CMDFW 25th Anniversary Celebrations
Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda ji graced CMDFW’s celebrations of its 25th year anniversary. The event organized at Chinmaya Chitrakoot was held on July 20th 2015 and was attended by over 350 people.
Click here to view photos of the event.
Pujya Guruji’s message resonated with the exponential growth witnessed at CMDFW in terms of not just membership numbers, but also the number of sevak-s and sevika-s (volunteers) that work selflessly behind the scenes for operations to run smoothly. He reminded us that just like a mother cannot compare or compete among her own children, we cannot fathom the comparisons between multiple centers of Chinmaya Mission! They all flourish under the same umbrella, and each center grows at its own pace working towards a common goal and vision. When all our efforts align with that divine vision, success is inevitable. He expressed tremendous gratitude to the early founding members of this center and also to the four pillars of our foundations – children, teachers, parents and other volunteers who have helped us experience a stable growth over the past 25 years.
Our President Mr. Ashok Dandekar walked us through a quick journey of this growth as he shared the milestones. What began as a Balavihar operated in one of our patron’s living room, has now expanded to eight Balavihar sessions to accommodate the growing needs of the community it serves. Chinmaya Mission isn’t just about Balavihar. It also extends services to the Yuva (youth) members, study groups, Devi (women) groups, and caters to varied aspects that address the rich ancient cultural heritage. These group members serve by volunteering their time and talents for sharing their interests in music, dance, chanting, and organizing different events for the CMDFW community.
The audience was also treated to melodious bhajans sung by the kids. An extremely creative dance production that depicted Ramayana through select verses of Valmiki Ramayana was another highlight of the evening. CMDFW’s first music teacher and first dance teacher were also a part of this production, as were some of the Balavihar graduates who are in fact currently engaged with activities at CMDFW. Pujya Guruji also released a souvenir to commemorate the 25th-year celebrations.
Of course it is difficult to begin any endeavor, but it is even more challenging to sustain it. CMDFW certainly hasn’t been stagnant since inception, and Pujya Guruji encouraged us to fearlessly think big without worrying about how to sustain this growth. He assured us to “… find a purpose, and means will follow.” The results will be apparent, as we have seen in various endeavors of Chinmaya Mission. For example, Chinmaya schools may soon expand into Chinmaya Universities and further into international schools and universities! Activities related to rural development aren’t just localized, but we have CORD – Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development that assists women in rural areas all over. So he persuaded us not to limit or restrict our thoughts to just small victories, but challenged us to expand our vision as much as we could. Success will follow if we think big and act wisely. He concluded by invoking blessings of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda for continued strength and wisdom in our efforts ahead.
The evening ended on a very sumptuous note and all the participants were treated to a delicious meal set up outdoors under a shamiana (tent). The festive mood continued well into the evening, and everyone left with plenty of food for thought (and body!).
