Community initiative · Lucknow
The Battle Within
An Inner Governance session with the children of Mahamana Malviya Bal Niketan, Lucknow.
The session
Same temptation. Different choice.
22 young minds. One ordinary afternoon. And a question every one of us faces: why don't we do what we know is right?
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Play the film from 0:44
The story
Picture a study period. A textbook on one side, and a comic book on the other. One student picks up the comic — and spends the whole class lost in it. Another picks it up too, then puts it down, and returns to the lesson.
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Play the film from 1:20
The mind
Our indriyas — the senses — pull us towards what is easy. And behind every pull, the heart and the mind decide. We know what is good — and still don't do it. We know what is harmful — and still do it.
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Play the film from 1:43
Arjuna's dilemma
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna lowered his bow. He saw cousins and family — and thought only of whom he would lose. The battle at Kurukshetra began inside his own mind. In our classroom, the child who gave in was the Kaurava; the child who returned was the Pandava.
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Play the film from 2:19
The lesson
A child learns his alphabet: ‘A for Apple.’ His proud mother hands him an apple. “What is this?” “Seb,” he says. He knew the word. He never realised they were the same thing. Knowing is not the same as understanding.
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Play the film from 2:41
What's next
Spoken English and interview preparation, so a child who speaks brilliantly in Hindi is never held back by English.
