Class 2 sings Kabir: the programme at Mahavir Senior Model School
Between April and September 2026, more than a hundred children in Class 2 at Mahavir Senior Model School, Delhi, learnt five of Saint Kabir's dohas as Little Kabir Songs, with music, movement and meaning. On 17 September they sang all five on stage, explained each one in their own words, and then taught the steps to their parents.
- Children
- 100+
- Sessions
- 5
- Songs on stage
- 5
- Parents joined in
- 60+
The film
Seven and a half minutes, start to finish
From a teacher's doubt to the principal's last word: the whole programme in one film. Press play, or jump to the part you want.
Before the first session
Can Class 2 understand Kabir?
Every school asks it. Kabir's dohas are six hundred years old and Class 2 is seven. The teachers at Mahavir asked it too, so we kept their answer, from before and after.
The principal tells how the school came to say yes: Shivani put one question to her. She called it a line that struck a chord.
Before
At first I thought: Kabir's dohas? We teach those in Class 6. Will such small children understand?
A teacher, before the programme
After
The words were so hard, I doubted they'd understand. You changed the wording for them and they performed it, but the essence is the same.
A teacher, after the stage
April to September 2026
Five sessions, one doha at a time
Each session brought a doha on the big screen and a step for every line. The children sang it, moved it and said what it meant in their own words. The last session was their turn on stage.
Session 1 · 8 April
In class
The first doha, learnt together: काल करे सो आज कर. The children acted it out, then put it in their own words.
We should do our work now and leave nothing for later, or everything goes gadbad!
Mummy said, water the plants today. I said, I'll do it tomorrow. Then the plant dried up and went bad.
Session 2 · 3 August
A step for every line
By the second session the format was familiar: the doha on the screen, the movement, then a question. A teacher told us the children began to look forward to repeating the dohas.
I repeat it at home on session days. Imagine the children!
Session 3 · In the hall
The whole class on its feet
The whole class on its feet in the school hall, learning the steps to the next song, line by line, with the words on the big screen. The steps carry the meaning.
Session 4 · On the stage
A rehearsal with the real screen
Before the day, the children stood on the school's own stage, with the words on the big screen behind them, and sang the song through.
Session 5 · 17 September
The performance
Five songs, each explained by the children in their own words, in front of more than sixty parents. Then the parents were invited up, and the children taught them the steps.
Little Kabir Songs, inspired by Kabir's dohas
The five songs the children sang
Pick a song to hear it, read its words and see what a child said about it on stage.
Do it now
Kaal Kare So Aaj Kar
काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब,पल में गड़बड़ हो जाएगी, फिर करोगे कब?
If you want to do something tomorrow, why not today? And if today, why not right now? Who knows what might happen next! Don't wait, just start.
17 September 2026
Then the tables turned: the children taught the parents
When the five songs were done, the parents were invited up. The children showed them the steps to the first song, and more than sixty parents danced काल करे सो आज कर with their children guiding them.
Sessions 1 to 4
The children learn
They learnt the songs and the steps in class, with their teachers watching.
17 September
The children teach
Children guided them: the tables were turned. That is collaborative learning.
The principal
Same doha, same steps, from small kids to their parents!
What went home
What parents, teachers and the principal said
Real words from the day, written down as they were spoken. Tap a note, or press Next note, to read the next one.
Parents
“Mamma, do it now, or it goes gadbad. When will you do it?”
In government service we say: “Tomorrow.” Whatever work comes today, finish it today.
It was only rote, no feelings attached. But with the kids: dance, singing, expressions. It became joyful.
My son told me the koyal doha: “Give respect, get respect.”
This will take them a long way. That step will stay with him for life.
We're cut off from our roots. You reconnect us. That deserves every appreciation.
In simple language, it keeps children rooted and grounded.
Teachers
Not lectured, but told: part of the process, really special. Even I was intrigued. Everybody was participating.
I enjoyed it so much. At home, the lines keep coming to my lips.
What we explain another way, the doha explains too. Children learn values parents struggle to teach today.
On YouTube I hear things like “Ek mota haathi”: it means nothing. Why not teach rhymes in a positive, productive way that connects them to their values?
It brings back the children's smile and gives them values. A very big thing.
The principal
We've been talking about Indianness. NEP talks about our values. But all of us struggle with how to actually do it. A beautiful way to bring our values back. I'd totally recommend it to everyone.
Children guided them: the tables were turned. That is collaborative learning. Heartwarming. Parents will remember it for a very long time.
I brought Kabir for Kids to MSMS because of Shivani and Saurabh, and their passion. When they shared this idea, I was all in.
In the press Hindustan Times reported the programme on Monday 19 October 2026, on page 2 of its “Beyond Books” supplement.
More from the hall and the stage
Tap a picture to see it larger.
For schools
Plan a programme for your school
Mahavir's ran across a school year, with a showcase at the end. Yours can be shorter. Choose what you have in mind, and we will write the message for you to send.
K4K also runs single live sessions of 60 to 90 minutes for classes of 30 to 40. See all school workshops.
Your idea: five sessions, like Mahavir, for KG to Class 2, ending with a showcase on stage and the parents joining in.
Questions and answers
Questions about the programme
What was the Kabir for Kids programme at Mahavir Senior Model School?
Can seven-year-olds understand Saint Kabir?
Which five dohas did Class 2 sing?
What happened at the parents' showcase?
Can my school run a programme like this?
Where can I watch the film?
Our gratitude to Mahavir Senior Model School, its principal, teachers, parents and the children of Class 2. Updated .