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Play 'n' prayer

Shanthi Shankarkumar

Can you imagine kids having a good time without TV, computer games and video games? Well, Mission Impossible was accomplished last week at a summer camp. Thirty kids ranging in age from 7-14, all Indian-American, showed there is life beyond TV. And what's more, it can be fun.

They are just back from a one-week annual summer camp organised by the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago at their monastery in Ganges, Michigan. And though some have gone back to the idiot box and their Playstations with renewed vigour (to make up for lost time!), they have proved that they can survive, and even thrive, without them.

There was more to the camp than getting a dose of spiritualism. It was also about getting along, staying away from family, about discipline, doing chores and adjusting to a new environment. And for some, learning to like a vegetarian diet and doing away with junk food and snacks.

In short, the camp was a learning experience in many ways.

But it was not a case of all prayer and no play. Besides doing puja, chanting passages from the Gita, reciting Vedic prayers, learning about human values and God, the kids did a lot of fun things like going on field trips to the beach, bowling alley, miniature golf course, petting farm etc. Spare time was also given to the children to just do normal "kid" stuff like playing games and table tennis and interacting with the other children. They were also allowed to stay up late and chat, but had to be up by 6.30am every morning.

While the older kids did take in some of the spiritualism (though there were days when they snoozed through the sessions after staying awake the night chatting with friends), most of the spiritual talk was above the understanding of the younger kids. Naturally most of them voted the field trips the best part of the camp.

The camp also gave them the chance to interact with kids from their own background. For Ananth Iyengar, 15, this was his second year at the camp and he thought it "cool". "We had a lot more older kids last year," he said, but proffered some advice. "Classes should be more flexible. Having one set thing for the whole group doesn't work. Maybe the younger kids could have more stories instead of talks."

A suggestion the younger kids support heartily. For instance, Shaan Setia, 10, said, "The field trips were fun, but the talks were a little boring. I did learn about God and human values though."

His mother Veena was happy that her son was now aware of the significance of the rituals done during puja. Ask Varun Kumar, 9, what he learned at the camp and pat comes his reply, "God is your friend and He looks over you and helps you." His mom says that ever since he got back from the camp he keeps falling at her feet and asking for her blessings! In short, he has become more respectful and less of a brat.

Then there is Shilpa, 27, who is mentally retarded, but has been coming to the camp for the past five or six years. Her mother volunteered in the kitchen and was thus able to be with her daughter too. "I really don't know what she got out of the camp, but there is no harm in coming for these camps," says her father quietly.

For Santosh Suparawala, 20, this is his second year as a counsellor and he finds the camp a great life experience. "Every time I leave, I am different. I get to be their parent for a week and it is a great leadership experience. It is also a real-life experience. For a lot of kids it is the first time away from home, so that along with the background of the spiritual experience makes it a very great experience," he said.

This "life experience" is now in its 25th year. The first summer camp for children organised by the Vivekananda Vedanta Society was held in 1974 in Ganges. The story goes that in 1968, Swami Bhashyananda of the society was driving to Detroit when he chanced upon this place which rather quaintly had the same name as India's most sacred river. He immediately decided to start a monastery there. The land was bought and soon the monks themselves transformed the fruit-tree filled farm. By 1976, the land had been cleared and the first unit, a barn, raised. Soon the "barn" became a retreat dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the propagation of Vedanta.

How the tiny township got its name is still unclear. All that one knows is that a state legislator established Ganges in Michigan in 1847, but no one knows why he chose the name. Of course, Swami Vivekananda's connection with Chicago is now part of the city's history. He was the first Indian to come to the United States and introduce Hinduism, when he gave his historic address at the World Parliament of Religions at the Art Institute. There is a plaque commemorating this historic moment at the institute, besides an avenue off the venue, which has been named after Swami Vivekananda.

The children and the teachers have been changing over the years, but the essential purpose of the camp has remained unchanged -- to expose the children to different aspects of Hinduism and imbue in them a pride in their culture, teach them values they can lean on all their life. "Indian parents of kids growing up in America don't want their kids to lose their heritage. This camp gives them a chance to understand the philosophy of Hinduism," said Swami Vardananda, one of the organisers.

"Whatever you experience leaves an impression, a samskara on the mind. Studies have shown that kids see almost 17,000 murders on TV by the time they grow up. So it is important to get good impressions or samskaras. They get a few basic truths, an introduction to Hinduism, and something they can fall back on in life later on," he explained.

It's been just two-and-a-half years since Seema Gupta moved to the United States from India and she would like her children, who had their childhood in India, to continue to hold onto their heritage and culture. Her two children -- Niyathi, 12, and Rohan, 14 -- were at the camp this year and she explained why she decided to sign them up. "The camp is not totally religious. Children understand better when they are with their own age group. Besides, the swamijis are better equipped to answer their queries than we are."

Neither the swamis nor the counsellors expect the children to walk out of the camp with a miracle spiritual glow in just one week. But they hope that in the course of time, over years of attending the camp, they will imbibe and retain some of the lessons imparted.

"The seeds will grow into plants and trees, eventually. Sowing the seed at the correct time is important. Nobody sows seeds in winter. This is the time when the mind is tender. It will take time for them to understand, but when they grow up they will remember the spiritual ideas," said Swami Chidananda, who spoke on 'Teachings of Wisdom' at the camp.

He advised parents to continue to maintain a spiritual environment at home. "Everybody will not become a monk, don't worry. The worldly side will come on its own, but the spiritual side has to be nurtured," he said.

Dolly Bhalle Shivaangini, a counsellor who conducted classes on human values, also does not expect the children to undergo a transformation overnight. But she was amazed at how their attitude changed over the week. "Kids who made it very clear that they were not interested in taking part in the classes in the beginning slowly started to participate and showed more interest as the week progressed," she said.

She used a programme that was started by Sathya Sai Baba and which is now part of the curriculum of elementary schools in India. Drawing from folklore and contemporary situations, Shivaangini spoke about the values of truth, non-violence, right action, peace and love. The kids listened, engrossed and enlightened. "No more violent movies and TV shows for me," said Varun.

While most of the kids seemed to have loved the experience and promised to return next year for more play 'n' prayer sessions, one complaint voiced by most of the kids centred on the water, which, because of its high sulphur content, smells like eggs. The water is filtered and used for drinking and showers, but the smell is sometimes a little overwhelming. "You can get over it, but it is a problem," said Ravi Shankar, 15.

The water was one more lesson in adaptability at the camp -- what you cannot change, you learn to accept.

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