News from Branches and Centres
News from Abroad Nairobi
The Nairobi Centre celebrated the 3rd anniversary of the enshrinement of Sri Aurobindo's Relics at the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan on 13th July 2006. Mother's flag was hoisted at 08:00 am followed by prayers. In the evening Dhruv Bhatt and associates gave a musical recital "Samarpan" for about an hour starting with "Om Namo Bhagavate" and ending with "Anandamayi, Chaitanyamayi, Satyamayi Parame". About 135 people attended the programme. The booklet "Aim of Life" was presented to all.
News from India
Maharashtra State Conference
The annual conference of all the Centres and Branches of Sri Aurobindo Society in Maharashtra was held at Sri Aurobindo Centre, Aurangabad, on 1st and 2nd of July 2006, at Tourist Home, Aurangabad. Around 50 delegates from various Centres and Branches from all over Maharashtra attended the conference. Along with this conference a separate get-together was arranged for the members of the Abhipsa Youth Wing of Aurangabad Centre on 2nd July, in which about 60 youths participated. It was addressed and guided by Kaivalyabhai.
The conference started with the invocation to the presence of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, with the Ashram music. In the beginning, Prof. Rameshwar Rathi, Secretary, Aurangabad Centre, welcomed all the delegates representing their respective Centres and Branches from all over Maharashtra. Kaivalyabhai, Chairman, Maharashtra State Committee, presided over all the sessions and inspired the participants for an interactive exchange. The main topics for the interactive sessions were: ( I ) Our Work (II) Individual and collective sadhana in the integral yoga (III) Planning for the Future EventsKaivalyabhai explained the above topics with reference to what Sri Aurobindo and the Mother has said and how to bring into practice the elements of Integral Yoga in day-to-day life. He also emphasized the importance of the role a Centre as a place of real presence of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and said that the Centres should develop in such a way that their message should reach to the people at large, as given by them.
All the delegates presented the activities conducted at their Centres during the last one year. It was felt that each Centre is working in its own way and trying to develop itself as an ideal Centre.
Presentation by a participant
In the evening, a cultural programme was presented by the youth wing of the Aurangabad Centre. The programme included classical singing, dance, bhajans, taranas and jugalbandi in Karnatak and Hindustani style, with a special commentary on how to look at Art - especially painting, music and sculpture - in the Light of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. This must have helped the delegates, who visited the world famous Ellora Caves and Ghrishneshwar Shiva Temple on the following day.
On the 2nd of July, the day started with a meditation with the recitation of 'Savitri' by Dollyben. After the visit to Ellora Caves, the concluding session was held wherein special attention was drawn to the programmes to be chalked out during the year 2007-08 which is the centenary year of Sri Aurobindo's visit to Maharashtra. The Vote of thanks was proposed by Avinash, a youth wing member of Aurangabad Centre, to all those who attended, participated and helped to make this conference a success. Special thanks were expressed towards Kaivalyabhai and Shri Omprakashji Goenka, for their enthusiastic cooperation and guidance.
Paigmberpur (U.P.) - Workshop on Integral Development for Women & Children
The Paigmberpur Centre organised a 20-days workshop based on the vision of Sri Aurobindo on integral development, with the women and children of Paigmberpur and few other adjoining villages, from 28th May to 17th June 2006. Two young girls from Lady Shriram and Hansraj College from Delhi - Sonali and Divya - conducted the workshop along with three other youngsters from the villages, viz. Rachna, Sangeeta and Vipin.
Women of the village, teaching & learning
The interaction with women included two separate workshops on Stitching this time, and Vadi making in March 2006. Besides imparting basic skills, the focus of these workshops was on developing positive group dynamics and encouraging women to work together as a team. The products will be sold in New Delhi and the money will go to the Centre. During the workshop, there was also an interactive quiz aimed at introducing the concepts of health, hygiene and nutrition. The information provided was combined with songs, dances and mythological stories.
Aspiring for Grace Pure Joy
Around 60 children attended the workshop. The children were divided into three groups according to their age. One of the main focus was to work on children's attitude through various activities and games and subject teaching, to develop in them concentration, observation, listening skills, sharing, working together as a group interpersonal relationship, and also sensitizing them towards their environment.
Some of the activities were:1. Worksheets 2. Quiz 3. Painting and Drawing - using beads, dry leaves and colours4. Cutting and pasting - making bags with newspapers5. Physical and mental games - likeTempest, Radio game, Train, Memory games, Running games in teams and pairs, Kho, Throw Ball, Badminton, Chinese Whisper, Contact, Concentration etc. 6. Craft - using natural materials like leaves, mud, and sticks for making folders and caps. 7. Subject teaching: Geography - starting from their own village. They made their village map. 8. Logical thinking - through Maths, History - through stories and anecdotes. 9. Communication Skills - English speaking. 10. One of the highlights of the workshop was the task of removing harmful weeds from the whole village, especially the congress grass (local name) which is known to aggravate asthma. Children were first made aware of its harmful effects. Then they marched around the whole village shouting slogans (written by themselves) about cleanliness, after which they all cleaned up their assigned areas.
Marching into the village, with a Message! Cleaning the village
11. Theater - at the end of the workshop children presented a beautiful programme to the public, which included: Shlokas - Gayatri mantra, chanting of Anandmayi Chatnyamayi Satyamayi Parame, and some other shlokas. Two small plays which children themselves wrote and enacted with help from the resource persons, highlighting issues like the importance of cleanliness and sharing. The play had a lot of humour in it, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. Two dances with the theme of Radha and Krishna and a Bhangra
The evenings were spent in either of the following:*Reading of the book 'On Education' by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The participants were presented with a copy of the books at the end of the workshop. *Making Vermi Compost beds *Informal interactions with village children*Reading about Organic Farming*After dinner there was small concentration and feedback and planning sessions for the next day.
The camp concluded, with everybody singing the camp song. It was a beautiful, enriching experince for all involved.
Noida (U.P.)
On 4th June 2006 Shri Swami Vidhyanandji, Head of Sri Maa School of Transformational Yoga, Hong Kong, visited the Noida Branch. On the occasion, immediately after the regular collective meditation, Shri Swami Vidhyanandji gave a talk on 'The Mother' and explained Her teachings. Shri Swami Vidhyanandji visited the Noida Branch again on 11th June and spoke to the audience about Transformational Yoga. Shri Pradeep Narang, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, visited Noida Branch on 18th June 2006. He delivered a talk on "Harmony". The talk was attended by devotees, their families and friends. The talk was followed by a question and answer session.
Noida Branch held a Yogasana, Pranayama and Dhyana Shivir from 17 to 25 June 2006. The Shivir was conducted by Swami Satya Govindji from Lucknow. His tips on Health, Yoga and Consciousness were appreciated by the participants as well as by the media who were present. About 35 persons participated in the Shivir.
The devotees' interest in reading the books/journals at the Noida Branch Library is increasing. Besides the above, activities like meditation with the Mother's music, daily in the morning and evening, Bhagavad Gita Paath on every Friday, 'Savitri' reading, library etc. are held regularly.
Vadodara (Gujarat)
Sri Aurobindo's Bust, which was ceremoniously brought from London to Vadodara in 1993 and kept at the Sri Aurobindo Nivas for 13 years, was taken to Kolkata and handed over by Shri Hanskumar Mankad to Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the Governor of West Bengal, at a well-organised function on 21st June 2006 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan. Large number of devotees, general public and representatives of Sri Aurobindo Society Centres of West Bengal and Gujarat were present, besides Shri K. Goswami, P.W.D. Minister of West Bengal and Retd. General P. Raichaudhari.
A large size painting of Sri Aurobindo done by Shri Shankarsingh Vaghela was handed over to Shri Shirpurkar, Chief Justice of West Bengal. at a function on 23rd June 2006. It was followed by cultural programmes of Robindra Music and Kathak dance by the artists of Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata.
Study classes of the books of Sri Aurobindo which have been organised since last 12 years, were organised this year also from 4 to 10 June 2006. Shri Anirudhbhai Smart inaugurated the classes on 4th June, which was attended by more than 25 devotee-workers of different Centres of Sri Aurobindo Society in Gujarat. The programme was conducted by Shri Sharadbhai Joshi. Shri Anirudhbhai Smart gave a public talk on 4th June on "The Message of the Gita". Shri Ashwinbhai Kapadia gave talks on 'Savitri' from 10 to 17 June 2006. Sri Aurobindo Society Website
News from Abroad Nairobi
The Nairobi Centre celebrated the 3rd anniversary of the enshrinement of Sri Aurobindo's Relics at the Sri Aurobindo Bhavan on 13th July 2006. Mother's flag was hoisted at 08:00 am followed by prayers. In the evening Dhruv Bhatt and associates gave a musical recital "Samarpan" for about an hour starting with "Om Namo Bhagavate" and ending with "Anandamayi, Chaitanyamayi, Satyamayi Parame". About 135 people attended the programme. The booklet "Aim of Life" was presented to all.
News from India
Maharashtra State Conference
The annual conference of all the Centres and Branches of Sri Aurobindo Society in Maharashtra was held at Sri Aurobindo Centre, Aurangabad, on 1st and 2nd of July 2006, at Tourist Home, Aurangabad. Around 50 delegates from various Centres and Branches from all over Maharashtra attended the conference. Along with this conference a separate get-together was arranged for the members of the Abhipsa Youth Wing of Aurangabad Centre on 2nd July, in which about 60 youths participated. It was addressed and guided by Kaivalyabhai.
The conference started with the invocation to the presence of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, with the Ashram music. In the beginning, Prof. Rameshwar Rathi, Secretary, Aurangabad Centre, welcomed all the delegates representing their respective Centres and Branches from all over Maharashtra. Kaivalyabhai, Chairman, Maharashtra State Committee, presided over all the sessions and inspired the participants for an interactive exchange. The main topics for the interactive sessions were: ( I ) Our Work (II) Individual and collective sadhana in the integral yoga (III) Planning for the Future EventsKaivalyabhai explained the above topics with reference to what Sri Aurobindo and the Mother has said and how to bring into practice the elements of Integral Yoga in day-to-day life. He also emphasized the importance of the role a Centre as a place of real presence of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, and said that the Centres should develop in such a way that their message should reach to the people at large, as given by them.
All the delegates presented the activities conducted at their Centres during the last one year. It was felt that each Centre is working in its own way and trying to develop itself as an ideal Centre.
Presentation by a participant
In the evening, a cultural programme was presented by the youth wing of the Aurangabad Centre. The programme included classical singing, dance, bhajans, taranas and jugalbandi in Karnatak and Hindustani style, with a special commentary on how to look at Art - especially painting, music and sculpture - in the Light of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. This must have helped the delegates, who visited the world famous Ellora Caves and Ghrishneshwar Shiva Temple on the following day.
On the 2nd of July, the day started with a meditation with the recitation of 'Savitri' by Dollyben. After the visit to Ellora Caves, the concluding session was held wherein special attention was drawn to the programmes to be chalked out during the year 2007-08 which is the centenary year of Sri Aurobindo's visit to Maharashtra. The Vote of thanks was proposed by Avinash, a youth wing member of Aurangabad Centre, to all those who attended, participated and helped to make this conference a success. Special thanks were expressed towards Kaivalyabhai and Shri Omprakashji Goenka, for their enthusiastic cooperation and guidance.
Paigmberpur (U.P.) - Workshop on Integral Development for Women & Children
The Paigmberpur Centre organised a 20-days workshop based on the vision of Sri Aurobindo on integral development, with the women and children of Paigmberpur and few other adjoining villages, from 28th May to 17th June 2006. Two young girls from Lady Shriram and Hansraj College from Delhi - Sonali and Divya - conducted the workshop along with three other youngsters from the villages, viz. Rachna, Sangeeta and Vipin.
Women of the village, teaching & learning
The interaction with women included two separate workshops on Stitching this time, and Vadi making in March 2006. Besides imparting basic skills, the focus of these workshops was on developing positive group dynamics and encouraging women to work together as a team. The products will be sold in New Delhi and the money will go to the Centre. During the workshop, there was also an interactive quiz aimed at introducing the concepts of health, hygiene and nutrition. The information provided was combined with songs, dances and mythological stories.
Aspiring for Grace Pure Joy
Around 60 children attended the workshop. The children were divided into three groups according to their age. One of the main focus was to work on children's attitude through various activities and games and subject teaching, to develop in them concentration, observation, listening skills, sharing, working together as a group interpersonal relationship, and also sensitizing them towards their environment.
Some of the activities were:1. Worksheets 2. Quiz 3. Painting and Drawing - using beads, dry leaves and colours4. Cutting and pasting - making bags with newspapers5. Physical and mental games - likeTempest, Radio game, Train, Memory games, Running games in teams and pairs, Kho, Throw Ball, Badminton, Chinese Whisper, Contact, Concentration etc. 6. Craft - using natural materials like leaves, mud, and sticks for making folders and caps. 7. Subject teaching: Geography - starting from their own village. They made their village map. 8. Logical thinking - through Maths, History - through stories and anecdotes. 9. Communication Skills - English speaking. 10. One of the highlights of the workshop was the task of removing harmful weeds from the whole village, especially the congress grass (local name) which is known to aggravate asthma. Children were first made aware of its harmful effects. Then they marched around the whole village shouting slogans (written by themselves) about cleanliness, after which they all cleaned up their assigned areas.
Marching into the village, with a Message! Cleaning the village
11. Theater - at the end of the workshop children presented a beautiful programme to the public, which included: Shlokas - Gayatri mantra, chanting of Anandmayi Chatnyamayi Satyamayi Parame, and some other shlokas. Two small plays which children themselves wrote and enacted with help from the resource persons, highlighting issues like the importance of cleanliness and sharing. The play had a lot of humour in it, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. Two dances with the theme of Radha and Krishna and a Bhangra
The evenings were spent in either of the following:*Reading of the book 'On Education' by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The participants were presented with a copy of the books at the end of the workshop. *Making Vermi Compost beds *Informal interactions with village children*Reading about Organic Farming*After dinner there was small concentration and feedback and planning sessions for the next day.
The camp concluded, with everybody singing the camp song. It was a beautiful, enriching experince for all involved.
Noida (U.P.)
On 4th June 2006 Shri Swami Vidhyanandji, Head of Sri Maa School of Transformational Yoga, Hong Kong, visited the Noida Branch. On the occasion, immediately after the regular collective meditation, Shri Swami Vidhyanandji gave a talk on 'The Mother' and explained Her teachings. Shri Swami Vidhyanandji visited the Noida Branch again on 11th June and spoke to the audience about Transformational Yoga. Shri Pradeep Narang, Chairman, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry, visited Noida Branch on 18th June 2006. He delivered a talk on "Harmony". The talk was attended by devotees, their families and friends. The talk was followed by a question and answer session.
Noida Branch held a Yogasana, Pranayama and Dhyana Shivir from 17 to 25 June 2006. The Shivir was conducted by Swami Satya Govindji from Lucknow. His tips on Health, Yoga and Consciousness were appreciated by the participants as well as by the media who were present. About 35 persons participated in the Shivir.
The devotees' interest in reading the books/journals at the Noida Branch Library is increasing. Besides the above, activities like meditation with the Mother's music, daily in the morning and evening, Bhagavad Gita Paath on every Friday, 'Savitri' reading, library etc. are held regularly.
Vadodara (Gujarat)
Sri Aurobindo's Bust, which was ceremoniously brought from London to Vadodara in 1993 and kept at the Sri Aurobindo Nivas for 13 years, was taken to Kolkata and handed over by Shri Hanskumar Mankad to Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the Governor of West Bengal, at a well-organised function on 21st June 2006 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan. Large number of devotees, general public and representatives of Sri Aurobindo Society Centres of West Bengal and Gujarat were present, besides Shri K. Goswami, P.W.D. Minister of West Bengal and Retd. General P. Raichaudhari.
A large size painting of Sri Aurobindo done by Shri Shankarsingh Vaghela was handed over to Shri Shirpurkar, Chief Justice of West Bengal. at a function on 23rd June 2006. It was followed by cultural programmes of Robindra Music and Kathak dance by the artists of Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, Kolkata.
Study classes of the books of Sri Aurobindo which have been organised since last 12 years, were organised this year also from 4 to 10 June 2006. Shri Anirudhbhai Smart inaugurated the classes on 4th June, which was attended by more than 25 devotee-workers of different Centres of Sri Aurobindo Society in Gujarat. The programme was conducted by Shri Sharadbhai Joshi. Shri Anirudhbhai Smart gave a public talk on 4th June on "The Message of the Gita". Shri Ashwinbhai Kapadia gave talks on 'Savitri' from 10 to 17 June 2006. Sri Aurobindo Society Website
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