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Report on Prārthanā Shibir – 9th June 2019 to celebrate the Janmadivasa of Parama Pūjya Parijñānāshram Swāmījī III

Report by - Shreya Mavinkurve (Thane sabha)

The day began early with children pouring in from near and far.Everybody was very excited about this day and didn’t mind waking up early and arriving by 9 am. Rañjanā Hosaṅgaḍī pāchī and Meenākshī Baljekar pāchī very quickly finished with the registrations and soon the sessions began. All children belonging to different Prārthanā Varg chanted the Sabhā-Prārambha-Prārthanā in unision. The theme 'Yuktāhāra-vihāra' was introduced by Smitā Nāgarkaṭṭī pāchī in a very interesting way of using puppets made of potato and brinjal. .....

A very informative 'presentation based on Parijñānāshram Trayodashī' was given by Smitā Nāgarkaṭṭī pāchī. This power point compiled by Sandhyā Nāyel pāchī had rare photos of Hoḍḍa Swāmījī with the meaning explained in an apt way to reach out to the kids . One of the children related one photo of Hoḍḍa Swāmījī with snakes around His neck to Lord Shiva.

A'yoga session' was conducted by Rañjanā Hosaṅgaḍī pāchī and Srīkalā SthaĪekar pāchī. The children were taught yoga stretches and joint rotations for warm-up.This was followed by āsana-s such as tāḍāsana,vṛkshāsana, dhanurāsana, etc followed by cooling down in the form of shavāsana. The children learnt the importance of focus on self when performing āsana-s. Each and every child was motivated to perform the āsana-s by taking inspiration from each other. A nutritious breakfast of Iḍlī chutney and shīrā was enjoyed bychildren and teachers alike.

A small skit/presentation based on biography of Parijñānāshram Swāmījī III was performed by Dādar sabhā. A power-point presentation was shown in the back ground as children spoke. It had lesser known information about Hoḍḍa Swāmījī .This presentation was written by Saṅgītā Pawār pāchī in three languages namely Sanskrit, Koṅkaṇī and English so that all present can understand about our beloved Hoḍḍa Swāmījī's life. The pictures in the presentation were shared by SCM Anushravas and the powerpoint was compiled by Saṅgeetā Kalyāṇpur pāchī.

Padminī Balsekar pāchī introduced Sāyuj Kalyāṇpur (9 yr old Prārthanā student from Dādar PV), who then spoke about his experience in attending Sevā Saptāḥ at Kārlā Math. Padminī pāchī encouraged all children also to go to Kārlā and perform Sevā Saptāḥ as it is a lot of fun for children too!

Activity – making rāitā and making salad was conducted.The children were explained about nutrition value of vegetables and importance of a balanced diet. They were also taught Sanskrit names of the ingredients used. A demo given by Kavitā Kārnāḍ pāchī to make beetroot rāitā held the attention of children. The children then sat in a huge circle and jointly made mix veg salad using peelers and sqeezers with the help of Padminī Balsekar pāchī. All children then were assisted by Sujātā HaĪdipur pāchī to cut the veggies using a vegetable cutter.Both the salad and rāitā were delicious and were served to all during the scrumptious lunch that followed of purī, āmras and other tasty items.

The Shloka Recitation session was conducted post lunch during which all the children of all Sabhā-s collectively recited shloka on mic, sabhāwise. A short dance performance on Sanskrit varṇamālā-gītam was given by children of Mīrā-road.To ensure that children get enough play time, sanskrit games were conducted by Deepā Savkūr pāchī, Sujātā HaĪdipur pāchī and Añjali Dhāreshwarpāchī .

Last but not the least – the cake cutting ceremony took place at the end of the day. All the children crowded around the big chocolate walnut cake and their excitement of wishing Hoḍḍa Swāmījī was electrifying. The two youngest children of the group cut the cakeand everybody chanted Shrī Parijñānāshram Trayodashī together. The atmosphere then was so divine as if Swāmījī had graced us with their presence.

After the Sabhā-Samāpti-Prārthanā and enjoying the cake-prasāda it was time for everyone to say goodbye and disperse. By the Grace of Gurushakti, this day is a catalyst in encouraging bonding among the children of several Prārthanā Varga-s and a step to further instill respect and faith towards Guru and Guru Paramparā in young minds. This in itself is a loving return gift to all of us who attend the janmadivasa celebration!