Due to the lockdown, the Balu Sir Summer Camp was held in the Bala Mandir Home, from May 3rd to May 15th. This is held annually in memory of Mr Vishy Gaitonde, fondly known to the children as Balu Sir. The Camp began with an inauguration held on May 3rd. A group of children sang songs which used to be taught by Balu Sir, and Gowri, a matron in the Home, gave a speech on him. The children were divided into groups for activities – dance, music, mime, street theatre, arts and crafts and drawing. Each of the staff members was assigned an activity, since outside faculty were not allowed in the Home due to the second wave of COVID-19. 

The programme was based on the topic ‘Lock down Saval – Ethirkonda Engal Kathai’ – the story of how Bala Mandir dealt with the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event included a skit put up by the children across age groups, on how Bala Mandir coped with the pandemic lockdown from March 2020 onwards. The skit combined various elements such as a puppet show, a mime      on how to protect oneself from COVID, a song, presentation and videos, to present a comprehensive view of  how the various units of Bala Mandir responded to the lockdown. At the end, the younger children performed a dance on nature and its importance. 

Following the cultural programme, Mr N Kumar gave away awards for the Employees of the Year. Awards were given to recognise and appreciate employees who had gone above and beyond their role to support BM during the difficult year 2020-21. The Chief Guest for the evening, Dr Girija Vaidyanathan gave her speech online, motivating and encouraging both the children and the staff to aim higher and achieve their goals. She also appreciated the efforts from them that had gone into making the programme a success.