Bala Vihar is a weekly gathering of children, between the ages of four to eighteen years that takes place in Chinmaya Mission Centers, under the supervision of trained teachers. The aim of Bala Vihar is to help children bloom, grow, and inculcate values through fun-filled activities. Bala Vihar enhances the overall development of the personality of a child at all levels — physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. The Chinmaya Bala Vihar curriculum includes various devotional, philosophical, and ethical texts and topics, focusing on developing love for God. In the elementary years emphasis is on learning and practicing values. Children are introduced to values in a fun way through Alphabet Safari and the Bala Vihar Alphabets. Complex questions like: ‘Where is God?’ ‘What does He do?’, ‘If He is everywhere, why can we not see Him?’ are logically answered. Through the medium of storytelling, they learn to love the Lord as Hanuman, Rama, Shiva and Krishna and strive to emulate their qualities. Shravanam and Mananam start in childhood itself. Later, in the teenage years, focus is on understanding spirituality and fundamental Vedantic principles. This is a unique and remarkable feature of the Curriculum. The intensive syllabus covers stories, topics and texts from Hinduism – the Vedas, Puranas, and Itihasas. The syllabus is child-friendly and taught in age-appropriate levels.