A warm welcome to all of you on this special day of the Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal Bal Yoga Diwas.
Many of you might have wondered whether we would have our program or not. Here we are in front of you all. The only difference is that today our numbers are smaller due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the guidelines of the Indian government. Yet, remember we are here on behalf of all Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal children who could not be here.
Founded in 1995, Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal has become a big tree whose each and every part is used. This group brings out the hidden creativity in each child and makes them a productive individual who serves others in whatever way they can.
Do you know why the children of Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal have chosen 14 February to celebrate Bal Yoga Diwas? On 14 February, everyone shows their love for someone. We also wanted to celebrate love. The only difference is our love is for yoga, to live yoga and to teach others to live yoga.
When Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal was founded our beloved Swamiji gave us three aims: samskara, swavalamban and rashtra sanskriti prem, positive qualities, independence and love for our cultural heritage. During this pandemic we have tried to implement them.
Samskara says – help, respect, be happy and make others happy. We did that by staying positive in these difficult times and by making people smile.
Swavalamban says – be independent and come forward to lead for the greater good. We did that in the form of taking classes and making people aware about their health.
Rashtra samskriti prem says – love your culture, love your nation, love your tradition. We did that by conducting Mahamrityunjaya havan and by chanting in different areas with the positive notion of well being for all the people.
All this is only possible by the grace of our beloved Swamiji. He is the only one who thinks of our needs, our problems and our good. When we were thinking about how we could do our performances, our program on 14 February, as we were not many in number and we also have to follow the rules of the Indian government, our Swamiji showed us the way.
During the whole of 2020, the year of the pandemic, we were not allowed to come to the ashram or gather anywhere, but Swamiji kept thinking about us: How do we study? Are we safe or not? Are we having our food or not? He did not just think about it. He provided food each month to feed ourselves and our whole family, he gave us masks, face shields, blankets and the best thing he gave us – tablets.
During the pandemic, our schools and colleges were closed and we all had to do online learning but the problem was that we did not have the facilities to take online classes. So, our thanks to Swamiji who solved our problem by giving us tablets.
You may think that since we were not coming to the ashram we have forgotten our activities. No. Whether we come to the ashram or not we never forget the teachings we have gained here. So, today we will present our activities in order to show that we have not forgotten anything.
So thank you Swamiji for such blessings and I think we are the luckiest children as we all have you and your supporting hand. Thank you Swamiji.
Muskan
A little child with a delicate mind
Surrounded with gusty winds
In these troubled times
A lot of queries in her mind
Only guru’s lustre divine is her remedy.
Just as farmers do hard work
Day and night for their sown seeds
And protect them from rain and heat
So too when this child
Blessed with guru’s grace
Fills up her life
With positivity and gleefulness
And is able to develop her knowledge
Under guru’s guidance
She can face every situation
With patience and perseverance.
It is a matter of great pride and privilege for me to have got an opportunity to be a member of Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal and to have been blessed with guru’s grace. Through Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal I have developed skills that helped me in these harsh times.
I see my friends feeling lonely and wasting their time on mobiles and social media, but I do asana and meditation daily to keep myself peaceful and happy. This is how Swamiji and Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal have helped me in these unnatural times.
Priya
On New Year 2020, we gathered to usher in a new beginning. We opened the book: blank and fresh, hearts filled with love, hope, expectations and resolutions, and eyes fixed on our aim as defined by Swamiji – Vision 2020. With hope and determination, we started to paint our future with beautiful colours.
Then the sudden hit by the Covid-19 pandemic brought everything to a halt. We were locked within the four walls of our homes with zero contact with the outer world. Life seemed dark and clueless for most but for me it was a golden opportunity to unlock my potential by being more creative and productive.
I am very lucky and proud to be a part of Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal. Samskara, swavalamban, and rashtra sanskriti prem are three mantras given to us by Swamiji. They have brought a tremendous positive transformation in my life. It has made me partake in good deeds and lead a happy, peaceful and contented life.
I got an opportunity to take an asana and pranayama online class for my school. It was a great thing for me as I was the only child who got this opportunity. I was appreciated by my teachers which made me really glad and boosted me with more confidence.
Swamiji’s grace was constantly upon me and his love gave my heart wings to .y high every day along with my aim with great passion and enthusiasm. What I have learnt from Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal always helps me to grow well.
I want to thank you beloved Swamiji from the core of my heart for the uncountable things you do to make us the best from the rest.
Aradhana
It was on this very date twenty-five years ago, that Swamiji laid the foundation of this organization by giving three goals or aims. Though it began with a few children, the seed sown at that time has now taken the form of a vast tree. Its branches have spread all over the country and thousands of children offer their service by living the three goals samskara, swavalamban and rashtra sanskriti prem, uplifting values and refined conduct, self-reliance and a love for the culture of our country. In today’s changing times, these qualities are sadly lacking.
People’s behaviour with each other is ample proof. The way in which they speak to each other indicates that the values held dear in earlier times do not exist anymore. The willingness to help each other is not seen either.
Coming to swavalamban, self-reliance, we see people becoming more and more dependent on something or someone. The ability to be self-reliant has been eroded. Most people don’t even pick up their own plates after a meal, no one cleans their own rooms or washes their own clothes. So where is the self-reliance?
Let alone feeling pride and love for our country’s culture! These days most people are not even aware of it. The few who know about it, dismiss our civilization, culture and traditions as ‘old-fashioned’. The influence of the western world is so strong that we are pulled in that direction and our values, priorities and choices are ruled by those values.
How does it matter if you don’t visit five-star hotels? Why is it necessary to drive around in expensive cars? Does doing all this change who we are? We may take great pride in our culture though we do not make any effort to follow it in our lives.
During this period of lock-down, we have made the attempt and effort to experience these three goals in our lives. We have tried to incorporate them into our daily routine and behaviour. Not only that, in recent times when this epidemic has spread all over the world people have adopted elements from our culture. Take the issue of social distancing. Here we are always encouraged to follow this couplet:
Char mile, chausat khile, mile bees ek saaath;
Hari jan se hari jan mile, bihase bahattar hazaar!
Smile and greet each other with folded hands;
for when children of the divine meet each other,
all the seventy-two thousand nadis flow unimpeded!
Though all our BYMM members are not here today, a few of us would like to offer a small presentation and we hope that you will enjoy it.
Jignasu Buddhichaitanya
The first few weeks of the lock-down went by in fun and frolic. It was like an unexpected and very welcome vacation when we played ludo, carrom and other games with our siblings at home. Slowly we realized that the situation with the epidemic was getting worse and there was no end in sight. People were falling prey to depression as well as facing many other problems since it was not possible to go out to work and make a living. For some time, even we were very upset but everything Swamiji had taught us from asana and pranayama to living the yamas and niyamas like manahprasad came to our aid We were able to keep ourselves and our families in good spirits during this hard time.
Swamiji also was very concerned for our families when he heard about our economic situation. Every month the ashram would send whatever we required to our homes. Not only that, Swamiji even made sure that our studies were not interrupted. He sent us ‘tablets’ so that we could participate in online classes without any difficulty. We are ever so grateful to him for everything.
Khushipriya
When we heard that the ashram was closed because of the corona epidemic, we also realized that we would not be able to come here for a year. Though initially we were very sad, my sister and brother, Muskan and Ankit, and I decided that until such time as the ashram opens we would call some of the children from our neighbourhood to our home. The three of us started teaching them asana practices and also chanted stotras and kirtans together. We would give them ‘ homework’ which was to teach their parents what they had learned from us. When we asked their parents about it, they confirmed that this was happening regularly! We would also give the children one page from the Yantra book which they would colour and bring back the next day.
It was so special to celebrate International Yoga Day on 21st June at our home. We invited all the ladies and children from the neighbourhood and did yoga practices together. We even used to go to people’s homes and perform Mahamrityunjaya havan so that we could all be protected from this terrible coronavirus.
During this time, we have tried to truly live the three goals of BYMM – samskara, swavalamban and rashtra sanskriti prem. This poem is my humble offering to Guru –
Lighting the lamp of wisdom
to dispel the darkness;
helping us discriminate
between good and bad
and teaching us to face
life’s challenges;
showing the right path to society,
taking us to the peak of success.
With a heart full of reverence
all our hopes will be met,
that is when we will become
truly good human beings
and a smile will always be on our lips.
Guru is the foundation and support.
Please accept my love and respect.
Khushi
On behalf of all the members of the Bal Yoga Mitra MandaI, I offer best wishes and birthday greetings to our beloved Gurudev, the very first Bal Yogi.
For the last six months I have been living in the ashram. During this difficult period there have been complete lock-downs in many parts of the country, and all over the world schools and colleges were closed and even the ashram was closed to the public. One day I received a call asking me to come to the ashram. My deepest wish was fulfilled and I arrived at the ashram the very next day.
While spending time in the ashram, there is something new to learn every moment. Before the lock-down, a friend and I had participated in the three-month residential yogic studies course. People used to ask us how we managed to stay within the ashram campus for that entire period and wondered whether we felt imprisoned. The same people are now locked into their homes and when they heard that I was staying in the ashram, they said that I was so fortunate. The ashram campus is huge compared to their tiny houses!
I had the opportunity to work in so many different areas, from the garden to kitchen, from publications to helping in programs with the sound department. Such opportunities for a variety of practical learning is not possible anywhere else. I learned how to operate a generator and pumps, worked with computers as well as played mridanga and harmonium. The daily routine here is such that we can express different aspects of our personality in a positive and useful manner.
Of course, the most important thing for me was to have the opportunity to see Swamiji and receive his guidance. This is something very precious to me. I have been able to participate in the programs here like Guru Poornima, Lakshmi-Narayana Yajna, Christmas and New Year. The first Satyam Poornima was also held during this time and it was a great honour and blessing to have been part of that program and witness the beginning of a new tradition.
I am very grateful for everything Swamiji has given us in such abundance. We children pray that we may continue to receive his grace and guidance. We shall make every effort to live up to this good fortune.
Jignasu Sarvagyamurti