GSVE Picnic to Kodanad, Bhoothathankettu and Kalady

ISKCON Kochi arranged a one day picnic for the parents and children of Gopal's school last Sunday  the 25th of September, 2016 to
Kodanad and Bhoothathankettu which lie on the southern banks of river Periyar.

Kodanad is a village located near Perumbavoor on the banks of the river Periyar in  Ernakulam District.

 The one hour bus journey from Ernakulam was made blissful by the  melodious kirtans of devotees. There were around 120 of us including GSVE children and their parents apart from our devotees.  Two buses were arranged....one from our Kaloor centre and the other one from Muvattupuzha.

Kodanad is a popular tourist destination, with an abundance of various species of flora and fauna......away from the hustle bustle and scorching heat of the city. The park  had a few elephants and different species of deer.

 After enjoying the superabundance of  greenery and serenity along the winding paths of the park,  we had wonderful breakfast Prasadam cooked by the devotees..... Idly, Sambar, Chutney and sweets.

Our next destination was Bhoothathankettu (which translates to 'Fort built by Ghosts' ) a dam and a popular tourist destination which is around 30 kms  from Kodanad.

They have a mini eco-park where you can enjoy and relax sometime on the banks of Periyar river.

The dam , we were told was a kilometers walk  from the park and hence we skipped the same. However some members from our group went to see the dam while the others enjoyed some games and sports like lemon race, 'Devas and Asuras' etc etc...

Sumptuous lunch Prasadam was then served which both children and grown ups enjoyed.

As it started raining we had to wind up earlier than scheduled.

However we made a stop over at Kalady, near the Periyar river(or 'Poorna' as it is called here)  the holy birth place of Adi Shankaracharya on our way back home. As a little boy Sankara prayed to Lord Krishna (to enable his mother take her daily bath in the Periyar which was a little far ) who blessed him saying that the river would take it's new course through the place where his little feet made imprints and thus the place got it's name  Kalady(meaning foot print).

As the temples were not yet open , we made our way to the Crocodile Ghat on the banks of river Periyar where Sri Sankara took his vow of renunciation. It was here that  a crocodile caught hold of his leg and refused to release him until Sankara's mother Aryamba permitted him to accept sanyas.

After spending some time at the Ghat and having some juice to refresh ourselves we entered the temples.

The shrine of Adi Shankaracharya has photographs depicting the life and history of the great Acharya. There is  a small structure built over the place where the Acharya's mother Aryamba was cremated with  a black stone lamp post in front.

Deities of the Saptha Matas or the 7 forms of the Devi surround the Sharadamba Shrine.

Outside this shrine is an ancient temple of Lord  Krishna the family Deity of Adi Shankaracharya.

 We spent some really blissful time inside these temples......immersed in japa and singing kirtans.....and got late to head back home.  As photography is prohibited inside the temples, the interior images could not be taken.

Finally we started back home at around 6.30 PM and I reached home at 8.

Except for the off and on  interference of  Indra Deva (as our yatra leader Gopal Gaura Prabhu put it) with his bouts of rain showers,   all in all it was a fantastic day  with fun filled games, ecstatic kirtans,  wonderful Prasadam,  memorable photo shots.........it was an awesome and perfect day out.

Thanks to our Gopal's school coordinator HG Rugmini Prema Mathaji  who organised this Picnic  and made  this Sunday a memorable one.

 Her energy  and enthusiasm (at her age ) is contagious...... .....

Summer Camp 2016

We, at GSVE (Gopal's School of Value Education), Kochi, the Children's wing of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Conciousness), held our annual summer camp for school children for the 7th consecutive year at Bhavens Vidya Mandir Elamakkara from 18th to 29th April 2016,  from 10 AM to 3 PM daily. The Grand Finale was celebrated on the 1 st of May 2016.

The aim of GSVE is to inculcate cultural and spiritual values in our children....  to enable them to appreciate these values such that it becomes a part of  their everyday life......to know and grow in their relationship with KRISHNA ....and thereby live a healthy and happy life.....after all everybody is in search of  eternal happiness....

The camp is meant for the spiritual enrichment of children in the age group of 5 - 17.  Classes are formed according to the age groups of the children so as to enable the teachers to cater to the needs according to their level of receptivity.
Children were divided into three sections Mathura (sub juniors),  Vrindavan (Juniors) and Dwaraka (Seniors).

Registration started at 9 AM on the first day.

The camp started off with a nice Aarati followed by a short speech by HG Gopal Gaura Prabhu the yatra leader of ISKCON Kochi.

The kids were then directed to their respective classrooms.

Our daily camp activities start with an Arathi where every child is given an opportunity to offer incence, lamp or flowers at the Lord's feet.  Children respond well to these simple rituals which help them invoke the Lord within their hearts.  Gradually they started bringing colourful flowers, peacock feathers etc from home as their offering at the Lord's Lotus feet.

As in previous years this year's camp was also based on a theme.

This year's theme was:
Sub Juniors (Mathura Group) :  Festivals of India, where they learnt about the significance of the different festivals, the reasons for celebrating them, Stories related to the celebrations etc

Juniors (Vrindavan Group) : Nava Vidha Bhakti or the Nine types of Devotional Service starting from Sravanam (Listening) and Keertanam (Chanting the Holy Name) ...upto Aatma Nivedanam (Total Surrender) . Stories of exalted devotees who attained liberation by practicing the 9 types of Devotional Service were also discussed.

Seniors (Dwaraka Group) : Ramayana - Children familiarised themselves with the seven "Kandams" (Cantos), starting from Bala Kandam upto Uttara Kandam.  Children expressed their experience of gaining deeper insight into our Epic about which they had only very shallow awareness......they  were now exposed to deeper insights into the relevance and philosophical connotations of the various incidents depicted in the age old epic.....the significance of various kinds of human relationships  which are very relevant even in today's context .... And also as to how the Ramayana came to be written.

The syllabus also included Bhagwad Gita slokas, Japa, melodious Bhajans,  Yoga, stories from the scriptures, Art workshop,  etc....

The 10 day camp was packed with interactive sessions and other fun filled activities like drawing and painting,  quiz, essay writing, Satwik cooking, gardening, etc.

Children were also trained for a stage performance to be held on the Grand Finale.

The activities helped children to connect with our culture thereby enabling them to grow inwardly.

Kids were provided with course material.  Delicious, Healthy,  Lunch Prasadam was served everyday. The camp  enabled the children to understand and appreciate the benefits of a satvik diet.

HG Balabhadra Prabhu inaugurated the Grand Finale by lighting a lamp which was followed by a short speech by His Grace.

As in previous years we had an indoor Ratha Yatra which was the highlight of the program.

Melodious Bhajans,  a dance by the tiny tots of Mathura group, a Tableau on Nava Vidha Bhakti by the Vrindavan Group and a skit from the Ramayana by the Dwaraka group were other attractions of the Grand Finale.

 Competitions for Bhajans, Quiz, Essay writing,  fancy dress by the Mathura group etc were held earlier in the camp. Certificates of participation and prizes for the various competitions, were awarded on the final day.

HG Gunamala Devi Dasi Mathaji and HG Krishnabalaram Das Prabhu gave away the prizes.

In her concluding speech during the Grand Finale, HG Rugmini Prema Mathaji, the co ordinator of GSVE Kochi exhorted  to the parents that they should nurture  the seeds that were sowed in the minds of the children, during the camp, so that  they sprout and blossom into healthy minds.  To illustrate this idea she drew the Children's attention to the pots and bean seeds that they were given on the first day of the camp to water, nourish and de-weed.

A follow up session once every month has been arranged as of now.

There was a very good feed back from the parents as well.

The camp was a combination of discipline and fun, children made new friends and they were literally sad when the camp came to an end.  They are now all eagerly looking forward to next year's summer camp.  Like the children, the teachers and volunteers too enjoyed the camp and we all look forward to experiencing another exciting camp.

The day ended with delicious Prasadam.

While this year's camp also goes down in the annuls of the history of GSVE Kochi, we with deep regret recall the pioneering idea of these camps nurtured and brought to reality by our dear (Late) HG Sanandakumaran Prabhu.  We miss you Prabhu!

We offer our humble and collective efforts as flowers at the lotus feet of our Guru Maharaj Srila Jayapataka Swami and Srila Prabhupad, the founder Acharya of ISKCON.