மினியாபோலிஸில் இந்து குடும்ப பயிற்சி முகாம்

மினியாபோலிஸில் இந்து குடும்ப பயிற்சி முகாம் நடைபெற உள்ளது.

மின்னசோடா மாநிலத்தில் உள்ளவர்கள் கலந்துகொண்டு பலன்பெற அழைக்கிறார்கள், இந்து சொசைட்டி ஆப் மின்னசோட்டா, இந்து சுவயம் சேவக் சங்கத்தினர்

வாழ்க வளர்க

Hindu family camp in Minneapolis
Sunday, 08.26.2007, 11:22pm (GMT-7)


MINNEAPOLIS: The Hindu Society of Minnesota and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh held their first annual three-day Hindu Family Camp from August 9 at the new Hindu Mandir in Maple Grove, Minneapolis.

"The new Mandir was a perfect place to hold such an event as it has lots of classrooms and a big auditorium to fit all the campers", says Nayana Ramakrishnan, president of the Hindu Mandir. This camp was to teach children and parents that Hinduism is not a religion, but a way of life and in addition values such as truth, nonviolence, love, and self discipline which are the cornerstones of Hinduism.

The camp was attended by 29 children between the age groups of 6-12 years and 25 parents. The parent and children duos came together this year to learn about Hinduism through mythological stories, games, shlokas, crafts and team work, regardless of different gods, languages and traditions. Shashi Sane, chairperson on the trustee executive council, said, "We are very happy that we have been able to start these camps again.

The youth camps first started in 1981 and continued till 2003. During the last three years the temple has been going through several challenging situations and it was virtually impossible to organize this camp. We are also planning to venture into interfaith education based on values in the school systems in the community." The campers were immersed in active learning focused on preserving the Sanskirt and Hindu culture. Each day consisted of several different activities.

The day started with a traditional Indian breakfast followed by a quick refreshing exercise with Aparna Garg. Aparna Garg, a volunteer instructor says "It is quite challenging growing up as a Hindu in America, but with activities like shakhas and camps, Hindu kids find good support groups and gain the confidence and knowledge needed to maintain our culture."

Kids were made to revise the shlokas they learned the day before and were taught some new shlokas of Lord Ganesha and Maa Saraswati. Other activities in the morning session included: outdoor games, learning bhajans such as Raghupati raghav rajaram and Hum honge kamyab. As always the day was complimented by a delicious Indian lunch.

The afternoon sessions included Surya Namaskar, worksheets on values such as truthfulness, purity and friendship. Later in the afternoon, the campers painted Ganesha deities which were handmade by them the day before, along with a new activity of making Deepawali cards.

There was also a slide show on Ramayan that kids could experience and understand the values underline Hinduism. In parallel there was a separate session for parents to discuss how to implant Hindu values in their children. Anita Debade says "It is very hard to teach our culture at home. This camp provides us with an excellent opportunity for our kids to learn and experiences Hinduism." The day ended with a snack and an indoor game of Ravan and Ram. "Each camper at the end of the four-day camp contributes a skit, play or dance illustrated with the knowledge they learnt from the camp" mentions Sejal Dutt, one of the campers.

In addition each camper was also given a T-shirt and workbook to bring home to remember their camping experience.