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Summer Fun Camp
Greater Atlanta Vedic Temple (
www.vedictemple.org ),
wherefrom one is accustomed to hearing only spiritually
uplifting Vedic hymns, aum dhwanee and inhaling purified air
emanating from hawan kund, had a vastly different experience
during the weekend of July 25 to 27. These sanctified sounds
came mixed with jovial shouts from the excited children, fifty
two of them, with ages ranging from five to eighteen years,
enjoying their yearly summer camp at the temple complex.
In their 48 hours of stay, they ate sumptuous food, saw movie,
witnessed puppet show and played different outdoor and indoor
sports including volleyball, badminton, soccer, tug-of-war,
jump-ropes, water balloons, carom and chess. Any passerby,
hearing the exulting sounds of the children must have
misconstrued that the children were an unruly lot. But the
truth was they were all very well-behaved and strictly following
all the rules of the camp in a disciplined manner.
Knowing that they had also come to learn, these children
unfailingly gathered valuable knowledge of the Vedas and other
ancient scriptural texts including their meanings. They learnt
the hawan proceedings and practiced yoga-aasans and pranayam.
They also had the opportunity to learn painting, pottery-making
and popular dances from guest-professionals.
Acharya Ashish Ji of Tapovan Ashram Dehradoon, India taught the
campers the methods improving memory and concentration by
practicing the Patanjali aushtang yog. In the follow up tests,
the children surprised all adults by reciting up to 25 unrelated
words in the same sequence as dictated to them by their teacher
3 to 4 minutes earlier.
On the closing day, they pleased their parents, by displaying on
stage, all the knowledge and skills they had imbibed during the
camp. Selecting winners for awards such as most congenial
camper, natural leader, helpful mate, effective monitor, most
inspiring child etc. must have been truly hard for the selection
committee. However, majority of them got individual recognition
from Acharya Ashish Ji for his/her contribution.
This whole program was conducted by a number of dedicated
volunteers including but not limited to - Sunita Bagga, JayShree,
Scott, Vijay Arora, Dhirendra and Pramila Sharma, Pramila
Chandora, Abhai Chandora, Vishrut Arya, Swasti Arya, Dr. Savitha,
Mr. Sasi, Savitri Chandora, Mini Sharma - all of whom worked
indefatigably to make the camp successful. They all were given
certificates of participation and they left after expressing a
strong desire and a firm promise to come back again next year
for the camp, in the month of July 2009.
For more information:
Vishrut Arya
Greater Atlanta Vedic Temple, 492 Harmony Grove Rd, Lillburn GA
30047-6573 USA
Phone : 770-381-3662, Email :
atlantavedictemple@gmail.com ,
http://www.vedictemple.org
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