Amrita TV tried to capture the moments from Gitamritam Bala 2017 camp . It was also aired by Amrita TV. Watch them.
Gitamritam 01 – Simple hacks for Peace of mind – Gitamritam Concept
Modern education provides a job, money, fame…but not peace of mind. It does not teach how to deal with life. We can be happy only if we know how to live life with all its ups and downs. And it’s not only adults who have problems these days…ask the kids! Problems existed centuries ago too.
Arjuna consulted Lord Krishna when faced with a terrible dilemma – the Gita was the Lord’s answer on how to do it with a smile…..Lord Krishna did it all the time! Amma says “Learning the Gita to become like Sri Krishna”. (ഗീത പഠിക്കുന്നത് കൃഷ്ണനാകാനാണ് ). The Gita is indeed a guide to everyday life.
Gitamritam 02 – Happiness is your choice
Change begins with an inquiry… “Why am I not happy in spite of all that I have? Why don’t I feel content?”. Inquiry leads us to spiritual truths which we learn either through the shock of the knowledge that we are more than just humans…Or through the shock of the world’s ways: everything dear – money, love, fame, deserts us one day. Either way, the clay will be broken to be remoulded. The Gita gives us the choice to learn to live a life of celebration rather than a life of sorrow.
Gitamritam 03 – Turn Life’s Garbage into a Garden, the manual is here
Br. Dhyanamrita Chaitanya says, “Many students are studying courses due to parental pressure. They are not happy. They don’t know how to deal with various issues. Education can be considered complete only when the youth learn to feel responsible towards society when they feel they can deal with life. In this camp we have shown the path, it’s up to them to walk on it… When the Gitamritam camp started one student remarked his life was ‘garbage’, The same student remarked at the end of the camp that he had found the garden! The Gita is not just a Sanskrit text – it’s a user manual for life.
Gitamritam 04 – Blind but Unbeaten: Padma Shri Lakshman Shekhar Naik
A true story of how Padma Shri Lakshman Shekhar Naik, visually impaired Captain of the Blind Cricket Team of India, integrated the principles of Gita to emerge victorious in life.
Gitamritam 05 – A story of Inspiration, motivation, dedication
Shri Lakshman’s mother put him in blind school at 9, with a wish for her son to do something great in cricket. So he dedicated his life to cricket. At 26, he was the captain of the national team. with inspiration, motivation and dedication, you can achieve your dreams, he says.
Gitamritam 06 – when life gives you lemons, make lemonade
Undeterred by poverty, blindness and the death of his parents, a boy of 12 goes on to become the captain of India’s National Blind Cricket Team. All he had was a goal and the determination to make his mother’s dream come true.
Gitamritam 07 – Understanding Gita through Nature worship
Amma says Nature is the visible form of God. Children learnt to understand nature in a novel way by hugging trees & moulding clay pottery. When you go closer to a tree, hug it, feel its texture, listen to its music, the birdsong, the breeze, then you understand it better. Each has its individuality. Indians followed the tradition of hugging the Banyan tree because it gives not only oxygen but so much love and sustainable energy. The poet Browning said, “we are all clay in the hands of God, the potter”. Just as a potter moulds clay with the pressure of his fingers, God moulds us by the pressure of challenges in life.
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Gitamritam 08 – How I overcame the odds in life: India Cricket captain Lakshman Shekhar Naik
Indian Cricket Captain (Blind) Shri Lakshmanshekhar Naik spent the first 8 years of his life in total blindness. Orphaned at an early age, he grew up in abject poverty. Yet he beat those overwhelming odds to become the captain of India’s blind cricket team and won the World cup too. He says after regaining a little sight, he took up cricket and set his goal in life. In India, there are accessibility problems for the blind, so most complete blind school and stay at home. He was determined not to stay home. He wanted to represent the country. With that single-minded dedication to his goal, he succeeded.
Gitamritam 09 – Relevance of Gita in Cricket and life: Padma Shri Lakshmanshekhar Naik
Shri Naik says” When I started cricket, there were a lot of challenges. I had no chappals, not even a proper bat…but I believed in God and that there is a day for each one of us when we will succeed.” So he applied himself to pursuing his goal without thinking of the obstacles – much like Arjuna. “Winning and losing are two sides of a coin. One must remain balanced in life – not be too happy in the success or too sad in failure. I believe each one gets an opportunity in life. We must make the most of it in spite of the problems”, he says.
Gitamritam 10 Make God your BAE
Make the Lord your best friend. Tell Him everything. When the bond becomes strong, you will see Him in everyone and everything. That is what Amma did – she converted all her chores into the worship of Lord Krishna by doing everything for Him. She did ordinary things in an extraordinary way. That is the attitude we must have in life, says the Lord to Arjuna.
Gitamritam 11 – Make knowledge your aim, not marks: Senthil Kumar, 5G Wireless & App innovator
5G Wireless & mobile App innovator, M. Senthil Kumar urges kids to go to school for the sake of gaining knowledge only, not marks. A topper alone can’t produce anything in a company. Real success is in teaching and motivating others to work together to achieve the desired result. Only together we will be useful for society.
Gitamritam 12 – Every child has a unique talent, identify it: Senthil Kumar
M. Senthil Kumar, Research scientist & 5G Wireless App innovator says, “In ancient Indian Gurukulas, the Guru spent the first six years identifying the natural talent of the student and the next six in developing skills in that area. ” He used parents to allow children flower naturally in their unique abilities and not force them into commercially viable courses.
Gitamritam 13 – Be happy, healthy and helpful
Innovatively designed posters and T-shirts speak the message of the Gita in a fun and easy-to-learn way. Br. Dhyanamrita tells them to apply what they learnt here, “Be happy, healthy and helpful. Share your talents, knowledge and ability with those in need. If you are unhappy, see where the attachment is and cut it. Not only to be happy yourself, to make others happy – that is living the Gita”.
Gitamritam 14 – Sweeten the cup of life with the sugar of Gita
A student recalls an example by Br.Dhyanamrita. “Swamiji says the essence of Gita is like a spoonful of sugar and our life is the cup – mix it in and make your life sweet!”. Br. Dhyanamrita asks the kids to research their own lives – What is sukha? What is dukha? “Pick one word from the Gita”, he says. “Meditate upon it, analyze it, apply it – it will change your life. Gita has that power. Keep enquiring. Hold the hand of the Gita and walk towards the Light. You will reach it”.
Gitamritam 15 – There is no point in worrying about the past, the inner Gitamritam has just begun
Ananya, Aditya and Sriram, three Arjuna Award-winning kids were invited to share their experience of the camp. Ananya was thrilled with the satisfying way her long-standing doubts on the Gita were clarified. Sriram’s take-out was that everything he needed for satisfaction in life was inside him. All he needed to do was look within. “There is no point in worrying about the past or future”, says Aditya. “We must live in the present and seize the moment. The camp may have ended, but for me, the inner Gitamritam has just begun”.