S A M A R P A N 2 0 1 3 - 1 4

V I V E K A N A N D A K E N D R A V E D I C V I S I O N F O U N D A T G I O N
Viveka Sopana, Swamiji's gift to humanity, a
ladder of light for self unfoldment and upliftment
of humans from the finite self to the Infinite Uni-
versal Self.
Swamiji's immortal words: "Each soul
is potentially divine. The goal in life is to mani-
fest this divinity by controlling nature external
and internal. Do it by work or worship, psychic
control of philosophy, one or more or all of
them, and be free. This is the whole of religion.
Doctrines or dogmas, or rituals or books, or
temples or forms are but secondary details".
These words capture the vision of the rishis in a
most meaningful and practical way and there-
fore, this year's activities are being summarized
to fall in line with Swamiji's ideals.
KARYAPADDHATHI
1) Karma Yoga:

The first step of Viveka Sopana is the
most practical Vedantic formula, Work is Wor-
ship. Easier to read but very difficult to under-
stand, these simple but elegant words summarise
the science of Karma yoga. When properly un-
derstood and practised this ideal can open up
vistas of freedom and push us onward and God-
ward. From the finite to the Infinite Self leads
the path of Karma yoga which is also one of the
best outlets to manifest the divinity within us.
Every act of man, however mundane or mediocre
it be, has the potential of cosmic yajna hidden in
it, hence is capable of yielding the 'soma' of ful-
Vivekasopana
The Ladder of Light for the
Ascent of man to Divinity
In this year of the consummation of the
150th birthday celebration of Swami Vivekanan-
da, Vivekananda Vedic Vision foundation most
humbly dedicate our annual report to Swamiji
under the title Viveka Sopana- the ladder of light
for the ascent of man to Divinity. Viveka Sopana
integrates vedic vision with Swamiji's vision for
the spiritual upliftment of humanity at large, to
whichever country, religion, race or creed they
belong to.
When humanity as a whole is slipping
into an abyss of immorality, lawlessness and vio-
lence here comes Swami Vivekananda carrying
his unique ladder of Eternal Light (reminiscent
of the old village street lighter) to pull man out
of the morass of worldliness and haul him up to
ascend the steps to the Infinite, to reclaim his
rightful identity as the Immortal Divine Self. The
uniqueness of Swamij's ladder of light lies in the
fact that it is meant for the upliftment of the en-
tire humanity, sans religion, culture, race or sex
and hence is universally applicable for all times
to come.
The light Swamiji brings is the ever
bright inextinguishable light of Eternal Truth and
the ladder he provides is the time tested ladder of
human endeavor, with its four steps of karma,
bhakti, raja and jnana yogas, made universally
practical in his own inimitable style. This is the
ANNUAL REPORT

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fillment and liberation. When the doership and
enjoyership along with our likes and dislikes are
eliminated from the scope of the work we do, it
turns out into worship, into yajna, creating all-
round benefits leading to the transformation of
the individual and the society.
The most important lesson to be learned
in this man making character building pro-
gramme is to get rid of the self, likes and dislikes
and the yearning after rewards. Karma Yoga
helps us to catch man/woman where they are and
through guided work making them participate in
the great yagna of Vivekananda Kendra and thus
instill in them a taste for freedom through unself-
ishness and dedicated works. Unselfishness and
freedom are the key words in karma yoga. To
make one understand that work is not to earn
money, name or fame but to manifest one's in-
nate divinity and positively connect oneself with
the Whole, is indeed a very difficult job.
Karma Yoga helps us to incorporate a
societal dimension which will lead an individual
to a three dimension of expansion, elevation and
enrichment, that one would not gain, if one is
confined to one's household alone.
The Karma Yoga step of Viveka Sopana
deals with our everyday life and is meant to puri-
fy ourselves through 'Nishkama Karma' so as to
build up enough strength of mind and character
and thus become true participants in the Cosmic
Yajna and thereby open ourselves to evolution-
ary progress. To make these ideals part of every-
day life, Swamiji provides two simple prescrip-
tions. The first one is the ideal of
"renunciation and service" for the individual
and the second one "atmano mokshartam
jagadhitaya ca" for those serving the society.
Both these ideals are meant for the expansion
and elevation of the human consciousness
through discovery of the sanctity and purpose of
work and using it for 'lokasangraha' - welfare
of the society. This step in self purification and
self emancipation definitely steadys the sadhaka
in his journey towards his spiritual destination.
Karma Yoga is the fulcrum of our activities, gen-
erating zeal and energy and it forms the very first
step in the ascent of man to divinity. Karma Yo-
ga is the basis of Swamiji's man making, charac-
ter building and nation building ideal and hence
karma yoga brings the all important thrust in all
our activities.
Different activities, ceremonies and pro-
grams were planned with active participation of
the society where emphasis was on work and not
on reward. Through these participating activities
the great principle of Nishkama karma was made
to percolates into the society.
Man making nation building
1) Programmes for the total development of
children
Our Sandeepani Sishuvihar is the start-
ing point for putting the man making - nation
building ideals of Swamiji into practice. There
were 18 children this year. In a variety of ways
children and teachers imbibe the ideals of karma
yoga. Prayers, games, individual and collective
activities, partaking food in a disciplined way
with prayers etc help them to unfold the divinity
slowly but steadily and there is total change in

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their behavior even within the first three months.
As the children expanded their vision results
flowed into the family and influenced parents,
specially mothers, who became overwhelmingly
attuned to the ideals of total development. There
was no regular fee for children nor was there any
regular salary for teachers. Children pay what
little they can afford as dakshina and teachers
accept a humble honorarium as Swamiji's grace.
In the midst of institutions which charge and re-
charge students and parents, our Sishuvihar
stands as a beacon light of karma yoga.
2) Bala Samaskara Varga
The second phase of this programme
was our bala samaskara varga - Saturday - Sun-
day classes for children from the neighborhood,
conducted at four different places. Ten to twenty
children regularly participated in these pro-
grammes .
3) Atmavikas Camps
Third step in this programme of man -
making - nation building is our Atmavikas sum-
mer camps for school going children.
From 1st April to 10th April, a non resi-
dential 'Atmavikas Camp' ( PDC:- Personality
Development Camp) for students of classes VII
to X, was conducted with 26 students. Didi inau-
gurated the camp. Resource persons were Dr
T.P. Sashikumar, Sri Harishankar Master, Sri
Murali Master of Hindi Prachar Sabha, Smt Re-
ma teacher Principal of B.Ed College-Poyya, Sri
Vishwanath, Smt Ajitha, Sri M.N. Haridas, Sri
Gireesh well-known painter, Sri Sudhakarji,
Mananiya Lakshmi Didi and Susri Sutapa. The
theme of the Shibir was 'Manifestation of Divini-
ty'. Living together, working together and grow-
ing together in a team was fun, that was what the
children came to learn from the Shibir. Apart
from several workshops there were creativity
classes as well as congregational songs, skits
based on moral values, yoga practice and Krida
Yoga.
Smt Jyothi Unniraman, a well-wisher of
Kendra was the Chief Guest for the valedictory
function held on the evening of 10th April. A
parents' meeting was kept before the function
where Sri Harisankar Master talked to the par-
ents as to how they should bring up their chil-
dren. To instill in the children Swamiji's ideals of
'Tyaga and Seva,' each child was presented with
a small piggy bank to keep their pocket money
throughout the year. On their birthday they were

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to use the money for a deserving cause of charity
taking care that no return was expected.
We were lucky to have with us Manani-
ya Balakrishnanji on 21st April, for the conclud-
ing function of the second 'Atmavikas Camp' for
children of Class I to Class VI. The camp started
on 15th April. 53 children participated. 18 stu-
dents from class I to III formed one group and
the rest from Class IV to VI formed the second
group. All sessions were separately conducted
for the two groups. More emphasis was laid on
storytelling rather than lectures. Workshop on
Mathematics and puzzles were conducted and
children enjoyed the same. Vedic prayer, Skits,
Yoga and Games were a regular part of the seven
days Shibir.
On Ramnavami Day which fell during
the camp there was an interesting quiz competi-
tion for both the groups to test their knowledge
of Ramayana. Resource persons of the camp
were all our local workers. Ten volunteers from
the previous camp guided the groups of the se-
cond camp, throughout, for seven days. The
prayer and song sessions for the primary group
were also taught by the volunteers. Sri Rajan, a
well known social worker was invited as the Chief
Guest for the valedictory function on the last day,
21st April. A parents'meeting was also conducted
before the function.
4) Vivekananda Club
Extending this ideal to the high school
level we have instituted a Vivekananda club at
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan , Irinjanalakuda.
First session of students of Vivekananda
Club in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Irinjalakuda,
was held on 20th July. Sixty students were present
in the class. Kendra workers of Kodungallur Vi-
vekananda centre conducted the two hour session.
Two teachers of the school were also allotted to
assist the Kendra workers. Some parents were
also present as spectators. Mediocre students of
the VIth, VIIth and VIIIth classes who required
special attention, were the target groups of such
sessions in every school, so that their progress in
their academic field as well as behavioral fields in
the long run, could be monitored by the workers,
teachers and their parents.
5) Karyakartha Meeting

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For the first time, a two day meeting of
Karyakartas was held on the 18th and 19th May
Sri Suresh Kumarji from Ernakulam and Sri
Ashokan from Thiruvananthapuram, both Spir-
itual Retreat participants in Kanyakumari, Kum.
Soorya also from Thiruvanthapuram, Smt Jyothi
Unniraman and Kum. Radhika from Kodungal-
lur, participated. Sessions included Study of Kar-
ma Yoga guided by Didi and a brainstorming
session on methods of taking Swamiji's message
to the children and youth of their respective are-
as of work.
Celebrations
Celebrations provide an opportunity to
interact with the public at large, enlist their phys-
ical and mental participation and thus extend to
them the feeling of "vasudhaiva kudumba-
kam".
1) U.B.Day Celebration (U.B:- Universal
Brotherhood)
On 3rd September forenoon, there was a
Painting competition for the students of classes
V to VII. The lamp was lighted by Sri Balakrish-
nan, one of the judges for Painting competi-
tion.Students from 6 different schools took part.
On the same day, in the afternoon was
arranged a narration competition for the VIth and
VII th classes. Topic was 'narration of any inci-
dent' from Swamiji's life. Students from 9
schools took part.
On 7th September there was an Elocu-
tion competition, both in Malayalam and English
for classes VIII to X. 10 schools participated. On
the same day in the afternoon a quiz programme
on Indian Culture for the Higher Secondary stu-
dents was conducted.
c) Programmes for youth, competitions, etc
As part of Universal Brotherhood Day
celebration this year we organized oratorical
competition in Malayalam and English on the
8th October, at SNM College. Malyankara. The
topic for the competition was Swami Vivekanan-
da and Youth. Ten students participated in the
Speech. Smt Jyoti Unniraman coordinator for
college competitions and Sudhakarji were the
judges. Sri Mukundan, HOD of Biology depart-
ment of the college co-ordinated the programme.
Kum. Rakhi.K.R was adjudged the best speaker.
The prize winning students were asked to partici-
pate one day camp at Ananda Dham, where in-
tercollegiate competition was to be conducted to
all the students and wherein they would be ex-
posed to the teachings of Swamiji. On 5th

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November another speech competition was orga-
nized, this time in KKTM College, Pullut. Only
five students took part in the competition. Smt
Jyothi Unniraman and two lecturers from the
Malayalam and English departments were the
judges. Sri James.P.O was adjudged as the best
speaker.
On 6th November, a one day seminar at
Bharatiya Vidaya Bhavan Vidya Mandir,
Irinjalakuda, was organized by Kendra, spon-
sored by Sports & Youth Affairs Govt. of Kerala
and Ramakrishna Mission. The seminar was
meant for higher secondary school students. In
all 175 students participated. Resource persons
were Sri Hareendran Master, Sri Vinod Kumar
and Mananeeya Lakshmi Didi. All the speakers
emphasized why they should make Swamiji as
their hero, so that their lives run on the right
track. Lakshmi Didi in her own unique way pre-
sented Swamiji through power point presentation
of Vishwa Bhanu Exhibition and asked the stu-
dents to imbibe the spirit of Swamiji in their
lives. Sri Mukundan, Chairman of the Managing
committee of Bharatiya Vidya Mandir, inaugu-
rated the seminar. Children of Vivekananda club
sang 'Bhuvana mandale' which was followed by
all the children. A book on Swamiji's life and
message was given to all students and a set of
Swamiji's complete works was presented to the
school library.
On 27th November a similar seminar
was conducted at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Ko-
dungallur for the higher secondary students. Sri
Vinod Kumar, the coordinater of the seminars
on behalf of Ramakrishna Mission gave a brief
idea about the 150th birth anniversary celebra-
tions of Swamiji and the significance of such
seminars. Later Man. Lakshmi didi inaugurated
the seminar and presented a set of Complete
Works of Swamiji to the Principal for the school
library. In her inaugural address, she recalled
how Swamiji released the exclusive religions
from their cages into the freedom of the Infinity
of Truth. Sri Suresh Babu, greatly devoted to
Swamiji, from Durga school of Peramangalam
was the main speaker. Sri Suresh Babu elaborat-
ed the life and message of Swamiji point by
point and encouraged the children to take up the
study of Swamiji with earnest interest so that
they would be able to attain their goal in life.
Sharing the experience Kum. Ameena said that
the seminar made her aware of the immense po-
tentialities within them and they felt confident
to rise to greater heights by reading and under-
standing Swamiji's life better. The programme
concluded with national anthem.
Vivekananda Jayanthi
Pushparchana, at the feet of Swamiji was
kept for people throughout the day since the
prize distribution ceremony and public function
of Swamijis Jayanthi were kept on 12th Janu-
ary. All the yoga satra and yoga varga partici-
pants, Samskarvarga children and all those who
attended the function performed pusparchana.
More than two hundred people partici-

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pated. The programme started at 10.30 am. Sri
Chandrasekharan an educationist was the Chief
Guest. The first prize winner groups of patriotic
and folk songs performed on tne stage. Apart
from prize distribution, five needy and meritori-
ous students of the XIth class of G.G.H.S.S. Ko-
dungallur were awarded scholarships by Didi. In
the end there was a beautiful Thiruvathira dance
by Smt Padmajas troup. The song of this dance
was the most popular Sanskrit song on Swamiji -
Bhuvana Mandale. Programme ended by
12.30. All the members had the prasad.
Interschool group song competition.
Come January and all the branch and
project centres of Kendra bear a festive mood as
it is the month in which Swamiji was born. On
the 9th of January nine schools took part in patri-
otic group song and 12 schools in folk group
song competitions.
It was a real sight to watch the spirit of
the children. Four judges, one from Kodungallur
and three from Paravur were there to judge the
children's' performance. The Folk songs were
soul stirring. Students dressed in colorful attires
playing folk instruments and rhythmically danc-
ing to the tune of their songs kept the audience
including the judges spellbound.
Announcement of the results was tough
for the judges , hence we had more than one
group for the second and consolation prizes in
both patriotic and folk songs.The trophies for
patriotic song, was won by S.N.Vidya Bhavan,
Chentrapinni and that for folk song was bagged
by Seethi Sahib High School,Azhikode.
On the 10th of January a Thiruvathira
group dance competition was kept for students of
classesXI and XII. Only two schools participated
viz- H.S.School, Panangad and Bharat Vidya
Mandir, Valappad. Three judges were present.
Both the schools performed excellently, hence
both were declared first prize winners. Smt
Padmaja, one of the judges explained the signifi-
cance of this traditional dance.


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Other celebrations
1) Independence Day
The 67th Independence day was cele-
brated at Anandadham, Kodungallur with the
hoisting of the National flag by Mananiya Lak-
shmi Didi. Sandeepani Sishuvihar children, their
parents, samskar varg children and the inmates
of Anandadham were present. Singing of the
National anthem and followed by singing of pat-
riotic songs by the children formed part of the
programme. Ladoos were distributed at the end
of the programme.
2) Onam Day
Onam was celebrated in Sandeepani
Sishuviahr just the day before their Onam vaca-
tion. Children themselves with the help of their
mothers and teachers made a beautiful floral de-
sign with flowers brought by each of them. One
of them -Ritupoorna of LKG was dressed as Va-
mana and Akshara of UKG as Mahabali. This
year, 45 needy people were given Onam kits
worth Rs 250/- each on the occasion of Onam
3) Children's Day
Like previous years this year also the
children of Sandeepani Sishuvihar celebrated
Children's Day with pomp and show. The theme
for this year was national heroes of Mother In-
dia'. All the children from this year and also
from previous years were invited to participate in
the programme dressing up befitting the theme.
Master Vishnu dressed as Chacha Nehru, gave
the inaugural speech. Others dressed as Viveka-
nanda, Sri Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi, Shivaji,
Jhansi Rani, Unniarcha, Dr Palpu, Ayyappa
Swami, Chattambi Swamigal and so on. One by
one the heroes presented themselves on the stage
and also spoke a few lines about 'themselves' and
their mission. Children had a wonderful time
together. Every one of them was given an oppor-
tunity to speak or sing.
4) Matrupuja
On the auspicious day of the Holy Moth-
er's tithi Puja on 24th December , grandmothers
from the neighborhood as well as the mothers of
our Sishuvihar students were invited for 'Matru
puja'. Thirtyfive
mothers were
present for the
puja. To imbibe
the samskara '
Matru devo bha-
va' or to see the
mother as God is
what our scrip-
tures teach. Thus
this day every
year is dedicated
for worshipping
their mothers by the little children. Puja was
started by the oldest granny. After puja all the
mothers and children enjoyed the prasad.


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5) Republic Day
After flag hoisting by Didi, Shri Tushar
Ghosh, our guest from Switzerland inaugurated
the Kutumba Sammelan. Samskarvarga children,
Sandeepani children and their parents, yoga Var-
ga pstudents and their families took part in this
jolly get together. There were games for all age
groups followed by a samuha bhojanam- sharing
of the varieties of delicacies brought by each
family.
Bhakti Yoga:
Bhakti Yoga which forms the second
step of Viveka Sopana is meant to purify the
emotions, turning them away from purely wordly
and selfish actions towards God and Ultimate
Truth.
Our great Rishis with their rare insight
could penetrate into the subtlest realm of human
mind through absolute self control and power of
concentration and could realize that their inner
most Being is centered in the purest form of Infi-
nite Divine love. This awareness when projected
outside resulted in the discovery that this whole
universe is permeated with the subtle energy of
Divine Love, in one form or other. The wide va-
riety of positive human emotions is nothing but
the varied expressions of the same divine energy
of Love. Bhakti yoga teaches us to spiritualize
the mundane love we feel by centering it in our
own Inner Self. How to purify, refine and make
our love vibrate in tune with the Divine Love,
form the essence of Bhakti yoga. Only when
love turns into Bhakti can it fulfill itself and lead
man in his ascent to divinity or perfection and
help him in his evolutionary transformation and
through him/her bring solace and benediction to
the whole of mankind.
To channelize human emotions into the
path of Divine Love or Bakthi, a number of pro-
grammes were organized centered round the
worship of various deities.

Gurupurnima
The Sanskrit root "Gu" means darkness
or ignorance. "Ru" denotes the remover of that
darkness. Therefore one who removes darkness
of our ignorance is a Guru. Hindus celebrate it
in honour of the great sage Vyasa, who is one of
the greatest Gurus in ancient Hindu traditions
and a symbol of the Guru-shishya tradition. This
was the day, when Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa -
author of the Mahabharata - was born to sage
Parashara and a fisherman's daughter Satyavati.
Thus this day is also celebrated as Vyasa Purni-
ma .This festival has great importance for Indian
academics and scholars. Indian academics cele-
brate this day by thanking their teachers as well
as remembering past teachers and scholars.
Gurupurnima was celebrated in Anan-
dadham on 20th July. Dr Karumatra Vijayan a
well-known Tantra Sadhaka and having a num-
ber of students studying Tantra Shastra under
him, was invited as the Guest speaker. He elabo-
rated the qualities of a guru and also explained
about the importance of Gurupurnima. Not only

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how a guru ought to be but a deserving student
or his qualities were also mentioned.
On 22ndJuly early morning there was
Ganapathi Homam by students of Gurupadam
and chanting of Guru strotam by the inamates of
Anandadham.
Vaishnava Sankirtana - a new experience
Renowned scholar, Sri Gopal Iyengar
and a group of Vaishnava devotees from Karna-
taka, visited Kodungallur on 4th May, on a three
day pilgrimage. They stayed at our campus -
Anandadham . Apart from temple visits they
spent the rest of their time chanting the Vedas in
Tamil, 'Divya Prabandham'. The whole campus
was vibrating with their chants. They left on 7th
May to conclude their chanting at the famous
Thrikkakara Vamana temple.
Ramayana Parayanam
17th July marked the beginning of the
Karkatakam month. On the very first day of the
month Susri Bindu and her team conducted Ra-
mayana parayanam in the premises of a nearby
Devi temple in the early morning and in a house
near the Kodungallur Bhagavathi Amman temple
in the evening. The programme included daily
one house visit in the evening on working days
and both morning and evening on weekend holi-
days There was good response and demand for
parayanam from many houses. She was accom-
panied by one or two lady students staying in
Anandadham and a few well-wishers. Group
reading of the Adhyatma Ramayana by Guru
Ezhuttachan was the main aim besides sam-
parka.
Ramayana in day to day life
On the occasion of Ramayana Masacha-
ran Samapanam, Rev.Swamini Samhitanandaji
from Chinmaya Mission Thiruvananthapuram,
was invited for prabhasanam on 4th August,
Sunday. She talked on the practical application
of the epic Ramayana in ones daily life.

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Month long Ramayana satsangh
About 30 houses were visited by Kum.
Bindu and her companions during the Ramayana
month. Almost all those family members were
present for the Ramayana Masacharan
Samapanam.
15th of August was also the end of the
Karkatakam or Ramayana month. A colourful
demonstration by the Sishuvihar children and the
samskar varga children, who dressed up as dif-
ferent characters in the Ramayana, was one of
the interesting items for celebrating the
Samapanam of Ramayana month. Recital of
some of the portions of the Adhyatma Ramayana
by children and elders followed by a Ramayana
Quiz for the children were the other items of the
programme. Uniqueness of the demonstration
programme was that, starting from the writer of
Ramayana Sri Tunchathu Ezhuttachan to Pat-
tabhisheka of Lord Rama, almost all the major
incidents were enacted by the children.
Shri Krishna Jayanthi
Sri Krishna Jayanthi was celebrated at
Anandadham on 28thAugust. For Keralites it is
'Asthami Rohini Day'. Throughout Kerala this
day is celebrated with Sobha Yatras of small
children dressed as Sri Krishnas. All the parents
like to see their wards dressed as Sri Krishna or
Gopikas or various characters of the Bhagavata
Anandadham was vibrating with the presence of
little Krishnas on the happy occasion of Ashtami
Rohini. It was an opportunity for all the Mothers
to feel the Motherhood of Yashoda while dress-
ing up their children as little Sri Krishna. All the
children from Sandeepani Sishuvihar and other
children from neighborhood participated in the
programme. There were 40 children on the
stage dressed up as Sri Krishna,gopikas, gopalas
and Yashodas Children with best performance
were presented with tokens of appreciation.
Singing of Krishna bhajans and dancing were
also part of the programme. After exhibiting
their talents all the children and parents together
went to ''Brindavan'' to pay their respects to the
Sri Krishna Statue there. Lastly came the
'Uriyadi' or breaking the po whicht was the most
interesting part of the programme. Anandham
was transformed into a mini Brindavan on that
day.
Navaratri Pooja:
This year Navaratri began on 4th October.
Daily bhajans and prayers for ten days in front of
the "Bomma Kolu" were conducted by the in-
mates of Anada Dham and children from the
neighbourhood. In the mornings Devi Mahath-

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myam was chanted every day. Ashtami, Navami
and Vijayadasmi are of utmost importance and
are considered most auspicious to initiate chil-
dren into learning. Children placed books, musi-
cal instruments, implements, etc. In front of
Goddess Saraswathi's idol, and on ashtami day,
the books were worshipped and children prayed
to the Goddess for granting them wisdom and
knowledge. On Dhasami day books were taken
out for reading after puja and prayers. On Vi-
jaydasmi day a good number of children got ini-
tiated into learning, marking Vidyarambham. On
the tongue of the child the letters "Harishree Ga-
napataye Namah" were written with a gold ring.
The child was made to write the same letters on
rice spread in plate. Usually an eminent person-
ality of the locality initiated the child. This has
caught the imagination of even Christians and
Muslims and they have also started imitating this
ritual in their places of worship. Lakshmi Didi
initiated many tiny tots here in Ananda Dham at
a nearby Sasta temple and at the Sai Vidya
Niketan school.
Gita Jayathi
On the evening of 13th December , Gita
Jayanthi was celebrated in Anandadham coin-
ciding it with the inauguration of the Viveka-
nanda Study Circle in the campus by Didi. Aim
of the study circle is to guide interested seekers
in the chanting and also acquaint them with the
meaning of the slokas of Sreemad Bhagavat
Gita. On the first and third Sunday evening of
each month this class will be held for an hour.
Didi will be monitoring the class. About fifty
seekers attended the class on Gita Jayanthi Day.
Narayaneeya Sapthaha
This year's sapthah 5th to 11th May was
based on Shri Melpathur's Narayaneeyam which
is a condensed version of Bhagavata. Those sev-
en days our campus reverberated with chantings
and bhajans and of course readings from Naraya-
neeyam and prabhashanas based on that. Adding
to the atmosphere of Bhakti were dances and
cultural shows by children. More than 100 per-
sons attended the highly elevating spiritual dis-
courses of Brahmashri Peringara Keshavan
Namboothiri and his devoted partner Smt. Re-
nuka Thampuratti. There was annadana every-
day.
Raja yoga
The goal in life is to manifest the Divin-
ity by controlling nature external and internal.
This important observation of Swamiji
holds the key to unlock the doors of Rajayoga,
the very important third step of Viveka Sopana.
Just as the mountain climbers need to carry oxy-
gen as they ascend the heights, so also the seek-
ers of Truth need to conserve and control their
'Pranic Energy' to delve deeper into the secrets of
their very being. Without the Rajayoga of con-
trol of the workings of mind the ascent becomes
almost impossible. Our great Rishis fully real-
ised this and have perfected this superfine tech-
nology of Rajayoga, acclaimed all over the
world today as the most scientific technique for
self enlightenment, thanks to the light thrown on
it by Swami Vivekananda, as the surest scien-
tific way to claim the health, wealth and happi-
ness that lie deep within us.
Bringing the message of health and well
being, yoga scaled new heights as more and
more of our lady participants have taken to yoga
seriously. Many of them were eager to qualify
more in the subject and enrolled themselves in
the distant education classes of Swami Viveka-

S amar pa n 2 014
P a g 1 4
nanda Yoga University, Bengaluru. They reaped
a double harvest - learned more about ancient
India's great heritage and could also get em-
ployed as yoga teachers.
On 27th May, there was an interaction
session of the teachers, trained in Kendra, work-
ing in different schools of Kodungallur as Yoga
teachers or regular teachers, with Smt Jyothi Un-
niraman, a counsellor and retired Management
trainer. Topic was how the teachers could excel
in their respective fields.
This year we have extended our yoga for
school children to two more government schools
run by Muslim management, one at Konathukun-
nu GUPS and another SSMHS at Azhikode. Two
of our newly trained Yoga participants were de-
ployed to take the classes on regular basis. The
former was for upper primary children and the
latter is was for tenth class children with the aim
to bring about an all round development in their
progress. Sri Sudhakar visited the Govt Upper
primary school and addressed all the children in
the school at the request of the PTA President
who was also a social worker from that area, Smt
Padmaja and Smt Shakeena visited these
schools on weekly basis and conducted the clas-
ses. Apart from yoga, they will be teaching them
certain meditation and concentration techniques
through games and stories.
One notable achievement this year was
many of the children trained by our teachers got
prizes in district level competition conducted by
the Trissur District yoga association. They would
now be competing at the state level. All the
winning children were felicitated by the school
management and PTA association of the respec-
tive schools.
Yoga Satra & Yoga Varga
Yoga Varga for men continued in the
early morning from 5:45 to 7a.m. Around 10
participants attended the varga regularly. Sri
Dharmanji and Sri Unniji monitered the varga.
On an average 7 ladies regularly attended the
varga separatesly under the guidance of Susri
Sutapa Das. In all 15 satras took place in the year
under report in which about 100 people partici-
pated.
Bala Yoga
10 children regularly attended Bala
Yoga class every Saturday 7:30 to 8:30 am.
Samskar Varga
Samskar Varga classes went on at two
places, every Sunday morning at Anandadham
and every 2nd Sunday at Vinayakapuram. On an
average 15 students attended.
Suryakiran
On 19 th January , 15 different schools
participated in the ' Surya Kiran ' Samuhika
Surya Namaskar programme held at the Gu-
rushree Public ground, Pullut . 600 students par-
ticipated in the programme which started by
7.30 and ended by 9 a.m. This time student
groups were arranged in circles and the for-
mations at each step of Suryanamaskar were
very attractive . Students performed in groups of
twenty to twenty five. Groups from Amrita
Vidyalayam, Phoenix Public School and Gu-

S amar pa n 2 014
P a g 1 !
rushree Public School were adjudged as best per-
formers and received awards on the spot.
Gurushree Public school was also
awarded for the largest participation with 6
groups totalling to 150 students. Chief Guest for
the programme was Sri K.G Sivanandan, MD of
Cooperative Bank, Kodungallur.
Sri Sai Vidya Bhavan performed yoga
Pyramid on the stage after Samuhika Surya Na-
maskar was over. As usual all the children,
teachers and parents were provided sumptuous
breakfast after the programme.
Jnana Yoga
The ultimate step of Viveka Sopana is
the reliasation of the SELF within. The Self is the
essence of this universe, the essence of all souls;
He is the essence of your own life, nay, "Thou art
That". You are one with this universe.
"He who says he is different from others
even by a hair's breadth, immediately becomes
miserable".Happiness belongs to him who
knows this Oneness, who knows he is one with
the universe. This is the essence, the Crest Jewel
of Knowledge - the Eternal Inextinguishable
Light which enlightens and enlivens the entire
universe and sustains it.
To make people acquainted with the ulti-
mate Truth the best way is through enlightening
satsangs with eminent personalities. One im-
portant step in this direction has been the month-
ly study classes on Lalithasahasranama by the
learned scholar Shri. Girishkumar. Every month
the last weekend is kept for his classes. Great
insight is provided by Shri. Girishji into the intri-
cate meanings hidden in the thousand names of
Goddess . The lecture is preceded and followed
by meditation on Divine Mother.
Sreemad Swami Jitatmanandaji of Chin-
maya Mission -Ottapalam, visited Anandadham
on 9thJuly, for a week long programme in a
nearby temple. As his stay was in Anandadham,
the inmates of Anandadham took the opportunity
to attend his swadhyaya classes. He also took a
session for the yoga varga members many of
whom have been appointed as yoga teachers in
different schools in and around Kodungallur. He
spoke to them on the 16 samskaras and their rel-
evance in the life of a person. There was a ques-
tion answer session too.
On 25t h November , Swami
Chidanandapuri Maharaj, of Adwaita ashramam,
Kolathur, well known for his inspiring exposi-
tion of Vedanta, delivered a talk on the message
of Upanishads. Though it was a working day, a
good number of well wishers were present to
listen to Swamiji. Swamiji was visiting Aananda
Dham after a gap of four years. Swamiji in his
lucid way explained the message of Upanishads.
He called upon the women who were present to
understand the importance of the role of mother
in the family structure. The country has to be-

S amar pa n 2 014
P a g 1 "
come Jagatguru, and it is in mothers hands to
achieve it. He invited questions from the audi-
ence which were elucidated by him.
A half day Seminar on Swamiji and
Education, especially for the B.Ed students and
school teachers was arranged on 11th January.
Lakshmi Didi welcomed the gathering. 165 dele-
gates mainly from Dr Palpu B.Ed College and
HPK B.Ed College and S.N.M.Maliankara Col-
lege, registered. The Programme started by 10
a.m. Dr Geetha Suraj, Ex-Principal of
Muthakunnam College was the Chief Speaker
who gave the Inaugural talk. Other speakers
were Dr. T.P.Sashikumar and Vice President of
Bharatiya Vidya Niketan-South zone, Dr
Madhavan.
Question answer session was dealt with
by Dr T.P. Sashikumar, which almost all the del-
egates enjoyed and actively took part so much so
that an open session was kept even after lunch
upto 3p.m.

Seminars
1) Bird's eye view of Vivekananda litera-
ture
On 21st July, a seminar meant for the
prabuddha section of our society , was conducted
by Vivekananda Vedic Vision Foundation in
collaboration with Kodungallur Sahitya Sadas-
su. Topic of the seminar was 'Vivekananda Sa-
hityam Oru Vihaga Veekshanam'. A number of
speakers presented their papers. Chief speaker
was Sri Harindran Master, Vice principal of
SRKMHS, Puranattukara. His topic was Swa-
miji's poems in Malayalam literature. Other
speakers were Nimisha Kavi Sri Thayyaparambil
Gopalankutty Menon, Professor R.P.Menon, Sri
Nanda Kumar-a Bank Officer, Professor K.
Ajitha. Sri Kottapuram Rajan Master and poet
Sri T.R.Velu. 'Ammini Kutty' a novel authored
by budding authoress Kum.J. Deepa of Edavil-
langur, was released on the same day.The semi-
nar started at 10 a.m and concluded at 2pm in the
afternoon. Seventy five people attended.
2) Kodungallur Sahitya Sadassu, in col-
laboration with Vivekananda Kendra conducted
a one day seminar on 'Swami Vivekananda - a
Karma Yogi'. The seminar was inaugurated by
Sri Surendran, Dy SP of Kodungallur. One of the
members of Sahitya Sadasu,Sri P.S.S Kaimal,
had composed a Khanda Kavyam on Swamiji's
life entitled Karma yogi. The book was released
by Sri Surendran and the first copy was received
by Kum Manavi. Nimisha Kavi Sri Gopalan-
kutty menon and other speakers threw light on
Swamiji's life as Karma Yogi. In the end there
was question answer session on the subject. Pro-
gramme concluded with Shanti mantra.
Foreign Tours
The highlight of the year was Lakshmi
Didi's visit to Switzerland at the invitation of the
Vedanta centre of RK mission, Geneva. As part
of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of
Swami Vivekananda, the Centre had arranged
three major programs, one at Sas Fe mountain
resort, another at Geneva and the last one at Zur-
ich. In all the three places Didi was the chief
speaker. The audience included many celebrities
of India and Switzerland. Swami Vivekananda's
message to the West, Harmony of religions and
yogas and relevance of Swami Vivekananda's
message were the topics covered by her. While

S amar pa n 2 014
P a g 1 #
returning, she spent a week at Dubai and nearby
places and held a number of satsanghs for the
pravasi Indians.
Award:
On 12th April, on the auspicious day of
Akshaya Tritiya, and Mother's Day, Didi was
honoured with this year's 'Sri Lakshmiprabha
Award' for her contribution towards society by
"Mangadatthamma Mahalakshmi Kshetra Sami-
ty", Puthuvaserry.
Publications brought out during the year
Books ready for printing: Malayalam
Translation of Lakshmi Didi's book Incredible
India (Bharatam Oru mahavismayam) is
ready and is in the final stage.
Book sales
Kendra publications were sold for rupees
30,000 and other publications for 27,000. Sale of
novelties stood at 20,000 and Projects publica-
tions Rs. 77000.
Enrollment of patrons
85 patrons for Vivekananda Kendra
were newly enrolled and 200 new subscriptions
for Vishwa Bhanu.
Guests from abroad
Shri Tushar Ghosh and Miss. Katherine
Heyer, both devotees of Ramakrishna Math
from Switzerland, visited Anandadham. Tushar
Ghosh stayed for a week from 21st January and
Katherine stayed for five days from 31st Janu-
ary. Both took part in the various activities of
Kendra and attended the Yoga classes too.
The healing Touch
Last but not least of our soul filling ac-
tivity, as a spiritually oriented service mission, is
providing the much needed spiritual healing
touch to tormented souls. In the social atmos-
phere prevailing in the country today, specially
in Kerala, men, women and children are under
great pressures of various kinds - social, eco-
nomic, familial and son on. Though most of the-
se tensions are man made, due to ones own in-
adequacies, they don't have the wherewithal to
come out of it and lead a balanced life. The
counselling centres are unable to heal the dam-
age caused at the deeper levels human personali-
ty. A good number of such people approach us
for spiritual consolation and receive advice that
help them to balance their lives and put it back
on the tracks. Starting with yoga and breathing
exercises and we help them to delve deep unto
themselves and experience in their own way the
Truth of their being. Give back to our people
their lost spirituality are Swamijis words.
Mananeeya Eknathji also used to feel that all the
misery, poverty and insults that our country had
to go through centuries were due to our lack of
confidence, courage and vision. It is here that
Vedic Vision Foundation makes our humble
contribution. The net result is that today Ananda
Dham our campus has really become an oasis in
the arid desert of human life in Kodungallur.
Samarpan
As always it is a pleasure to look back on the
year and offer our grateful thanks to all our trus-
tees, members of the managing committee of
Vivekananda Kendra and well wishers who are
part of Vivekananda Kendra family at Kodungal-
lur. May the most elevating vedic vision of our
seers ever guide us in all that we do so that, our
great Motherland regains her ancient glory and
be seated as the Jagat Guru blessing the entire
humanity. May Swamiji's inspiring man making
nation building ideaswhich also embodies the
fine tuning of one's individual self with the eter-
nal indestructible omniscient , omnipotent , cos-
mic power ever protect us and give us courage to
walk in the path of Satya and Dharma guide.
Satyam param deemahi
Hari Om Tatsat
Sri Ramakrishanarpanamastu

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