Samskaar for kids this summer

With an aim to educate children on cultural values and help in their character development, the Bala Vikasa Kendra, in association with the Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence, have started Samskaar 2012, a personality development summer camp.  Being offered by the Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad, for students from classes five to 10, the camp conducts yoga courses,  prayer sessions, activity hours and lectures on Indian culture. Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Madan B Lokur was present at the inauguration of the camp held at the RK Math on Sunday, to share his thoughts and views with the young minds. Speaking on the occasion, he pointed out the importance of inculcating the right attributes at a young age to help one’s personality development. Citing an example, the Chief Justice said, “Sachin Tendulkar has developed his attributes only with the help of his coach. Even after scoring a century of centuries, he goes back to the nets and is coached by his coach who helps him become a better batsman.” Commenting on the need for education, he said literacy rate should not be taken into account, but the population of the educated should be.  Laying emphasis on the need for proper classroom education, he said, “It is only through punctuality and discipline that victory can be achieved.” He called upon the participants to reflect and introspect as this would help them make excellent progress.Swami Bodhamayananda, director of the Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence, described the summer camp as a new kind of educational experience. “We don’t teach Science or Math here, but we teach values that can make one a great scientist or a mathematician,” he said. He further added that the summer camp lays emphasis on 3 Hs. “Head to think with compassion, Heart to feel emotion and empathy and Hand to take action and do social work. This is what we are aiming to inculcate in the young minds that sit before me,” he said. He also stressed the need for active student participation and the need for them to be led by example.Over 300 children have already registered for the summer camp that starts from Monday and concludes on May 26.