SRI KRISHNA JAYANTHI

On the auspicious day of Sri Krishna Jayanthi, Anandadham was converted into Gokula. Tiny tots of Sandeepani Sishuvihar and the other children from Samskarvarga, crowded here by 9 am in the morning, to take part in the Krishna Jayanthi celebration. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and siblings of the children were busy decorating their tiny tots into Krishnas. Each Krishna was dressed in yellow coloured veshthi and red or green coloured uttariya, crown on the head and a small flute in the hand, tilakam on the forehead and kundalam hanging from the ears! It was a beautiful sight. There were 20 such Krishnas and three Unni Krishnas. There were Gopikas too around 10 of them. All the little Krishnas were made to sit on stage with the Gopikas behind them. Other children and some elders sang bhajans on Sri Krishna. Smt Mathy Pavitran and Susri Sutapa Das were the judges to select the best child of the lot. All the participating children given token of appreciation for their participation. 

The programme started at 10.30 a.m with a prayer by the Sandeepani Sishuvihar children followed by Deepa prajwalanam by Smt Amani Amma, a well-wisher of Vivekananda Kendra.

After the show the children went to the park to do pradakshina of Sri Krishna's idol at Vrindavan Park of the campus. 'Uriadi ' or breaking of the pot with a stick was the last item of the celebration. All the children enjoyed this thoroughly. There was distribution of prasada after the programme. Programme concluded by noon.

Ramayana Month programmes

The Karkatakam or Ramayana  month Samapanam programme was held at Anandadham on 6th August.

Ramayana Masam is an important observance in the state of Kerala. It is observed in the month of ‘Karkidakam’ of the Malayalam calendar while in the Gregorian calendar it corresponds to the months of July to August. This festival is also popularly known as ‘Karkadaka Masam’. During this time, there is a ritual to read ‘Ramayana’ on all the days of the month in almost all Hindu households. Ramayana was translated in the Malayalam language by Thunchath Ezhuthachan and is known as ‘Adhyatma Ramayana Kilippattu’. It is this Malayalam version that is read during the Ramayana Masam. 

As in previous years Kum Bindu with her companion Smt. Baby visited a good number of houses in the neighborhood and did Ramayana pranayama and puja. Where there were no  Ramayana books Kendra presented them with copies of Ramayana.

From 4pm to 5 p.m Ramayana quiz was conducted in three categories. One was for the tiny tots of Sandeepani Sishuvihar, the other was for the Samskarvarga children and the third was for the mothers among the audience.

This year Sri. S Ramesan Nair who has made lifelong contributions to Indian culture through his poems, plays, lyrics, translations and commentaries was the speaker of the occasion. The subject of the talk was Rama as a Maryada Purushotama and the benefits of parayanam of Adhyatma Ramayanam. Sri S.Rameshan Nair is also the author of Chilapadikaram and Kamba Ramayanam in Malayalam.  He left the audience speelbound with his speech.

"An ideal son to the parents. 

An ideal husband to His wife. 

A Good brother to his young brothers. 

A Good and Ideal king to the people of His kingdom. 

A good and ideal protector of Dharma. 

A Good and Ideal ruler. 

A good and ideal friend to vanaras. 

An Ideal son in obeying the parents. 

An example for morality. 

So, Shri Rama is called Maryada purushottam Ram."

Vishwabhanu_June-July_2016

19TH JULY GURUPURNIMA DAY

Gurupoornima day was celebrated by the yoga students, and Sandeepani Sishuvihar children on 19th.  Lakshmi Didi addressed the morning batch yoga students in the morning. She highlighted the significance of Guru in ones own growth and the need for paying their reverence to all those teachers who contributed to becoming what they are today.

Sandeepani Sishuvihar children did pada puja to Lakshmi Didi and sought her blessings. She blessed them and addressed the noon batch yoga students. In her address, she requested all the mothers to  play the vital role in the growth of children befitting to the dictum of Matrudevo Bhava. 

GURUPURNIMA CELEBRATION

              As Guru Purnima fell on 19th July, a working day, it was celebrated at Anandadham on 17th Sunday, with a unique programme of honouring a large number of elderly retired teachers in and around Kodungallur.

           The programme started at 10 a.m. with the chanting of Gurupaduka strotra by Susri Sutapa . Sri Gopalan Kutty Menon, a very senior respected retired teacher and a poet, presided. He and Lakshmi Didi together lit the lamp. SKIE students led the Guru strotra chanting.

Man. Lakshmi Didi, in her welcome address described the event as a unique one stressing that all those teachers who have laid 

the foundation of the present generation at Kodungallur have come together for the first time and are being honoured. Forty-one retired Primary and High school teachers were present. Each of them was honoured with a memento and two of our publications. Eight selected teachers shared their experiences.    Side by side, the children of Samskarvarga and Sandeepani Sishuvihar performed pada-pooja of their parents who were also invited for programme, marking that education starts at home from the parents. 

Srimad Swami Tejaswaroopananda Saraswati, Vivekananda Seva Kendra, Thrissur who was the Chief Guest explained in his speech the importance of inculcating the values in the minds of children and he used the eternal example of Sri Hanuman of Ramayana. This also was a reminder to the audience that Ramayana, which is religiously read during the karkataka month (Ramayana Month) is not just a purana story to be taken lightly, but to be used as a manual  of values for character building and Nation building to be inculcated in the growing children.

Mananeeya Lakshmi Didi's book "Bhavayami Ekanatham' (a short biography of Ma. Eknathji) was also released by Sri Gopalan Kutty Menon and the first copy was received by Smt Jyothi Unniraman, our close well-wisher. Programme concluded with Shanti Mantra and a grand lunch

CONCLUDING PROGRAMME - INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY CELEBRATION - VIMARSHA

26th June Sunday, was  the concluding day of the International Yoga Day celebrations, at Ananda dham. A half day VIMARSHA  on  "Yoga and Education"  was arranged from 10 a.m to 12.30 noon. Sri Gopinath Edakkunni, Course Director of Thrissur District Yoga Association and Srimad Swami Tejaswarupananda Saraswathi, form Vivekananda Sevasram, Triprayar were the chief speakers. Susree Indu, student of Sri Gopinath and a Yoga therapist by profession spoke about her experiences. Sri Harinath.P, Yoga teacher at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Vidya Mandir, Kodungallur since last fifteen years, shared his experiences as a Yoga teacher while dealing with  different  age groups of school children. 

This was  followed by a beautiful yogasana demonstration by the prize winners of the various yoga competitions conducted earlier. As the last item of the day, the prize distribution for the winners in Yogasana contest. Mananeeya Didi and Sri Nayarananji, one of our guests and a yoga practitioner from Angamali, gave away the prizes. This year too, Mananeeya Eknathji Memorial rolling trophy for the best performing school, went to Guru shree Public School. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School were  the runners  up. The programme concluded by 1.30 p.m.with Shanthi mantra.

YOGASANA COMPETITION

Competition on individual advanced yoga postures was held for school students in three categories, viz Group A -Class III to V, Group B- class VI to VIII and Group C -  for classes IX to X on 25 th June. A total of ten asanas were named out of which each students had to perform five asanas of their choice.

Mananeeya Didi lighting the lamp

  Forty five students from four different schools participated. The competition started by paying homage to sage Patanjali and lighting of lamp by Mananeeya Lakshmi |Didi.  It started at 7.30 a.m. and concluded at 12.30 noon.Mananeeya Eknathji Rolling Trophy for the school team with highest scores was bagged by last years winners,Gurushree School again.The runners up team was Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Vidya Mandir,Kodungallur.

INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY CELEBRATION 2016

    The International Yoga Day was celebrated not only in India but all over the world. Vivekananda Kendra Vedic Vision Foundation, Kodungallur, too, in its own way  celebrated the International Yoga Day. Fifty-five participants belonging to the Yoga Varga and Yoga Satra being conducted within the campus and outside, were present for the collective yoga and pranayama  practice based on the National Protocol, with some additions like the Surya Namaskar.

     Mananeeya Lakshmi Didi lighted the lamp and gave her blessings to the performers. Sri P.C.Sudhakaranji, a close well-wisher of Vivekananda Kendra, Kodungallur, conducted the class. 15 gents and 40 ladies took part. The programme started at 7.30 a.m. and ended at 9 a.m.  The whole programme was sponsored by Dr.Sowdamini Suresh, a close wellwisher and sincere yoga practitioner of Kendra. 

Adaraneeya Lakshmi Didi inaugurated the International yoga Day programme at H.D.P.Y School. Andipillikavu and gave her blessings. The children and staff including school management member participated in the protocol practice. Smt. Lajita Udayan, trained in Kendra and yoga teacher of the school, conducted the programme. 

Sri Sudhakarji inaugurated the Amritha Vidyalyam, Kodungallur yoga day programme and addressed the children and staff about importance of yoga practice in day to day life. He also conducted similar programme at Balanubodhini school at Methala. The school management requested Kendra to conduct some training programme for the benefit of senior children

Vishwabhanu April-May 2016

Vishwabhanu_April-May_2016

A half-day Workshop on Samskara Varga Prashikshan  for 13  ladies including  housewives and college going   students from 8 villages of Vellangallur area of Irinjalakuda, was held at Anandadham today (  Saturday,28th May). Shibir started at 10 a.m. with a report  by Smt  Mini  who had attended the first one day Samskarvarga prashikshan Shibir held on 22nd December 2015.She narrated how the Samskara varga prashikshan given in Kendra  was helpful for them in starting 10 such Vargas in different villages of Vellangallur and today's workshop was the result of the demands of more parents who found the difference in the childrens' behaviour.This was followed by Didi's talk on the ' Need for Samskara' to bind the  people together to inculcate the Indianness in them.

Sri Sudhakarji guided them on how they could organize and conduct classes for children within a limited time of one and a half hour, which would include all aspects of development- physical, mental, spiritual, intellectual and patriotic zeal in a child. Teaching of daily prayers,song, exercises, and games practice, summing up by Didi,  formed part of the workshop. The Workshop concluded at 1.30 p.m. withShanti mantra. All the participants enthusiastically participated in the entire programme and looking forward in organising a few more classes in the different areas of Vellangallur, as well as assisting  the already existing vargas in their localities . 

Mananeeya LakshmiDidi talking to the participants

game in progress

SAMSKAR VARGA PRASHIKSHAN  SHIBIR

     'Be and Make', is one of the well-known sutras of Swami Vivekananda. What can be a more relevant message for the budding Samskarvarg teachers who are given training or prashikshan to train the kids in and around their locality, in  inculcating good samskaras,  which would help to build up their all round personalities.

     A three day nonresidential Samskaravarg Shibir was conducted from 28th April to 30th April,by Vivekananda Vedic Vision Foundation at Anandadham, under the able guidance of our resource persons and also jeevanvrati karyakartas,- Sushree Lalita Didi, Sushree Sumitra, Sri Raghuji and under the overall support and guidance of Mananeeya Lakshmi Didi. 17 children from the age group of 11years  to 18 years and 3 mothers from 8 localities in and around Kodungallur, were trained. From 9 a.m. to  3.30 p.m everyday, they were trained in different skills like  art of story telling, based on Indian Cultural values like Satya, Tyaga,Seva etc, Slogans or ghosas, Agnyas or commands for disciplining the Varga,and many games through which they could develop their life skills both physically and mentally. 

      Dr Ashalatha BJP Counsellor of the 41st ward of Kodungallur town was the Chief Guest for the concluding session. She spoke to the children and their parents as to the importance of good samskaras . 'Though it was the concluding of the camp,yet  it was just the beginning because this handful of children could make a mark in the society by spreading Swamiji's message to the nook and corners of Kodungallur' said Mananeeya Lakshmi Didi in her ashirvachanam.

Mananeeya LakshmiDidi lighting the lamp  -28th April

Story telling session- children enacting the story told by Didi

Su. Lalita Didi training children in Surya Namaskar

Sri Raghuji's class on patriots of India and Kerala

Su.Sumtra Didi's session -Agnya, Ghosh, Geet  and instruction for Khel

Dr Ashalatha addressing the children on the concluding session

Vishwabhanu Februrary - March 2016

It was a good fortune to start our Vimarsha series with Acharya A.K.B Nair. Sri A.K.B Nair is a renowned exponent of spiritual literature in Kerala. After a long and spotless career in the Indian Revenue Service, he took up studies  in Sanskrit and Spiritual literature and emerged as an extremely well-versed speaker on Bhagavata,Devi Bhagavatam, Ramayana and so on.Of special interest to him is Ezhuthacchan's Adhyatma Ramayana in Malayalam.He has produced a well-studied commentary on this Malayalam Ramayana, which he says,the Holy Book of Keralites. The talk on 18th April, 4pm to 6.30p.m.was based on the innumerable anecdotes which make it a manual for self-unfoldment and societal well-being, in essence, it was an enlightening exploration into the Dharma as depicted in the life of  Maryadapurushottam Sri Ramachandra. One could easily understand why Sri Rama was called 'Vigrahavan Dharma'. How Rama behaved  as an  elder brother, as a husband, as a son, as a friend and as a King, became the dharma of a brother, a husband, a son, a friend and the rastra dharma of a King. Hence he assured that if the reading  and understanding the meaning of Ramayana becomes the part of the life of each family, life will be smooth and without failures.