VHPA Bal Vihars celebrate Annual Days

Newton Bal Vihar celebrated its 18th Annual Day on June 8, 2019. The program started with shloka chanting by all the students followed by songs, skits, musical instrument recitals and educational Power Point Presentations by students – mostly in Hindi. Teachers had worked very hard writing and directing skits for each class. The cultural program was followed by an Award Ceremony in which students were presented with trophies for all their hard work throughout the year. Shashwat Sharma received the Graduating Volunteer award and Alka Pandey received an award for 10 years of Volunteering/Sewa. The night ended with dinner and dancing.

SOUTHBORO BAL VIHAR. Jaya Asthana jasthana@hotmail.com

Southborough Bal Vihar held its 22nd Annual Day celebrations on Sunday, June 23rd, 2019, at Sri Kalikambal Temple, Bellingham, MA.

The program started at 10 AM with a puja to Ma Saraswati, done by each individual family. The Senior Students from the Hindu Dharma class led the puja. All the mantras were flawlessly chanted by Avani Kashalikar, while the other students explained the meaning of the various steps, such as the symbolism behind Achaman, Akshat, why we offer prasad, etc., explaining why we do a puja, and also the meaning of puja. The mantras were recited by all parents and students in perfect unison and pronunciation. The puja ended with Aarti and Prasad.

Then we were ready for lunch. All of the mothers from the Bal Vihar family worked together to make a delicious meal that was unforgettable. And all of the food was gone in the blink of an eye. The children especially loved the many varieties of desserts and ice cream, and everyone agreed that there was nothing better than a good home cooked meal. 

The event concluded with the much-anticipated awards ceremony. The children received awards and trophies based on their performance in various fields such as Hindi, Hindu Dharma, Shlokas and Geet, which they had learned throughout the year. Diplomas were given to the two graduating students, Asha Shetty and Kriti Singh. There were also awards for best attendance. Report cards were also given out to the students.

LEXINGTON BAL VIHAR, Aparna Rayasam, arayasam@yahoo.com

     "Aano bhadra krtavo yantu vishwatah" 

BAL VIDYA MANDIR, V.S. Sankar, vssankar@gmail.com

Bal Vidya Mandir, (BVM) held at Sri Lakshmi Mandir, Ashland celebrated its 13^th annual day on June 21^st, 2019  at Sri Lakshmi Temple. The program started with Deep Prajwalan followed by the temple priest performing Sri Ganesh, Sri Lakshmi and Sri Saraswathi pooja.

The students of BVM showcased what they had learned during the year, with several performances. The first performance was a recital from the youngest students, who recited 10 shlokas. This was followed by the next group of students who recited Sri Maha Lakshmi Ashtakam. Then, the older students chanted Hanuman Chalisa. All the prayers were rendered with utmost devotion. It was a treat to the audience’s eyes and ears.

The youngest group of students, dressed as gopikas and gopa kumaras, danced to the song “Jaya Janardana Krishna Radhika Pathe.” The little dancers’ moves and charm captivated audience and many were seen clapping along and enjoying the dance.

The Hindu Dharma group presented a skit in which they discussed various Hindu practices such as touching elders’ feet, saying namaste, not touching books with your feet, etc, which are followed by Hindus even today, and the reasons behind them. This discussion highlighted the fact that although Hinduism is the oldest living religion of the world and while our way of living has altered with time, many of the traditional practices of Hinduism are still relevant even today. 

The day ended with the distribution of certificates and a gift book to all the students. This was followed by Sri Maha Lakshmi aarti followed by a scrumptious potluck dinner lovingly prepared by all the parents.

VHPA Bal Vihars provide an opportunity for our children to discover their cultural bond with Bharat and develop pride in their Hindu identity. Hindi language instruction as well as cultural activities promote both the physical and spiritual well-being of the child. The program is designed to foster specific values in the children, including developing awareness of our obligations to society, creating a sense of belonging to a global family, and developing leadership qualities and a spirit of volunteering. It is open to children 4 years and above. Activities include: Devanagri class, Yoga and Indian games, stories, prayers and shlokas, inspirational songs, poems, bhajans, plays, crafts, celebration of festivals and birthdays. The Bal Vihar is a weekly 2 hour program. There are three branches, in Southboro, Lexington and Newton, and one in Sri Lakshmi Temple, Ashland. For more information, please contact Jaya Asthana at jasthana@hotmail.com

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