Shishukunj

About Us

Some creative minds have conspired to devise a novel solution to the problem faced by people of Indian origin living in other countries as to how to preserve their culture and religion. The concept of Shishukunj was developed at Karachi (now in Pakistan) in 1941. In Kenya, the first Kalaniketan Shishukunj was started in 1955, and a second some years later. The aim of Shishukunj, which means a “garden of children,” is to advance Indian culture and religion among children and young people, to instruct them in the principles of discipline, loyalty and good citizenship and to relieve poverty, distress and sickness among children.

Shishukunj is based on Mahatma Gandhi’s principles and was developed by Harji Somaiya. He was a school teacher at Gandhi’s Sharda Mandir institution in Karachi.

In Nairobi, Indubhai D. J. Davey is the soul behind the operations. He is also a founder member of the original Karachi Shishukunj. According to him, children between the ages of 6 to 14 come to the center every Sunday morning.

On a typical Sunday, children arrive at 8.30am and play on the grounds for 30 minutes. At 9:00am, they adjourn to the hall for prayer and to sing bhajans. This is followed by ten minutes of talk prepared by one of a team of trained speakers. These speakers are usually young, about 20 years of age, because children identify better with them. The talks are aimed to teach moral values through culture and anecdotes from the lives of great historical figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Vivekananda, Guru Nanak, etc.

After the talks, there are games and a snack. Then children once again gather in the hall and an assembly (Bal Sabha) is held. Children present their stories, songs, etc., highlighting cultural and moral values. Volunteer leaders also participate. The program ends at noon.

During holidays, camps are held, sponsored by the parents. During week days, art classes in different disciplines such as music, dance and painting are conducted. One evening is for each subject every week, so that the children are not overburdened. They can carry on with their normal school activities, but still have an opportunity to learn about their religion and culture.