Initiatives

Grooming Babies’ work can be classified under four segments – Conduct, Create, Curate and Collaborate.

In many parts of India, it is a predominant practice to stage Ramleela during Dushehra. It is a dramatized puppet re-enactment of the ancient epic Ramayana. The story, in a simple and engaging manner, depicts the 14 years long forest exile of Prince Rama, Princess Sita and Brother Laxmana; their encounter with the Lanka King Ravana; defeat of Ravana by Rama in the battle between the good and evil; the return of Rama to Ayodhya as the king. The show ends with a symbolic demolishing of an effigy of ten headed Raavan, made with balloons, where each head represents one of the vices within us.

The show is mindfully crafted for children between 2 and 6 year children and brought alive through handcrafted puppets, background music, interactivity and humour.

To help young minds stay connected to the drama and retain its key messages, the performance format follows parts of immersive theatre model. Through interactive narration the audience is brought into the same playing space as the performers, children and parents are invited to hold props, supply performance suggestions, share the action scenes and also become characters in the performance.

Keeping contemporary challenges faced by children, the narrator through the scenes sensitively open dialogue on crucial concepts of stranger-danger, promise keeping, respect and consent allowing Parents and teachers accompanying the children to reference point for future conversations on these topics.

Through this 90 minutes multi-sensory drama, children in the ages of Age: 4-10 years relive the story of the feisty jungle maiden – Shakuntala, who is said to have shaped the narrative of ancient Indian history.

Shakuntala embodied the virtues of courage, compassion and love for all beings living. It was after her benevolent son Bhaarat, that our country derives the name Bhaaratvarsh. Inspired by the poem of Kalidas – the great Indian literate, the story has been contemporized to match current times and simplified for children understanding.

The format of this session weaves art into drama. As the narration progresses, children make their own story props through creative art – the jungle maiden and the king, the sacred tree, the memory ring and the lion.  The session ends on a high note with the crowing ceremony of each child participant.

Interactive storytelling, music, movement, colours and craft based activities are the highlights of the session.

The story depicts varied emotions, such as bravery, love, abandonment, fear, empathy and reunion, parent’s involvement make the environment gentle, giving children a strong sense of security and well-being. Post the session parents can use the experience as a platform to talk about these feelings with their children and help them develop a healthy understanding of human emotions. Understanding of emotions early nurtures Emotional Quotient [EQ], which a must have for success.

Bringing alive the modern Hindustani literature through ancient storytelling format. A bilingual children drama that draws inspiration from the 13th century style of story narration Dastangoi, while making it engaging through music, rhyme, props and interactivity.

Studies show that father-child bonding helps children to form long-lasting relationships later in life. UNDER THE PEEPAL TREE is a festival that celebrates this unique bond. This is an open air, in-nature and culture inspired festival providing daddies an occasion and space to engage meaningfully and rejoice their time with children.

Encouraging the need for exploring different cultures and customs to instil ethnic pride in children, each year the festival selects an Indian state, bringing alive its folk and literary culture through various workshops, activities and performances. It brings alive an Indian state through its culture, art, music, games and folklore traditions.

Early cultural appreciation and awareness contribute to building a positive self-image. In long-term it helps children to create a diverse social network while transitioning into adulthood. This festival is an opportunity for parents to expose their child to the vast cultural diversity of India, in a fun and engaging environment.

A healthy secondary attachment deepens the sense of security and emotional stability in children.  Role of secondary attachment figures such as grandparents and immediate family members have increasingly come to light with the growth of nuclear families and single parenthood. GRAND UTSAV relies on the role of Grandparents as secondary influencers, providing children with companionship, life wisdom and the sense of cultural belonging.

Live cultural performance, traditional art workshops, bilingual storytelling, village kitchen rituals and fun traditional games form a part of the session.

Junk Art Festival aims to raise environment consciousness among children. A pro nature festival, created for children in the ages of 4 and 13 years, aiming to highlight repair, repurpose and upcycling as the alternate to the ‘use and throw’ culture.

At the festival children participate in repurpose fashion, creative crafts and book swap, learns kitchen waste gardening and clay moulding, enjoys theme based drama and junk music circle.  To bring the message alive, children are urged to bring common household waste, such as old t-shirt, pre-cared white scarf, old newspaper, pre-used plastic bag, which they will learn to convert into reusable items through the facilitator led creative repurpose workshops.

Discussions on sustainable living and conscious consumption, along with showcasing artisan goods, wellness practitioners, sustainable product purveyors, forms a part of the parent engagement.

In this face paced, a busy lifestyle parents do not get enough opportunity to spend quality time outdoors with dear ones. A picnic is an age old method of bonding with family in nature. Children Wellness Picnic is not just about quality time, it ensures strong health benefits too.

Amidst chirping of birds and rustling of leaves, parents and children engage in yoga, create art, play family games and connect with nature through a nature treasure search. There is also laughter, giggles, jokes, community eat time, bonding and sharing of experiences.

Reflective parenting helps in being conscious of the impact caregivers’ mental states have on children. Emotions, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, needs and desires of parents and immediate caregivers influence behaviour and thought pattern in children. The family parenting workshops are guides for parents and caregivers to reflect and metalize their own emotional self, while analysing its impact on children.

Love cannot be taught. Love needs to bloom and it bloom through play.

One outcome of a responsive and safe early environment is the formation of secure child-parent attachment, which is an essential for the appropriate development of socio-emotional health.

Love Circle aims to nurture secure attachment through connected plan. Facilitating attachment parenting beliefs, each session weaves a series of activities and parent-baby rituals that create connection of the body, mind, emotion and soul between parent and baby. The activities find its roots in the mindfulness and Indian holistic development practices.

At Love Circle helps parents slow down and create an atmosphere of peace and calm. An atmosphere where baby gain the primary focus and we redirect our energies in building a deep connect with them. The sessions include circle time, guided meditation, affirmations, games for laugher & giggles, yoga and movement, story time, experiential play and relaxing lullaby.

The sessions are available online and in classroom format.

Grooming Babies was instrumental in setting a centre for holistic development and learning for Rustomjee Developers in their township in Thane. Inspired by Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence, the centre offers co-curricular and post school activities for the children of the Rustomjee Cambridge International School and the township. All activities at the centre are conceptualised, designed and managed by the team.