Ashadhi Ekadashi: Learning through celebration
At our Day Care Centers, looking after children also means helping them learn about, experience, and preserve the traditions of their own culture.
Understanding and preserving traditions is also a way to honor a people’s culture.
At our Migrant Children’s Day Care Centers in Pune (India), part of our work involves offering children experiences that bring meaning, strengthen their roots, and foster a sense of belonging. And when all of this happens while they’re playing, creating, and having fun, learning leaves an even deeper impression.
Ashadhi Ekadashi is a particularly significant celebration in the Hindu tradition. It is considered one of the sacred days of fasting and marks the beginning of a period linked to renewal and spiritual growth through prayer and other devotional practices.
During the month of July, some of our Day Care Centers wanted to introduce this tradition to the children in a very special way.
The preparations were part of the celebration. The children built a palkhi -a ceremonial seat that symbolizes care and protection- and carefully decorated it with flowers. They also prepared flags, crowns for Lord Vitthal and Rukmini, and other items they would use during the celebration.
And finally, the day of the procession arrived.
After getting permission from the security officials at the camps where their families live, the children dressed up as Lord Vitthal, goddess Rukmini, and the Warkaris -pilgrims- and carried the palkhi along the route.
The celebration didn’t go unnoticed. Neighbors stopped, praised the children, admired their costumes, and enjoyed the way they had brought this tradition to life.
But the ones who enjoyed it the most were the children themselves.
Starting from preparing each detail to the moment they set out in the procession, they participated with great interest, enthusiasm, and joy.
We know that education isn’t just about learning to read, write, or count. It’s also about finding out where we come from, identifying as part of a community, and learning to value what is part of our history and culture.
Help us continue caring for these children
At Asha-Kiran’s Day Care Centers, we support the children of working migrant families who live in highly precarious conditions. We provide them with education, nutrition, protection, and care, as well as spaces where they can play, create, celebrate, and grow while feeling part of a community.
By becoming a member of Asha-Kiran, you help ensure that we can keep these spaces open every day.
We’ve learned from experience that nurturing children also means giving them roots to grow from.