Storytelling Event and Ramayana Quiz Bring Excitement Among Children Ahead of the Hindu Heritage Day on May 4^th, 2024

A reassuring welcome by a smiling aunty as a child climbs a stage goes a long way for bringing confidence as she/he is about to face an audience.  And when a tall uncle bends down on his knees to gently adjust the microphone to your height as you wait to start, makes you feel important and boosts that confidence even further and you are on your way to becoming a public speaker which many find challenging even as adults.

The auditorium of Sri Lakshmi Temple had a storytelling event and a Ramayan trivia quiz on Saturday, April 13^th, 2024 in Ashland, MA.  Fifty six children ranging in age from 4 to 18 talked about their favorite characters such as Hanuman, Sri Ram, Sri Krishna and others.  One 10 year old even related his story to Patanjali Yoga Sutras displaying an amazing comprehension for his age.   Many children described incidents and then went on to discuss the moral of their story.  Some children used slides to augment their narrative. The storytelling event was in two sessions separated by a lunch break from 1 to 1:30 PM.  Younger children were kept in the first session and had been informed about their time slot via email prior to the event.  Audience consisted of family members, event organizers and temple visitors.

The Ramayan Trivia Quiz started at 5 PM.  The forty participating youths were seated in the front with at least one vacant seat between participants.  The platform Kahoot allowed all of them to play simultaneously in spite of their age differences.  Some questions were simple such as how many brothers did Ram have, or who crossed the ocean to Lanka while others were little more esoteric such as what was the name of the bow that Ram strung.  For each question, there were multiple choice answers.  These were displayed on the screen in the auditorium as well as on the phone of each participant.  Each player clicked on the selection on his/her phone.  The Kahoot platform recorded the accuracy and speed for EACH participant.  This would allow the winners to be selected for each age group when the data is analyzed.  The adults were seated in a separate section in the back of the auditorium and had to be reminded to hold their excitement and not shout out the answers.  The value of such a quiz is to kindle interest in historic scriptures such as Ramayan and their teachings.

A third event, Painting Contest is still in progress.  Youths can make a painting related to the theme of Ramayan with any medium including (but not limited to) crayons, colored pencils, water colors, acrylic, charcoal, or sketch in size of 8.5x11 or 11x17 and submit for display at the Hindu Heritage Day on May 4^th, 2024.  They can find registration link on the website: https://boston.vhp-america.org.

Events like the above required mobilization and coordination among over 30 volunteers who gave up their usual avocations to serve as judges, emcees, time keepers, registration coordinators, stage assistants, audio-visual coordinators, quizmaster and facilitators.  The event was organized by Sri Lakshmi Temple and Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America.  Media support was provided by Gunjan Radio (WUML 91.5 FM Saturday mornings 9-12) and Lokvani e-magazine.  Prizes are co-sponsored by Giri Trading Company.

Readers are invited to attend the main event, Hindu Heritage Day, scheduled for Saturday, May 4^th, 2024 from 3 PM to 8 PM at the Marlborough Middle School in Marlborough, MA.  The entry is free.  It will feature a cultural program (including a special Ram Leela performance), Mela booths, non-profit organization booths, shopping for ethnic clothing/jewelry, food and kite flying. The prizes for the three contests will also be given out at the event. For further information, one can contact any of the persons on the attached flyer or 617-513-6887/603-560-5391.

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