The Gita Fest 2024 has been conducted and completed successfully at Chinmaya Mission Chicago-Badri, under the guidance of Swami Shantananda, Swami Sharanananda and Swami Aparajitananda.

136 participants chosen from the State Finals held in 21 US states and Canada (Ontario region) took part in the National Chanting Competition. In addition to chanting, many Centres also participated in the Gita Vocabulary Quiz, Gita Krida (Kahoot Game show) and Yuva Gita Talks under the Learn Gita initiative, this year to celebrate the 108th Chinmaya Jayanti.

Link to pictures from the event:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VdRJweYWcF6tFLTNA

Group pictures of participating States:

https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/bhr7YGqy6iDviM0NHmxDLpau68yiUCDfRdUzwgRdA3g

Contest results have been published on the Event webpage

https://chinmayagita.net/gitafest2024/

All chanting Award Recipients have been invited to the Mahasamadhi Camp 2024, to receive their Trophy and Cash Prize from Swami Swaroopananda (Global Head, Chinmaya Mission) on 31 July 2024.

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‘The Magic of Mindfulness’ was the annual Bala Vihar summer camp held at the Chinmaya Center of World Understanding in New Delhi from May 20th to June 9th 2024. Over 20 days, more than 140 enthusiastic children between the ages of 7 and 12 were engaged in learning Mantra Chanting, Bhajans, Yoga and participating in value-based activities.

One day was dedicated to Matru Puja, a special ceremony through which the children expressed their love towards their parents.

The camp concluded with a spectacular grand finale, attended by excited parents, committee members and Swami Avyayananda. It was a most meticulously planned event where the children showcased everything they had learned in the 20 days

Before the curtains came down on another summer camp, the Sevikas took the stage delighting the audience as they were recognised as the ones who had taught the children so much in such a short time. The camp was a resounding success, thanks to the grace of God and Guru, and the hard work put in by the Sevikas.

Gratitude, Guru and Giving were the focus of the recent Youth Camp in Portugal. Set in the picturesque landscapes of Lisbon, the camp’s theme centred around the significance of having a Guru in one’s life. The journey started with the question; “Why do you get out of bed every morning?” Followed with the unpacking of what happiness means; differentiating between materialistic happiness and spiritual happiness. Then finally, meandering onto the idea of knowing oneself and having a Guru to act as the boat which carries you across this Samsara.

Fun, fire (bonfire!) and fantastic conversations filled the three days, with morning silent nature walks, gratitude games, discussion sessions and talks by Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya (Chinmaya Mission UK) on the qualities of a Guru. In the evenings the group all huddled around the crackling fire filling the night time sky with soulful bhajans, and the game Charades based around the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The warmth and sparks of the fire fed into the hearts of those present, lighting a lamp within, leaving everyone feeling peaceful and re-energised, hungry for knowledge.

Compassion, churning and character; the camp provided a serene environment, creating a space for reflection and learning. The group churned out ideas of how to cultivate a compassionate character which allows one to have an abundance of love and an infinite amount of indiscriminate compassion that ultimately shines through to everyone around. The group discussed how through Seva we can cultivate this character and continuously contribute to nature, society and the world without seeking return. Finally, this unlimited love and compassion can be seen in our Gurus and this is what we seek to embody.

As the campers left, they took away with them beautiful memories, new friendships and the sparks of determination to contribute more to society after being inspired by stories about Swami Chinmayananda. Campers were left with a profound understanding of the indispensable role a Satguru plays in one’s life and a deep gratitude for the knowledge they hold. Leaving Lisbon with a backpack full of thoughts, they carried with them the idea that a compassionate act can be in the smallest of actions.

As a part of the Teacher Empowerment Programme, a session on Value of Value Education for teachers was conducted by Swami Shashvatananda and Sevaks Smt. Suganya and Smt. Rajeswari for Sri Bharathi Vidhalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School teachers on 8 June 2024.

The session covered various aspects of Values, its purpose, its importance and teachers as role models. 40 teachers attended the 90 minute session.
The Principal, who attentively participated, appreciated the need for such sessions.

All participants were given a copy of Tapovan Prasad magazine as a take away at the end of the session.

108th Chinmaya Jayanti celebrations took place in Chinmayaranayam, Ellayapalli from 8 May to 31 May 2024, with a Paduka Procession, Guru Paduka Puja, Bike Rally, a play about Swami Chinmayananda called “The Disenchanted Journalist” and a Bala Vihar camp, where children were given training in Vedic chanting – Medha Sooktam, Bhagavad Gita, and an exposure to Ramayana alongwith Yoga, Games, Art and Bhajans.

The 108th Jayanti celebrations of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda was observed throughout the year by performing Paduka Puja in 1151 houses across the city of Bengaluru with devotion, dedication and sincerity in the true Yajna spirit.

The year-long celebrations concluded from 8 May 2024 to 11 May 2024, with a series of programmes in the evenings between 6.00 pm and 8.00 pm in Sripaadakshetra, J P Nagar, with Bhajans by Bala Vihar children and talks on Shri Adi Shankara, Swami Sivananda, Swami Tapovan Maharaj and Swami Chinmayananda on different days by different Swamins of Karnataka.

The grand finale of the 108th Jayanti celebrations of Pujya Gurudev was observed in Sripaadakshetra, J P Nagar, Bengaluru, on Sunday 12 May 2024 in the divine presence of Jagadguru Sri Shivaratri Deshikendra Maha Swamiji of Veerasimhasana Mutt, Suttur, Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Puri Maha Swamiji, Peetadhipathi of Sri Kailash Ashram Maha Samsthana, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Swami Brahmananda and all Swamins of Chinmaya Mission Karnataka.

The programme commenced in the morning at 9.45 am with bhajans by Chinmaya Bala Vihar children and Devi Group members followed by Paduka Puja to the chanting of Chinmaya Stotram and Guru Paduka Stotram. There was Anugraha Bhashana by the Jagadgurus who paid glowing tributes to the contribution of Pujya Gurudev in spreading the message of our Scriptures and the rich cultural heritage of Sanatana Dharma.

Shri Arunachalam, senior Chinmaya Mission member, summed up the proceedings highlighting the vision of Pujya Gurudev followed by concluding Aashirvachanam by Swami Brahmananda. The programme was enthusiastically attended by over 1500 devotees from several parts of the city.

A 108th Chinmaya Jayanti celebration was organized at Bundelkhand College under the auspices of Chinmaya Mission, Jhansi. On this occasion, 108 devotees performed Paduka Puja of revered Swami Chinmayananda, under the guidance of Brahmachari Raghavendra Chaitanya.

All the seekers were also provided a kit of puja material along with a picture of revered Swami Chinmayananda and Padukas.

The guests of honour of the event were Shri Arindam Ghosh of Times of
India, Smt Savita Menon, Headmistress of RNS World School (formerly a teacher at CIRS Coimbatore), and Shri SK Roy, Principal of Bundelkhand College.

Patrons Shri Sudhir Arora, Dr Ashok Saxena, Dr Pramod Gulati and
Mukesh Gupta spoke of the glory of Swami Chinmayananda. Brahmachari
Raghavendra Chaitanya passionately sang the glory of Gurudev
through Chinmaya Mahima Stotram composed by Swami Tejonayananda.

The programme concluded with the Chinmaya Arati. 200 seekers participated in this programme.

In celebration of Earth Day 2024, Chinmaya Mission Niagara launched the Efforts for AWE (Air-Water-Earth) initiative to engage seekers in their individual and collective responsibilities to Prthvi Devi. The initiative, which ran from 1 April to 16 May, employed a three-pronged approach to encourage seekers to give their effort, resources and time to support air, water and earth, respectively.

Collectively, seekers were asked to plant 1,008 native plants to purify the air, donate US$54,000 to support water organizations One Drop and Water for People, and spend 1,008 hours collecting litter in service of the earth.

The programme brought seekers of all ages together to give back to Mother Earth, with many teaming up to organize local clean-up drives and planting events which drew in the wider community outside of Chinmaya Mission. During the course of the initiative, seekers proactively shared learnings and photos from these activities to inspire others to participate.

In total, the Efforts for AWE campaign generated 1,895 additional plants, over US$54,000 toward support of clean and safe access to water and 636 hours of
litter removal.

The initiative served to remind seekers of their duty to give back to
Mother Earth who Herself gives selflessly and to encourage them to continue
incorporating sustainable practices into their daily lives.

by Yaishna Santchurn

The Chinmaya Niagara Seeker-To-Facilitator programme arose out of a pressing need to have more individuals who are both firmly established as spiritual seekers in Sanatana Dharma and equipped with the necessary training to serve as facilitators to open and enhance the spiritual journeys of others in their communities.

Thus, from June 2023 to May 2024, an inaugural 14-seeker cohort of the Seeker-to-Facilitator programme engaged in rigorous weekly training. The seekers, all highly dedicated and insightful individuals from across the United States, play vital roles in their respective communities, whether as Chinmaya Mission Bala Vihar teachers, weekly course teachers, study group facilitators or Centre organizers.

The cohort was trained by Shri Vivek Gupta, who expertly guided the seekers to better understand and reflect on vital concepts for facilitation, such as:

The purpose of a spiritual facilitator.
Deepening personal sadhana.
The right attitude towards facilitation and seva.
The importance of relationships in spiritual facilitation.
Frameworks to properly incorporate scriptural teachings into facilitation.
Designing engaging facilitation sessions.
Ideating and implementing high-level seva initiatives.

These teachings from Shri Vivekji were supplemented by intensive workshops by professional educators on topics such as:

Confidence in public speaking.
Developing a robust toolkit of facilitation techniques.
The art of asking and answering questions as a facilitator.
Constructing safe and inclusive learning environments.
Designing dynamic activities for youth.

The 14 graduates are Ananya Chakravarti, Annapoorna Murthy, Jignasa Patel, Juie Deo, Lavanya Rao, Neha Mehta, Pankaj Kotwani, Prema Palaniappan, Rachana Sureka, Rupa Ranganath, Srikanth Vasudevan, Varsha Shah, Vasavi Tankala, and Vignesh Sadras.

The Seeker-To-Facilitator programme had an immense impact on the cohort. The graduates aspire to live by a code of ethics to follow and further the Science of Oneness with instrumentship (nimitta-bhāva), surrender (bhakti) and acceptance (sthāne). They practiced to connect with all in thoughts, words and action with authenticity (ārjava), inclusivity (suhṛd) and dedication (yajña) at retreats, camps, and weekly classes with their students. They all have attended at least one 50-hour Silence Retreat.

The programme culminated with the seekers working together to develop and execute several new initiatives for Chinmaya Niagara, such as the upcoming Essential Love (Gita Saara) book and the Enhanced Seva Training programme that begins on June 30, 2024. In this Enhanced Seva Training, Shri Vivek Gupta along with other trained spiritual guides and educators, will train seekers to effectively facilitate spiritual education for second and third generation youth, deepening self development of all in the process.

By Anvita Mishra, Annapoorna Murthy, Juie Deo, Vidya Ganti, Vignesh Saradas and Vinay Mallikaarjun