SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY - AUROYOUTH

ALL INDIA YOUTH CAMP—‘HERO WARRIORS’ 4 – 12 JANUARY 2018

A Sharing… Courage and love are the only indispensable virtues; even if all the others are eclipsed or fall asleep, these two will save the soul alive. - Sri Aurobindo

"Puducherry is a place of magic that for years has brought people together, today with our words and our actions, we will attempt to share with you the experience of this magic." – A Participant The annual ALL INDIA YOUTH CAMP 2018, themed ‘HERO WARRIORS’, was organized in Puducherry. A total of 35 youth from 11 states of India, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, New Delhi, and Gujarat, participated in the camp. Most of the participants had come to Puducherry for the first time, and they all could feel the ambience that this small but beautiful city had in every corner. The camp had in store for them a journey of discovering their true selves and experiencing a deeper happiness through learning the art and science of LOVE & COURAGE. This was achieved through a series of dynamic activities, deepening sessions, games, and discussions. They woke up at 5 every morning and then followed the vibrant and diverse range of sessions and activities that boosted them during the camp which resulted in opening up a whole new experience of seeing things differently. Under the guidance of the camp leader Shivakumar Da, Director, AuroYouth, and an energetic resource team, the camp was organized to make Hero Warriors ready to face the upcoming challenges that the country need to face. This year, there were also some volunteerparticipants like Uday da and Shubhangi di who took up various responsibilities in the organising and smooth working of the camp. Sri Aurobindo Society has been hosting camps for youth aged between 18 and 28 for the last 31 years, in an effort to ignite a spark for growth and progress, under the light of the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. These young people are brought together to discover and explore their deeper potentialities and capabilities and also to find their place and aim in life, in a united collective aspiration. 1

Objectives of the Camp The main objectives of the Camp were to:    

Help the youth to discover themselves—physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Inspire the youth to unearth their aim in life and assist them in realizing it. Make the youth conscious of their great heritage, the current problems that plague our nation and their role in building a new and vibrant India. Awaken the youth to their great future and prepare them, spiritually and mentally, to play their role in all aspects of social life.

Self-Introduction and Introduction to the Camp Theme The first day of the camp started with the participants getting to know each other and Shiva Da formally commenced the introduction session by giving them a brief glimpse into the history of Puducherry. Next the participants were supplied with the stationery items needed for the two-way communication. Shushanto da told the campers about the spiritual names given to different flowers by the Mother based on their characteristics and intrinsic beauty. All the campers were asked to introduce themselves followed by what name they wanted to be called. A range of diverse and interesting answers came from the participants. This was followed by an introduction to the camp theme—LOVE & COURAGE—where Shiva Da asked the participants to reflect on what constituted ‘LOVE’ and why it was important. Everybody ultimately was seeking love, which is so evasive, and finding its source within us is the basis of enduring happiness. Using the two weapons- Love & Courage, solving the practical problems with maximum positive output was what they were to learn in this camp.

Are you young INDIA? By Riddhi di Next, the participants had in store for them a different kind of journey, into their own hearts. One of the most peppy, energetic and vibrant facilitators was Riddhi Di, who soon became one with all the campers because of her fun-filled and happy nature. This session constituted brainstorming on thought-provoking topics. The campers were asked the question, ‘Are you young India?’ They were made aware of the fact that the root of most of the problems faced by them was the crisis of identity. The session ended with a thought that they are the hero warriors who are to put the things in the right way so as to help the upcoming generations. The third session with her taught the campers a big lesson, never speak or pass the comments on any topic which you can’t change, improve or at least contribute to. After the refreshing experience, they were asked to put 2

into paper whatever they experienced and thus poured down a plethora of different thoughts, emotions, feelings and dreams, expressed in the most creative ways onto paper. The result was astonishing. By now, the participants could feel something change deep within them.

The secret which nobody told us, Courage & Love by Shivakumar Da The first session with Shivakumar Da was about understanding one’s own body, emotions and mind, and how they work. Shiva Da explained the complex idea of Inner mind through a skit which made understanding concepts so easy! The participants went deep into the nature of consciousness which is basically willful awareness. And every point was made to sink in deep within the participants by turning the teaching into an experience, for example, they were made to carryout different activities to focus their mind, and develop the five senses to the fullest by activities designed to master the senses. Later, with the help of a power point presentation full of quotes & their masters, he showed them the wonders that could be achieved if one can connect with the Inner Being, one’s deeper Self. The quotes by A R RAHMAN, SHREYA GHOSHAL along with their experiences, helped the campers to relate to it more clearly. The next session came with a Q&A program. He guided the campers with a series of question and explained the various types of courage a person can do, why love is so much essential & are Love and happiness the same thing etc. Also, he took a series of Group discussions on Spirituality- Should we be afraid of it? & What is Happiness? These sessions helped the campers to clear most of their doubts.

Bridges & Barriers by Harvinder Di These sessions involved a journey within to become aware of one’s own depths, where our deep, silent, and intense aspects lie. The participants were taught a lesson that this human birth is full of problems, obstacles, barriers and it is upon us how to tackle these and cross them. The first step was to make sure everyone was awake – literally! Everyone was then asked to write non-stop for twenty minutes without lifting their pen, on the topic ‘myself’. They didn’t have to share it or get it marked, simply write to ease a flow and move to an exploration of themselves. After the exercise the youth campers were divided into small groups and they had to be with people they didn’t know well, so that they have the opportunity to reach out and connect to new friends from different cultural backgrounds, languages and places. They had to share something deeper about themselves, not just the usual bio-data facts. Each group was then given the task of preparing a short skit wherein they would show ‘courage and the advantages of it’ and present it the next day.

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The next session was essentially a deeper plunge into the self and in making connections to the environment. 36 participants were divided into 18 pairs and were directed to go out blindfolded with turns. As they went blindfolded they realized that as soon as one of our senses was being controlled, they became dependent. This made way to a group discussion on what is dependency? Then everyone was guided into a deep relaxation, in that state they were to try to move into a calmer mind-state so that their own depths could be touched. The water element was sighted and helped to make this connect. It concluded with a silent absorption of the waves of ocean, that everyone sat watching in total silence and calm mind. All this in a small Yoga-Nidra!!!!!

Chanting Sessions with Sampad Da Every day ended with a chanting session conducted by Dr Sampadananda Mishra. They started with clear enunciation of ‘Om’ the allencompassing word and it gradually began to wake up the participants from their drowsy state, as they collectively chanted, they could feel the energy and the vibration which made a beautiful music altogether. Sampad Da explained to the perplexed participants the significance of powerful Sanskrit incantations and how the entire universe had a certain rhythm, and chanting helped one connect to that rhythm... The enchanting mantras and shlokas invigorated the spirit of oneness in everyone and boosted their energies. They were explained the origin of the words in Sanskrit and the sounds and how Sanskrit is different from all the other languages. In fact, it can even be used as a form of therapy for children suffering from speech disorders. This beautiful language can help the mind to reach its own higher levels and express great thoughts, sustained by a strong culture, talent and skill. The two-hour session ended with everyone having a deeper knowledge of the language. He also told them many amazing & unknown facts about the language. The Sanskrit shlokas were chanted for connecting with one’s higher consciousness, and becoming more aware of oneself. Chanting these harmoniously for three more evenings consecutively also made the participants aware of the presence of something divine. He showed them the way towards the roots of today’s scientific inventions. Also while closing the sessions, a parting-prayer named ‘PUNAR-DARSHANAYA’, meaning see you again was sung.

Sessions by Abhipsa Di Aesthetics is the base of every art. You feel connected to a thing, person or place due to its beauty. It may be of any kind yet we feel some connection. The participants were made aware of this beauty of everything by Abhipsa di. What youths today do is they don’t enjoy the gifts of nature. They don’t have patience. The nature speaks when the mortals go silent. To experience 4

this she made all of them to pickup one flower from the display, observe it for 5 minutes and then try to know more about the flower by just observing it. The campers were told ‘‘Try to figure out the beauty of the flower that made you attract towards it”. So eventually they came to know that there are a lot of things about the flower that they would otherwise Google and never remember. The next session she took was of ‘Origami’. All the participants learnt the ancient Japanese art of creating objects from paper. There was but only one rule, rule of silence. In a way she taught them the way/method to explore the beauty around them by remaining silent. Keeping the same doctrine in mind, the campers experienced yet another beauty of nature, the Sunrise. The predawn experience was one of its kind. The nature along with its whole force, was waiting for the RAGHAVA, the Sun, to spread light and start the day with bliss. Be it birds, animals, trees, flowers everyone was eager to see the first ray of sunlight. This is a beautiful phenomenon that everyone in their day to day routine usually misses out. This was also a lesson to all of them to know and understand that we humans are a very small part of this abundant, vast Universe and that we are interdependent in the society.

Vande Mataram & Folk dance by Surabhi Di By now the campers had begun to lose their inhibitions and preconceived notions about the camp and were just going with the flow. Surabhi Di turned out to be a person who could make anybody sing, dance, laugh with the click of a finger. She made diverse tones, pitches, voices come together and sing one single tune, and with the panache of an expert. They didn’t even realize when they had all started grooving and dancing on the beat of folk dance music. At the end they couldn’t differentiate between the contemporary forms and the age old folk dance. There were two energizing and uplifting sessions, the second one had the campers singing and enacting the camp song VANDE MATARAM, it filled the room with warmth and harmony as they all sung and danced to the tune as one! It was accompanied by a lot of laughter and fun between the teacher and the participants. Also, they were taught a new tune to the camp song along with Dance on SAARE JAHAAN SE ACHHAA. The sessions took by her were ideal way of introducing art subjects to every child on this earth. She taught them dance, music and drama in her 3 sessions. The hero warriors of this young India are slowly facing our backs to our own root art and constantly praising the new born arts of the same family. The way she introduced dance to all of them was never done in either our schools or our colleges. Dance is not just a way to attract attention in a program or just a time pass; it is a way big and great thing to express one’s own feelings. 5

Appreciating Art by Sushanto Da The process of discovering beauty in life was continued in a wonderful session by Sushanto Da, which was spread over a span of two days. The words by the Mother, “Let beauty be your constant ideal…" remained the basis of the session. Everyone was given two flowers in front of them and asked to silently observe and listen to the flowers. The participants came up with beautiful observations about the flowers, the petals and the intricate details. After the beautiful interaction with the delicate flowers, the session went ahead with Sushanto Da giving all the participants an insight into Indian cultural heritage with the beautiful sculptures from ancient times. He explained how Indian art was different from the world art as it contained a soul and devotion, and beauty was displayed on each and every part of the sculptures. A series of pictures led all to a journey to the ancient history of India. The session imbibed in everyone a sense of belonging and the day ended. The next day the campers visited the Art Studio, led by Sushanto Da and Abhipsa Di. The place was enchanting and carried an aura that was experienced by everyone. The place was full of the paintings made by the Mother herself on canvas, along with some contemporary artists. Everyone was so amazed to see the paintings that it was difficult to go back and continue the rest of the journey.

Expedition to Lakeland: Matri-kunj and Matriudyanam This was a trip that everyone was looking forward to. It started at 6:00 in the morning with all the participants, along with the facilitators, riding bicycles to Lakeland and Matri-kunj which was 12 kilometers away from the city. Everybody was full of energy and excitement and cycling to the beautiful lake and sitting around the serene water was an out-of-the-world experience. The campers were then taken to a place of common get together for the people residing in the nearby villages. It is built with 89% natural soil, rest modern day materials. The place is called Sharanam. The place is not only beautiful but also one of its kind due to its architectural and scientific mastery. This Hall doesn’t need either Mics or Speakers. The hall is built in a way to provide clear and loud sound to every person sitting, standing or sleeping in the hall. The campers were astonished by the beauty of the lake and Sharanam, and then cycled to the nearby Ashram’s farmland Matriudyanam where they saw vivid colors of flowers, butterflies, birds, trees, plants. The trip moderators told the campers to remain silent and explore the beauty through the other senses, and that was a different exploration altogether, it was as if

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nature was conversing with them and they were just beginning to understand it’s language. After this they cycled to the next farm, of the Sri Aurobindo Society, Matri-kunj, where the most innovative conscious-farming was practiced. After a sumptuous lunch the campers were greeted by Baburam Bhaiya who explained to them how conscious farming worked, sitting under the shade of Casuarina trees on sides, it was a most relaxing experience. This involved being very observant, perceptive and open to all that nature has to offer. At the end of the trip, each person was full of the experience and didn’t want to leave the place even though they were very tired from so many activities.

The Journey Ahead by Rupa Di The journey ahead, it is a common question for today’s youth. Every time there is a get together of parents, teachers, elders, this question is always raised. “To Ab Aage??” or “Okay, What’s next?” Rupa di explained the situation of today’s youth. Today’s youth is facing a big crisis, Crisis of Identity. The youth never knows who he/she is. For the society as a whole, a name is given by the parents. But a name should describe a person, place or thing. Does any name given to us by our parents describe us? Are we the person as the name says? To answer such question, a series of activities were taken by Rupa di. She started by asking the above questions and then asked each one of us to think and suggest a name, word to know the person. She straightaway asked “How do you see yourself in this society, what do you want the people to call you?” Then the batch was supplied with a sheet of chart paper and sketch pens. Within half an hour, the youths drew a picture of themselves on the chart paper along with their various qualities, interests, values, virtues, interactions, etc. surprisingly each one came up with exciting ideas and ways to express themselves. Also they were to suggest a suitable name for such personality. The activity in short helped the youths to know themselves in a much better way and to present themselves before the society. The next activity she took was goals and objectives. Everyone who has taken birth must have some or the other purpose to complete/achieve. If we are able to know it, it would work wonders. So she made every one of us make a list of objectives we want to achieve, individually as well as a society as a whole. As man is a social animal, we need to live in a society. An interdependent society. So she also made us divide into various groups and then chalk out the objectives for our own world. As for the summary, the journey ahead was clear, find out who you are and make out the best possible use of this life wherever it was needed the most.

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Yogic Exercises by Shekhar Da and Shweta Di Everyday day began with yogic exercise sessions by Shekhar Da and Shweta Di. The morning dullness was expelled with the energy Shekhar Da bestowed in everyone by teaching the Surya Namaskar and the accompanying mantras. The energies were revived by performing the Shavasana. The participants were taught breathing techniques of Pranayama and Anulom-Vilom. Yoga and the chanting sessions taught them the values of control over mind, body and emotions. According to yogic insight, the existence of an individual is not limited to one’s body (the physical being) only, but includes the mental and emotional beings. After an exciting group photography session, where Shruti Di captured the entire group of participants and the facilitators, they took a 2-hour session on Conscious Living. Shekhar da explained the disadvantage of wrong body postures that today’s youth is accustomed to. Then to make his statement strong, he showed some pictures clicked by Shruti Di during the sessions for the last few days. This made the campers more aware of the irregularities in their postures and they made a vow to repair the postures. Shweta di then along with Shekhar da showed the participants the correct postures by enacting them. It would surely help all of them.

Steadying Ourselves & Vision of SAS – by Shivakumar da A session on ‘Steadying Ourselves’, with the help of candle flame, was intense and reflective at the same time; the session hall was made to go dark with all the curtains closed and the campers formed a wide circle after which they were all given a candle. After it was lit, they were asked to focus their eyes on their flames. The flame represented the flame in their hearts, their inner fire, which they were asked to control through concentration and awareness. It was surreal to see how the flames could actually be controlled by the power of concentration, and after that was achieved, they were all asked to move around freely with their flames, and now that they had found their inner light, to give it to whoever they felt like giving it to. Towards the end of the session, the outer flame was merged with the flame in the inner heart and everybody felt a deep transformation happen. After enjoying the lunch at the Ashram Dining room, a presentation was done by Shiva da explaining the significance of the Ashram, and the various projects taken up by the Sri Aurobindo Society. He also explained the vast and diverse range of development work that the Society has been organizing, in terms

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of education, empowerment and progression. He told them about the basic ideals that Sri Aurobindo Society, Sri Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville strived for. At last he invited all of the campers with a big heart and smile to visit Pondy again and if possible do contribute in the noble work that strives to achieve a bigger and much greater goal. Our afternoons were never dull as the sessions started with Shruti Di’s exhilarating activities that was not only fun but at the same time helped us to bring back our awareness and raise our sagging energy levels. We played with tennis balls, passed on objects in a concentrated way and also raised our voiced in tune with some captivating beats. The participants also met Puja Di, who in her very brief interaction, asked the participants to come out of their shackles and fly freely, with courage and love in their hearts.

Faculty Development Games by Sushanto Da and Team The afternoon laziness went away when Sushanto Da lead all the participants, to play a number of games to augment mental and physical abilities. Games like relay and balancing acts were performed by the participants. All the participants enjoyed a lot during this session. The games were carefully chosen in order to develop the concentration power, hand-eye coordination and skills such as team work and adroitness. Hits and misses were taken positively by all the participants. The session ended up as one of the most enthusiastic sessions.

Offering by participants, Feedback and Conclusion The final day, January 12, started as a regular day with Yogic exercises. The day continued with the distribution of feedback forms to all wherein they could share their experience of the camp that helped them to take a step towards self-mastery. All the participants wrote their hearts out and some candidates even asked for extra sheets of paper.

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The excitement and enthusiasm among the participants for the next session—making an offering of their talents and cultural learning— was evident and the whole atmosphere was filled with vigour. Rishika and Soham, two vibrant participants, anchored the Offerings session. It started with some of the participants performing songs and dance. A group of participants dedicated a prayer to the Mother. Some penned down poems about the youth camp and their journey throughout the camp. A group performed a small act that include the combination of the words of a poet and enchanting music by an artist. Riddhi Di gave a big surprise to all the campers by singing a song that made everyone’s eyes moist.

The session ended with Shiva Da thanking everyone and everyone thanking him and all the facilitators for the wonderful experience which had brought such a huge change in everyone’s life. Shiva Da reiterated that only the first few steps towards being a Hero warrior had been taken and that the journey must continue. Certificates and some gifts were distributed to all as prasadam from the Mother.

Visit to Matrimandir, Auroville The afternoon of the last day of the camp involved an optional visit to Auroville, an international township where people from all over the world come, learn, and experience peace and lasting happiness, and learn to build a better and more conscious world. The campers bid goodbye to those who left early and set out for the bus ride to Auroville. After reaching the place they explored the place through a series of videos showing how the Matrimandir was built, and the city itself meant to sustain 50,000 people. The beauty of the place was remarkable, the walk towards Matrimandir felt like going towards a strong and beautiful energy source, and when the campers finally reached the Matrimandir, the sight of it was mesmerizing! The land that surrounded the Matrimandir was permeating a divine energy that could be felt in the atmosphere all around. Everyone realized that it wasn’t chance that had brought them all together at that place at that time, but some other force, and they were all returning with a treasure trove of joy, love and wisdom, it was sad that they journey was coming to an end, but it was an immense source of happiness that they had enjoyed this journey together. - Report prepared by Soham, a participant of the Camp 10

Some Lighter Moments in the Camp

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