Of Ideas & Plans

In the last class we practiced reciting the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).

We also revised the Gruru Sthothram and have completed till verse 8 (pg 85-86). We finished learning the bhajan Atma Nivasi Ram (pg 209-210).

 

In Bala Ramayana, we read the chapters involving Rama, Lakshmana and Sita taking blessings from the various sages they meet on the way and their proceeding to Chitrakoota to set up their hut, on the advice of a sage. The kids loved hearing about the beauty of Chitrakoota. They also head the story of how Bharat got very angry on his return from his maternal grandparents' house and was ready to take revenge from his own mother. But Kaushalya helped him calm down and Kaikeyi also realized her mistake asked for forgiveness. Bharat refused to be crowned king and instead proceeded to the forest to bring back Rama, Lakshmana and Sita. The queen mothers and a few ministers and soldiers accompanied him. Guha, on watching them approach, misinterpreted Bharat's intentions and prepared to fight them. But Bharat managed to convince him that he wanted to bring back his brother and not cause any harm. So, Guha helped him with directions to proceed. Similarly, the sages also questioned Bharat's motives and only provided directions to Chitrakoota when he managed to convince them that he would not harm Rama in any way.

The kids used tiny foot prints (representing Rama's padukas) to mark his journey right from his place of birth (Ayodhya) to the beginning of his exile (Chitrakoota). Please continue to bring this map to class as we will mark further places as we progress in the book.

The kids also practiced writing the first line of consonants and have been asked to complete the sheets as a part of their homework.

As you all must be aware, we will be having stage performances for the kids on the 25th of January 2015. After much discussions, the kids agreed on the idea of dressing up as their favorite Gods and speaking a few lines about them. Raaghav has picked Rama, Sathvik Shiva, Arya Saraswati, Bela Lakshmi and Ananya Devi Maa. Parents, please note and help with the costumes. Also, help them learn 4-5 lines that they can speak about the same. If any of you need help with either the write ups or the appearance, feel free to ping me.

Please have the kids practice their daily prayers and Guru Sthothram regularly. Also, time permitting, we might sing the bhajan "Atma Nivasi Ram" on the celebrations on 25th January. So, please have them practice that as well.

Of Diwali, New Students and Quick Revisions

This is a combined blog post for the last 4 classes. One of which happened to involve Diwali celebrations with Raghav (who was the only student at that class :) ). Another class was a mixed class with one student from first grade and one from kindergarten. The next class had 3 new students, so the old students helped revise and go through whatever we had learnt till then, so the new kids could be brought up to date. The last class was when we managed to get back to routine with a regular work schedule!


For Diwali, Raghav and I discussed different ways in which the festival is celebrated in different parts of India. We also learnt that Diwali is derived from the word "Deepavali" which means row of lights. The origin of this is credited to Ramayana. When Lord Rama defeated Ravana and returned to Ayodhya with Bharat, Sita and Hanuman, after 14 years of exhile, the people of Ayodhya lit lamps to show the way as it was a dark moonless night. Since then, Diwali is celebrated as a festival of lights and signifies the victory of good over bad. As a Diwali activity, we made rangoli with a paper plate and different colored lentils.

As usual, we also practiced reciting the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by attendance and a quick revision of the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).

We also revised the Gruru Sthothram till verse 4 and learned the next two (pg 85-86). We finished learning the bhajan Atma Nivasi Ram (pg 209-210).

 

From the Bala Ramayana book, we read the story of how Janaka, the king of Mithila, found Sita while ploughing the fields for a yagya and accepted her as a gift from Bhumadevi, took her home and brought her up as his own daughter. The kids also learnt about Valmiki reaching Mithila along with Rama and Lakshmana and how Rama took up the challenge of breaking Rudra’s bow to marry Sita. 

 

When this class was conducted, as a part of the activity, since we were attending a wedding, we discussed what gift we should give. For this, each kid got a sheet of paper on which they were asked to write down whatever bad habits they wanted to get rid of. They folded the sheets and put it in a gift bag that I assured would reach Lord Rama. The idea is that God will accept these bad habits and convert them into good ones for the kids. That would be the best gift we could give!

 

The week after that, in story time, we covered the chapters of everyone returning to Ayodhya after the marriage of Rama and Sita, the four brothers and their wives settling into a routine with their responsibilities and gaining the love and respect of the people of Ayodhya.  We moved onto the story of Manthara poisoning Kaikeyi’s mind when King Dashratha decided to crown Rama as the king. The kids were pretty sad to hear about Dashratha granting Kaikeyi’s boon of crowning Bharatha instead and banishing Rama to 14 years of exhile. The kids heard the back story of how Kaikeyi used her finger to make up for a broken spoke in King Dasharatha's chariot when he was fighting demons thereby helping him win the battle. The king was so happy that he granted her 2 boons which she decided to save to be used later. She holds Dasharatha to that promise and asks Rama to be sent on exhile and Bharata to be made king!

We discussed real life scenarios (such as mom cancelling a pizza dinner due to unavoidable work or missing out on a favorite movie) wherein the kids could react as calmly as Lord Rama did on hearing that he had to go to the forest. We decided that even if we get upset, we will not throw a tantrum but accept our parents’ decisions calmly and look for alternate solutions.

 

In the last class, we covered the chapters of Rama preparing to go to the forest after obtaining the blessings of his mother.  Just as he advises his mother Kaushalya that she cannot accompany him to the forest because a wife’s place is with her husband, Sita convinces him that she is ready to bear any hardship as long as she stays with Rama. Lakshmana also insists on coming along and Rama agrees to it. He requests Dasharatha and Kaikeyi for simple clothes, baskets and spears to help him survive in a forest. When the people of Ayodhya get angry and upset and insist on going with him, he calms them down and tells them to not get upset with Bharata and support him instead as he is not to be blamed. The people and the minister Sumantra follow Rama till the banks of the river Ganges where everyone decides to rest till the next morning. The chief of that village, Guha, provides food and refreshments and offers any aid needed. Rama accepts his offer of a boat ride to cross the river the next morning.  Rama gets ready to leave with Sita and Lakshmana before day break, so that the people of Ayodhya, who are still sleeping, will not follow him into the forest.

 

 The kids have been given a map of India, please ensure that they bring it to every class. It is a part of an ongoing activity wherein we trace the footsteps of Lord Rama as we journey through our Bala Ramayana book.

Each session was concluded with the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

For their homework, please make sure the kids revise their vowels (sheets were sent home) and the Gurusthothram upto verse 6.

Happy Navaratri!

This last class was scheduled for Navaratri celebrations.

 

We followed the usual routine of the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by attendance and a quick revision of the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).

We also revised the Gruru Sthothram till verse 3 and learned the next one (pg 85-86). We practiced the first few verses of the bhajan Atma Nivasi Ram (pg 209-210).

Since Navaratri had just concluded, we discussed the significance of the festival. We spoke about how the first three days are for worshipping Goddess Durga, the next three days for Goddess Lakshmi and the last three days for Goddess Sarasawati. The kids discussed how they celebrate Navaratri in their homes. All different aspects from Dandiya Ras to Golu were shared. We also spoke about how kanchakas are worshipped and Prasad (halwa puris) are distributed in some homes while in others Sundals are distributed as prasadam and the women and girls are called for haldi kumkum and given gifts.

We also talked about Ayutha Poojai or Saraswati Pooja on which day some of us place books and other things related to various art forms in front of Goddess Saraswati and seek her blessings in our chosen fields of studies/performing arts.

Then we related the celebrations to Ramayana by discussing how Ravana was killed on Vijaya Dashami. We touched upon Ram Leela processions ending with fireworks for burning the effigies of Ravana. We discussed how it signifies the victory of good over evil.

In keeping with the Navaratri theme, the kids drew and decorated a picture of Goddess Durga on a disposable paper plate using different lentils and pulses. 

 

From the Bala Ramayana book, we learnt about how Rama and Lakshmana travelled with Vishwamitra through the Dandaka forest to the ashram of Vishwamitra and how the asuras Maricha (who survived and will play an important role later) and Subahu were defeated. We also discussed the story of Vishnu's  Vamana Avatara. The significance here is that the place where Mahabali got immortality from Vamana is where Vishwamitra’s ashram was situated. 

 

The kids have been given a map of India, please ensure that they bring it to every class. It is a part of an ongoing activity about which I will mention in the next class.

 

Finally, we concluded the class with the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

For their homework, please make sure the kids revise their vowels and the Gurusthothram upto verse 4.

See you at the next class. Please remember to bring you folders and maps.

And we begin in earnest...

Our class began with the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by attendance. Next we had a quick revision of the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).

We learnt the first 2 verses of the bhajan - Atma Nivasi Ram (pg 209-210). We also revised the first verse and learnt verses 2 and 3 from the Gruru Sthothram (pg 85-86).

Soorya did a wonderful job of helping us revise the portion of the Bala Ramayana that we covered in the last class. We learnt about what great students Rama, Lakshmana, Bharat and Shatrugana were and what great qualities they had. Rama was the favorite of the whole kingdom and everyone wanted their child to be like him. We also read about the great sage Vishwamitra coming to Ayodhya for help against the asuras disturbing his yagya. Dasharatha did not know the purpose of Vishwamitra's visit and promised him anything that the great sage wanted. But when he came to know that Vishwamitra wanted Rama's help to get rid of the asuras, Dasharatha was not happy and offered to go himself. But that angered Vishwamitra.That would mean that Dasharatha was going back on his word and it was unacceptable in those days to break a promise. So, finally, on the advice of his guru Vashishta, Dashratha agreed to send his sons Rama  and Lakshmana along with Vishwamitra.

The kids have been given a couple of pages to color from the Ramayana story. We also practiced our vowels in Sanskrit. Finally, we concluded the class with meditation followed by the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

For their homework, please make sure the kids revise their vowels and the Gurusthothram upto verse 3. Color the Ramayana sheet sent home, write your name and grade and insert the sheet into the folder.

See you at the next class. Please remember to bring you folders.

Back in Session!

Hari Om!

Hope everyone had a wonderful summer. Its great to be back at the Jersey City Balavihar as a teacher for the first graders yet again! It is time to bid adieu to the long summer days of fun and lazing...

Now it is time to come back refreshed and relaxed, ready to start another year of making new friends, learning new prayers and bhajans, hearing new stories and ofcourse, revising all that we have learnt in the past. So, let me begin by extending a warm welcome to our first graders for the 2014-2015 year as well as their families.

I would like to take this opportunity to request the parents to please practice the shlokas at home as a part of their daily routine. This would help us proceed right along with our curriculum instead of starting from square one every Sunday.

Also, I will be giving a bit of homework every week, not too much, just about 15-20 minutes of work. I don't want the kids to feel overwhelmed or pressurized but at the same time, revisiting whatever they learn in class, will help them feel better prepared at the next session.

This year we will be having Ms.Preetha assisting me in class. We welcome her to Grade 1 at the Jersey City Balavihar.

All the shlokas and bhajans that we will be covering during this year are from the My Prayers Book. Please be sure to purchase a copy of the same if you have not done so already.

For this first session, we began by taking the attendance. Then we introduced ourselves so we could get to know each other.

We practiced the daily prayers - Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9), Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book. All these prayers have been covered in the previous years, so we will be doing a quick run through at the beginning of each session. Raghav remembered all his prayers and was able to confidently lead through most of these. I am sure by the end of the year, all the kids will be comfortable with these.

We practiced the bhajan Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211)

We also learnt the first verse from the Gruru Sthothram (pg 85-86).

We will be covering "Bala Ramayana" with the first graders this year.  Sathvik did a great job of telling us the story of Ramayana in brief and then we read the first couple of chapters from the book. We got an introduction to Ayodhya and King Dasharatha. We learnt about the importance of having a guru in our lives just as King Dasharatha turned to his guru, sage Vashishta, for advice, when he was sad about not having any children. We also covered the yagna performed by King Dasharatha, on the advice of his guru, resulting in the birth of the 4 princes – Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. The children learnt about sharing as the queens Kaushalya and Kaikeyi shared their kheer with Sumitra. The kids were very amused and excited by the knowledge that Lakshmana and Shatrughna were twins born to Sumitra as a result of her eating two portions of the kheer!

After this, we practised writing "Ram" in Sanskrit. Finally,we concluded the class with the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

As a part of their homework I would like the kids to write a couple of lines of "Ram" in Sanskrit on the given sheet of paper.

See you at the next class. All of you should be having folders/binders given during the previous Balavihar year. Please empty the contents and remember to bring you folders to class.

Annual Day Celebrations

Hari Om!

Let me begin by congratulating my first graders on a wonderful performance at the annual day celebrations last Sunday. All of you were confident and spoke and sang beautifully. You made me and your parents proud. Congratulations on a job well done!

Dear parents, I would  be remiss if I did not thank  each one of you for helping with the preparations and practice. Your contribution helped in making the day a success despite the shortage of time and lack of group sessions. The individual lessons learnt from a whole year of studying the Bala Ramayan was wonderfully presented by the kids in terms of application to our daily lives. They sang the the bhajan "Raghupati Raaghava" also very well.

Their artworks related to the same also on display for the audience to see, their interpretations made for some interesting drawings :)

I did not put up the blog update for the previous class as the attendance was low.  Apart from the practice and drawing for the annual function, I completed the Bala Ramayana book. I will be doing the same thing tomorrow and then update the blog.

Check out the video of the performance below...

Hope to see you tomorrow at the last class for the year tomorrow.

Almost there...

The year (Balavihar calendar) is almost at an end. Some of us are confident and know what we have been taught, the rest of us still need some work.

The kids seem quite comfortable with the shlokas and bhajans and we were able to run through them fairly quickly till we reached Guru Sthothram, some of the kids haven't memorized it yet, parents please help them with the same.

The shlokas we have learnt so far are the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book) while the bhajans are Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211), Atma Nivasi Ram  (pg 209-210) and  Radhe Radhe (pg-169). 

In Ramayana, we covered the chapters involving the vanaras approaching Lanka under the guidance of Rama and Lakshmana. Repeated attempts by messengers from Rama, advice from Ravana's grandfather and wise ministers, nothing works on Ravana. He is determined to keep Sita for himself. He attempts to fool her by making a replica of Rama's head and presenting it before her to convince her that Rama is dead and so she should marry Ravana. But the approaching armies forces him to reveal that this is just a trick. Finally when the battle begins, it is fierce. Ravana's son Indrajeet becomes invisible and fires arrows with snake poison, making Rama and Lakshmana unconscious and sending the vanaras into a panic. But Vishnu's vaahan Garuda saves the princes by withdrawing the poisoned arrows.

We discussed the lessons that we have learned from Ramayana so far.

We practiced our consonants in Sanskrit.

We ended the class with the concluding prayers Om Poornamadah (pg-20) and Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19) and also practiced the Chinmaya Mission Pledge.

See you at the Chinmaya Guru Jayanthi and Mother's Day picnic on Sunday.

Back From Spring Break!

Back after the spring break, the class saw a low turnout, looks like people are still in vacation mode :)

As usual, we started the class with the attendance followed by a run through of the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book) the bhajans Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211), Atma Nivasi Ram  (pg 209-210) and  Radhe Radhe (pg-169). I was supposed to conduct a test of Guru Sthothram (pg 85-86), but decided to do an informal check/revision of sorts instead, as there were very few kids. Just one child (Vedant) was able to recite the entire Guru Sthothram without mistakes. Please make sure everyone has memorized the same, as I will be testing them during any of the next few sessions.

In Ramayana, we read about how Vibheeshana, along with a handful of his supporters, left Lanka and approached Rama, Lakshmana and the warriors. While most of the vanaras, including Sugreeva, eyed the rakshasas with suspicion, Rama chose to welcome them with open arms. Hanuman also agreed with Rama that they should give Vibheeshana the benefit of doubt.Vibheeshana pledged his full support to Rama and then they set about making plans for the attack. Rama performed fasting and prayed to the sea God to make the ocean part so that they could walk to Lanka. When nothing happened despite 3 days of prayers and fasting, Rama got furious. That is when the sea God appeared and said that he could do nothing as parting the sea water would be going against nature. Instead, he suggested that the vanaras should build a bridge over the sea, using the architectural skills of the vanara Nala. He assured Rama, that he would support the foundation of the bridge and bear the weight and make sure the water did not break the bridge. Everyone agreed to this plan and the vanaras worked day and night side by side and built a bridge over the sea to cross over to Lanka. Once this was done, everyone set forth, the rakshasas flew ahead while the vanaras took turns carrying Rama and Lakshmana, so that they could proceed faster.

We practiced our vowels and two rows of consonants in Sanskrit. Please make sure the kids practice the same at home, so that we can move ahead.

We ended the class with the concluding prayers Om Poornamadah (pg-20) and Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19) and also practiced the Chinmaya Mission Pledge.

See you at the next class. Please be on time and bring your folders.

The Day We Led The Pledge!

Let me begin by saying I am very proud of my first graders - they did an awesome job leading the Jersey City Balavihar in reciting the Chinmaya Mission Pledge! High five kiddos! Good job :)

As far as the class goes, we started with the attendance followed by a run through of the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book) as well as the Guru Sthothram (pg 85-86), the bhajans Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211), Atma Nivasi Ram  (pg 209-210) and  Radhe Radhe (pg-169). We skipped the new bhajan and concentrated on Gita Chanting as the kids seem to be struggling with memorizing whatever we have done so far. So, we revised the first three verses of the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagvad Gita and learnt the fourth one.

In Ramayana, we learnt about how the search party that went south returned home and celebrated their success of having found Sita. Rama was overjoyed when he heard Hanuman mention that he had seen and spoken to Sita. He was overcome with emotion when he saw Sita's jewellery that she had sent through Hanuman. He hugged Hanuman with gratitude and happily received all the messages that had been sent to him.

After this, the vanara sena, with the help of Hanuman, started discussing and making plans to go to Lanka and defeat Ravana.

In the Lanka, Ravana's brother Vibheeshana advised him to return Sita to Rama and ask for forgiveness as it was wrong of him to kidnap another person's wife. But all foolish ministers of Ravana gave him wrong advice and encouraged him to not return Sita and prepare for battle instead. Though Ravana was a bit concerned by what Vibheeshana said, he chose to ignore him and threw him out of his court by declaring him a traitor. So, Vibheeshana, along with a handful of his loyalists, left Ravana's kingdom.

We practiced our consonants in Sanskrit. As a part of homework, the kids have been asked to write the second line of consonants 5 times. Those who did not finish last week's homework, please do that as well.

We ended the class with the concluding prayers Om Poornamadah (pg-20) and Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19) and also practiced the Chinmaya Mission Pledge.

There will be no class the next two weekends. That gives enough time for the kids to prepare for their test of the Gurustrotram when they come back on the 27th of April. Please make the kids practice well.

See you at the next class. Please be on time and bring your folders.

Second Make Up Session

The previous balavihar class was another make up session for one of the lost snow days.

Our class progressed with the attendance followed by a run through of the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book) as well as the Guru Sthothram (pg 85-86), the bhajans Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211), Atma Nivasi Ram  (pg 209-210) and  Radhe Radhe (pg-169). We also started a new bhajan.

In Ramayana, we covered the chapters involving Hanuman creating havoc in Lanka by uprooting trees, destroying the gardens and streets and causing an uproar all around. We saw how Ravana sent his most powerful rakshasas as well as two of his sons to fight Hanuman. While one of his sons, Akshaya, got killed, the other son, Indrajit, used the Brahmastra to subdue Hanuman. But Hanuman had a boon from Brahma that the Brahmastra would not kill him but would instead make him weak for a little while. During that time, the people of Lanka tied him up and presented him to Ravana who ordered that Hanuman's tail should be set on fire as a punishment. When this is done, Hanuman breaks his bonds and jumps all around Lanka setting everything on fire and destroying everything. Later, he feels sorry for having caused so much destruction and realizes that innocents could have been hurt. Then he douses the fire in the sea, makes sure Sita is fine and crosses the sea back to  his waiting friends. 

We also read the story about how Hanuman got his name - do ask the kids about this.

We practiced our consonants in Sanskrit. As a part of homework, the kids have been asked to write the first line of consonants 5 times. Some of the children are still having trouble writing their names in Sanskrit, please practice the same.

We revised the first and second verses of the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagvad Gita and learnt the third verse. We ended the class with the concluding prayers Om Poornamadah (pg-20) and Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

Apart from homework, please make sure that the children revise the Chinmaya Mission Pledge, it will be the first graders' turn next to lead the pledge.

See you at the next class. Please be on time and bring your folders.

Make Up Session...

This is an update for our first make up session for the year...

Following attendance we practiced the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book) as well as the Guru Sthothram (pg 85-86), the bhajans Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211), Atma Nivasi Ram  (pg 209-210) and  Radhe Radhe (pg-169).

In Ramayana, we read about how Sugreeva offered his army to search for Sita. Groups were made under the leadership of the bravest vanaras and they set forth in four different directions. Since Jatayu and the vanaras had seen Ravana taking Sita towards the south, and Hanuman was a part of the group going south, Rama gave Hanuman his ring to help Sita understand that Hanuman was Rama's messenger. After taking blessing from Rama, the group set forward.

The vanaras that had gone east, west and north returned empty handed in a month's time. So, everyone was holding high hopes on the last group led by Jaambavaan, Nila, Hanuman and Angada.

In course of their search, they reach the beautiful and magical cave of Hema, Indra's friend, where they are led in the right direction towards a sea shore by the tapasvini Swayamprabha. On this shore they meet Sampaati, Jatayu's older brother, who with his powerful eyesight tells the vanaras that he can see Sita captive in Ravana's Lanka, but to reach her, the ocean must be crossed. After helping the vanaras in this manner, the old vulture's wings and strength, destroyed by the sun during a race with Jatayu in their youth, are restored as per a boon.

After debating and testing each others' strength, it is decided that Hanuman would cross the ocean and locate Sita while the others would wait on the sea shore. Hanuman grows himself to the size of a huge mountain and takes off. After facing several obstacles such as the raksasi Surasa as well as the offered hospitality of the Mainaka mountain, Hanuman finally reaches Lanka and sees it in all its beauty, glory and splendor. After searching high and low, he sees Sita in Asokavana where Ravana demands she marry him or he will eat her up. But Sita only refuses and begs him to release her, saying she will save Ravana from Rama's wrath if he spares her now. But Ravana gives her a month's time to change her mind and returns to his palace, while the remaining rakshasis trouble and torture Sita for a while. When Hanuman finally sees Sita alone, he shrinks himself to the size of a tiny monkey, climbs on a tree right above her and starts singing songs in praise of Rama. This astonishes Sita who proceeds to ask who he is. When Hanuman mentions that he is Rama's messenger, she gets suspicious that it is Ravana trying to trick her. Then Hanuman shows her Rama's ring and this convinces Sita that he is indeed a friend. He assures her that Rama will be back soon and save her from there. Before he leaves, Sita gives him the only piece of jewellery that is left with her, to assure Rama that she is safe and is waiting for him.

For their activity, the kids were asked to draw their version of Lanka as well as Hanuman crossing the ocean. They also wrote their own name in Sanskrit and Rama 5 times.

Next, we practiced the Chinmaya Mission Pledge.

We revised the first verse of the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagvad Gita and learnt the second verse. We ended the class with the concluding prayers Om Poornamadah (pg-20) and Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

See you at the next class. Please be on time and bring your folders.

Of Daylight Saving And Such

This is a combined blog update for the two previous balavihar sessions.

The classes ran through the usual gamut of attendance followed by the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book) as well as the Guru Sthothram (pg 85-86).

We practiced the bhajans Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211), Atma Nivasi Ram  (pg 209-210) and  Radhe Radhe (pg-169). Once again a reminder that the bhajans and shlokas will be better memorized with regular practice.

The 9th March class was the day of day light saving. So we had a lazy bunch in class! Everyone was in a lethargic mood and wanted to do more of the story time than anything else, and so I gave in! The next class, I had a bunch of hyper kids! So, I guess the sessions evened out :)

In Ramayana, we traced the footsteps of Rama and Lakshmana to the banks of the river Pampa where they met Shabari, who was holding on to life for a glimpse of Lord Rama. She had such devotion towards him that she collected the ber fruit to offer him, but bit and tasted each fruit before offering it, to ensure that he got only the sweetest and the best of fruits. This upset Lakshmana, but Rama only saw her good intentions and explained to Lakshmana that so great was her love for him that she wanted only the best for him.

The moral we learnt hear was that God accepts whatever we offer him with the best of intentions. This led to a general discussion of how God does not expect money, sacrifices or any grand gestures and will accept anything that we are able to offer with a true heart. This led to an interesting discussion of the various forms we think of God when we pray. Vivaan mentioned that he thinks of his mother when he prays, Saanvi thinks of her parents, Sanjana thinks of Lord Krishna, Athreya imagines God is black with traces of other colors while Vedant feels the sun represents God as it gives light and energy.

Then we read about how Rama & Lakshmana met Hanuman, the minister of Sugreeva, the Vanara king in exile. We read the story of Bali and Sugreeva and the misunderstanding that crept between the brothers leading to Bali ousting Sugreeva from the kingdom of Kishkinda, sending Sugreeva into hiding. He took refuge in the mountains as Bali was cursed by a saint and hence could not enter the mountains. Rama promised to help Sugreeva get back his kingdom and in return, Sugreeva assured that he would extend help in their search for Sita, whom the Vanaras had seen being kidnapped by Ravana, and had found a pile of jewellery that she threw to leave a trail.

When Sugreeva went to challenge Bali, Rama hid behind a tree and waited to attack Bali, but the brothers looked so similar that he got confused! So Rama asked Sugreeva to wear a flower garland so as to distinguish him from Bali. Then Rama shot an arrow at Bali. Before dying, Bali expressed his disappointment saying he had no personal issues with Rama, so he should not have shot him, but Rama explained that his actions towards his brother were wrong and so it was his responsibility to ensure that the right thing was done. This made Bali realize his mistake and he apologized to Sugreeva and gave him back his kingdom and then died. Then Sugreeva once again became the king of Kishkinda and led a life of celebrations and enjoyment while Rama and Lakshmana waited in the mountains for the help they were promised. When Hanuman, the minister, reminded Sugreeva of his promise to Rama, Sugreeva immediately apologized to Rama for the delay and offered the services of his Vanara sena towards the search of Sita.

Here, we contrasted the way the two sets of brothers - Rama & Bharata on the one hand and Bali and Sugreeva on the other - reacted to certain situations, one of trust and love and the other of mistrust and misunderstandings.


For the activity, we traced footprints of Rama and Lakshmana to the banks of the river Pampa and Kishkinda.  The kids were given a sheet for writing the next level of Sanskrit alphabets as well as a coloring sheet from the Ramayana. Those who have not completed these in class, please complete then as a part of homework.

Next, I became the student and the kids proceeded to teach me the Chinmaya Mission Pledge as a way to help them memorize the same. I am proud to say that these kids are all set to lead the pledge whenever they are asked to.

We revised the first verse of the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagvad Gita and learnt the second verse.
We ended the class with the concluding prayers Om Poornamadah (pg-20) and Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).
 
See you at the next class and please be sure to bring your folders.

A Day of Shlokas & Bhajans

 This week we had a semblance of routine set in, what with the irregular classes and breaks thanks to mother nature!

We started the class as usual with attendance followed by a quick revision of the Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) and the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).
  We practiced the bhajans Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211) and Atma Nivasi Ram  (pg 209-210). We also completed the new bhajan - Radhe Radhe (pg-169). I am sure with another day of practice, the kids will be comfortable singing it at the morning assembly - they love singing and are very quick at learning bhajans! We also recited the Gruru Sthothram (pg 85-86). Some kids still need practice with their shlokas, please help them recite at home.
In Ramayana, after a short review of last weeks chapters, we learnt about how Ravana tricked Sita into crossing the Lakshman Rekha and dragged her off in his chariot. Her shouts for help drew the attention of Jatayu who came to her defense, but after struggling valiantly, his wings were cut off by Ravana who proceeded to carry Sita away to Lanka. All along the way Sita drops her flower garlands and jewellery, in the hope that the trail will lead Rama to her. In Lanka, Ravana tries his best to convince Sita to marry him and entices her with all his wealth, but when she scorns him, he locks her up in Ashokavana with ghastly rakshasis as guards and gives her a year's time to agree to his wishes or suffer the consequences. When Rama and Lakshmana returned to the ashrama and realized that Sita was missing, they got worried and upset and started looking for her. We learn of how Rama is initially angry with Lakshmana for not listening to him and also so upset that he decides to destroy the earth as he feels life without Sita is not worth living. Lakshmana manages to calm Rama down and make him see reason, that innocents should not have to suffer for the evils done by rakshasas, but instead they should look for Sita and punish the evil doer. As they start their search, they find the fallen flowers from Sita's garland and reach Jatayu, who is just holding on to his last breath to convey the message to Rama that Sita has been abducted by Ravana and taken to Lanka. After conveying the message, Jatayu passes away.   
We practiced writing the first line of Sanskrit consonants. Those who were unable to complete, please do so at home.

We also started with the first verse of the fourteenth chapter of the Bhagvad Gita.
We ended the class with meditation followed by the concluding prayers Om Poornamadah (pg-20) and Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).
See you at the next class and please be sure to bring your folders. Stay warm...

Welcome Back After a Long Break!

It was wonderful to meet the kids again after a really looooooong break! Just think about it, our last class was the Republic Day celebrations on the 26th of January and then we met this weekend after those seemingly endless snow storms!

After the attendance, we did a quick revision of Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9) followed by the daily prayers (Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book).
 
We practiced the bhajans Rama Naama Thaarakam (pg 211) and Atma Nivasi Ram  (pg 209-210). We started off with a new bhajan - Radhe Radhe (pg-169). We also completed the entire Gruru Sthothram (pg 85-86) - all 14 verses! Please revise it thoroughly, some of us our still struggling with the latter verses. 

Amit shared that he had participated and won a prize in a Hindi Kavita recitation competition and the other kids joined in to congratulate him.

In Ramayana, we quickly went through the previously covered chapter of how Surpanakha approached Rama for marriage and ended up getting her ears and nose cut off by Lakshmana when she tried to attack Sita. Then we learnt about how she went and cried in front of her brothers Khara and Dushana, demanding revenge for her insult. But both brothers, along with their huge armies were killed in the battle with Rama and Lakshmana. Only the rakshasa Akampana escaped and went to the other brother Ravana, who was the most powerful among them. Surpanakha also went to him and provoked him to kill Rama and Lakshmana. Ravana became furious and commanded Maricha to go along with him for revenge. But Maricha had already witnessed first hand the bravery of Rama and Lakshmana when they defeated the rakshasa during their travel through the Dandaka forest with Valmiki. So, he advised Ravana to not be so rash and challenge such a powerful person. But Ravana was angry and adamant and ordered Maricha to take the form of a golden deer and gambol about in Chitrakoota in front of Sita. Maricha had no choice but to follow the orders of his king. When Sita saw the beautiful deer, she insisted on having it for a pet and asked Rama to get it for her. Despite Lakshmana's protests and suspicions, Rama told Lakshmana to take care of Sita and went to hunt the deer, which took him deeper and deeper into the forest. When he realized he couldn't catch up to it, he decided to hunt it down and carry its skin for Sita. When he shot the arrow, the deer morphed into the rakshasa Maricha, who called out loudly for help from Lakshmana and Sita and then died. Seeing this, Rama panicked and started rushing back to the hut to make sure Sita was fine. In the meantime, when Lakshmana and Sita heard the call for help, Sita ordered Lakshmana to go help his brother but Lakshmana felt it was a trap and refused to disobey his brother's orders of staying and taking care of Sita. She got upset and forced him to leave. So, Lakshmana drew the Lakshman Rekha and told Sita to stay within the draw line as it would protect her from harm. Anyone who tried to cross the line to reach her would be burnt. But if she came to the other side, there would be no one to protect her. As soon as Lakshmana left in search of his brother, Ravana came in the disguise of an old man seeking alms and tricked Sita into crossing the line. 
Through the story so far, we discussed about how it is important to obey our elders as they know what is best for us even if things might not be to our liking at that time.

We practiced writing "Rama" as well as their own respective names in Sanskrit. 

We ended the class with meditation followed by the concluding prayers Om Poornamadah (pg-20) and Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19).

See you at the next class and please be sure to bring your folders. Stay warm...

Republic Day Celebrations

Hari Om!

Let me begin by thanking the parents who got the kids all dressed up for the Republic Day Celebrations and helped them practice their bhajan :)

Our class sang the bhajan "Atma Nivasi Ram". I had made badges of the Indian National Flag that the kids wore and they sure looked smart in their traditional clothes. I am real proud of how they performed confidently on stage without any stage fright! Their obsession with the mike provided a few good laughs though :)

We also had Shrujana from our class along with Shriya, another Balavihar student, perform to a beautiful classical based song set to Bharatnatyam steps.

All in all, it was a wonderful day when the kids were stars :)

Next week I'll be out of town, but Anisha aunty has graciously offered to take the class on my behalf.

See you soon... 

A Day Of Tests & Reviews!

We had an interesting class this week. After the attendance, each child was asked to step up and recite a daily prayer. Most of the kids managed to earn a sticker during this activity :)

When it came to the Guru Sthothram, almost all of them are comfortable with the first 8-9 verses, the trouble starts after that! Athreya and Vedant were the only ones to recite the 12 verses that we have completed and earned another sticker. Please have the kids practice reciting the verses at home.

We practiced the Bhajan "Atma Nivasi Ram" (page  209-210 of the My Prayer Book). Please make the kids practice the same at home as they will be performing this bhajan at the Republic Day celebrations when we meet next.

The kids learned to write their names in Sanskrit. They were very excited about doing so and have expressed a desire to learn to write their names in their mother tongues as well!

In Bala Ramayana, we covered the chapters involving Rama, Sita & Lakshmana taking blessings from various sages in the forest and settling down at Chitrakoota.  Before doing so, they met Jatayu (a descendant of Garuda), who informed them that he was a friend of Dasharatha, and would deep an eye on Sita whenever Rama and Lakshmana went out in the forest to hunt. The children found it interesting that Lakshmana was skilled at building a hut all by himself, despite the fact that he was a prince. We discussed about how we should learn to do our own chores and not depend on others if we can do something ourselves.

We proceeded to read about their encounter with Surpanakha, who wanted to marry Rama, and how Lakshmana cut off her nose when she misbehaved and tried to harm Sita.

Since Pongal was approaching that week, we discussed how different people celebrated the festival. The kids learned a bit about the significance of harvesting of crops and why we offer thanks to the Sun God on this day of Makar Sankrati, about the act of burning old things and welcoming the new on Bhogi, the same celebrated as Lohri in the North over a bonfire surrounded by singing, dancing and munching of roasted peanuts and revdi! That made a couple of them as how come they did not roast marshmallows!! :) Then we talked about Maatu Pongal and why we worship cows on that day. Pranav mentioned that they usually had guests over on the last day of Pongal. The kids made a special mention of how they love Chakkara Pongal!

Then we had a written test of the vowels. Athreya, Shrujana and Vedant scored full marks while Amit and Pranav were a close second. The rest of the kids need to practice their Sanskrit writing. We also went over the first verse of consonants that we had learned in the previous class.

Finally we concluded the class with Sarve Bhavanthu Sukhinaha followed by Om Poornamadah. Each child received a mechanical pencil for doing well in their review tests.

I am looking forward to seeing how the kids perform the bhajan "Atma Nivasi Ram" at the Republic Day celebrations on 26th January. Please be on time and dress up in traditional Indian clothes.

There will be no class on 19th January 2014.

See you on 26th January...

Happy New Year!

First let me take this opportunity to wish all of you a very happy new year!

Our first class after the break saw a 50% attendance, despite the extremely chilly weather :)

We went through our daily prayers - Dhyaana Shloka - Om Sahanavavatu (pg 9), Karaagre Vasate, Vakratunda, Saraswati Namastubhyam, Bramhaarpanam, Shubham Karoti, Kara Charana - pages 14-17 of the My Prayer Book. We have covered upto the 12th verse of the Guru Sthothram (pg 85-86). I have asked the kids to memorize the 12 verses thoroughly as I will be randomly calling out the kids to recite a verse or so, just to make sure they have all learned it - have promised rewards if they do :)

We have completed the bhajan Atma Nivasi Ram. Please make sure your child is familiar with this bhajan as our class is planning on presenting this on the 26th of January during the morning assembly.

In Ramayana, we learnt about how Bharat returned to Ayodhya with Rama's Padukas. We also learnt of Rama, Sita & Lakshmana progressing further into the forest to avoid repeated contact from people of Ayodhya, and how they met and received blessings of sages they met during their journey. We discussed Sita's concerns about Rama still carrying weapons and fighting demons instead of leading a life of peace and prayer, and how Rama convinced her that he was doing his duty. We learned about their meeting great Saint Agastya and how he gave the divine bow, arrow and sword designed by Vishwakarma for Vishnu to Rama. As an introduction to Agastya's power, we covered the story of Agastya staying in the South of India to balance the world when all great saints rushed to attend Lord Shiva's wedding. Also there is a story of how he humbled the Vindhya's into bowing down. We traced the path of Rama's journey to their next stop - Panchvati. Please make sure the kids bring their maps to every class, if they don't they miss out on tracing the foot prints.

We went over the vowels and the first line of consonants again. Please make sure their homework is done, I'll also be testing them at random, to ensure they don't forget whatever they have learnt in the past.

We concluded the class with the closing prayer - Om Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaha (pg-19)

For the next session, we will be talking about Sankranti, feel free to tell your kids anything they would like to share with us during the next class.

Also, I am planning on teaching the kids to write their names in the Devnagri script, please check your child's name and let me know if I have miss spelt it, I apologize in advance in case I haven't got anyone's name right...

अमित          आत्रेया          हरिणी            निकिता       प्रणव

संजना          साई            सान्वी            श्रेया          श्रुजना

विवान

See you at the next class. Please be sure to bring you folders.