: The Kerala State Jawahar Bal Bhavan is going in for a facelift, the facilities there set to see a marked transformation in the months to come.
In less than two weeks, the children’s park on the premises will be ready with new equipment. As many as 16 pieces of play equipment are being installed by the Kerala State Industrial Enterprises (KSIE) as part of a Rs.28-lakh project that includes earthwork. The new equipment includes elephant slide, ABCD climbers, swing, duck merry-go-round, see-saw, rope climber, spiral slide, and so on, brought in from Tamil Nadu. Benches will also be installed at the two-level park, says Balbhavan Principal Malini S., adding that the park renovation has been carried out without disturbing the green canopy. “All trees in the park area have been maintained.”
There are plans to overhaul the nursery there, to include colourful chairs and benches, painted walls, and improved dining room. A play corner in the headmistress’s room will keep the children engaged, while their parents confer with the teacher. The KSIE has been asked to submit a proposal.
Coming up in front of the park is a theatre for screening of children’s films and staging of plays. With a seating capacity of over 2,000, the air-conditioned theatre has facilities such as green room, office room, and toilets. Built using the infrastructure development funds of local MLA K. Muraleedharan, the theatre is expected to have the latest screening and acoustic facilities, put in place by the Public Works Department’s electronics wing and supplied by a group from Bengaluru.
There is also a proposal for protection of the plane in front of Balbhavan and beautification of the surroundings. The Sea Hawk will get a roof that does not disrupt the view of the green cover behind, and in the nearby Kanakakkunnu. A history of the plane and other details will be put up on a plaque. Lighting will be installed to ensure that the plane is visible at night. There will be a lawn and tiles will be laid for visitors to walk around, as part of the project that has a budget of Rs.23 lakh.
The Kalari on the premises will be demolished and a new one built, with facilities such as green room and toilets attached to it.
At the start of this year, the Balbhavan codified its syllabi in consultation with its teachers and subject experts. This is expected to make it easy for guardians to track the progress of the children. “The subject expert for classical music, for instance, is K. Omanakutty and for light music, B. Arundhathi. Each subject has been divided into three levels, and the last level will make the children competent enough for them to take up higher studies in their chosen subject,” Ms. Malini said. The evaluation too will be taken up by the subject experts.
Once the new managing committee meets, the codified syllabi will be placed in front of it for approval..
