When one’s heart is filled with love for Gurudev and each day one marvels at the stroke of good fortune that brought Him into our lives, then Guru Poornima becomes a day of joyous celebration!

And so it happened in Chinmaya Prerana too…The day began with a workshop for study group sewaks where Gurudev’s Vision and Guruji’s Action plans were depicted through video clips and interactive group discussions. The inspiration and enthusiasm generated thus was carried ahead to the evening programme, when the same participants presented short talks on important Vedantic concepts like Viveka, Vairagya, Shamadi Shatasampatti, Mumukshutvam, the 3 bodies, 3 states, Panchakosha, Karma, State of Realisation,etc. This tradition of study group members reflecting on what they have learnt and expressing their thoughts to an audience has been the hall mark of Guru Poornima celebrations at Kharghar.  The members in the audience not only enjoy these Vedantic nuggets but also get inspired to themselves join Study groups.

This was followed by the much awaited Ashirvachan by Swni. Swaprabhanandaji & Br. Ved Chaitanyaji.  Swamini amma spoke about Guru and Sadguru, and Vedji stressed that no matter how many guides and mentors we meet on our spiritual paths, all our collective Bhakti should be directed towards that Realised Master whom we call Gurudev! This Bhakti was soon expressed in the form of Samashti Paduka Pooja after which everyone was blessed with Mahaprasad too.

Like every Guru Poornima, the full moon shone brightly, revealing the path, yet reminding one that

….. I have miles to go before I sleep, miles to go before I sleep!

 Om Shri Chinmaya Sadgurave Namaha!!!

Chyk Navi Mumbai recently organized a camp titled Geeta for yuva. The camp was from 24th– 26th of June, and concluded on 27th of June with an external outbound learning experience to Z-Bac adventures, Kolad. The camp was attended by around fifty campers belonging to the age group of 16-28 years. Br. Anand Chaitanya (Acharya, Chinmaya Mission Chennai) and Br. Ved Chaitanya (Acharya, Chinmaya Mission Navi Mumbai) were the Camp Acharyas.

The camp was aimed to teach campers the Bhagavad Geeta with a pragmatic approach. Since it was a youth camp, the sessions were designed for the youth entirely. Each session having at least one interesting activity to make campers understand the Geeta.  Campers watched the movie ‘The legend of Bagger Vance’ and understood how the teachings of Geeta could be used in life to succeed. Interesting games were played that involved learning and also tested fitness level of each camper. Campers experienced how learning from Geeta can be brought into life. Campers were divided into five groups, each group was asked to perform something (dance, skit, mime etc.) based on the teachings of Bhagavad Geeta. It was an active learning experience for each and every camper!

On 27th of June the learning sessions started from the morning in the Serene green environment and clean air of Kolad. It started with warm up sessions in the morning which involved basic stretching and cardio exercises followed by sumptuous breakfast. Thereafter all the campers were divided into four equal groups and each group went forward with their respective allotted adventure activities. The adventure activities involved rappelling, artificial mountain climbing, Burma bridge crossing, archery, shooting etc. With the campers’ focus on learning, they experienced fear and also learnt how to overcome it. They learnt how to balance speed and rhythm, most importantly all the campers learnt how to live in the moment. The campers then proceeded to do the water activities (Raft building, Flying fox etc.). With their floats on, everyone swished and splashed water on each other, while some chose to just stay afloat enjoying the gentle winds near the river. Faith indeed transcends fear.

The camp was an amalgamation of fun-learning and awesome experience.  In the end campers were thankful to Anand ji and Ved ji for preaching Geeta with a pragmatic approach. Each office staff member and volunteer also put in efforts to make this camp a great success.

When more than 120 Chinmaya devotees embarked on a journey this May, the only thought that recurred was that we were following Gurudev’s footsteps-from the plains towards the heights, tracing His path along the Holy Ganga and reaching that holy shrine for spiritual seekers-Tapovan Kuti. Thus, after winding our way through Haridwar & Rishikesh, after being a part of the famous Ganga aarati, after experiencing the holy vibrations of Sivanand Ashram, we reached the welcoming peace of our Chinmaya Ashram at Uttarkashi. It was a picture postcard perfect setting for a camp by two of Gurudev’s very own – Br. Ved Chaitanyaji (Navi Mumbai) & Br. Narayana Chaitanyaji (Vikarabad).

This camp was special because the campers were a mix of young and old, newcomers and veterans, youthful verve and sagely seniority. The main text of the camp was Guruji’s Tips for Happy Living, made startlingly simple for us by Vedji – Surrender to the Lord was the one sure shot way to experience happy living! On the banks of the Ganga, could anyone’s thirst remain unquenched? And so, it happened that those hearts which were seeking Vedantic knowledge were gratified when Tapovana Shatakam was expounded upon by Vedji in separate sessions. Is there anyone who doesn’t love a story? Narayanji caught the mood of the crowd and explained Ganga Stotram in the evenings with stories galore, bringing alive Mother Ganga with her manifold names and divine glories.

Daily meditation sessions and Paduka pooja conducted by Narayanji, evening Aarati, impromptu question-answer sessions, individuals seeking out Tapovan Maharaj’s kuti in their solitude, dips in the Ganga, youngsters staying up late for a game of cricket or some masti, meal time camaraderie, heart touching hospitality by Sw. Devatmanandaji and the entire staff of the Ashram……these were the sweet impressions imprinted on all our minds.

The camp days flew by in no time and it was that emotional moment when we knew that it was time to pack up – bags, memories et al. There was one last thing to keep us upbeat though….

A trek to Nachiketal and then the following morning, a trip to Gangotri. Spending the last few precious moments with our dear Chinmaya family made this visit all the more special. The carefree laughter and time spent in the pure and divine hills will echo for a long time to come. Gurudev, Uttarkashi is so beautiful, yet you left it and came down for us! Thank You!!!

Chinmaya Mission Navi Mumbai organized a Summer camp for children which was conducted at Chinmaya ashram Kolhapur, in presence of 61 feet Chinmaya Ganadheesh. The camp spanned over five days, from 29^th April to 3^rd May of 2017. The age group for the camp was from 9 to 14 years. More than 60 children, hailing from Pune, Kolhapur, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai attended the camp. Br Ved Chaitanya was the Camp Acharya.

The campers had to follow a structured schedule which kept them mentally and physically active, other than making sure that they got proper time to rest. The campers assembled at 6:30 am for exercise. After warming up, campers would perform Surya Namaskar as the sun rose in the east. One hour was given post exercise for them to get ready and have milk/tea. Once everybody was fresh, all campers came to the ‘satsang hall’ for a chanting session conducted by Vedji. This was followed by a half hour of breakfast to energize everyone. All the campers were divided into juniors (from class 4^th to 6^th) and seniors (class 7^th to 9^th). The juniors then went for the session conducted by Vedji while the seniors went for workshops. After a refreshing juice break, the juniors went to the workshop while the seniors attended the session. 12:30 in the noon was lunch time. Lunch was followed by break and activity time, in which all campers honed their creative skills. 4 to 6 pm was allotted to play games, in which all campers and volunteers played Indian fun games together like kho-kho, kabaddi, son-sakhli etc. After the games session & snacks break, the campers attended Aarati at Chinmaya Ganadheesh. Then was the bhajan satsang in which all campers sang melodious and enjoyable bhajans of Sri Rama together and attended a combined session taken by Vedji.

Post bhajan satsang they had programs like culturals (performed by campers), movie time (Ramayana), informal meeting (where the children could do anything: dance, sing, play, etc.). During the fourth day, all volunteers had set up a fun mela which all campers enjoyed thoroughly. There were different games at different stalls which they can play by spending special coins earned by chanting Lord’s name! On the last day (3^rd of May, 2017) the campers were taken to the famous Mahalakshmi temple of Kolhapur and ‘Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Museum’.

All of us have heard the story of Lord Rama many times in our lives, but this camp told us a different Ramayana, the Ramayana of our own selves. All campers learnt what each character of the epic means and symbolizes in our day-to-day life. The workshops were very interactive. Different facets of Shri Rama were shown, which were absorbed by the campers and incorporated into their lives. Campers studied Ramayana by learning Lord Rama’s qualities and looked at him as an ideal son, brother, friend, husband, student, enemy, leader, warrior & God. Apart from this the campers also learnt many new bhajans and the two camp songs that were specially written and composed for the camp. The question and answer session on the last day proved that the kids were indeed all ears to the sessions, as they asked interesting questions which were answered by Vedji.

‘It is usually me who has to convince the youth to participate and volunteer in such camps, but this time around it was different. The youth voluntarily came in to help organize the camp and everything fell into place beautifully.’ said Vedji as there were huge applauds that followed. Volunteers also were beaming with energy throughout the camp, Eveready to help the campers. Volunteers enjoyed involving with the campers. It was a steep learning curve for volunteers as they learnt how to serve, and learnt how to forfeit their egos.

The camp concluded with the valedictory session, to recognize the efforts of Volunteers and everyone who was involved to make this camp a huge success. The session was high on emotions as the camp acharya Vedji recognized everyone’s efforts right from the resident acharya of Kolhapur, Swami Atmadevanadaji (who took time out from his busy schedule and spent some quality time with the campers) to the cook (who cooked sumptuous meals). At the end of the fifth day everyone’s eyes were moist as the camp had come to an end. Indeed, everyone reveled in Rama!!

Reveling in Rama…