Shraddha - Vivekananda Balavikas Kendra

Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence, Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad initiated an online summer camp (Shraddha) for school going children on 15th May 2021. Around 800 children are participating in the camp staying safe at home to learn Yoga, Morals and Bhajans.

While there are 305 boys in the new batch and around 105 in that of the old, the girls are 269 and 105 in the new and old batches respectively. Taking into concern the physical, mental and spiritual development of children, the faculty have chosen the most beneficial yoga asanas and scheduled them in such a way to ensure a regular progress among them.

Exactly at 5:50 am, children need to tune their mobile phones or laptops to receive yoga classes from eminent faculty everyday from 6 am to 7 am. The children are made to chant slokas in praise of the Holy trio and Patanjali yoga Mantra after which warm up exercises, eye exercises, sit ups, standing asanas, Surya Namaskars, Pranayama and various other asanas which will check the fitness of every organ of the body are taught with great care and in the most appropriate order. So far the children have been taught ashtanga yoga, Pratyahara, Urdhva Hastasana, Uttanasana, Adhomukha Shvanasana, Bhujangasan, Ashwasanchalan asana, Tadasana, Ardha Chakrasana, Vrikshasana, Ardha Kati Chakrasana, Sethu Bandhasana. Chanting of Om and meditation are a regular part of yoga classes. Every now and then there is a recapitulation of what has been taught. The yoga faculty explains to the children how the practice of yoga controls an individual 's body, mind and soul and helps to manage stress and anxiety strengthening the muscles and increasing the lungs capacity.

Classes on Human values (morals) and bhajans are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5.30 pm to 7pm. A well-planned syllabus for moral classes is designed which includes introduction to the holy Trio, self discipline, self confidence, concentration and devotion, love for knowledge etc. In two weeks of the camp students have been taught the above mentioned topics with relevant anecdotes from the Holy Trio's lives and from the mythology. The class given by Swami Bodhamayananda ji Maharaj ,the director of VIHE, on self confidence with references from Swami Vivekananda's struggles experienced in America, touched the hearts of the children inspiring them to develop courage and fortitude to face challenges in life like the great Monk.

The students of the old batch have yet a different syllabus that would take them into the depth of the subject. They are being taught about the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, their prominence in the history of the Math etc. The main objective of the moral classes is to inculcate among the students interest to apply the values they are learning in everyday life .

Bhajans time is the time when the children automatically get involved when the melodious bhajans are sung to them. The children have learnt Pranam Mantras, Shanti Mantras and bhajans on Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Sri Rama Krishna. The song most loved by all the children is "Jago Mere Bharat Vasi" which awakens people to Swamiji's call. So far two weeks of the camp have successfully passed covering the scheduled topics, at the same time enlightening the children to learn more in the next 2 weeks.

Here are a few excerpts of learnings acquired by students expressed in the form of videos.