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Chinmaya Mission Washington Regional Center

EDITORIAL

Hari Om! What you have in your hand is a combination of many things. It has articles by the graduating students, parents and teachers. We are very fortunate to have received a message by Swami Tejomayanandaji. Swami Dheeranandaji, and Acharya Vilasiniji have provided inspirational articles. The most significant feature in this volume is the set of bio-sketches of all our graduates. We have an impressive group of young men and women whose accomplishments are multi faceted. We are proud of them. In the mission, we strive to provide the children with moral values and inculcate pride in their heritage. As our graduates prepare to tackle the world on their own, the sense of self-worth they have gained in Bala Vihar will be their strength. This is the essence of the message of our keynote speaker Mr. Stephen Gibson. The graduation ceremony and the souvenir is an expression of our congratulations to the graduates on completing Bala Vihar studies. They will remember this evening as a capstone event of their Bala Vihar days. We wish them the very best of endeavors and remind them the reassuring words of the greatest Guru: Hari Om! Nagaraj and Chetana Neerchal

iÉxqÉÉixÉuÉåïwÉÑ MüÉsÉåwÉÑ qÉÉqÉlÉÑxqÉU rÉÑkrÉ cÉ | qÉrrÉÌmÉïiÉqÉlÉÉãoÉÑÌ®: qÉÉqÉåuÉæwrÉxrÉxÉÇvÉrÉqÉç ||

Remember Me at all times, and face the challenges of life, with mind, intellect absorbed in Me; you shall doubtless come to Me.

CMWRC Graduation Souvenir

________________________________________________________________________________ May 2006 www.chinmayadc.org

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MESSAGE

Dear Bala Vihar students, Hari Om! Hearty Congratulations to you on this Graduation Ceremony Day! It is by hard work alone one can reach greater and greater heights of success in any field. Therefore work hard. May God's Grace and Pujya Gurudev's blessings be ever with you empowering you to walk this path of goodness with conviction and enthusiasm. With Prem & Om,

May 20, 2006



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The Divine Hand

Swami Dheerananda Sri Gurudev impressed upon me that the Divine Lord has mysterious ways of taking care of His pet instruments. Chinmaya Mission Hyderabad grandly celebrated Sri Gurudev's birthday on May 8, 1993. Sri Gurudev asked me to sit next to Him at the Bhiksha. When the devotees announced they had a cake for Sri Gurudev, He exclaimed, "Cake for me? Come, bring it here!" Pointing to me, He said: "You cut it!" When Sri Gurudev says something, there can be no hesitation or second thought. I rushed to the washbasin to wash my hands and received the knife when I returned. Then alone did I notice that, in my haste, the top of my hand had been left unclean. I was already holding the knife and could not easily return to the washbasin for a second washing. I felt so embarrassed holding the knife on the cake. At that moment, Sri Gurudev placed His gentle but firm hand over mine and covered the unclean portion of my hand with His hand. The moment I felt His Touch, I forgot my embarrassment and even my unclean hand. I felt His Power using my hand to cut the cake. He worked through me. His hand was cutting the cake through my hand. I totally surrendered unto Him. I know I am His pet instrument. He knows how to use His pet instrument. We are His pet instruments. May we surrender unto Him totally. May His Power, Grace and Blessings flow through us to the world around us.



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Dear Chinmayam Students: You are very fortunate to read the Bhagavad Gita in your teens. The Gita is an amazingly powerful story when we relate to Arjuna and feel his predicament. We have discovered how much we can relate to him and his confusions. We have seen how many dilemmas we face ourselves—challenges we are called to rise up to—much smaller of course, yet strikingly similar. Sri Krishna’s responses to Arjuna are so deep that understanding them keeps growing. Even today, thirty years after first reading the Gita, I find more wisdom each time I read it. When I first read Chapter One, I thought what a sensible and nonmaterialistic prince Arjuna was, and I was impressed with all his arguments against fighting. Chapter Two was a complete surprise---I couldn’t believe Krishna was telling Arjuna to fight. I must admit I didn’t follow most of Krishna’s points, but I could see Arjuna’s gradual clarity and peace of mind growing. Later, when I read Gurudev’s commentary, the Holy Geeta, it all made so much sense. With Gurudev’s commentary, it is easier to understand Sri Krishna’s wisdom. We just have to be open to the Gita, be curious about it, read Gurudev’s commentary, and it unfolds in front of us! Reading it again through teens’ eyes has brought about another deepening of appreciation of the Gita for me and all your teachers. Through your questions you have opened up more applications of its wisdom. The Bhagavad Gita has offered food for thought, inspiring as well as perplexing, but always stimulating our thinking. Our work has been to extract the main ideas that speak to us and that we can apply in life. All the discussions you have had show that you have truly taken wisdom from this sacred book and its commentaries by Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda and Guruji Swami Tejomayananda. In this article, major points will be summarized which we have discussed and

applied in the last three years. How the Gita Helps Us Build Positive Attitudes If one were to ask in a nutshell what the Gita teaches, a wonderful response is that the Gita teaches us how to be positive no matter what happens around us. A positive attitude includes being fearless, enthusiastic, motivated, and most of all, cheerful. In fact, we can simply say a positive attitude is being cheerful and making others cheerful. Almost all of us can easily identify with the Gita’s hero, Arjuna. Last year, we enacted the example of a college student who was depressed about taking an exam he was afraid of failing. His friends came to his aid to boost his confidence by reminding him of the teachings in the Gita, starting with “do your best and leave the rest.” This helped the student discover cheer and hope. How do we get a positive attitude in life? Swami Tejomayananda has outlined seven steps during his talks on the Gita1. These are the points we found. Step One: Broaden Your Vision of Life. There is much more to life than meets the eye. We can learn to understand the bigger picture of life with all its nuances and learn how to play the game of life. Study of the scriptures (jnana yoga) is the path to completely transform our vision of life. Sri Krishna says in the Gita, “He who sees Me everywhere and sees all things in Me does not lose sight of Me, nor do I of him.” (6:30) What does seeing God in everyone mean? It means realizing that we are more than just our BMI, body-mind-intellect, and that the divine Self, OM, or Atman is our very essence, the truth of existence, and the only entity which never changes or dies. This Om is God, or Brahman, the Self in everyone.

1 During Piercy Camp in 2000, as edited by D.C. Rao

The Gita Cure

Acharya Vilasiniji



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Sri Krishna says, “Fixing your mind on this truth of My being, you will overcome all difficulties!” (18:58) Life is full of change and impermanence, but when we see the big picture of life, we are able to accept whatever happens. Broaden your vision so you know how to live in harmony. How can we discover this pure spirit within? This leads us to Step Two. Step Two: Do Your Duty, Your Dharma. This step is about the importance of choosing positive actions, or living by our dharma. It is really easy to pick up wrong habits, or vasanas, but when we ignore our dharma, we don’t feel right inside. What does Krishna mean by the word “dharma”? Dharma means all virtues, values, thoughts, and actions that contribute to the long-term spiritual improvement of oneself, one’s family, and society. How do we know what our dharma is? In class we came up with: As a student, your dharma is to work hard at school and strive to do your best academically. As a child, you have to respect your parents and do as you are told. As a sibling, you must serve as a model to your younger brothers and sisters. Basically, just do what feels like the right thing of which you can be proud! Sri Krishna said in Chapter 3 about karma yoga: “God created all beings and said, with the spirit of sacrifice and service, doing your duty, may you multiply and achieve happiness.” (3:10-11) The important thing we need to know about dharma is to always do what will bring peace to us and others in the long run. When we follow this path, we are doing our duty. Look at Sri Rama as the epitome of dharma. Rama always did his duty and followed the path of truth, honor, and integrity. Sri Rama was the perfect role model for what the Gita teaches: Do your duty and be cheerful and centered no matter what may happen. It is a wonderful example for us to try to follow! Swami Tejomayananda says that there are two types of dharma, individual dharma and collective dharma. Individual dharma supports the health of the body and mind. It also means thinking in a loving way. Spiritual Knowledge is our dharma because it helps us attain the understanding that

frees us from dependence on the world. On the collective level, dharma is any action that integrates and brings prosperity to all. This is also known as absolute good. The proper application of dharma by all will lead to greater prosperity in society. Step Three: Be a Team Player. Living in the yajna spirit of cooperative endeavor is one of the most important teachings of Gurudev. In fact, the Mission Pledge begins with this very point: “We stand as one family, bound to each other with love and respect.” Gurudev pointed out that one of the greatest social problems of modern society, why people have so much difficulty working together, is because each person wants to get his way. Sinking individual differences in the spirit of a common goal is the message of the yajna spirit. Sri Krishna puts it this way: “This world is bound by action other than that done for sacrifice. Do all actions in the spirit of sacrifice, free from attachment.” (3:9) and “By working selflessly with each other, you will both attain supreme good.” (3:11) This point becomes very clear when we think of team sports. Members of a sports team, like football players, must rely on each other to win the game. There is even a sports saying: There is no “I” in TEAM! But how do we get people to work together for a common goal? This brings us to: Step Four: Work for a Higher Cause in the Spirit of Seva. Seva means loving service. Seva bhav is the feeling we get when we think of others with love and try to serve them. Sri Krishna often spoke of serving the Lord through all His creatures with love: “The wise should perform action detached, desiring the welfare of the world.” (3:25) “He who is devoid of attachment, free, whose mind is established in knowledge, and who does work as a sacrifice for the Lord—he attains peace.” (4:23) What is a Higher Cause? A Higher Cause means a cause that is higher than my individual self, even higher than my family’s welfare, in fact, it means for the good of all. The Chinmaya Mission motto is “Do the maximum good for the maximum number of people for the maximum time.” This is working for the higher cause. It means thinking of others and not only of yourself. Learning this is the main



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reason behind the community hours that high schools require. Any selfless kindness you show others, like being helpful at home or nice to your brother or sister, or friendly to a new kid at school, can count as seva bhav. Dedicate actions to helping others. Try to identify with others and discover the same Self in all. This seva bhav is the highest type of living. This is realizing that we are all connected, and that others’ happiness is my happiness too. This is why Krishna told Arjuna he had to fight the war—for a higher cause, to get rid of the selfish Kauravas and restore justice to the kingdom. Step Five: Surrender Your Actions to God (Iswara Arpana). Sri Krishna says: “Actions are done in all cases by the gunas of Prakriti, or Nature. He whose mind is deluded through egoism thinks ‘I am the doer’.” (3:27) What is wrong with thinking that I am the doer? The arrogant ego in us, the ahamkara, thinks it has great powers. But all power to act comes from God. We all act according to our nature (prakriti or vasanas). When we surrender our actions to God, we learn to think of God when we act, and we try to invoke His blessings and guidance, to “let go and let God.” We need to remember God and invoke His grace so that He works through us instead of our ego acting with selfish interests. Gurudev used to say may we be empty flutes and allow Sri Krishna’s divine melody to play through us. Gurudev also said: “What you get in life is God’s gift to you. What you do with what you have is your gift to God.” This is living with gratitude for whatever blessings we have, and offering our actions back as an expression of our gratitude to God. When something sad happens, we tend to forget all the blessings that are still here. But if we try, we can always find much to be grateful for, and then give back to the world whatever we can. It is really hard to realize that we are not the doer, so first we should surrender the fruits of action, which is the next step: Step Six: Accept Graciously the Results of Action (Prasada Buddhi) “The harmonised one,

giving up the fruit of action, attains the highest peace; the nonharmonised one, working under the sway of desire, is attached to the fruit and gets bound.” (5:12) But if we really want something, like good grades, how do we give up the desire for it? We’re supposed to want to do well, after all, and it is the dharma of teenagers to do well in school! The problem is that when we’re so caught up with getting something, like a good grade, that desire could make us do something that our conscience knows is wrong, like cheating. So what can we do about it? We can try to be less concerned with getting things, not so caught up with what we want. We can try to accept graciously whatever we get. Life and school can be viewed as a kind of game; you want to try to win, but if you lose, don’t lose your peace of mind! Like in sports, it’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game. This is the meaning of prasada buddhi. Accept everything that comes to us in life as Lord’s prasad, His gift, and then trying harder next time. For instance, when taking exams in school, study hard and then accept whatever you receive as God’s prasad. Leave the result to God. Do your best and leave the rest! This brings a lot of peace of mind if you really follow it—and it motivates us to keep trying! It seems that life could be very grim if we try to follow all these steps. Wouldn’t life be cheerless? Not at all! Read on: Step Seven: Enjoy Life!! Sri Krishna says, “With mind and senses directed to Me, the wise are always pleased and happy.” (10:8-9) Sri Krishna explains further that “Virtues born of Sattva lead one to happiness and knowledge, making one luminous and free of fear and evil.” (14:6) When we have sattwic qualities, everything becomes more enjoyable. Chapters 14, 16, and 17 speak at length on how to increase sattwa, or clarity, cheer, peace of mind, creative energy, wisdom, selflessness, and a loving nature. If we can increase this feeling in us through introspection and meditation, all of life will be more enjoyable!



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To sum all this up, Swami Chinmayananda taught the Gita to show us how to do our best and then find peace of mind no matter what happens. It becomes easier when we understand that “what I get in life is God’s gift to me. What I do with what I have is my gift to God.” Instead of getting discouraged and giving up when things go wrong, you can decide that you’re going to try harder next time. Think of your studying as a humble offering to God. God doesn’t care what you offer, as long as He knows you’re giving it with love. In Chapter 12, Sri Krishna says that whatever we offer, even if a humble leaf or flower, if offered with sincerity, makes the Lord happy. He just wants to see us trying our best and enjoying the game of life. As we embark on this journey of seeing another set of brilliant graduates take off into the vast skies of career building, I reminisce the years knowing them at the Mission. How fast the time flies – only yesterday they were kids who needed help in every assignment. They caught our attention in various Mission activities – Bala Vihar programs, singing, dancing, chanting, helping out and being their own self. Today, all of a sudden they are graduating seniors. They are ready to take this gigantic step towards their career goals!! A goal that is full of ambitions, dreams, aspirations and most of all independence. Here we are wishing them success. We are also here today with these memories and wish them everlasting success in all their endeavors. It is really hard to let go of our children, not because we do not trust them but because we care for them and we do not want them to face with the challenges of the materialistic world. They are ready but are we? I remember reading that letting go of our children is like flying a kite. Like the kite, it is hard

So basically what Sri Krishna is teaching is to broaden your vision, try to see the bigger picture of things and see the presence of God around and within you. Always do your duty, what you know is right and good. Try not to worry so much about the results of your actions, but accept them cheerfully as God’s prasad. Do your best and leave the rest, and try to keep going with a positive attitude, even when unfortunate things happen. And finally, always remember others and try to be loving and helpful to others around you. With this spirit, The Bhagavad Gita promises that your life can become truly joyous, fulfilled, and enlightened!

to let go of the string that holds them - the more we let go the more we get worried. Eventually we begin to realize that the kite must fly on its own and soar the skies to see the world out there. Our graduates too seek the means to reach their professional goals. Do you really want to hold them back I ask? Here is a short rendition that I put together a few years back: I see you grow, I see you mature I see you make new friends I cannot keep the pace at times and can’t let you go You are my friend you are my dream Just look back often to give me the attention A smile to say you care And a confidence that I can still count on you As my friend and my support… You will be my hero and my dream come true My blessings with you, my friendship with you My child, I am still learning from you Like living my younger years again and bringing new life in me Don’t go fast, I may not see you go far and far Don’t despair because you will never lose And the best will come your way

Chinmayam Graduation – Reaching out for the Skies

Anil Kishore, Bala Vihar Director



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And I will always care about you As you soar high in the sky God Bless YOU And finally For when I leave this world O friend You be there to shoulder my remains and Submit them to the flames To lead me to the home of the Lord The Mission has instilled values in our children. We hope to learn from them and provide them the tools to face the challenges of this world. We also hope that they will cherish their memories here for years to come and hopefully come back to serve as leaders of our community. We are not alone in our endeavors, we have some of the best strengths to help us carry this torch What exactly are our strengths, you might ask: Our biggest strength has actually been our wonderful students who come to us to learn. They are our inspiration to teach. How could you NOT teach such wonderful kids? Our strength is also the members/parents who support us in this endeavor, they entrust us with their children so that we can instill the richness of our culture in them. Our strength is also in the teachers who inspired by the Chinmaya Movement willingly teach and spend many hours of preparation, and diligently teach the children to their fullest capacity. Each and every one of them have created an environment that is conducive to learning. They never give up! Last but not the least, our strength also comes from inspiration from, our spiritual leaders and Gurudev’s grace!! Swami Dheerananda and Acharya Vilasiniji. Their support for us and guidance to us has no end!! They continue to lead us, and we can only build upon the strong foundation that has been laid down for us. We are fortunate to have such a treasure of strengths. We have taken big strides in meeting the needs of our children. This growth is shown by our

enrollment. What started off as a few families several years ago has now grown to families with over 300 children in our program at Chinmayam alone. Additionally, the Northern Virginia, Frederick and Salisbury members have also taken a lead in many areas. We had classes at Kailas Niwas and as we grew in numbers, we had to move to a local elementary school to meet our needs. Swami Tejomayananda graced our new home “Chinmayam” on August 3, 2002 (Mahasamadhi Day). Since then we have taken even bigger strides in making our community aware of our activities and events so that our youth can benefit from the offerings at the Mission. Our satellite Centers have also grown and to accommodate their growing membership. They are now operating out of middle and high schools in their areas. In Summer of 2005, we actually added the Dulles chapter – the enrollment so strong that children had to be placed on a waiting list even before the Center opened. During common time Swami Dheerananda’s discourses are always motivating, and his style of teaching has increased our membership!!. His wonderful ways of telling stories to our children keeps them attached to our Mission. Many of them choose Swamiji as their number ONE reason why they come to the Mission!!! In him, we find our true spiritual leader who is always there for us and never hesitates to listen to us. His confidence and trust in our sevaks gives them the energy to keep on working in serving Pujya Gurudev. He is not only our spiritual leader, but our trusting friend, our guide and a member of each of our families. A

majority of our graduates return to the Mission to meet Swamiji. Even though our main theme is to teach Vedanta, we also want them to appreciate our culture and heritage. If we have the

means, why not provide our children with extracurricular activities at the Mission? We offer



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Language and Performing Arts at the Mission. Our Bala Vihar classes are enriched with the literature available to us from Chinmaya Publications. Our collaboration with other Centers keeps us enriched with our collective strength. We keep our childen involved with performances at Ramanavami, Mahashivaratri and Annual Day. This activity provides mentoring of our youth. An experience at the Mission is to be remembered by our graduates for years to come. They will cherish their time here and definitely look back and remember the attention they got. At Chinmayam alone, we have around 20 classes in all three

sessions with close to 40 teachers and cordinators!! From the youngest Madhuram class to the senior Chinmayam class all our

children participate in a variety of activities.. The smiles on their faces testify their learning victories and their sense of belonging to the Mission. This energy can be use as our strength in helping them for a better tomorrow. Our satellite Centers add to our celebrations with their own Bala Vihar productions. Our Language Classes have also grown!! We started with 10-12 students in Hindi but in the last three years the number has been between 45-50 children. Our dedicated teachers have added to the standardization of our Hindi curriculum, we have 10 teachers for seven levels of classes. We added Telugu with three levels of classes and 4 teachers, and Tamil was a new addition during school year 2003-2004. We continue to offer Sanskrit to children and adults. Our linguistic heritage adds to

our children’s’ understanding and appreciation of our scriptures. We recognize this as one of the best ways to have our future generation read about our culture and society. Our Arts program has also attracted children. The Bharata Natyam, Mrudungam, Folk Dances, Bhajan and Carnatic Music have been offered for the last two years. The Tabla classes have been most

popular!! The enrollment has shown that the children have learnt the beauty of our cultural heritage. They learn and use their energy to enjoy the art. The Arts and Language Annual Day has been a presentation of our childen’s skills. The program is always a big success, it leaves the parents

happy and proud. They all feel belonged to the Mission as one family united and strong. There cannot be another institution that can blend all these religious, cultural, spiritual values to our children!! It has to be Chinmaya Mission, a place we call our second home. This is a small world, and it is great because of the Chinmaya Movement!! It is great because of the greatest gift that Gurudev has left us. It is great because of our Acharya Vilasiniji, Swami Dheeranandaji; and most of all our children who are our torch bearers for tomorrow. May Gurudev’s grace and blessings always be with them for years to come. As a Hindi Teacher, I would have to add something in Hindi: AÉMüÉvÉ Mãü ElÉ iÉÉUÉãÇ iÉMü mÉWÒûÆcÉÉã ÎeÉlÉqÉã iÉÑqWûÉUã pÉÌuÉwrÉ MüÐ cÉqÉMü WûÉã WûU mÉaÉ mÉU E³ÉiÉÏ MüÐ lÉÏÇuÉ QûÉsÉÉã AÉæU WûU MüSqÉ mÉU xÉTüsÉ WûÉã eÉÉAÉå Reach the stars in the sky That have the brightness of your future At each step lay the foundation of prosperity And at each step be successful Sri Gurubhyo Namah Hari OM



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Roots and Wings

Education is the foundation on which our children build their lives. An education which forms a strong foundation is not restricted to the four walls of a classroom. Such an education is also about building character. It involves both cultural and religious foundations. It teaches us to know where we come from and to be proud of our heritage. It highlights the higher purpose of life. It is rooted firmly on strong moral values that provide wings to fly above the trivial differences among people and soar to one’s destiny.

Mr. Stephen Gibson grew up in Baltimore and graduated from the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. He obtained a B.A. in Social Studies and a Masters in Education, specializing in Administration and Supervision, from University of Maryland College Park. He started his career in education as a teacher at the Glenwood Middle School in Howard County in 1977. Mr. Gibson has held the position of Assistant Principal in the Howard County Public School system in Harpers Choice Middle School, Centennial High School and Howard High School. He was appointed Principal of Patapsco Middle School in 1989, a position he held for 10 years. He later became the Principal of Lime Kiln Middle School (1999-2002). During his tenure there, Mr. Gibson was selected to the Maryland School Districts Fellows program. As a Fellow, he worked as a Principal in the Baltimore City School system and provided valuable service to the school improvement programs. Mr. Gibson is currently the Principal of Burleigh Manor Middle School which is considered to be one of the best schools in the state of Maryland. He was named Principal of the Year in 1996-97 and won the Washington Post District Education Leadership Award in1997. In 2002, Mr. Gibson represented USA and Maryland in the International Leadership Team Conference held in London. He has consulted with many school systems nationwide. Mr. Gibson is a passionate model train collector. Mr. Gibson and his wife Linda Gibson have two daughters. One of them has already graduated from college and the second daughter is graduating from college this year. He has been an active church member at the St. James Episcopal Church for many years.

The Keynote Speaker

Stephen O. Gibson



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Chinmaya Mission Bala Vihar Graduation Ceremony

May 20th, 2006

Photo session 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Guests assemble in auditorium 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm Graduation procession 4:30 pm – 4:40 pm Invocation 4:40 pm – 4:45 pm Opening remarks and introduction of keynote speaker 4:45 pm – 4:50 pm

Swami Dheeranandaji and Acharya Vilasiniji Keynote address 4:50 pm – 5:20 pm

Mr. Stephen O. Gibson Principal Burleigh Manor Middle School Ellicott City, MD

Graduation ceremony 5:20 pm – 7:00 pm Dinner 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm



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A Graduate’s Photograph The indescribable energy that flows from each graduate is tangible in their photographs. Their stance of confidence, a magnetic pull one cannot resist. The mingling of hope and adventure as they reach out to grasp life shines through youthful aspirations reflected in their bio-sketches. We wish them well in their chosen path. May they achieve the goals they have set out to accomplish and return to Chinmaya Mission as responsible members of society. Chetana Neerchal



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MEET THE GRADUATES…… Name: Rohit Dewan

Schools: Elementary – Cannon Road Elementary Middle – Takoma Park Middle School High - Montgomery Blair High School Parents: Sangeeta & Kamal Dewan

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Ramita Dewan, 15 years old, 9th Grade, Tapovanam

Number of years in Chinmaya Mission: 12 years

Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Swamiji, Ms. Parvati Narayan, Mr. Arvind Bhagwat, Mr. Deepak Chadha, Mr. Anil Kishore & Others Hobbies: Sports – Table Tennis, Badminton, Volleyball, Basketball Watching TV shows & Movies Extra curricular activities: School Physics Team Vice President, School Debate Team Secretary, School Volleyball team player Special achievements: Won Several Table Tennis tournaments in his USATT rating category, Reached playoff round in the Montgomery County School Debate Competition, Maryland State Destination Imagination Finalist, AP National Scholar Future Plans: Research in Bio-medical Engineering & Business Management



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MEET THE GRADUATES……

Name: Anuj Sharma

Schools: Bonnie Brae Elementary Canterbury Elementary Frost Middle Woodson High Parents: Ashok and Neelam Sharma

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Agraja Sharma, 21 years old

Number of years in Chinmaya Mission: 15 years Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Smaran Gollamudi, Meena Baluja, Ravi Athale, Simha Rao, Ram Chandran, Shanti Chandran, Meena Bhatt Hobbies: Table tennis, basket ball, video games, movies, music, hanging out with friends Extra curricular activities: Teaching Hindi at Chinmaya Mission, volunteer at Northern Virginia Training Center for the Mentally Retarded, football, soccer, guitar, piano Special achievements: Earned President’s scholarship at College of Charleston; Recognition of outstanding service award for teaching Hindi at Chinmaya Mission; Scholar Athlete award at Woodson High School, Presidential Fitness Award Future Plans: Attending College of Charleston – Honors college starting this fall.



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Name: Atul Chandak

Schools: Nysmith Rachel Carson Middle School Chantilly High School

Parents: Gauri and Avinash Chandak

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Aditi Chandak, 15 years old, 9th Grade, Tapovanam


Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Shanti Chandran, Vanita Venugopal, Ram Chandran, Ravi Athale, Simha Rao, Smaran Gollamudi Hobbies: Guitar Basketball Football Extra curricular activities: Guitar Basketball (coach)

Future Plans: Biomedical Engineering at Clemson University



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Name: Gopal R. Nath

Schools: Good Council Academy, White Plains NY Stenwood Elementary School Vienna VA Kilmer Middle School, Vienna VA Marshall High School, Falls church, VA Parents: Leela R. Nath and Raghu G. Nath

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: NA


Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Simha Rao, Meena Baluja, Smaran Gollamudi and Shanthi Chandran

Hobbies: Basketball Extra curricular activities: Basketball, Tae Kwon Do, Soccer Special achievements: Black Belt, Tae Kwon Do; State Runner-up in DECA SLC (Association of Marketing Students) Future Plans: College



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MEET THE GRADUATES…… Name: Kiran Bhat

Schools: Dufief Elementary School, Takoma Park Middle School, Montgomery Blair High School

Parents: Lalitha Bhat, Narayan Bhat

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Only child


Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Priya (Preschool), Lalitha Bhat, Mangala Rao, Parvati Narayan, Aravind Bhagwat, Raghu Rao, Deepak Chadha, Suresh Balakrishnan, Anjali Tekchandani, Anil Kishore, Aniket Sidhaye, Sreedevi Kumar, Narayan Inamdar Hobbies: Reading, Basketball, Politics, Watching the Washington Redskins, Movies

Extra curricular activities: Debate, Montgomery County Youth Advisory Committee (Community Service), School Newspaper, Internship at National Cancer Institute, National Honor Society Special achievements: Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalist, National Merit Finalist, Maryland Distinguished Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction Award, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge Semifinalist, Gita Chanting (Diamond Club) Future Plans: Career interests include medicine and public policy.



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MEET THE GRADUATES…… Name: Krishna Bhamidipati Schools: William Tyler Elementary School, Briggs Chaney Middle School, Paint Branch High School Parents: Anuradha and Prasad Bhamidipati

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Keerti Bhamidipati, 23, studying at University of Illinois, Masters program Number of years in Chinmaya Mission: 15 years Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Priya, Mangala Rao, Parvati Narayan, Prasad (dad), Deepak Chadha, Anil Kishore, Rekha Boray, Sharanya, Aniket Sidhaye Hobbies: Performing music on French horn, reading science and math books, spending time outdoors Extra curricular activities: Play French horn for Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra and Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra Marching Band in school Played in orchestra for school musicals Special achievements: Black belt in Tae Kwon Do AP Scholar with Honor Maryland Distinguished Scholar Honorable Mention MVP awards for school music band Future Plans: Going to College Park. Want to pursue studies in physics and music. Will be in Honors Humanities Program at College Park.



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Name: Monica Kumar Schools: Elementary: Mantua Middle: Frost High: Thomas Jefferson H. S. for Science & Technology Parents: Dad: Vijay Kumar Mom: Renu Kumar

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Brother, Rohit Kumar. Sophomore at Virginia Tech. Graduated from Chinmayam in June 2004. Number of years in Chinmaya Mission: 11 years, since First Grade Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Shanthi Chandran, Meena Baluja, Ravi Athale, Ram Chandran, Simha Rao, Smaran Gollamudi Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends, enjoying the well-earned status of second semester senior Extra curricular activities: Receptionist at a hair salon, Model Judiciary program, President of Namaste (Indian culture club), Tutor for high school students, Coordinator of the monthly youth homeless shelter lunch Special achievements: Recently argued in a mock trial competition in front of the Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia and won. Future Plans: Will be attending college at Univ. of VA majoring in Biology. Possibly going to Law School.



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Name: Nayan Ramnarayan Randad

Schools: Yellow Springs Elementary Monocacy Middle and Thomas Johnson Middle Thomas Johnson High School

Parents: Father: Dr. Ramnarayan S. Randad Mother: Surekha R. Randad

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Pranay Randad, 16, 10th, Chinmayam


Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Sukanya Satya, Koman Nambiar, and D. C. Rao

Hobbies: Soccer, Nintendo

Extra curricular activities: Soccer, Chess, and Nintendo

Special achievements: Science Mentor Internship at Fort Detrick

Future Plans: Computer Engineer



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Name: Neel Trivedi

Schools: Wakefield Forest Canterbury Woods, Frost, Thomas Jefferson

Parents: Smita and Divyang Trivedi

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Nishant Trivedi, 10th grade, Chinmayam


Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Smaran Gollamudi and Meena Baluja

Hobbies: Reading, video games, and movies

Extra curricular activities: Soccer, Football, Model United Nations

Special achievements: Echols Scholar at UVA, article published in PNAS

Future Plans: Medicine



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MEET THE GRADUATES…… Name: Rohit Koppula

Schools: Watkins Mill Elementary Robert Frost Middle School Thomas Jefferson High School Parents: Narsimha and Pratibha Koppula

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Sujit Koppula, 10, Sundaram

Number of years in Chinmaya Mission: 10 years Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Smaran Gollamudi, Meena Baluja

Hobbies: Family and Friends, Basketball, Football

Extra curricular activities: Track, Model UN, Tutoring, Chinmaya Mission

Special achievements: NIH internship, National Honor Society

Future Plans: Attending George Washington University



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MEET THE GRADUATES…… Name: Vineeta Singh Schools: Loreto Convent (India. Grades: kindergarten-2, 4-7) Luxmanor Elementary (4-5th grade) Julius West Middle School (8th grade) Richard Montgomery High School Parents: Dr. Vijay K. Singh

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: None

Number of years in Chinmaya Mission: Roughly 5 years

Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Tapovanam: Parvati Aunty, Maruti Aunty Chinmayam: Vilasiniji, Pooja Lahori, Smaran, Chirag Hobbies: Reading, Movies, Restaurant-hopping, Shopping, Crosswords, Sudoku, Newspapers and newsmags, Knitting.

Extra curricular activities: NIH Intern, Quizbowl (It’s Academic), Environmental Club, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Foreign Film Club, Set Construction Special achievements: National Merit Scholarship Winner, Maryland Distinguished Scholar, AP Scholar With Distinction, President Environmental Club

Future Plans: Vineeta hasn’t decided where she’s going to college quite yet… but she knows that when she’s done, she’ll be a pediatrician.



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Name: Vishaal Ohri

Schools (Elementary, Middle, High): Westover Elementary White Oak Middle Springbrook High

Parents: Neera Ohri (mother) Deepak Ohri (father)

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: Older brother: Sachin Ohri, 19 years old, graduated from Chinmayam

Number of years in Chinmaya Mission: 10 years Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Smaran Gollumudi Anil Kishore Hobbies: Ice hockey, golf, tennis, reading, hanging out with friends, basketball

Extra curricular activities: High school ice hockey team, high school tennis team, National Honor Society, Math Honor Society

Special achievements: Henry King Stanford Scholarship, Two year internship at The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Captain of ice hockey team, Captain of Tennis team Future Plans: Attend either the University of Miami or the University of Maryland College Park as a business major, and pursue an MBA.



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MEET THE GRADUATES…… Name: Anuja Shah

Schools: East Silver Spring Elementary Dr. Charles Drew Elementary Takoma Park Middle School Montgomery Blair High School Parents: Vrinda and Chandrakant Shah

Siblings and their age, grades, Chinmaya Mission class: None


Teachers in Chinmaya Mission: Parvati Narayan, Shanti Aunty, Sridevi Aunty, Prasad Bhamidipati, Gautam’s Dad, Anajli Bore’s Mom, Anil Kishore and Aniket uncle Hobbies: Theater, Rock Climbing, Art, Writing

Extra curricular activities: Theater Special achievements: Have won awards in theater AP commended student, National Merit Commended Student, recently published in the Washington Post for reviewing H.S.theater. Future Plans: Attending Pace University in Manhattan this fall



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When my daughter Priya was little, till she was about three or four years old, I was a full time mom. Some days I felt very lonely, cut off from family all in India (staying in touch only through fortnightly phone calls and letters), and meeting friends only during weekends. After starting to attend Chinmaya Mission every Sunday, I found myself forming a bigger social network of like-minded people, as well as growing in my interest in reading spiritual books and mythological stories to share with my kid. I began to value my time alone and started looking inward for solace. Once I was more at peace with myself, I stopped pestering my husband and started looking out, seeing others problems and trying to help just by listening, understanding, and spreading a word of comfort and cheer. As years went by, I was fortunate in attending some of Gurudev's lecture series, as well as participate along with my daughter in some of the camps. My whole family attended Gurudev's last lecture at Masanetta Springs. Even before coming to the US, influenced by my mother's interest, I had attended Swami Chinmayananda's week long lecture series at Chowpatty Beach, and read his book ' Gita for Children ',as well as visited Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Powai. It was then that I became totally impressed by the joy and peace in the surroundings, and people around and my mind and heart was drawn to Gurudev's teachings. After getting involved with the mission in the Washington area, on one summer trip to Mumbai, I took my daughter to see Sandeepany and purchased some books there. Starting off as a curious teenager, to being an interested parent/volunteer, assistant teacher, teacher and finally the educational coordinator from Virginia, I have found myself grow in ways I had not imagined. From a shy, nervous teen I grew in mental clarity and confidence. I always had a penchant for names and faces and loved

working with people. Also being a good team player I never found any difficulty in getting on with all types of people. Chinmaya Mission members became my extended family. I felt quite at ease. Participating in the Gita chanting competition, I found a gradual improvement in my voice quality, a greater degree of concentration and focus of my mind, and calmness in my personality. My fear of coming and speaking up in front of an audience disappeared. Simultaneously I developed my long time interest in yoga, took classes at the community center and in the last few years, have been called upon to help as Assistant Yoga teacher at the Virginia Summer camp. I have a science degree and a background in Early Childhood education, and have enjoyed drawing and painting from childhood. I have been able to incorporate these skills and interests while teaching Sunday school in Chinmaya Mission, helping out with the Arts and Crafts camp in Maryland over a summer, as well as organize the Image-in-Asian Painting contest for the last six years in this region. This year I am holding it again this Sunday at the India International School at the Jewish Community Center in Virginia. Chinmaya Mission has helped me tremendously in staying rooted to my heritage and culture, and developing leadership qualities, peace and equipoise. I find developing devotional bhava and a close relationship with God is becoming more crucial in this increasingly complex, hurried and self-centered world. By staying committed to the Mission, I feel I have been able to be useful to those around me, and to set an example for the new generation.

Juxtaposing Mission Experience with Academic and Social life

Vanita Venugopal



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It has been said, “To teach is to learn twice”. We are all teachers and we are all students. Yes, perhaps that has been the goal. By helping the young minds, I clarify my own doubts and beliefs. To understand and to remind myself what I am imparting to the hungry minds, is being practiced as well. Otherwise, am I being honest to the children, myself or to the mission? The kids do teach the teacher; for they ask and either you know or find out. Perhaps the best way voice my thoughts is to say that, over the years, that I have helped the students,; I have helped myself. Our scriptures/gurus have taught us not to accept but to ask and be open minded. It’s a joy and gratifying when the students express themselves in the class. They are thinking even if they disagree with what is being said. Roots are being established. With my Chinmayam class, the goal has been to plant a seed of Advaita philosophy. Some day when they feed and water it enough with their inquisitiveness and reading, the seed will grow. The more they read and question, the tree will bloom and make them stronger in character and faith. They may aspire a far reaching goal beyond the immediate ones and move forward. With what they have assimilated of their heritage, faith and values over their young years, they can be proud of the part that is still Indian in them living in a western society and be at peace with themselves. What else can a teacher wish for the children? They are his or her children in class and to see them grow not just physically but inwardly strong is beautiful. Impart sense of values that may guide them and to assure them their Guru is always within them. This is what I wish for my children of the Chinmayam class. May Gurudev’s blessings be always with them and guide them through their life’s journey.

As we, Monica’s parents celebrate her graduation and a significant milestone in her life’s journey our hearts are full of joy and gratitude. We, as most other parents learned Parenting while on the job. In doing so, we made numerous decisions and hoped they serve us well. Attending Chinmaya Mission, as well as serving it for the last eleven years was the right decision and one of the most fruitful experiences of our family life. Both Rohit, our son who is now in college, and Monica joined Chinmaya Mission about eleven years ago. It was my belief then, and later when I became the Director of the Northern Virginia chapter I would coach new families that the positive values and impact of attending the BalaVihar program shows over time. Those children who attend the program realize especially when they go college that they can identify with who they are, and they don’t need to pretend to be who they are not. They are comfortable with their faith and can take shelter within their scriptures. There associations with like minded people for a couple of brief hours per weekend over the years shape their beliefs and gradually over time give them the confidence in their own personalities. All of this and more happened to my children. I was and am comfortable with Monica’s identification with her faith and family values. Attending Chinmaya Mission was the right decision for our family.

A Teacher’s Thoughts

Meena Baluja

Monica

Vijay Kumar



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It is hard to believe that Krishna is 18 already and would be leaving for college soon. He is fortunate to be one of those select group of kids , who have begun their tender years with Bala Vihar, simultaneously with their Kindergarten class. Starting with the Satyam class –- Madhuram class came into being much later – Krishna now has come to blossom into a mature and compassionate and considerate young man, not just confident about his roots but blending the best of the East and the West. Thanks to the vision and wisdom of Gurudev, the Indian children in US are truly fortunate (sometimes even more than the children back home) to imbibe in a practical and gradual way, the greatness of our culture and the right way to live life. Often times I hear remarks from parents that the best way to get children hooked onto Bala Vihar is to get them started early on. True to an extent, this is not a silver bullet, since as parents we are quite capable of causing confusion and dissonance in their minds, through statements and behaviors contradictory to the spiritual teachings of the Mission. Combine this with peer pressure and the environment outside the protected confines of home, the chances are pretty high that a child loses interest in Bala Vihar, perhaps in the early teen years. As parents of Krishna, needless to say that we contributed our fair share of confusion, but thank God, it was more than overcome by the sheer commitment of our excellent teachers, and the strong pull of a well-knit group of friends in their circle. The exposure to and continuance in Bala Vihar is such an important element of a child’s overall personality development ,that as parents, I believe we owe it to them and should try to do everything in our realm to help them keep at it. Besides playing Connect Four games with Swamiji during his Bhiksha visits, Krishna’s fond memories include his association with Aparnaji, Sunithiji, and Nishitaji, three playful and young-at-heart

Brahmacharinis from Miami, Orlando and Hong Kong respectively. Based on how he developed a liking for the teachings and the teachers in the last 4-5 years, I have a hunch that Krishna would pop his head in at the Mission, whenever time permits during his college years. On the occasion of his graduation, I and my wife feel very proud of him and ask that the Lord’s grace and Gurudev’s blessings be with him all the time. Anuj was three years old when he started going to the Burke chapter of Chinmaya Mission. It seems like it was only months ago. Fifteen years have gone by since, and now Anuj has grown into a fine, well-adjusted, and mature young man. The saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ resonates well in my mind. How true! When our children were infants, my wife and myself (actually mostly my wife) worried how we are going to bring up our children in a society that was still relatively foreign to us. Well! The time passed and our children were growing fast. As fate will have it, one day when my wife drove our kids to the ‘Namaste Asia’ studio for a recording of mother’s day message, she met Dr. Naidu there. When she was driving the kids back home, suddenly she noticed a man driving next to her waiving at her. It was Dr. Naidu who was pointing towards the flat tire on her minivan. While the tire was replaced, my wife asked Dr. Naidu about any temple or religious organization in the area where we could educate our children about our culture and religion. It was then we learnt about the Chinmaya Mission. Next Sunday I took our children – Agraja, who was six- years old and Anuj, then three-years old to the Burke chapter of Chinmaya Mission. Agraja and Anuj both liked it instantly and enjoyed the benign and loving atmosphere there. Their teacher Mrs. Meena Bhatt, Dr. Naidu and others were so welcoming, it felt like a family. We had found our village! Thanks to the Chinmaya family that spiritually nourished our children and

Anuj Sharma

Ashok Sharma

Krishna

Prasad Bhamidipati



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us.

I am wide awake. The frigid air outside chills the interior of the hotel room. The faucet in the bathroom is open, and the water drips against the ceramic sink. I try to focus on the sound, to take my mind off other things. Maybe the repetition will lull me to sleep. My eyes start to feel heavy when the sound of his voice makes me jump. “You leave the tap on?” asks Jaime sleepily, turning over in the bed adjacent to mine.

The dull lights of the city outside reflect off of his face and turn his black hair to silver. I see the scar beneath his left eye; it makes him look much older than he is. He has been hardened by his years in MS-13, a Salvadoran gang that courts first-generation Americans. And here I am, too afraid to wield a knife even for cooking purposes, sharing a room with a kid who’d been stabbed.

I try and respond, but it comes out wrong. “N-n-no,” I stammer.

Jaime laughs, lifting his sheets and uncovering his bare torso, almost entirely blanketed with tattoos. The first time I saw them, I had stared stupidly until I realized what I was doing. Ignoring precedent, I stare again. Without noticing me, Jaime gets up, walks slowly into the bathroom, turns off the faucet and crawls back into his bed.

I was set to speak the next morning at a National Youth Crime Prevention Conference workshop for parents about what they could do to help kids like Jaime, and what we were doing as peers to help, yet I am still afraid to share a room with him. I hardly sleep.

Morning comes. I glance over at his bed only to find it empty. When I stand up, I see him kneeling against a chair, fingering a wooden cross and muttering under his breath. He notices that I am awake and stops mumbling.

Without turning his head towards me, he says, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.” I tell him it’s no problem, and he replies quietly, “This is what saved me.”

I never thought much of religion as a child.

On Sunday mornings, I went to religious

school, listened to the stories, did the hymns, and returned home to watch my Redskins play football. Sometimes I watched my mom while she prayed, wondering why she spent so much time on it.

But this was one of those moments in which spirituality seemed right, and everything clicked. Years of religious training, of acceptance and of brotherhood came back. He prays to Jesus, but I could feel his energy and respect the emotion that he derives from prayer without any qualms. As a Hindu, his God is my God and mine is his.

I knelt down next to Jaime and bowed my head. He began to speak in another language. “Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos.” I recognized the Spanish — Our father who art in heaven — as The Lord’s Prayer.

When he is done, he asks me to say a prayer in Sanskrit. Amazed that he knows of the language, I say what comes to mind, “Shanthi, shanthi, shanthi,” and explain that I had been chanting this at the end of my prayers since I was four years old, every Sunday — in hopes of doing my part to generate a universal peace, local peace and inner peace. In little more than five minutes, he shows me that even the most impenetrable of people have intrinsic decency.

Our age is a hectic one, and I often find myself strapped for time and unable to muster the will to pray. But when I pray at home and every Sunday, I pray that whoever is up there will nurture in people of all backgrounds the same understanding that developed so quickly between Jaime and me. Never again will I fear another the way I feared Jaime that first night, because I know the bond that spirituality forges.

Later that morning, I speak at the workshop standing next to him. When I finish, I listen intently as he tells his own story of redemption, of having the strength to leave the gang. As day turns to evening, we joke and laugh and eat our meals together. That night, I sleep easily.

Universal Prayer

Kiran Bhat



29

I sat down waiting for us to begin the

colorful and festive occasion of Deepawali. I was curious as to what the festival symbolized. After a few minutes of buttering the cups and setting the alter, the prayers began.

During the prayers I noticed dad blessing

God and money with red and yellow powder, fire, flowers, and a red and white string. The string stands for good luck. I wondered why the other objects were chosen to sanctify God and money. Without warning dad asked me to chant a “sloka,” or prayer. I was little nervous because it was in a Sanskrit. I slowly sounded out each word with each hesitant breath. I messed up once or twice, but my parents helped me read the twenty letter word with 4 or 5 consonants in a row. The meaning of the “sloka” is “I prostate to the lamp-light which brings brilliance, auspiciousness, health, wealth, and possession, for destruction of bad intellect (ignorance).”

I was both amazed and shocked that such a

primeval scripture gives so much importance to knowledge. This meaning is especially true in the modern world. In ancient times, Swami’s went to Himalayas in seclusion and meditate on a topic to become enlightened. They came down to the plains and told commoners about there enlightenment. In today’s society we have systematic education programs, like elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and so on. We get knowledge from various sources; books, magazines, TV, movies, and newspapers. As mundane as it may sounds, my dad starts his day listening to the traffic report for I-270S in preparation for his trip to work. Advanced knowledge of the weather help us prepare against natural phenomena and so on.

Today's labor market demands high level of

education. In recent days there is a radical

reduction in the number of unskilled jobs. A high level of education and knowledge are necessary to use technology and analyze and evaluate information. We have made remarkable progress in science, technology, and communication.

In the summer of 2005 I got the opportunity

to do research in the Center of Cancer Research (CCR) for Nanobiology, National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Fort Detrick, as a student intern. I was selected because of my strong academic background, in particular mathematics, chemistry, and physics. My lab has seven scientists. Each scientist works with multiple computers and super computers, engrossed in solving intricate life science problems dealing with DNA and RNA modeling. When I started this job, my first task was to write a tic-tac-toe game in Java code. I was perplexed because I had no programming knowledge at that time. It was quite overwhelming, but I didn’t give up; I used all the resources available to me, such as the internet, books, etc. to teach myself Java. The final outcome was an indomitable Tic-Tac-Toe program. The best a player could do was end in a draw. Though I could not defeat the computer at my own creation, I was not irritated. It reminded me of how my dad feels when I am victorious against him in chess or basketball. When I showed my work to Dr. Shapiro, my mentor, he was impressed. Now, my real project began. The project, being much more complex, dealt with RNA, DNA, and structure modeling. I finished writing the test program and it is very close to becoming a final product that can be used by scientists around the world for converting Java files into McSym readable files. McSym program allows one to create PDB (Protein Data Bank) files, which are used for advanced modeling. This internship is quite an awe-inspiring experience; the knowledge I have gained here will be helpful in my future endeavors.

As light destroys darkness, knowledge

destroys ignorance. Ignorance shields humans from discovering the truth; knowledge gives humans the power to make better choices in their lives. The “sloka” implies that light signifies knowledge and darkness signifies ignorance. I bow to the lamp that spreads light from one wick to the next infinitely

Light Within

Nayan Randad



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without losing luster.

Swami Tapovanam Maharaj

Shake it Off

Nayan Randad

I can not fully comprehend everything that I have learned from my time at Chinmaya Mission. The teachings of Swamiji, D. C. Rao and other teachers are truly profound, but that is what I have the rest of my life for; to reflect. I learned about symbolism, about Hinduism, about Ramayana, about Mahabaratha, etc. I especially enjoyed when Swamiji came to treat our group with lively discussions and stories. A story that has especially influenced my life was the one about a donkey. A donkey got stuck in a ditch and was yelping and screaming all night and day, so the people in the town decided to bury the donkey in the ditch. When they poured in a bucket of dirt the donkey would shake it off his back and step on it; eventually making his way to the top of the ditch and walking out calmly. This story tells me that if I ever have a problem I should just brush it off, take the next step, and move on. This story travels through my mind recursively as hardships come my way and I act just as the donkey did, to convert adversities into advantages.

Swami Tapovan Maharaj Swami Chinmayananda

Balakrishnan Menon, in his high school days. Swami Chinmayananda’s guru

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Overall coordination: Swami Dheeranandaji, Acharya Vilasiniji, Sri Balanji Mangala Rao, Chetana Neerchal, Anil Kishore, Nagaraj Neerchal Invitations: Meena Sankar, Shanthi Shankar Decorations: Rekha Boray, Kamakshi Gottipati Food and seating arrangements: Padma Venkatraman, Rita Kishore Audio Visual: Sankar Parameswaran, Sarvesh Ramprakash Photography and Video: Smaran Gollamudi, V. Sreenivas, Subra Iyer Souvenir: Nagaraj Neerchal, Chetana Neerchal Facilties: Ravi Venkatraman Virginia coordinators: Meena Baluja, Smaran Gollamudi Frederick coordinator: Sukanya Sathyanarayana

COVER

PAGE

DES IGN

COMPET I T ION

ENTR I ES

The front cover page is a composite of these three meritorious entries.

Prashanth Rao is a junior in the LTI program at JFK High School. He loves sports and music. Vishnu Rao is a 7th grader at Takoma Park Middle School. They have been attending Bala Vihar for more than 10 years.

Tarang Bapna attends Towson High School and will graduate in Spring 2008. He hopes to major in Political Science and International Relations in College.

Nayan Randad is a graduating senior at Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick. His hobbies are Soccer, Nintendo and Chess. He wants to be a computer engineer.

COVER

PAGE

DESIGN

COMPETI TION

ENTRI ES

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