BALSHALA                          

BALSHALA                          

​History & Background

The Balshala program associated with the Hindu Temple Society (HTS) of Augusta was first started by Prem Sharma in the year 1979 to provide children an exposure to beliefs and practices of the Hindu religion. A curriculum which mainly comprises of Sanskrit shlokas, bhajans and stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and other sacred texts has been used to connect children to the spiritual and moral values of the Hindu philosophy. 

In the years past senior Balshala students of high school age served as counselors and provided instructional support to parent volunteers. Broad goals and learning objectives developed for Balshala in the years past are listed here.

​​The program has evolved and grown over the years and presently averages 80 to 100 children in yearly enrollment.  The program depends on parent volunteers to provide instruction as well as to support all other operational tasks.