Children's Academy, an Institute of Indian Classical dance, Music and Fine Arts, Affiliated to Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy, started functioning in 1999 at Pazhakutty, Nedumangad, a satellite town in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state. The Academy functions under an advisory board comprising eminent personalities in education and various other fields. Venugopalan Nair is a devoted educat
ional activist who has novel ideas in developing personalities in children. He is a retired ISRO engineer who has repertoire knowledge in Astronomy, Yoga and academic skills. He is a well-known puppeteer in Kerala. who has an expertise in organizing educational programs
The Institute has been setup to bring in comprehensive development of children in academic, cultural and artistic area. Gradually the academy has also started providing extensive training in classical dance, Music, Drawing & Painting, Musical instruments such as Mridangam, Tabla, Harmonium, Keyboard, Violin, Guitar etc. Apart from these Yoga & Spoken English classes are also conducted regularly. The classical dance training is syllabus oriented three year course providing specialization in Bharatnatyam and Kerala Natanam under Smt. Gayathri Subramaniam, a well-known classical dancer. Mohiniyattam and Folk dance are being taught. The children undergoing training are given opportunities regularly to perform on stage in the surrounding temples, cultural venues, school etc. The Academy has initiated a unique academic program to identify the learning difficulties in children and employs a scientific approach to inculcate enthusiasm in them towards learning activities. The Academy through its vibrant activities tries to convert boredom into dynamism in those children who are considered as educationally poor achievers.
