A Step towards Bright Future
(हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहाँ क्लिक करें https://www.happyhealthysociety.com/bm/)
Every child is unique and full of tremendous capabilities and can bring positive changes in entire society. What is needed is to develop Emotional Quotient (EQ), Intelligent Quotient (IQ), Spiritual Quotient(SQ) and Happiness Quotient(HQ) which can bring outside his hidden talent.
It is a well-known saying that “our children are our future”, so there is a need of extensive care of today’s children from the very beginning. When a baby takes birth, it is a form of God. Then what happens due to which one child makes his life useful when grown up and other useless. The reason is differences in their nurturing, their family environment, their social environment, their education, etc. which resulted in wide differences in them. Therefore, such an education is needed from the very beginning that they can know their talent, become confident, able to take self-decisions, get connected with nature, able to hear the inner voice, able to establish coordination between heart and mind. Then only they will be able to enjoy their studies and their work. They will definitely get success and always remain happy and will not get diverted towards unwanted activities or wrong path. The children of present time are neither sensitive nor having feelings of love towards nature, animals, plants and even human beings. So, there is a necessity to develop these attributes in today’s children. There is a program namely “Brighter Minds: Enriching Young Minds” which may be useful in this regard which is also in easy approach of everyone. “This program aims to provide the right environment and training to the children to improve their brain functions related to observation, perception, attention and sensory augmentation. This program module is for children between the ages of 5 to 15 years. “There are several benefits of this program. It will help our child in developing intensify focus, boost confidence, sharpen observation, enhance inclusion, deepen empathy, strengthen memory, improve comprehension, etc.”
The program is based on scientific method “Neuroplasticity: The science behind Brighter Minds”
I have interviewed some children of Jaipur City and their parents and almost parents & children have shown their high satisfaction.
On the basis I can say that Brighter Minds gives an opportunity to develop whole brain skills of children and encourages them to excel in unique and different ways. It brings the inner talents of children outside and helps in development of sensitivity, confidence, creativity, concentration, positive thinking, love feelings and right approach towards life. Further, it develops Emotional Quotient (EQ), Intelligent Quotient (IQ), Spiritual Quotient(SQ) and Happiness Quotient(HQ) which can bring outside their hidden talent.
To see my complete research and interviews of children, read below…….
University Grants Commission, New Delhi Recognized Journal No. 41311
ISSN: Print: 2347-5021 www.research-chronicler.com ISSN: Online: 2347-503X
A Step towards Bright Future
Rekha Khandelwal
BSC, LLM, NET, Research Scholar, University of Rajasthan, (Rajasthan) India
It is a well-known saying that “our children are our future”, so there is a need of extensive care of today’s children from the very beginning. When a baby takes birth, it is a form of God. Then what happens due to which one child makes his life useful when grown up and other useless. Some become doctors, engineers or good citizens in other manner while other become offenders. All were soft like flower, a form of God when they were children but when grown up they became altogether different. The reason is differences in their nurturing, their family environment, their social environment, their education, etc. which resulted in wide differences in them.
Today parents are having much expectation from a child. Right from his birth, the parents decide that their child will become a doctor or an engineer or a businessman. In future, these expectations are forcefully put before the children due to which they remain in pressure of fulfillment of those expectations. Due to this, the inner talent of children, their choices, their decision making power, their happiness, etc. get adversely affected. They have to think from the mind of their parents, society and relatives instead of their own mind and inner-self. This creates pressure on them as they have to choose their career on this basis and not on the basis of their inner talent and interest. Due to this, they are unable to give their best and resultantly some go into depression and even some commit suicide and some become offenders.
Therefore, such an education is needed from the very beginning that they can know there talent, become confident, able to take self decisions, get connected with nature, able to hear the inner voice, able to establish coordination between heart and mind and take decision that what can they give to the country, a good doctor, a good engineer, a good teacher or serve the country in any other manner. Then only they will be able to enjoy their studies and their work and will definitely get success and always remain happy and will not get diverted towards unwanted activities or wrong path.
The children of present time are neither sensitive nor having feelings of love towards nature, animals, plants and even human beings. So, there is a necessity to develop these attributes in today’s children. Not only parents should think in this regard, but also government should do something.
Introduction of BrighterMinds
There is a program namely “Brighter Minds: Enriching Young Minds” which may be useful in this regard which is also in easy approach of everyone. “This program aims to provide the right environment and training to the children to improve their brain functions related to observation, perception, attention and sensory augmentation. This program module is for children between the ages of 5 to 15years.”i
“There are several benefits of this program. It will help our child in the following ways:
- Intensify focus,
- Boost confidence,
- Sharpen observation
- Enhance inclusion,
- Deepen empathy,
- Strengthen memory
- Improve comprehension, etc.”
Every child is unique and comes into this world with his destiny. Learning is a continuous process throughout its journey on earth. The role that parents or facilitators play is to enable the child to reach his/ her life’s purpose. The child looks upon the words with a sense of wonder and enormous opportunities to learn and grow. Possessing a sense of infinite potential, it has the confidence to learn everything. Children predominantly perceive the world through interaction, be it with elders, siblings, friends or even pets. They have a natural ability to learn and learning something new is a matter of great joy.
How do we create an environment conducive to the child’s learning? First and foremost, it would be by creating an atmosphere of joy and harmony around him or her, where the child feels no artificial barriers to learning. It is important to remember that every child learns at his own pace that is natural to its state of his development. The next step towards encouraging a child’s learning would be to channelize their interest in the growth-oriented direction. The program is designed in such a way that the children are exposed to an environment conducive to learning by providing various activities, where learning meets fun; in the spirit of ‘do and learn’, ‘read and enjoy’.ii”
“Children are very sensitive to people and environment around them. They learn from things around consciously and unconsciously. The environment of love, positive thoughts and attitude helps children open up and creates willingness to grow and develop feeling unconditional love all- around, makes them self confident, calm and thoughtful towards others.iii”
“The parents and schools of today strive to guide their children to achieve overall excellence by providing them with outstanding education, positive learning environment, professional mentoring of academic talents, platform to explore several extracurricular activities, avenues to build social awareness and life skills, opportunities to participate in community development services, and harness creativity.
While the support received by children from parents and schools is immense, it has been observed that they are susceptible to several real-time challenges that restrain them from achieving overall excellence. The children of today receive less individual attention, face excessive peer pressure and composition, become perceptive to the rapid social and cultural changes, remain distracted due to digitalization, and are exposed to social unrest at a tender age. This leads to children being insecure and emotionally unstable; being stressed, aggressive, restless, and distracted; being more reactive than responsive; and live in a state of discontent.
The current scenario brings to our attention the gap that exists between education and excellence – the gap in preparing the child to excel in the world of today and tomorrow. Indeed, it is said that the limit of excellence is set by the level of one’s personal development.iv”
“Most people utilize only a fraction of their potential, several hidden capabilities are controlled by the right brain. The purpose of education is to draw out one’s innate and higher abilities. Education should foster human evolution and awaken the mind, creating ‘open-mindedness (left to right brain shift). The focus is not just academic achievement; this approach can have excellent results in creating a gentle and harmonious mind. Children will exhibit richly nourished sensitivity, humanity, imagination and creativity.”
According to Shichida, love, when expressed through positive suggestions, attitude, thinking and praise, stimulates and ‘opens’ the inter-brain area (a region between the leftand right hemispheres), which in turn sends positive signals to open and relax the mind. This leads to optimum and balanced brain function. Similarly, in spiritual philosophy love is the key element in the transformation of human being, be it young or old.v”
“Neuroplasticity: The science behind Brighter Minds
Neuroplasticity means that the brain can repair, regenerate or change from any stimulus, which can be sensory, motor, cognitive, or emotional experiences. This plasticity of brain is much better in children and decreases as they are grown. Hence, it is important to expose children to appropriate stimuli early in life while their brain is developing to ensure optimum utilization of brain functions.
The different levels of frequency, at which brain waves canbe founds, are categorized as follows:
- Gamma : very busy, active conscious state ofmind
- Beta : Alert ,busy, dominant in normal awake state ofmind
- Alpha : Relaxed state ofmind
- Theta : Light sleep and meditation : gateway to learning andmemory
- Delta: Very deep meditation, dreamless sleep: healing and regeneration are stimulated in this state, and that is why deep restorative sleep is so essential to the healing process.
As part of the Brighter Minds program, music has been specially designed with the integration of subtle vibrations at alpha-theta frequencies to help bring a child’s mind to a state of optimal functioning. Children are taught various techniques to stay calm, centered and composed. This helps them focus and use their energy efficiently and naturally.vi”
Team of the Brighter Minds Programvii
The inspiration for Brighter Minds came from the need to leave the world a better place for the next generation. The passion for this cause has led the team to explore the area of Neuroplasticity and discover the unlimited potential of the brain. Combining these learnings with the spiritual values of Love, Joy and Positivity, their aim is to make the world a brighter place, one kid at a time.
The core team comes from diverse backgrounds of technology, public health, neurosciences, child health and development, research, finance, marketing, media and communications, etc.
Nagaraja N S, CEO & Director
Nagaraja N S has been in IT industry from last 20+ years. He is interested in software architecture, product design, cognitive development, meditation and science of brain in general. He likes to learn and explore new ideas. Within Brighter Minds, he is leading the product design and research through harnessing latest advances in health, neurosciences and technology.
Srinivas Thonse, Director
Srinivas, with his expertise in technology solutioning and software architecture has over 20 years experience in the IT field. His express interest in Business analysis has stemmed from solving anything from crosswords to algorithms.
Ravindra Kini B, CFO & Director
Kini, in his professional career spanning over 27 years, has handled various finance positions in companies ranging from Agro, Manufacturing, Telecom, BFSI and Software. Kini has always been keen on helping organizations leverage IT to enhance productivity and provide accurate reporting.
Dr Krishnamurthy J, Adviser – Research and Programs
Dr Krishnamurthy is a community health specialist, active in the public health and development space for over 15 years. His program and research interests revolve around quality of care, quality of life and wellbeing within the context of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH), early childhood development (ECD), Non communicable diseases (NCD) and Nutrition. He works as Senior Technical Adviser at Karnataka Health Promotion Trust, holds adjunct faculty positions with University of Manitoba and St John’s Research Institute, Bangalore. He completed MD in Community Medicine from Bangalore, received training in research methods at W.H.O, Geneva and also holds a post- doctoral research fellowship from Canada.
Dr. Meghna Manocha, Adviser – Child Health and Development
Dr Meghna is a paediatrician, currently working as a consultant in a private hospital setting in Bangalore. She holds a MD degree in paediatrics from the American board of paediatrics. After completing her postgraduate training in USA, she moved back to India and has been practicing paediatrics in Bangalore since 2007. She is highly interested in exploring the relevance of advances in brain neuroplasticity on child development and parenting and is a strong advocate of science and art of parenting for a wholesome child development.
Dr. Yatin Kher, Adviser – Neurosciences and Neural Health
Dr Yatin Kher works as a neurosurgeon in Jabalpur, India. He completed his MBBS and Masters in General Surgery (M.S) in Mumbai, Mch-Neurosurgery in Goa. His fellowship and primary focus has been on neuro-endoscopic surgeries where he has a no of publications to his credit. He is a young budding and enthusiastic surgeon, takes a lot of interest in harnessing latest advances in neurosciences and neural health for improved health and wellbeing of his clients.
Dr. Praveen Pankajakshan, Adviser – Research and Data sciences
Dr. Praveen Pankajakshan is currently working as the Principal Data Science Manager at a private organization in Hyderabad. He has worked as a scientific researcher for more than 17 years. His main research interests are in using Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for different applications such as Electrical Machinery, Power Systems, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Energy Industry and recently in Agriculture. He has been exploring the use of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) for quantifying impact of cognitive training and meditation. He received his B.S. Electrical Engineering from IIT Roorkee in 2002, his M.S. Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station in 2005 and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from INRIA, France in 2009. He has to his credit several peer reviewed published articles in International Conferences and Journals, and many patents. He is a senior member of the IEEE.
I have interviewed some children of Jaipur City and their parents and they have shared their experiences. Some of them are as below:
Name- Chandramukhi Age- 12 Class- VIII
“Before joining Brighter Minds-
I was having low confidence. I used to be confused every time in everything. I couldn’t concentrate.
After joining Brighter Minds-
My concentration power has improved. I understood that my interest is in becoming a scientist. My sensitivity is increased. Now I doesn’t have any confusion. My creativity has also improved. Now I can write my own story, slogan etc. Now I can read books and identify colours of things blindfolded.”
Name- Aryan Age- 15 Class- X
“Before joining Brighter Minds-
I wasn’t good in studies. I used to be jealous of others.
After joining Brighter Minds-
I became good in studies. My confidence level increased.
My sensitivity, love towards others, decision making power and interaction also increased. My creativity also improved. Now I have fixed the goal that I want to become an engineer.”
Name- Divij Age- 9 Class- IV
“Before joining Brighter Minds-
I became angry at small things. I had less confidence.
After joining Brighter Minds-
My confidence improved. I have a caring nature now. I understood that we should not spend our time with bad children.”
Name- Kshitij Age- 10 Class- VI
“Before joining Brighter Minds-
I had very low confidence. When anyone uses to abuse me, I started crying. I couldn’t mix between others. I had negative thinking. As I had very less confidence, I couldn’t ask my doubts from teacher.
After joining Brighter Minds-
My confidence and creativity has increased. Now I can ask my doubts from the teacher easily. My creativity and sensitivity improved. Now I have positive thinking. Now if anyone abuses me, I ignore him.”
Being mother of Kshitij, I myself feel all the changes in my son Kshitij which are narrated above.
Name- Naman Age-15 Class-X
“Before joining Brighter Minds-
I couldn’t concentrate on my studies. I used to be afraid of dogs. I used to get angry on small things.
After joining Brighter Minds-
I can concentrate on my studies. My sensitivity is increased. Now I do not get angry on small things. I became more creative. My decision making power increased. I became a good speaker. Now I never get afraid of dogs. I can now understand others’ feelings.”
Name – Kuldeep Age – 12 Class – VIII
“Before joining BM –
I had low confidence and couldn’t answer any question in class asked by teacher. I had less concentration on my studies. My sensitivity was less. I had less friends. I used to play games on mobile very much. I had fear from dogs.
After joining BM
I have confidence to answer a question in the class. My concentration and sensitivity increased. I reduce the use of mobile. Now I do not have fear from dogs. I enjoy my life now.”
Name – Pratap Age -7 Class II
“Before joining Brighter Minds
I used to be free every time and by it, I got bored. I wasn’t good in studies.
After joining brighter Minds
I became busy and not get bored. My confidence is increased. Now I became good in studies. I have become a good speaker and my mind has become sharp. I am now good in playing Casio and singing. My sensitivity is increased. My ability to interact with others has been increased.”
Name- Priyanka Age -14 Class – X
“Before joining Brighter Minds
I was having low confidence, inability to face people, poor decision making ability, poor speaking skills and I was fear of maths.
After joining Brighter Minds
My confidence level has boost up, understanding has been improved, sensitivity has been increased, speaking and presentation skills have been developed, concentration has been increased, fear of maths has been removed. Also, my creativity has been increased.”
Name – Pranav Age -14 Class- IX
My singing skills have improved, my confidence and concentration has been improved. Instead of watching TV, now I like to remain connected with nature.
Name – Ahana Class – II Age – 7
Parents say, “Before joining Brighter Minds
She was dull, she felt boring all the time, her energy was being used in non-useful things. It was difficult for us to handle her. She was of angry nature had negative thinking and poor interaction with others.
After joining Brighter Minds her productivity has been increased, her confidence has been increased. She feels inner-happiness, her energy is being used in useful things, her interest has been developed in studies.
“I used to become very angry and I was a very short tempered girl, but now-a-days, I can interact with my friends properly. I keep myself calm. Brighter Minds has helped me become calm.” – Priya
Findings about parents’ satisfaction and likelihood of recommending program to others:
A high proportion of parents that participated in the survey reported that they were satisfied with the program and are likely to recommend the same to others. About 50% reported that they were extremely satisfied and 62%, that they are extremely likely to recommend the program to others. Parents that reported highest changes were also the ones that reported high satisfaction levels; this was consistent across all outcomes and was highly significant. 70% of parents that reported high satisfaction were also highly likely to recommend the program to others. Table 4 presents satisfaction reported for each outcome as well as association of satisfaction to likelihood of recommending program toothers.viii”
Conclusion
I want to suggest that government should apply Brighter Minds Program as a part of studies. It will definitely be a gift for lifetime not only to children, but also to their parents and even the country and the whole world. Then it will be truly a step towards bright future.
On the basis of above data, we can say that Brighter Minds gives an opportunity to develop whole brain skills of children and encourages them to excel in unique and different ways. It brings the inner talents of children outside and helps in development of sensitivity, confidence, creativity, concentration, positive thinking, love feelings and right approach towards life.
References:
Books : Brighter Minds: An Introduction Parent Guide
Brighter Minds Website : https://www.brighterminds.org
A Step towards Bright Future
i Brighter Minds : An Introduction
ii Parent Guide : BrighterMinds
iii Parent Guide : BrighterMinds
iv Brighter Minds : An Introduction
v Refer to Shichida Makoto. Children can change through right brain education. Shichida Books : 2012
vi Brighter Minds : An Introduction
vii Source : https://www.brighterminds.org
viii Source : https://www.brighterminds.org
| Also visit the official website www.brighterminds.org |
