CMDFW Labor Day Camp 2006
Mama Mia! Glory To Mother!
CMDFW’s eagerly awaited Labor Day Camp had a new twist this year. Adults, CHYKs and elementary school children were also invited to join in the fun at Lake Texoma for this annual event from Friday, September 1st to Monday, September 4th. Mama mia! What a glorious time was had by one and all as they were immersed in the multi-faceted glory of the Mother! There were five distinct, concurrent sessions for elementary grade children, middle school children, high school students, CHYKs and adults.
We were fortunate to have a team of six very experienced and able acharyas to conduct these sessions – Swami Shantanandaji from the tri-state area, Swami Sharananandji from Chicago, Swamini Sivapriyanandaji from Toronto, Brahmacharini Arpitaji from St. Augustine, Florida, Brahmachari Bhasa Chaitanya from Houston, and our very own acharya, Brahmachari Uddhav Chaitanya to conduct the camp. In addition to the acharyas, there was a team of sevaks and sevikas to take care of food, supplies and other sundry details.
The camp was officially inaugurated on Friday evening after a quick pizza dinner. On Saturday the camp started bright and early at 6 AM for all the attendees. While the adults and CHYKs attended guided meditation conducted by Uddhavji, the children learnt the intricacies of different yogasanas under the able guidance of Sharanji.
The younger kids enjoyed music, dance, arts and crafts, as well as nature outings with Arpitaji. Her expertise with the guitar enticed the kids to light up the class with their enthusiastic participation. The nature walk to collect seeds and leaves alongside the lake as well as the trip to the nature center where they got to view several reptiles and touch turtles have surely left some fond memories of the camp in the minds of the children.
The glory of the various forms of the Mother – Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati was revealed to the middle school children by Sharanji. He engaged the kids in lively discussions about the symbolism of these forms and how it relates to our daily life and encouraged them to present their ideas and thoughts.
Swamini Shivapriyananda wowed (not an easy task!) the teenagers in high school with her achievements in both the secular and spiritual spheres of life. The kids could relate to her precise, scientific analysis during discussions. Her workshops were eye-opening and ego-deflating. Swaminiji placed the lessons on values in the context of the gunas or qualities each person is endowed with from birth. The kids got a sense of their place and role in the world and a measure of how little they contribute towards some of their greatest achievements and how much more are the contributions of the supporting family and social structures.
Uddhavji, ably assisted by Bhasaji, took up the challenge of discussing Adi Sankara’s hard-hitting text Bhaja Govindam with the CHYKs. In the mornings, he chose the traditional gurukula style of imparting this knowledge, seated on a circular park bench overlooking the lake surrounded by the students. The serenity of the atmosphere with the rising sun and the clean air was conducive to clear and focused thinking. Uddhavji’s inimitable style of mixing humor with contemporary examples drove home the lessons of the text.
The adults attended discourses by Swami Shantanandaji on the seventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, specifically the story of Prahlada. Swamiji’s discourses were a rare combination of spiritual knowledge and pithy humor. The Q&A sessions were strong reminders to all the adult attendees to re-assess their life and thinking patterns.
There were a few opportunities for the various groups to mix together and engage in joint recreational activities. The children enjoyed playing volleyball, cricket and ping pong with each other and with the acharyas. Swami Sharananda’s cricketing vasana was rekindled much to the delight of the children! All the kids and some of the adults too, made colorful and creative tie and dye shirts that they took home as camp keepsakes. Some of the other highlights of the camp – the Cool OM competition (so coool!), the afternoon boat ride on the lake (being drenched by Uddhavji!), DJ Uddhavji playing music for the dandia raas, learning to chant the “world’s first ever rap song,” Ai Giri Nandini, Uddhavji applying mehandi, listening to the acharyas narrate events from their life that profoundly influenced them in their spiritual journey, Uddhavji reciting “Twinkle, twinkle little star….” The list could go on and on!
The ever-popular talent show provided an opportunity for the kids to display their talents and poke some wholesome fun at the acharyas and adults. The camp concluded with Saraswati Puja conducted by Bhasaji with Swami Sharanandaji performing the puja as the yajman.
What did this camp mean to each attendee? The answers naturally vary, but all who attended, whether they were seasoned veterans or first-timers, had a good time and learnt something valuable. Some highlights of the camp…..
