Sister, Neengal Sapadiliya? - are you not eating meals?’ asked Rajam, the Balwadi teacher. ‘Why, I am eating’. I showed her the piece of Idly in my hand. ‘You are eating Idly not saapaadu - meals!’ I was surprised, ‘Why is this not food?’. ‘It is… but it is not saapaadu’ she said. The first lesson I learnt was, ‘food is rice. All else is snacks!’ This dialogue was repeated with few other Balwadi teachers in few more villages.
Vivekananda Kendra had started 11 Balwadis, in 1980s in the villages of Kanyakumari. I was given the responsibility of training, visiting the Balwadis and also monthly meeting in which something new like songs, games, teachings aids would be introduced to the teachers and also their honorarium would be given. Except 2-3 Balwadis most of the places I had to change the buses twice to reach village where I would be visiting the Balwadi. Therefore, I used to carry in tiff in box whatever was the breakfast in our mess and during lunch hour would eat it in the Balwadi, when the students and teachers would go home for lunch. We had conducted the residential training for the teachers and a day long monthly Baithak every month was also organized, so, the teachers got very close with me. They called me Sister and not Akka may be due to the influence of Christian missionaries in Kanyakumari district.
This story is from the June 2021 edition of Yuva Bharati.
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This story is from the June 2021 edition of Yuva Bharati.
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Spiritual Dimensions Of Environmental Sustainability
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Punyabhoomi Bharatam
When I was Principal in Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya at Kanyakumari, I had made it a point to go to all the classes in a week. I used to take ‘moral science’ classes. Whatever is to be told to children to mould them and develop proper attitude and good habits in them I used to tell through stories. After experimenting with various suggested courses, I came to the conclusion that a story can be the most effective tool. So, I made my plan that in each class a specific great principle of our culture should be communicated through suitable stories.
Milkha Singh-The Flying Sikh (Born : 20th November 1929-Died : 18 June 2021)
Momentum aka Milkha Singh was a renowned Indian track and field sprinter who represented India at various international events between the years 1958 and 1962.
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From time immemorial, India has been identified as the land of Yoga, many rishis, sages and saints in Bharat practiced Yoga and enjoyed the benefits of Yoga. They have become Yogis. Yoga is both a science and art, it has been a science of this world for physical health and of the other world for spiritual health. In between, it is the science of the psyche, intellect, willpower, and devotion. So much so India itself breathes the spirit of Yoga Geographically, it is a symbol of Yoga.
A sister and a lady with the lamp
The room in Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama in Sasthamangalam appears small but bears all marks of subtle nobility. There are pictures of the divine trio – Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada, and Swami Vivekananda – on the walls as well as some memorabilia and books on a bed. A frail woman in her mid-eighties sits in a corner chair, her eyes faintly lighting up as she smiles in welcome.
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Epidemics and pandemics have devastated the human race throughout its existence. From prehistoric times to the present modern-days we have noticed numerous pandemics and medical emergencies. While some even turned as devastating as the fourteenth century ‘’Bubonic plague ’’ which was also known as the Black Death causing millions of human lives and is regarded as one of the most fatal pandemics in human history. Some similar conditions have evolved in the last one year and especially in last month and a two due to the Wuhan originated pandemic COVID-19 as the death toll surpasses three million mark worldwide and the arrival of a new variant or what is regarded as double mutant strain of the coronavirus has just kept the public and the governments on toes throughout the globe. However, while talking about India in particular the vaccination drive has reached close to a century but with alarming hard days, we need something which can strengthen us psychologically and emotionally too. Our search can get a halt when we come across a one hundred twenty one years old ‘Plague Manifesto’ written by the warrior sanyasi Swami Vivekananda during the Bengal Plague in 1898.
Utsarati Iti Utsava
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