Soft skills imparted with a thrill….

For the nearly 180 students attending the Life Skills Development Camp, the three days breezed away in the blink of an eye. Starting on the 17th of October 2008, Amrita Vidyalayam Thrissur organized the Life Skills Development Camp for its students. The camp aimed at the development of the children’s overall personality and focused on soft skills like mind training techniques, self motivation, crisis management, and the development of a broader mind set, to name a few.

Welcoming Swami Pranavamritananda Puri for the inaugural ceremony.

A thing well begun is half done. In line with the saying, the camp was inaugurated by Sampooja Swami Pranavamritananda Puri. An authority in Sanskrit, Swamiji himself began the camp with a famous verse from the Bhagavd Gita “Yogaha Karmasu Kausalam” – “Dexterity in action is yoga.” Lining out some techniques for improving memory, concentration and focus, Swamiji advised the children to spare some minutes everyday practicing meditation and spend time alone for self introspection.
It is inner growth that is reflected outside in our actions.

“Do the right and do it now!” was the motto advised by Mr. C.K.Suresh to the children. The founder of the Atma Institute, he stressed on the fact that the amount of motivation determines to a large extent, the success in our endeavors.

Acceptance Uplifts

“We cannot eliminate pain. But we can transcend it. To transcend pain, we first have to accept pain as part of life. Life is a wave of ups and downs. Understanding and acceptance of this fact empowers the individual with tremendous strength to face the upheavals and downfalls in life. The person does not get daunted when something unpleasant happens.

If and when life shells out our share of sorrow, the mind is mature and stable enough to say, “Yes, these things do happen. Life is not being unjust only to me. Sorrow is part of this undecipherable pulse of spirit, called Life.” Acceptance uplifts us from wallowing in self pity.

We come into a world of which we have no control nor of which we are familiar. So there is no sense in expecting life to treat us in a particular way. In expecting only happiness, we are fooling ourselves into disappointment. Awareness that anything may happen in this remarkable world acts as the shock absorber through the ups and downs in life.” The above words pregnant with meaning were some of the insights offered in the life skills class.

Next followed a personality development program by Dr. Lalitha Venkitaraman, Retired professor, who has put in valuable years bringing out the best in students. Her sessions were oriented on the overall development of the students mind and outlook. A good society thrives on its individual’s goodness and so is the reverse true. Well being of the individual depends on the well being of the society. Understanding and acting upon this fact makes all the difference. The expert trainer left a lasting impact on the students mind driving home the impact each child can have on the society. In a sentence, the class was to put into practice, the saying “Lokah Samasthaha Sukhino Bhavanthu.”

Art is the expression of the intense feelings of the human soul within. It has the unique ability to reflect all the complex human emotions. Much of beauty in life is lent by art in various forms – music, dance, painting…. To be able to appreciate and enjoy such finer aspects of life, one must have tried their hand at any one of them. Giving the children an exposure to the same, an art session by Mr. Madanan, an experienced artist was arranged. Demonstrating his skills in acrylic transparent colors, the artist also analyzed and portrayed the differences in the various art forms, the difference in the art styles of the 19th and 20th century, the change in the interest of the masses and more.

Just possessing potential does not guarantee success. It is the channeling of effort and skills in the right direction that makes any difference. Mismatch of talent and field is the best recipe for disaster. In order that our students don’t get caught in such a net, a career orientation class was organized by Mr. Sunilkumar.K.P. He explained success with the help of the ‘AHA’policy: Attend, Happy, Achieve.

Society has undergone a huge transformation in the past two decades. The world children live in now is totally different from the world that today’s parents experienced in their younger years. The problems, the facilities, the media—everything they are exposed to has undergone a huge makeover.
Dr. Priyadarshini, renowned psychologist took the issues today’s adolescent students have to face head on, and explained ways to cope with them.

Br. Manoj gave an inspiring talk to the children on spiritual values. Very popular among the children for his ability to get into the children’s mindset and take them on from there, he walked his way into their heart with his methods. The days began with yoga and meditation and it was a really pleasant sight to see even the parents attending some of the talks along with their children.

More often that not, people fall into the depths of despair not because of the suffering they have to undergo, but because of disappointment in life not being as they expected. Amrita trusts this camp has sown in the children the seeds of strength and maturity, to be able to go through life, experiencing and enjoying intensely, each moment spent in this wonderful world.