Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) held a two day training at Parmarth Niketan (Rishikesh) entitled “Awakened Citizens,” in association with the Ramkrishna Mission. Over 100 teachers from more than 50 schools joined us on the holy banks of Mother Ganga, in the lap of the Himalayas, to discuss how to teach children the foundational tools for a values education. They discussed how to empower children to discover and recognize the storehouse of wisdom within themselves and to be able to discriminate that even when life and exam scores may go up and down they, as Pujya Swamiji also reminds us, should not go up and down.
During their visit they were blessed by Pujya Swamiji with the inspirational slogan and message “Kendriya Vidyalaya Banai Prerna Jitne Bachai Utnai Ped,” meaning that by way of the KV schools, over 1,000 across the nation, as many children they have, that many trees should be planted in the coming monsoon. The teachers loved Pujya Swamiji’s message. Even though He had to leave for abroad, they carried this message with them throughout their divine and blissful two day workshop.
The teachers especially enjoyed taking part in the evening Ganga Aarti, in which Deputy Commissioner Shri Somit Srivastavaji, Additional Commissioner Smt Neeta Khuranaji, Former Senior KV Leader, Headquarter, Dr MM Swamyji and Ms Rachna Devji, Principal KV IDPL were lauded for their green leadership. Swami Shantatmanandji of the Ram Krishna Mission blessed the inauguration ceremony and led the first day of workshop. They took part in a Ganga Ghat clean up programme during one of the days and participated in a soulful Naad Yoga Kirtan programme by Anandra George and her Heart of Sound graduates.