Nell Bank Shibir

We were blessed with beautiful weather during the North Vibhag Shibir at Nell Bank Outdoor Centre in the lovely Yorkshire Dales.

Following are some of experiences that were had by those attending the Shibir:


Aravind age 13

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Nell bank, being only two days long, I was wishing when it ended that it would continue. The atmosphere was always fun. I think that considering the limited time, the timetables were constructed very well, so that we were always busy and having a good time.


After going to SSV, I found that this felt like a test of what I had learned and I tried to perfect it. For the people who haven’t been though, Nell bank shibir was a great introduction and I’m sure everyone learned a lot, including me. I really enjoyed the food at Nell Bank. It was amazing! I like the way it tasted really good, but was also really healthy and nutritious. Pav bhajis, pasta, garlic bread Yum.


A lot of the activities that we did were team-building activities, the assault course was a really good way to improve communication and working as a group, they really got everyone involved; especially the mahakhel on the last day, games that got the whole shibir into two huge teams and really tested our ability to work as a team. This included a huge bench race, blindfolded guiding and a huge game of bench-ball.


I have a few highlights at Nell Bank which I will remember for a long time such as: Winning the orienteering competition with Shiv, and a few other competitions with Shiv on my team as well..., obviously the food as well, and the bonfire in the field. The bonfire was really memorable, we all were in anticipation of it and were worried because we had heard that they could not get a fire going but eventually we all ran down to the field in high spirits and we sang songs and story stories and jokes. It was the traditional night at the campfire and after wards, hot chocolate. The only thing I would change would probably be having ear-buds when I slept! There was so much talking in the night and snoring!


Nell Bank was a very memorable and enjoyable experience for me, I would definitely recommend it.



Akshay age 7




At first I felt very nervous because everyone was older than me in the group. Soon I realised everything was fun and enjoyable. My favourite activity was the “Khel” (Play). I learnt new games, songs and how to respond to traditional commands of the shikshaks. I enjoyed the nutritious food and the warm hot chocolate after the bonfire night, when I made others laugh with a few jokes. I will definitely go again.

Shiv Mistry age 13

When coming to Nell Bank this year all I was expecting it to be was fun, because I knew that after SSV this camp should be a piece of cake. Of course, I got that bit wrong! We had to be ready by 6:45, and me, Aravind and the other people in our room got up with fifteen minutes left.

Even though I had been before, I had forgotten how amazing the scenery was from Nell Bank. The first thing we did when we got there was have some sandwiches whilst enjoying the view. Our first activity was orienteering. Aravind and I had the perfect plan! He found the place on the map and I ran to it. Although we were followed by one other group, we ended up becoming really good friends with them. We completed the course in seven minutes which was a record according to our instructor (Vicky.) We then had some more activities which involved feeding a bear and a frog on a glacier and getting across a river full of piranhas, well that’s what she said.

The food was always fantastic, also it seemed that me and Aravind were going through more cups of juice than everybody else put together. The Sharerik (physical activities) were always very enjoyable, when we did Samata (order) it was just a recap on what we had learnt from SSV. Our Gana (group) was 13 and under so me and Aravind were the older ones. Although it was nice being bigger than people, it was hard not to hurt the younger people (which I learnt the bad way). Talking about age, Akshay was of course the youngest by three years in our group. Despite this Akshay mastered all the commands better than most people and ended up being one of the best players in khel.

For most people the assault course was the best part, but for me it was the maha khel. This is where everybody got together into two big teams, and we had to tackle lots of different challenges. Although there were a few shikshaks in our team I still got picked as team leader, and it is hard controlling a big group of rowdy boys. Although our team was winning for the first half of the khel, the other team won in the end. I found that because the groups at Nell bank were smaller than the ones at SSV it allowed you to bond more with new people.

I think that this shibhir is great for swayemsevaks who are too young to go to SSV. Although you do not learn as much as SSV, you get some starters and you get know people before you do go to SSV. I think next year we should get a bigger sankhia from Warrington, and I know that I will definitely be there.

Navratri 2011 in Warrington

The beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn are two very important junctions of climatic and solar influence. These two periods are taken as sacred opportunities for the worship of the Divine Mother. The dates of the festival are determined according to the lunar calendar.

Navaratri represents celebration of Goddess Durga, the manifestation of Deity in form of Shakti [Energy or Power]. The Navaratri festival or ‘Nine Nights festival’ becomes ‘ten days festival’ with the addition of the last day, Vijayadashami which is its culmination. On all these ten days, the various forms of Mother Mahisasura-mardini (Durga) are worshipped with fervor and devotion.

As you can see from the photos "Energy" Shakti was definitely flowing during the two days that it was celebrated in Warrington at the Pyramid Arts Centre
                                                                 
                                                                        Day 1

                                                                      Day 2

                                                             Day 2 Video Clip

HINDUISM-A FREE RELIGION AND VEDANTA INITIATOR OF DEMOCRACY

The beauty of being a Hindu lies in your freedom to be who you want to be. Nobody can tell you what to do, or what not to do. There is no central authority, no single leader of the faith. No one can pass an order to excommunicate you, or like in some countries, pass a decree that orders your death by stoning for walking with a strange man.

We don’t appreciate our freedom because we can’t feel the plight of others who aren’t free. Many religions have a central authority with awesome power over the individual. They have a clear chain of command, from the lowliest local priest to the highest central leader. Hinduism somehow escaped from such central authority, and the Hindu has miraculously managed to hold on to his freedom through the ages. How did this happen?

Vedanta is the answer. When the writers of Vedanta emerged, around 1500 BC, they faced an organised religion of orthodox Hinduism. This was the post Vedic age, where ritualism was practiced, and the masses had no choice but to follow. It was a coercive atmosphere.

The writers of Vedanta rebelled against this authority and moved away from society into forests. This was how the ‘Aranyakas’ were written, literally meaning ‘writings from the forest’. These later paved the way for the Upanishads, and Vedanta eventually caught the imagination of the masses. It emerged triumphant, bearing with it the clear voice of personal freedom.

This democracy of religious thought, so intrinsic to Vedantic intelligence, sank into the mindset of every Indian. Most couldn’t fathom the deep wisdom it contained, but this much was very clear. They understood that faith was an expression of personal freedom, and one could believe at will.That’s why Hinduism saw an explosion of Gods. There was a God for every need and every creed. If you wanted to build your muscles, you worshiped a God with fabulous muscles. If you wanted to pursue education, there was a Goddess of Learning. If it was wealth you were looking for, then you looked up to the Goddess of wealth — with gold coins coming out of her hands.If you wanted to live happily as a family, you worshiped Gods who specially blessed families. When you grew old and faced oncoming death, you spent time in contemplating a God whose business it was to dissolve everything — from an individual to the entire Universe.Everywhere, divinity appeared in the manner and form you wanted it to appear, and when its use was over, you quietly discarded that form of divinity and looked at new forms of the divine that was currently of use to you. ‘Yad Bhavam, tad Bhavati’… what you choose to believe becomes your personal truth, and freedom to believe is always more important than belief itself.

Behind all this — was the silent Vedantic wisdom that Gods are but figments of human imagination. As the Kena Upanishad says, “Brahma ha devebhyo vijigye…” — All Gods are mere subjects of the Self. It implies that it is far better that God serves Man than Men serve God. Because Men never really serve God — they only obey the dictates of a religious head who speaks for that God, who can turn them into slaves in God’s name.

Hindus have therefore never tried to convert anyone. Never waged war in the name of religion. The average Hindu happily makes Gods serve him as per his needs. He discards Gods when he has no use for them. And new Gods emerge all the time — in response to market needs. In this tumult, no central authority could survive. No single prophet could emerge and hold sway, no chain of command could be established.

Vedanta had injected an organised chaos into Hinduism, and that’s the way it has been from the last thirty five centuries. Vedanta is also responsible, by default, for sustaining democracy. When the British left India, it was assumed that the nation would soon break up. Nothing of that kind has happened.The pundits of doom forgot that the Indian had been used to religious freedom from thousands of years. When he got political freedom, he grabbed it naturally. After all, when you can discard Gods why can’t you discard leaders?

Leaders like Gods are completely expendable to the Indian mindset. They are tolerated as long as they serve the people, and are replaced when needs change. It’s the triumph of people over their leaders, and in this tumult, no dictator can ever take over and rule us. Strange how the thoughts of a few men living in forests, thirty five centuries ago, can echo inside the heart of every Indian. That’s a tribute to the resurgent power of India, and the fearlessness of its free thinking people..