Mantra for kids: Go back to Gita

BHUBANESWAR: If you think reciting slokas of the Bhagavad Gita is out of fashion in this age, think again.

Here is a band of school kids who not only have won competitions reciting the slokas but have imbibed the spirit of detailed study of the text.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of Swadhyaya Paribar, a city-based trust, which has taken up the cudgels for promoting spiritual awareness particularly among the schoolchildren across the State.

The organisation has been organising regional workshops in different parts of Orissa for the last seven years to encourage participation of more and more students, render the slokas and promote its essence in this war and terror-torn world.

Its prime objective is to disseminate the teachings of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita among the younger lot so that they can lead a moral, meaningful and healthy life and stand as responsible, dutiful and sincere citizens of the country.

The trust’s humble mission seems to be doing the magic. ‘‘The popularity of our workshops have reached such heights that requests are pouring in from several towns where we haven’t ventured yet,’’ said convenor A K Mishra.

In the current round of regional-level workshops in Brajarajnagar, Jharsuguda, Talcher and Paradip, hundreds of students from both Oriya and English medium schools participated with equal zeal.

The competitions were open for students from class IV to X, but the little ones from primary classes also insisted on taking part.

‘‘We had a class III student in Paradip in the competition,’’ he said. The State-level function would be held here on September 3, on Janmastami. Hundreds of students from the city along with the 10 selected students from each of the places in the regional rounds would participate.

The organisation has selected the sixth chapter of the Gita Dhyana Yoga for the competition. The participants would have to recite the first eight slokas of this chapter.

Prizes and certificates would be awarded to all participants. Special prizes would be presented to the top 20 winners. Special prizes would also be given to those who would successfully recite more than one chapter.

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