Christmas Carnival for kids at Gulmohar Days

Admissions Open for Academic Year June 2015

Its that time of the year again!! 

Admissions into the Montessori Toddler, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 programmes for the academic year June 2015 commence from Monday, the 1st of December 2014. Kindly contact the office on 9890530248 or write to us at gulmohardays@gmail.com to request for an appointment. Admissions will be on a first come basis. 

Age criteria:
Montessori Toddler: 2 years and above
Montessori Year 1: 3 years
Montessori Year 2: 4 years
Montessori Year 3: 5 years

Thank You!

The Call of the Mountains

Thirteen year old Dhwani spent an evening with our Trinity Communication Skills students, describing her arduous but triumphant climb to the Everest Base Camp. It was an interesting question answer session and we are particularly pleased to share a little feature on Dhwani that some of our students penned down. Makes for great and interesting reading, especially when children write about each other!! May you all always celebrate each others successes!

Tanushree Golhar

For almost a fortnight, little determined specks dotted the magnificent veil of white which shimmered in the soft and feeble morning sunlight. Passionate trekker, Dhwani Shrotriya, spent the evening sharing her views on the life among the pure and soothing atmosphere of the Himalayan ranges.

The immense support of her parents and her six months long  tough training and hard work is what helped her successfully complete this exhilarating escapade . Packed with goods like foreclaz trekking shoes , jackets ,dry fruits and most importantly faith , she set off from Kathmandu to a village called Lukla by a tiny jet after which her trek actually started.

With twenty eight other people, including her father, she faced the undergrowth of pine cone forests , rocks and then thick snow .According to Dhwani, the mules ,yaks and jobgyos were a great help. She also extends great thanks to the sherpas without whose help the trip would have been even more perilous . Dhwani says that everyday was a new challenge. Everyday the slope grew steeper and an overwhelming tiredness seized her. No bridges ,slippery ice and sense of danger every where but the thought of reaching there kept her going .Her frozen knees , breathlessness at night and the sense of nausea made her feel uncomfortable every now and then . Her throat yearned for WARM water and HOT soothing food. But her strong will shielded her against all negative thoughts.

Dhwani also says that the mountains are definitely a beautiful place and that she would love to go back there again. The serene nature and tranquillizing scenes fascinated her. She went there representing her school , The Bishops School , and came back making her school , her parents and everyone proud.

Dhwani shares that, one of the best moments were when she and her group sang the school song and the Indian national anthem on reaching the base camp. There was a wave of satisfaction within them. Today Dhwani greatly misses the mountains and the silence there. Lastly she shares ,'' Positivity, respect for nature and to value what we have got are the three main life lessons I have learnt.'' She says that the silence and peace there greatly fascinated  her because ''where there is silence there is magnificence.''

Ananya Chaure

It all began with the 150 year celebration of the Bishops school. Here was it…..Dhwani’s chance to have her name etched in the glorious history of Bishops. A mountaineering expedition to Everest base camp was being organized by her school. Encouraged by her supportive parents, 13 year old Dhwani began her arduous journey towards reaching her destination.  

How does one prepare for the Everest? For Dhwani it was climbing up and down thirty floors a day. Not to mention squats, jogs, walking five kilometers and a six month training session!

Finally, D-day! Dhwani and her father set off for the long trek to base camp.

They began from the small town of Lukla in Nepal where they took a Donnyair to Kathmandu. Dhwani was very excited on her first day of trekking. But at the end of the day, she was more than happy to retire to her sleeping bag. Dhwani and the rest of her group crossed numerous valleys and faced great challenges at night. It was difficult to go to the toilet behind a rock every fifteen minutes. Yes, you heard me right. Due to the Acute Mountain Sickness medicine she had taken, she had to respond to the call of nature every fifteen minutes. Having to consume seven litres of water every day and using a pyush to purify the water wasn’t easy either. Many times Dhwani felt like giving up. But her father’s encouragement and her mental strength kept her going. After eleven days of trekking, they had finally reached! The exhilarating view took everybody’s breath away. Bright sunlight plastered the mountains in a golden hue. The Bishopites then sang the national anthem and their school song.

After nearly having walked off a cliff and dealing with 5364 m, Dhwani has returned wiser and stronger. And answering the question we have all waited for with bated breath, Dhwani will definitely be climbing Mt. Everest one day.

Aarushi Dhanuka

Is it tiring climbing 10 floors without a break? But for Dhwani, it is just “child’s play”!

An 8th grader, Dhwani Shrotriya just 13 years of age decided to go on a trek to the Everest Base Camp because of her love and passion for trekking. She had  truly been practicing wholeheartedly for 6 months by climbing 30 floors non-stop and doing squats. Not only that, she had also gone on many treks with her grandfather before this in and around pune. ”To trek, anybody can train & become physically fit, but overcoming your fears & becoming mentally fit is the real challenge”, she says.

They left with a group of 29 people. The trek started from a small town named Lukla from where they took a jet to Kathmandu. ”I was all excited & energetic on the first day but by the end of the trip I was very tired” shares Dhwani. The trek lasted for 11 days . Dhwani also shares some challenging experiences. Dhwani and her group  had to sleep in the tiny tea houses and very often by midnight their knees froze and Dhwani was so breathless she could hardly sleep. Dhwani also shares, ” it was made a rule for us that we had to drink at least 7 litres of water even if we were not thirsty.”

For Dhwani this trek was more than just a trek it taught her a life lesson to be positive & respect nature as in front of nature we are all very small and weak  and also to value whatever you have. 

Rishi Lahoti

Dhwani Shrotriya, a teenager in her earliest year, made it big by climbing the Everest Base Camp 1 week ago. Dhwani, who always loved trekking, had invariably wanted to climb Mt. Everest. When the opportunity to conquer the Everest Base Camp came, she didn’t waste a second to pounce on the opportunity.

Her 6 month strenuous training included jogging 5km per day and running up and down 30 floors without breaking a sweat. Her team comprised of 29 people, the youngest being Dhwani and the oldest being her dad. Her parents gave her all the support she needed and when she and her dad left for the Everest Base Camp, little did they know that their lives were about to be turned upside down.

On the first couple of days, Dhwani and her team had to fight themselves through pinecone forests. Only on the last day or two did they experience snow. They had to eat chocolates and potatoes all along for quick energy. All their stuff was carried by sherpaboys and yaks. Dhwani said that she felt like giving up one day before reaching the Everest Base Camp but when her father gave her her pep talk and rekindled her flame, she was ready to climb Mt. Everest itself! She said that the weather at the night was horrible and all of a sudden they would start getting breathless and nauseous. They would trek the whole day and would rest at a small motel for the night. The whole trek lasted for 11 days.

After returning to Pune, she actually missed the mountains. But what she missed the most was the silence. Only when she came back home did she realise how big a racket we humans create. Dhwani said that she would love to do this trek again. She learnt 3 important things on the trek-Be positive, value what you have and respect nature. So if Dhwani Shrotriya’s name comes along in the Guinness world record book, don’t be surprised!

Diya Painting and Cookery at Gulmohar Days!

Diwali Celebrations @ Gulmohar Days: Diya Painting and cookery at the centre this coming Saturday as we all get into the spirit of Diwali! Children (ages 3 and above) will paint diyas of their choice and learn to make an indian sweet to take home. Please call us or write into gulmohardays@gmail.com to register your child for this activity. Time slots will be allotted on a first come basis.

 Date: Saturday, the 18th of October, 2014. 
Time : one hour slots from 10 am to 1.00 pm. 

Last year we painted a 100 diyas!! This year lets do more!! See you all!!

Activity Clubs @ Gulmohar Days

Happy to announce that all our Activity Clubs chug into action next week. Pls note the schedule: 

Trinity Communication Skills: every Monday and Wednesday

Fun and Fitness ( ages 3 to 6 yrs): every Tuesday and Thursday

Little Chefs: a cookery club for ages 6 to 10 every Wednesday

Carnatic Music: an introduction to the building blocks of classical music, shlokas and bhajans for ages 5 and above. every Monday from 4 to 5 pm.

Kindly note that registration into the Trinity programme is closed for this year. for inquiries on any other programme pls call Gulmohar Days on 7387096225. Thanks!!

SUMMER SPARKLE 2014

Hi everyone, 

The Summer Holidays are finally just around the corner!!

Please do go through our list of summer programmes. For any further information Pls call our Camp Coordinator Rekha Ganesh on on 7387096225 or send us an email on gulmohardays@gmail.com for details.

Fun n Fitness: A fun mix of aerobics, Zumba, dance and exercise for kids ages 6 years and above. This fun session has kids keeping beat with great music and having a great start to the morning.

Starts 7^th April,  ages 6 and above, 9.30 am to 10.15 am,

Potpourri: A mixed bag of activities that keeps our little ones on their toes. Science experiments, word games, story-telling, cookery sessions, water play, craft and so much more at this 10 day summer workshop for ages 3 to 6 years.

7^th to 18 April, Ages 3 to 6 Years, 10. 15 am to 12.15 am

Eureka! (Seniors) : A science workshop for kids ages 8 to 10 years complete with fun facts, trivia and science experiments to make science come alive! Simple take home worksheets that will reinforce concepts introduced in class. All that your child needs to bring along is a bucket full of curiosity!

7^th to 10^th April, Ages 8-10 yrs, 10.15 am to 11.45 am

Eureka Junior : A science workshop for kids ages 5 to 7 years complete with fun facts, trivia and science experiments to make science come alive! Simple take home worksheets that will reinforce concepts introduced in class.

14th to 17th April, Ages 5-7 yrs, 12.15 pm to 1.45 pm,

Crafty Hands : a one day session where a team from Hobby ideas will teach children ages 6 to 12 years the art of Decoupage . Don’t let your child miss this fun opportunity on Saturday the 12^th of April !!

12^th of April, Ages 6-12 years, 10 am to 12 00 pm

Chocolate Making: A fun workshop that had the kids licking their fingers last year! Melt, cook, decorate and freeze all kinds of chocolate combination and take them home to share with the family!

21^st, 22^nd and 23^rd of April, 10 am to 12 pm, ages 6 years and above