U.S. Summer Camp for Hindu Kids Blends Fun, Spiritual Instruction

[Guest guest]

RICHMOND (July 29, 2006): The American teens in shorts and jeans

eagerly questioned the Hindu holy man in saffron-colored robes.

 

"Swami," a young man said, "in Texas people say if you don't believe

in Jesus Christ you will go to hell.

 

In Islam they say there is only (one) God. How do you answer those

people when they talk to you like that?"

 

And how, a young girl asked, do they explain Hinduism and its many

traditions to others?

 

Swami Vidyadhishananda Giri's answer was swift and direct. "There are

many paths to God," he said. "God is one, knowledge is one. The very

basic teachings are universal. You cannot lose your inner strength,

even if someone provokes you."

 

Stress the values you learned growing up as a Hindu, he said. It's a

message of love, harmony and tolerance. "Ultimately you will make an

impact."

 

The swami, who earned a doctorate in neurobiology in California and

spent the past four years meditating in the Himalayas, has been called

a bridge between East and West. His visit to the Hindu Heritage Youth

Camp was a highlight for the 151 kids who turned out last week for the

five-day experience.

 

Ranging in age from 7 to 18, all but a handful came from the Houston

area. The swami, "45 in this body," divides his time between his

native India and California.

 

"It's hard, sometimes, for the kids to find a resource who can really

answer any questions they have about our religion," said camp director

Alok Kanojia, 23.

 

Kanojia, like most of the 25 young counselors, is a former camper. He

first attended at age 6 and, in his early years, viewed Hindu camp as

just a fun time with friends. But as he got older, Kanojia began to

understand the value of what he was learning about his religion and

culture.

 

He and the other counselors, all volunteers, hope to pass those values

on to younger campers. They want to help them feel comfortable as

Hindus, a religious minority living in a predominantly Christian culture.

 

"As Swami Giri said, if you have a strong moral character, good things

will happen for you," said Kanojia, a University of Texas graduate

from Beaumont. "It's the techniques that we teach them at camp, like

yoga and meditation tools to help them deal with the stress of

studying and daily life."

 

But the camp is not just about exploring beliefs and values. It's also

about fun, making new friends and, for some, suffering an occasional

broken heart.

 

At the 112-acre Gordon Ranch, kids swim, ride on paddle boats, play

American and Indian games, learn about yoga, perform skits, have

talent shows and take part in arts and crafts.

 

Two of the most popular activities are holi, an uninhibited

celebration of spring in which colored powder and water are thrown on

friends and family, and garba-raas, a celebratory dance.

 

"It's a folk dance," explained Anjali Dhingra, 15, of Friendswood.

 

"We all get dressed up in our Indian clothes, and everyone looks so

pretty. The younger kids have been learning the dance all week, but

they are shy. When they see us dancing they all join in, and in the

end, everyone is dancing away. It's so much fun."

 

Dhingra has gone to Hindu camp for five years. Over a vegetarian lunch

with friends, she discussed the swami's talk and how well he

understood their lives and the daily challenges.

 

"What's good about the education session is that when you are young

they start with the basics," she said. "Now that we get older the

talks are much deeper, and we get into things like ethics,

self-empowerment and goals."

 

Camp begins early. Wake-up prayers begin at 6:45 a.m., and by 7:15 all

campers are expected to be on the playground, standing in straight

lines, organized by age and grade.

 

Dillon Rama, 10, a visitor from Louisville, Ky., wishes they could

sleep until 10 a.m. But 7-year-old Ekta Suri from Missouri City, with

long dark hair and twinkling eyes, politely disagrees.

 

"I like to feel the dew on the ground," she said.

 

The next 15 minutes are spent at the daily shakha, an Indian activity

that includes prayers and songs, followed by 30 minutes of physical

fitness, yoga and games. It's a way, counselors say, to encourage

lifelong health habits.

 

Placing her hands together, counselor Sujata Amin, 19, sings several

prayers in Hindi that ask Ganesh, a symbol of good fortune, for a good

day.

 

That's followed by the camp song, Dharti ki Shaan. Every person is

great, they sing, but the strong should help the weak.

 

Older campers place their hands together and join in; younger campers

follow along from printed song sheets. "Om shanti, shanti, shanti,"

they chant, calling for peace.

 

Later, the high-school students begin their yoga session.

 

They are working on a position known as suyra namaskar, or the sun

salutation, a yoga exercise that includes 10 positions and is

considered one of the best exercises for the body.

 

"We are here to help them achieve their full capacity both physically

and mentally," said Sharad Amin, one of the founders of the

21-year-old camp sponsored by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America,

part of the World Hindu Council. "And slowly, they are molded."

 

"The counselors rock," 10-year-old Shivam Dave said. He especially

liked the skits and talent shows.

 

"I love learning about the Hindu heritage, the different symbols and

what they mean, how Eastern and Western medicine can be combined and

what the orange flag stands for."

 

Kavita Parekh has learned about karma this summer.

 

"Indian people really believe in it," the 9-year-old from Victoria said.

 

"Basically, if you do something bad, it will come back to you 10 times

worse. But if you do something good, it will come back 10 times better."

 

Inside the main lodge, shoes are taken off, and a group is learning

how to dance the garba. Another plays an Indian game similar to pool,

and several girls giggle over Twister.

 

Anuj Mittal, 16, sits back and watches. He is taking a break and

waiting for lunch.

 

"What I like is that it's so family oriented. I feel right at home."

Mittal has been a camper for five years. Like many of his fellow

campers, he plans to be a counselor and carry on the tradition.

 

That pleases Kanojia and his friend Ronak Shah, 24. Shah, a camper for

10 years, then a counselor and finally the camp co-director in 2004,

laughs as he describes himself as one of the worst-behaved campers.

But his dedication is clear.

 

"The main thing is to inspire them," Shah said, "and plant the seeds

for later in life."

 

SOURCE: Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle. IN SEARCH OF THEIR HERITAGE

Summer camp for Hindu kids blends fun, spiritual instruction

An exercise in religion By BARBARA KARKABI

URL: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/features/4079857.html