation-445a15f415de
(NOTE: This article was written by S Vahid and published in Medium, amazingly describing the Bala Samskara Kendras operated by Global Hindu Heritage Foundation.)

The aim is to cultivate rootedness — to give children enough understanding of their own tradition to engage confidently with the wider world. Sanatana Dharma is a tradition whose emphasis on truth, self-improvement, tolerance, inclusiveness, peace, harmony and universal welfare has something meaningful to contribute to the human conversation.
Civilizational Heroes, Saints and Warriors: Learning about the People Who Shaped Bharat
A civilization is remembered not only through its scriptures and philosophies, but through the lives of the people who gave those ideals flesh and character. Bala Samskar Kendras therefore take children beyond abstract lessons and into the stories of saints, sages, warriors, poets, reformers and national heroes whose lives have shaped India’s historical and cultural memory.
Children have learned about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj — his courage, leadership, achievements and the establishment of the Maratha Empire. In Telangana, the lesson moved beyond the classroom: students organised a procession through their village to celebrate his legacy. They have studied Swami Dayananda Saraswati, his life, his reform of Hindu society and his role in establishing the Arya Samaj. They have encountered Sant Ravidas, explored the Dwadasha Jyotirlingas, and learned about the lives and teachings associated with India’s rich spiritual traditions. In the Telugu-speaking regions, children have discovered the fourteenth-century poet Vemana, whose simple yet penetrating verses continue to carry lessons in morality, wisdom and everyday conduct. Valmiki Jayanti has opened conversations about Maharishi Valmiki and his contribution to the Ramayana tradition. The programme also introduces children to figures whose influence reaches well beyond the boundaries of any single tradition. On Sri Guru Nanak Jayanti, students learned about Guru Nanak, the Guru tradition and Sikhism, while reflecting on the historical relationship between Sikh and Hindu communities. They listened to Swami Vivekananda’s historic address in Chicago on September 11, 1893, and explored the values and universal message contained in his words. The children have also learned about Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam — his childhood, career and presidency, as well as the influence of Pramukh Swami on his life. Through Lord Dattatreya, they encountered the idea of the 24 Gurus, Paduka worship, his teachings and the Hindu understanding of divine manifestations. In Assam, students marked the 400th anniversary celebrations associated with Lachit Barphukan, learning about the legendary Ahom commander, his extraordinary military leadership and his place in Assam’s history.
The Year-Round Life of the Kendras
The Bala Samskar Kendra is also a bridge between classroom learning and community life. Its record shows an expanding calendar of engagement: Rama Navami, Ugadi, Navaratri, Vijayadashami, Raksha Bandhan, Yoga Day, Ganesh Chaturthi, Bonalu, Vasant Panchami, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Gita Jayanti, Maha Shivaratri and other occasions have become opportunities for structured learning. In many locations, children themselves become participants in public cultural life.
Most significantly, the programme has created a recurring space in which children can ask not only “What do we celebrate?” but also “Why do we celebrate it?” The centres have marked Rama Navami with processions carrying the Ram Parivar, pujas, quizzes on the Ramayana and prize distribution. In Assam, students participated in pujas and homas, dressed for the occasion and joined a bike rally celebrating Rama Navami. Ugadi has been observed through temple visits, traditional dress, seeking the blessings of parents by touching their feet, and rangoli-making. Students in Assam welcomed the New Year through rangoli and lessons on the significance of Ugadi Pratipada. During Navaratri and Vijayadashami, Bala Samskar students in Assam dressed as Durga, Shiva and Kali, performed dances, sang devotional songs and recited Durga Stuti. Thousands of Hindus participated in a wider rally and Hindu Jagran Sabha organised around Mahalaya to mark the homecoming of Goddess Durga. Raksha Bandhan became an occasion for teaching the symbolism of protection, with students in Assam tying rakhis to jawans, parents, teachers and fellow students. In Shamshabad, Hyderabad, the programme similarly used Raksha Bandhan to convey the meaning of the festival through a public celebration. International Yoga Day on June 21 saw a majority of centres organise yoga classes. In Rajasthan, yoga and meditation became a regular discipline, with the stated objectives of improving concentration, strengthening discipline, developing peace of mind and reducing stress and indiscipline. The Kendras have also celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi, with children performing Ganesh and Saraswati pujas and homas in Gundiganipalli village in Anantapur district. In Telangana, students in Shamshabad celebrated the Bonalu festival. In Assam, students observed Saraswati Puja on Vasant Panchami. During Gita Jayanti, students were introduced to the greatness and significance of the Bhagavad Gita. In Silchar, Assam, a Bhagavad Gita quiz brought together 72 students from 11 government schools, encouraging them to engage with the scripture through questions and competition. The learning of verses is deliberately active. On Maha Shivaratri, students at many centres chanted the Lingashtakam, with teachers asking them to memorise it so that they could recite it without referring to a book. In Guntur, children learned the Hanuman Chalisa; in Annamayya district they were taught daily mantras; in Bapatla, teachers introduced the Hanuman Chalisa two verses at a time. In Vijayanagaram, students learned to sing Aigiri Nandini, explored its significance and danced to its rhythm. In Tamil Nadu, children learned the Gayatri Mantra and studied the significance of yoga. Ahead of annual examinations, students also learned about Hayagriva Puja, the associated Stotram and its perceived benefits. The classroom may occupy only a few hours a week. But when learning travels beyond its walls, it begins to become culture.
From 35 Centres to 175 Schools: Reaching 4,500 Young Minds
The expansion of Bala Samskar Kendras has been rapid. In October 2021, GHHF began Sunday Schools in 35 locations across Tirupati, Visakhapatnam, Pendurthi and Hyderabad.
By December 2021, the programme had reached 55 villages and locations. By the beginning of January 2022, centres were operating in the Kakinada area, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam, Pendurthi, Madanapalli, Addanki, Eluru Palem in Prakasam district and Hyderabad.
By January 2, 2022, GHHF reported Bala Samskar Kendras operating in 61 villages across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Assam. On February 27, it reported that the programme had reached approximately 100 villages and localities across five states — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The subsequent expansion was still more pronounced. By March 2022, the organisation reported classes in 120 locations serving approximately 2,500 students. By May 1, the number had risen to 135 locations and around 3,500 students. In January 2023, the initiative crossed India’s borders, with three Bala Samskar Kendras launched in Bangladesh, where more than 100 students were reported to be learning Bhagavad Gita verses and chanting Vedic mantras. The programme now describes a broader footprint: 175 schools across nine Indian states and Bangladesh, with approximately 4,500 students enrolled.
The Wider Civilizational Canvas
Bala Samskar Kendras exist within a much larger project undertaken by the Global Hindu Heritage Foundation. GHHF describes its overarching objective as the protection, preservation, promotion and maintenance of Hindu culture, Hindu temples, mutts, peethams, endowments, trusts and other Hindu institutions globally. A major component of its institutional agenda concerns the independence of Hindu temples from government control. GHHF seeks legal and other non-violent means to challenge laws, policies and practices that it believes adversely affect Hindu religion and Hindu institutions. Among its stated long-term objectives is the abolition of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Acts across India and the establishment of greater autonomy for Hindu temples and institutions, on the principle that Hindu religious institutions should enjoy the same independence from state control that GHHF believes is available to institutions of other religions. The foundation also says it remains attentive to the condition of Hindu culture and temples around the world and intends to act against practices it considers discriminatory. Seen against this backdrop, Bala Samskar Kendras are the generational arm of a larger cultural project. If temple preservation protects the physical inheritance, and legal advocacy seeks to protect institutional autonomy, then education seeks to protect the memory and meaning that make that inheritance matter.
The Future: An Investment in One Village at a Time
The next challenge is both simple and ambitious: to take the Bala Samskar model to more villages, and place the inheritance of Sanatana Dharma within reach of more children: one village at a time.
GHHF’s proposed model is to establish a school in each village with a dedicated teacher who can spend two to three hours on Saturdays and Sundays, along with two to three weekday evenings, teaching Hindu heritage while also helping children with their schoolwork and homework. The estimated cost of sustaining one such village school is approximately US$1,000 a year, covering the teacher, learning materials, snacks and prasadam. It is a modest model with potentially far-reaching consequences: one teacher, one village and a few hours each week devoted to ensuring that cultural knowledge remains a living inheritance.
The Larger Goal: Ensuring a civilization Lives On
Every civilization ultimately depends on one simple act: one generation must pass its inheritance to the next. Without that transmission, even the greatest traditions can slowly become detached from the people who once lived them. A festival may survive after its meaning has faded; a temple may stand after its story has been forgotten; a scripture may be revered without being understood. Bala Samskar Kendras are GHHF’s response to that possibility. Their purpose is not simply to teach children prayers, stories or rituals, but to help them understand the ideas, values, knowledge and civilizational memory that give those practices their meaning. The child, in this vision, is not simply a student. The child is the future custodian of that inheritance. Perhaps that is the deepest measure of Bala Samskar’s success — not simply the number of centres opened or students enrolled, but the moment when a young mind encounters a temple, a verse, a festival or an ancient story and understands: this is not merely the past. This is part of who I am. Civilizations do not endure simply because their monuments remain standing. They endure when each generation understands what it has inherited — and chooses to carry it forward.                                                                      Part 1 can be accessed here:  https://www.savetemples.org/post/ghhf-how-bala-samskar-kendras-are-passing-sanatana-dharma-to-a-new-generation-part-1/2775
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