Thursday, December 30, 2010

Shanta Gokhale writes about Suar Chala Space Ko

A child's play with a twist

From Mumbai Mirror

Shanta Gokhale


A child’s play with a twist

Suar chala space ko is a play that gets rid of the cliches that plague children’s theatre, while emphasising contemporary issues

Shanta Gokhale

Posted On Thursday, December 30, 2010 at 02:34:38 AM


The suar in Gillo's "Suar chala space ko" is a young man with pig's ears and a mangy pullover. And though he steals tomatoes from his mistress Gulabo mausi's vegetable basket and exudes a stink to end all stinks, he has a big brave name-Bahadur Singh.



However, his infamous stink has earned him another moniker from Rinku and Ishaan, the neighbourhood children. Badbudar Singh. For this reason, the two snooty children keep him at arm's length. But Laddoo Kumar, Ishaan's pet dog, who wears dog's ears and voluminous pajamas, can't afford to be choosy about the company he keeps. As an animal in the human world, he must stick with other animals. So he takes every opportunity to cosy up to the pig and share human secrets.


We were a couple of dozen adults in a houseful of children on Sunday morning at Prithvi, watching Bahadur Singh accidentally activate a space ship and zip off with the others into space to land on a red planet. Within the short time it took for them to return to earth, two things had happened.

Bahadur Singh had been infected with an unknown virus that later infected everybody he touched, and, glory be, he had lost his stink. He was now ill but rechristened Khushbudar Singh.

In this hour-long entertainment, replete with mime, shadow play, gibberish, magic and fantasy, Bahadur Singh, Laddoo Kumar and their humans did things that made us split our sides laughing. They scared the daylights out of each other with sudden shouts, tumbled and fell, quarreled, cried, jumped about and danced.

We loved the clever song in which Rinku flattered Bahadur Singh shamelessly with the good qualities he didn't possess and Ishaan brought him down to earth with the bad qualities he did. We also loved the sound of the instruments that accompanied the singing and dancing and of course the space ship.

The plot itself jumped around quite a bit, sometimes leaving us behind. When the wonderful swathe of red cloth on the red planet began to heave wildly, I overheard a young sprite in the back asking his mother whether it was supposed to be lava. The mother said she didn't know. Later it turned out to have been an earthquake. The sprite objected-- "But no cracks appeared, so how?"

The narrative style of the play may be traced back to its origins. "Suar chala space ko" began as a story for a puppet show, written by three children attending director Shaili Sathyu's workshop. When last year's Summertime Prithvi called for children's plays, Sathyu set to work on it, aided and abetted by members of the Gillo theatre wing.

The actors improvised and strung together situations and scenes, often working without lines. Dialogue was added later. With the action in the hands of children, there was naturally a lot of fun and no preaching.

In the sixties when the children's theatre movement started in Mumbai, there were two extremes of plays. You had ghosts, fairies, witches and wizards, or you had heavy duty messages. In the 40 years that have elapsed since then, preaching to children has received a very bad press.

Naturally, in a play that is by children for children with Sathyu only guiding and giving the play its style, overt messages are out. Rinku and Ishaan happily ostracise Bahadur Singh from their group without being punished. Political correctness? What's that?

And yet, through constant hammering by parents and teachers, children do imbibe ideas of what is good and what is not. So here we have Gulabo mausi neglecting her chores because of her over addiction to television. And here, cleverly tucked into the tale is a message for today save energy.


It was sheer bliss to be a child once again with "Suar chala space ko". When we emerged from the dark of the theatre into the winter sunshine outside, we found ourselves fully recharged to face the adult world of scams, corruption, police inaction, unjust judgements and parliamentary stalemates. Sadly, it was still there.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Films for Children and Young People

GILLO is putting together a resource list of films for children. This list shall be made available on our blog and facebook group for all interested parents and teachers.

We invite you to contribute to our effort by sending in your list of 50 feature films (animation included) and 50 short films for viewing by children. So not necessarily films 'made for children' but all those that you feel kids will / should watch and shall enjoy.

  • The films can include Indian and International cinema in any language.
  • Age groups are not fixed. But if you want to divide your list you could try 3-6 yrs; 6-10yrs; 11-14 yrs; 15-18 yrs
  • Themes can be any and whatever you wish to include in the list. But you may also include films that may or maynot be related to school curricula (historicals, biographies, films based on books, etc)
We shall also add in details of where you can source / purchase the films in our list.

If you know any existing online links to such lists then please do share with us.

Last date to send in your lists is 31st Dec 2010

Saturday, December 4, 2010

GILLO Theatre Wing completes ONE year!!

On 4th Dec 2010 GILLO's Theatre Wing completed one year. In the past 12 months we have focussed on theatre activities with and for children, trying to keep a balance between both.

Some of what we have done in the past year:

  • Theatre Workshops for 4 to 6 year olds
  • Saturday Drama Club for 6 to 12 year old children (ongoing)
  • Produced a Hindi play SUAR CHALA SPACE KO (for children between 5-12 yrs) and performed almost 20 shows in 4 cities (Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Pune)
  • Staged short performances at the Akshara School Mela and the Prithvi Summertime Mela.
  • Expanded our theatre group to 25 members that include actors, directors, writers, designers and others.
  • Conducted weekly workshop sessions and training for our group members in aspects like mime, dance and movement, acting, puppetry, etc.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

SUAR CHALA SPACE KO - PUNE SHOWS NOV 2010



SUAR CHALA SPACE KO - India Tour 2010

After shows in Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi

NOW IN PUNE!!!


Sat 27th November at 4pm
(just few seats available in Rs.150/- category)
Sat 27th November at 6pm
(seats available)
NEHRU MEMORIAL, Camp, Pune
That's opposite Dorabjees.

Sun 28th November at 3.30pm (seats available)
MES AUDITORIUM, Bal Shikshan Mandir, Mayur Colony, Kothrud, Pune


Donor passes: Rs.70, Rs.100, Rs.150
Online booking is now open at www.bookmyshow.com
Booking at venues opens from Fri 26th November (11am to 6pm)
Booking enquiry ph: 09167000458

Group Booking

We are offering discounted passes for groups from schools or NGOs or cultural clubs
For a Minimum purchase of 50 passes, the price . be Rs.50/- each

  • First-come-first-served basis. Limited seats.
  • Group bookings are to be done only by email to gillo.gilehri@gmail.com
  • Kindly email us with name of the school / organisation, contact details, contact person, show date, time and number of tickets you wish to purchase.
  • Payments for the same have to be done by cash only. Tickets should be collected at least 2 hours before the show (if pre-booked by email). After that the tickets shall be released to the public.
  • If you want to pay for these tickets in advance, do let us know.
  • Online booking facility not available for group booking.


Friday, November 19, 2010

Children's Day 14th Nov 2010













We celebrated Children's Day with a performance of SUAR CHALA SPACE KO for children from St.Jude's Child Care Centre ( http://www.stjudechild.org/ ) on 14th Nov 2010 at PL Deshpande Mini Theatre, Mumbai.
It was a special day for all GILLO people as we felt blessed to be given this chance to bring some cheer in the lives of so many special children. But we were also nervous about how the children and their parents will interpret the parts in the play where illness, hospital, doctors etc are shown. But all our nervous feelings vanished when at the end of the performance the children and parents shared their happiness with us.


There were about 40 children in the audience who are all being treated for cancer and we hope that they will recover soon and go back to their homes and continue with their schooling and normal life.


St. Jude's centre is doing some amazing work and we wish them the very best!


HAPPY CHILDREN's DAY

:)
GILLO

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Show of SUAR CHALA SPACE KO at NSD, New Delhi



Date: Sun 10th
October 2010

Time
: 5.30pm

Venue
: TIE Space, NSD, Mandi House, New Delhi

As part of NSD's Jashnebachpan - National Children's Theatre Festival

http://www.nsd.gov.in/index.htm

Passes: Limited seat cards will be available at NSD Reception from 28th September 2010 onwards from 11 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm and if available at the auditoria an hour before the show. • Entry to the show will be on fi rst-come fi rst-served basis.

Enquiry: 011-23389054 / 23387916 , EXTN 37



ABOUT THE PLAY
A hilarious play about a smelly pig who travels to outer space! Actors play a variety of characters, including aliens, with movement and dance adding to the high-energy performance. Based on a puppet play, originally written by children during a workshop, the narrative follows a fuzzy logic typical of children’s writing. The story touches upon friendship, adventure, owning up to your mistakes, taking responsibility and of course... the ‘swine flu’!

FOR ALL ABOVE THE AGE OF FIVE

Duration 1 hr (no interval)

Based on a concept by Poorna, Isha & Ankita
Writer & Director - Shaili Sathyu
Music concept – Mithila Lad & Hetal Varia
Music Arrangement - Kaushik Deshpande & Rahul Saxena
Choreography – Pooja Pant
Set & Props Design – Abir Patwardhan & Tanya Mahajan
Costume Design – Shama Zaidi
Graphic Design – Phagun Dhaka

Cast – Vighnesh Sinkar, Karan Shukla, Subodh Surve, Vinati Makijany, Aakash Dube, Vicky Arora, Siddharth Jhaveri, Navyata Malkani, Sharvari Deshpande, John Soans, Hetal Varia, Ishita Dave, Parth Gadhavi and others

For details about GILLO
www.gillogilehri.blogspot.com
Contact: gillo.gilehri@gmail.com

Facebook group: GILLO

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Teaching Learning Equipment for Pre Primary

Here is a list of companies / organisations that make good quality Teaching Learning Equipment / Aids for Pre Primary

You may click the links to visit their respective websites.

Centre for Learning Resources, Pune
Readiness activites for language and maths, early readers (Eng/Marathi), book of words (Eng, Hin, Marathi, etc).

Vardhaman Toys, Mumbai
Wooden puzzles, pre-maths equipment, furniture, beads in various shapes and sizes, inset trays, language readiness activities

Skillofun, New Delhi
Pre-maths kits and activities, logic blocks, etc.

Creative's, New Delhi
Matching cards, puzzles, Language games, etc.

New Wave, Kolkata
Activities for developing reasoning skills, language and maths readiness, pictures for picture talk, etc.

Clever Cubes, Mumbai
Project based thematic games, very good for reasoning and thinking skills, grouping and classification, etc.

Mind mosaic, Mumbai

Giggleberry, Mumbai
Phonic cards, visual discrimination activites, etc.

More info will be added soon.

For details you may write to us at gillo.gilehri@gmail.com

This is just a resource list for teachers, parents and schools. We are not promoting any company or products. Do send in your suggestions so we can add to this list.

Shaili Sathyu
Creative Director
GILLO, Mumbai

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

SUAR CHALA SPACE KO - Tour 2010

UPCOMING SHOWS

SEPT
Fri 24th - Seva Sadan, Bangalore (exclusive school shows)

Sat 25th - Ranga Shankara, Bangalore (3.30pm and 7.30pm)
Tickets Rs.80 Box office ph:9886924362
Booking opens from Sat 18th (10am to 7.30pm)
Online booking at www.bookmyshow.com
Home delivery 39895050

Sun 26th - MES-KK PUBLIC SCHOOL, Vidyaranyapura, Bangalore (3pm & 6pm)
Donor passes Rs.80/- Box office ph:23641565
Booking opens from Fri 24th (10am to 12noon)
Online booking at www.bookmyshow.com
Home delivery 39895050

OCT
Sun 10th - TIE Space, NSD, Mandi House, New Delhi 5.30pm
As part of NSD's Jashnebachpan - National Children's Theatre Festival

This show is a part of JASHNEBACHPAN - NSD's National Theatre Festival for Children
http://www.nsd.gov.in/index.htm

Passes: Limited seat cards will be available at NSD Reception from 28th September 2010 onwards from 11 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm and if available at the auditoria an hour before the show. • Entry to the show will be on fi rst-come fi rst-served basis.
Enquiry: 011-23389054 / 23387916 , EXTN 37

NOV
Pune

DEC
Nagpur

Kolkata

Sat 25th & Sun 26th - Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai (11am both days)
Tickets Rs.150/- Box Office 26149546
Booking opens on Wed 15th Dec
www.prithvitheatre.org

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Director's Note about the play 'Suar Chala Space Ko'

Suar Chala Space Ko has been developed through a collaborative process first with participants in my summer workshop for children and then with actors from my drama group. I have scripted and directed the play with a process that went back and forth from script to blocking to improvisations based on the original outline of the puppet play. Many of the scenes were first blocked in mime and then dialogues were added to them. I wanted the play to be understood by small children from 5 years onwards and I didn’t want a text heavy story. That is why we worked on the movements first and then the dialogues, almost to ensure that even if a child is unable to decipher some dialogues, the story shall not be lost.

The actors were given the script in bits and pieces and more often they were given situations related to the play that they had to enact using their own creativity and instincts. At first the actors were not sure about the process and where it would lead them, but they kept faith and participated with an enthusiasm that has helped give the performance the energy that it requires.

The treatment of the play has been done in a manner that relates it to ‘role play’ and ‘story-telling’ done by small children at home and in school. The situations in the play are also written and directed based on story-telling done by children, the elements they focus on and how they jump from one sequence to another, highlighting the parts they like, even though the story telling needs them to explain things that can be understood by all. So the story telling is focussed on the story teller’s whims and fancies and the audience has to fill in the gaps and bits using their common sense and imagination.

We have used shadow play to create an image of the unknown spaceship and this keeps the ambiguity of the situation quite alive. The actions of the actors are based on actions done by children during the shadow play session of our theatre workshop.

The narrative does not necessarily follow a logical graph as understood by adults, but instead follows a fuzzy logic that is typical of children’s writing. So things happen because the children want their story to move in a particular direction, even if the sequence does not fit into the typical logic of stories. And as the story is a fantasy narrative, everything is accepted by the audience!

We have also used stylised dance and movement in some sequences to create a sense of wonder and excitement. I also wanted some portions of the play that do not use verbal expression and that is why two long sequences are choreographed with music and no dialogues. The music has been especially composed with a focus on highlighting instruments and their pure sounds, like the violin, flute, guitar and tabla. Each instrument has been used to denote an action or an experience and we have moved away from electronic sounds as much as possible.

The production design follows the play aspect of children and so most of the props are made from toys and everyday objects that children use during their ‘play’, substituting these objects as things they may or may not be. The stage design is kept simple and flexible and there is no effort to make anything realistic. The spaces are defined by the lighting design, the dialogues and a few props specific to each space. The costumes are kept simple and almost such that children could just pick up stuff around the house and create these by themselves.

I have attempted to use a concept written by children as the starting point and then used two levels of treatment. One in which actors enact the way children would dramatise situations, while the other is a stylisation that is more adult in its direction. Through the play these two levels are interwoven to narrate the story in a manner that children can easily relate to and yet punched with sequences designed to thrill the audience.

The aim has been to perform the play in a manner that does not create a spectacle to overwhelm the children in the audience or to hide the magic behind things, but to do things in a manner that excites their imagination and makes them feel that they can also indulge in similar creative play in their own surroundings with their own everyday objects!

Shaili Sathyu
July 2010

Friday, June 25, 2010

Gillo presents

2 summer workshops for 4 to 6 year olds

Venue: Akshara High School, Charkop, Kandivili

Schedule: 17th to 24th March 2010

Time: 10 am to 12 noon


EXPRESSIONS

Conductors: Gillo team - Mithila Lad, Hetal Varia, Subodh Surve

Exploring mime, movement, music and acting through simple fun exercises.

Children shall be encouraged

to express themselves in different ways that will build their confidence and communication skills.






FREESTYLE ART

Conductors: Gillo team – Tanya Mahajan, Sancharee Saha, Abir Patwardhan

Children will explore a variety of materials and use them for free expressions through painting, clay and collage. The focus shall be to facilitate each child’s individual creativestyle / expression through materials and techniques of their interest.



SATURDAY DRAMA CLUB - Starts on 28 Aug 2010

About the Group
GILLO, established in 2009, is an independent children's media group based in Mumbai. Our area of work spans from education to the arts and media. Our theatre wing aims to produce plays specially written and designed for children, with a focus on indigenous content and the Indian context. We also plan to start drama clubs; conduct theatre workshops and training for children, teachers and parents; and organise other activities that engage children with the theatre arts. Our first venture under the theatre project is a Hindi play titled Suar Chala Space Ko which premiered in May 2010 at the Prithvi Summertime in Mumbai.

About the Club
SATURDAY DRAMA CLUB is a popular concept all over the world. We at GILLO are providing this opportunity for children to explore theatre and its allied arts. Participants shall work with our actors, musicians, dancers and designers in sessions that have a workshop style format and integrated activities. Any Theatre activity provides an opportunity for building teamwork, confidence, developing speech skills, igniting creativity, expressions, exploring one’s body and self image and so on. Yet, we are not offering a formal ‘drama class’ or ‘theatre training’ for children. The purpose is to expose children to various elements of theatre, in an interactive, fun-filled manner. Activities shall cover Theatre and the Allied Arts: Games and exercises to develop diction, expression, movement and other acting skills; Mime and movement; Puppetry, Mask making, story-telling, theatre appreciation, costume and set making, poster design, etc. The medium of instruction shall be Hindi, Marathi and English. Participants should have the time to attend the club regularly from August/September 2010 to May 2011 so that the continuity of sessions is not lost.

The SATURDAY DRAMA CLUB shall be conducted by the GILLO Team:
Shaili Sathyu, Mithila Lad, Hetal Varia, Pooja Pant, Subodh Surve, Sharvari Deshpande, Siddharth Jhaveri, Navyata Malkani, Abir Patwardhan and assissted by actors from our theatre group.

For Registration form - email us at gillo.gilehri@gmail.com

Details
  • Age group: 7 to 12 yearsMaximum participants: 20
  • Duration: August/September 2010 to May 2011
  • Sessions: Total 30 sessions
  • Timings: 4pm to 7pm (Average 3 Saturdays per month. Will be adjusted as per participants school exams, main festivals, our theatre shows, etc)
  • Venue: Akshara High School, Plot No.1, RSC 12, Sector 8, Charkop, Kandivili West, Mumbai 400067
  • Fees: Rs.6000/- per annum (can be paid in 2 instalments)

Submit your registration forms:
  • By email to gillo.gilehri@gmail.com
  • By post to GILLO, 4 Sagar Sameep, Nehru Nagar CHS, Kishore Kumar Marg, Juhu Tara, Mumbai 400049
  • Dropbox at Akshara High School

Registration dates
  • Last date for submission of form is 25th August 2010
  • Fees to be paid latest by 28th August 2010
  • First workshop session on Sat 28th August 2010 from 4pm to 7pm

Contact: gillo.gilehri@gmail.com
Blog: www.gillogilehri.blogspot.com
Facebook Group: GILLO
Phone: Hetal Varia 9869000354 / Shaili Sathyu 9820593736

SUAR CHALA SPACE KO - what the audience says...















‘Terrific fun!’ - Shyam Benegal, Film maker

'We all loved your play. Kids watched with their mouths open...just what their fantasies are made of!' - Radhika Sood Nayak, Parent

‘Enjoyed thoroughly. Effortless performance!’ - Rohini Kapadia, Teacher

‘Amazing, amazing production – acting, direction & the message...’ - Jayoo Patwardhan, Architect & Film maker

‘Very nice and creative!’ - Suhani Acharya, age 9 years

‘The drama was great, innovative and very creative. I enjoyed it very much.’ Hazel Parekh, age 8 years

‘The effects were awesome!’ - Mrs. Jain, Parent

‘Absolutely delightful! Great ideas!’ - Tara Ramaseshan, Parent

SUAR CHALA SPACE KO - Press coverage

Press Coverage


Bombay Times (Review by Deepa Gahlot)

http://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=37&edlabel=TOIM&mydateHid=20-05-2010&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar03701&format=&publabel=TOI

Shaili Sathyu opened the first production with her newly formed group Suar Chala Space Ko at the Horniman Circle Gardens... kids sat back and enjoyed the play. It was a simple production, which made good use of available resources, to create a spaceship through shadow play and an alien planet with a large swathe of red cloth and choreography. The plot about two kids and their pets who make a quick trip into space with strange consequences, is rather slim, the costumes of the animals and the aliens are kept simple the production shows what can be done with a low budget and loads of imagination. Kids in the audience, have to suspend disbelief (you can’t, for instance, go Mars and back in a few hours), and just enjoy the experience.

Mumbai Theatre Guide (Review by Sudeep Modak)

http://www.mumbaitheatreguide.com/dramas/reviews/28-hundi-play-review-suar-chala-space-ko.asp

..... script is tight and compact. It is filled with interesting ideas and twists and turns which hold the audience for the most part. The playwright has created some interesting characters in the form of the chirpy mausi, the whacky doctors, and the multi-lingual aliens. The light tone and humor of the play helps to set the mood and the pace.
.....The play is written in a way that its success heavily depends on the visual design. And the director has done a good job of creating the necessary illusion to support the script. The play's most important device is the design of the space ship. The director plays with shadows throughout the space ship scenes thus enthralling and fascinating its audience.
.....The play entertains and fascinates the children. They also connect well with the characters and the central idea of this play. It creates the desired impact on its audience often inspiring awe and making them laugh.

Timeout (Preview by Bijal Vachharajani)

http://www.timeoutmumbai.net/kids/kids_features_details.asp?code=172

Mid-day (Preview by Aditi Sharma)

http://www.mid-day.com/whatson/2010/may/150510-The-Guide-Mumbai-children-play-Suar-Chala-Space-Ko.htm

LAALCHI BACHIYA GULABO - a short skit in Hindi













A short skit based on a picture story book for 4 to 6 year olds.
Gulabo is a spoilt calf, who is selfish and also a big show-off! One day, she gobbles up a basket full of potatoes AND a drum full of pumkins. All this selfish gobbling gives her a lot of err...ummm... GAS! Now what else did you expect!?
The skit ends with how she learns her lesson and starts sharing and making friends.

Performed at Akshara High School's Founder's day mela on Sunday 7th Feb 2010.











TEAM:

Cows
Navyata Malkani, Sharvari Deshpande, Mithila Lad, Hetal Varia

Farmers
Vighnesh Sinkar, Siddharth Jhaveri, Dhanraj Pawar, Subodh Surve


Guitar

John Soans

Backstage
Tanya Mahajan

Direction
Shaili Sathyu

Friday, April 2, 2010

New play in Hindi - SUAR CHALA SPACE KO

Gillo presents
SUAR CHALA SPACE KO
A play in Hindi for all above 5 years
1 hr 15 min (no interval)

Based on a concept by Poorna, Isha and Ankita
Writer & Director - Shaili Sathyu
Music Concept – Mithila Lad & Hetal Varia
Music Arrangement – Rahul Saxena & Kaushik Deshpande
Choreography – Pooja Pant
Set & Props Design – Abir Patwardhan & Tanya Mahajan
Costume Design – Shama Zaidi
Graphic Design – Phagun Dhaka
Musicians – Paras Nath (Flute), Somu Sheel (Guitar), Shruti Bhave (Violin)
Recordist – Aroop De (J J Studio)
Cast – Vighnesh Sinkar, Subodh Surve, Sharvari Deshpande, Aakash Dube, Siddharth Jhaveri, Navyata Malkani, John Soans, Hetal Varia, Mithila Lad, Abir Patwardhan, Vicky Arora

About the play
A hilarious play about a smelly pig who travels to outer space!! Actors play a variety of characters, including aliens, with movement and dance adding to the high-energy performance. This production is based on a puppet play originally written by children during a workshop and we have tried to keep the simplicity of their writing intact. The story touches upon friendship, adventure, owning up to your mistakes, taking responsibility and of course the ‘swine flu’!

About the Group
GILLO, established in 2009, is an independent children's media group based in Mumbai. Our area of work spans from education to the arts and media. Our theatre wing shall produce plays specially written and designed for children, with a focus on indigenous content and the Indian context. We also plan to start drama clubs; conduct theatre workshops and training for children, teachers and parents; and organise other activities that engage children with the theatre arts.
Our first venture under the theatre wing is a Hindi play titled Suar Chala Space Ko which premieres in May 2010.

Premiere Shows
Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai (Tickets Rs.150/-)
Tue 18th May at 4pm & 7pm
Sat 12th June at 11am
Sun 13th June at 11am

Horniman Circle Garden, Mumbai (Tickets Rs.50/-)
Sun 16th May at 7pm

Monday, January 11, 2010

What is this blog for?

Well, this blog is mainly for us to share our thoughts and ideas with all of you out there.
  • We shall be putting up details about our current and upcoming projects.
  • Information on interesting websites that are related to our fields of work.
  • Resource pool for teachers, parents and all associated with children.
  • Reviews of the latest children's books, music albums, movies, toys, etc.
  • Where you can get what? That's because most people have difficulty in locating stuff they want to get for their children.

So stay in touch!

First Post

Hello, Namaste, Aadaab, Hi...
So finally I have started my blog. 'I' matlab Gillo. That's Gillo Gilehri for those who don't know me at all. I am the mascot for an independent children's media group named after me. This group is based in Mumbai, one of the largest cities in India.
My main job is to guide this company in producing material and organizing activities that help children, parents and teachers to make childhood and learning fun and enriching. (Phew! That's a big responsibility!) Learning that has a focus on knowledge, but with particular emphasis on identity, values and of course - fun. The aim is to provide stimulation for children to develop an interest in and to generate curiosity about the world around them.
We aim to generate print, audio, video and other material for children in India between the age of 1yr and 18 yrs. Products, activities and events shall be in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujrati and Urdu. There will be a definite focus on content development that is Indian and caters to our children with their realities and context in mind.
Currently there are some companies in India who are working on similar lines. We shall join them in creating more meaningful material for Indian children. We will initiate collaborative projects with other groups and also facilitate inter-disciplinary work across different media under one roof.

MAIN AREAS OF WORK
Our work will cover a wide range of themes and media. Here are some of the things we want to do. The work is divided into 3 main segments, but we would be working with an inter-disciplinary approach.

EDUCATION
Education consultancy services for schools, training for teachers, parents and children.
Design and Development of Teaching Learning Equipment for school children of different ages.
Learning about our world through outdoor activities (sports, farming, gardening, bird-watching, trekking, camping, nature clubs, etc)


THE ARTS
Visual Arts - painting, sculpture, pottery, photography, design, etc.

Performing Arts - music, dance, drama, puppetry

Literary Arts

MEDIA
Films
Animation
Television
Radio
Internet based content (web based resources and games)

RESOURCE PERSONS
The content shall be developed and designed by people who are experienced in the field of education, arts and media. We will involve those who have worked with a special focus on children and have a keen interest in making children’s lives more meaningful and exciting.
Content will be based on the varied experience of professionals, parents, and children, as well as on research by scholars in India and in the Indian context.

I know it all sounds big on paper and seems like a huge task….but we will make it happen – because we want to!