Sai Spiritual Education known as Bal Vikas which means “Blossoming of Human Excellence”, was started in India some 32 years ago in response to Swami’s call for parents to fulfill the spiritual needs of their children, to assume the responsibility of moulding their children’s character and expose them to the rich culture and spiritual heritage of India which recognizes the unity of mankind. In response to Swami’s call, some mothers started teaching the “neighborhood children” simple bhajans, prayers, spiritual and moral stories.These simple beginnings became an all India movement when Swami Himself took charge of shaping and moulding these classes, which were known as “Sathya Sai Bal Vikas. Swami Himself “trained” the Bal Vikas teachers and called them “Gurus” giving them the responsibility of living up and emulating the values themselves before teaching the children.With Swami’s guidance, Bal Vikas has slowly formalized and shaped, with age, groups and course content being set up. In 1975, Bal Vikas was introduced overseas. Today, it is an integral part of all Sai Centers with thousands of gurus and students all over the world.