A Happy Beginning for Chinmaya Bala Vihar

By Padmashree Rao

HOUSTON: Every new beginning, particularly in the path of knowledge, has a special aura — a magic that is tangible, and an importance so valuable.

Such a special glow was clearly visible on September 11, when Bala Vihar reopened its doors at Chinmaya Prabha Houston to heartily welcome over a thousand precious young minds to another year of happy learning.

In the two sessions where both the Sarasvati Nilayam and Smrti Hall were overflowing beyond capacity, the opening ceremony was marked, not just by light-hearted celebration, but also with reflection and devotion.

Acarya Sri Gaurang Nanavaty opened the sessions with the leading message for this year’s Bala Vihar. He described how the curiosity and brilliance of the young Balakrishnan Menon took him all the way from his home state of Kerala to the asramas in the Himalayas. After Swami Sivananda kindled the flame of Knowledge in Balan and transformed him into Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Tapovanam, another master teacher who blended loving guidance with firm discipline, cemented the Knowledge of the young swami.

While his teachers had lit the lamp of learning, it was up to Pujya Gurudev to  continue lighting the lamps of spiritual awareness in millions of hearts. His shining legacy continues to this day in Chinmaya Mission centers worldwide.

Highlighting this purpose of the mission, Acarya Gaurangbhai encouraged all children to learn and question deeply with sincere regularity. He also announced that every child present was going to receive a Chinmaya commemorative coin, donated by CM Kolkata as a special gesture of appreciation for the good work of the Houston Bala Vihar. The ten-rupee coin, released in May 2015 by the Indian government, honors  Gurudev’s contribution to our Vedic culture. The coin would be a keepsake to inspire each child to achieve the highest potential.

After the Acarya’s address, Manasa Kethireddipalli, a Bala Vihar teacher, presented an engaging multimedia message from Acarya Darshana Nanavaty. She entertained children with a story of a singing yellow pencil which was taught by a shining flashlight to understand how the pencil’s writing glory was powered by God’s presence in it. Capturing the audience’s attention with happily silly songs and colorful messages, Manasa conveyed the deeper message of learning how our happiness comes when we recognize God’s presence in us with the help of the Guru’s guidance. She then guided children to perform a puja to thank God and Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda.

It was a joyful sight to watch the hundreds of children emerge out of the Smrti hall and walk to their classrooms with bright smiles after the main assembly. Then, the parents and adults were given a preview of the satsanga theme for the year by Acarya Gaurangbhai. The stage was set for spiritual learning across generations.

Just as a painting becomes a masterpiece with the right coordination of colors, the Bala Vihar opening day became another cherished beginning, thanks to the cooperative handiwork of the many teams who carry the glory of Chinmaya Prabha.  Hari Om!

For more information on Chinmaya Mission Houston and its activities visit www.chinmayahouston.org or Jay Deshmukh 832-541-0059 or Bharati Sutaria 281-933-0233