2015-16

NAGALOKA ANNUAL REPORT

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ORGANISATION PROFILE

Established in 1995

Nagaloka is a major centre of the Buddhist Revival in India, initiated by Dr.

Babasaheb Ambedkar. It is a member of Triratna Boudhha Mahasangha family. The

goal of Nagaloka is to support the peaceful transformation of Indian society through

training, education and research based on the values of liberty, equality and fraternity,

Babasaheb's foundation principles, which he emphasised, are at the heart of the

Buddha's teachings. The goal of Nagaloka is to support the peaceful transformation of

Indian society through training, education and research based on the values of liberty,

equality and fraternity.

VISION

“A caste free society based on the principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as

envisioned by Dr. Ambedkar”

MISSION

To educate and develop committed people to enhance their capacities and actieve

their full potentials by practicing and spreading equality, fraternity and liberty and

human rights through Buddhist teachings and social action

OBJECTIVES

o Training young Buddhist from all over India in the Dhamma

o Develop all india Dhamma network of practitioners and activists

o Interaction with Buddhists from abroad

o Local Dhamma activities

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MANAGEMENT

President

Dhammachari Lokamitra, President of Nagaloka

Vice-President

Dhammachari Viradhamma, Vice President of Nagaloka

Chairperson

Dhammachari Maitreyanath, Trustees of Nagaloka took over as Chairperson of

Nagaloka during the year 2015-16

Directors

N. Gauthama Prabhu held the charge Director of Nagarjuna Training Institute during

the current year 2015-16

Dhammachari Tejdarshan joined Nagaloka as Directors of Administration in August,

2015

Board Meetings

The meeting of the governing board of Nagaloka was held six times in the current

year 2015-16

Annual General Meeting

The annual general meeting of Nagaloka was convened on 3rd to 4th

October, 2015 in

Nagaloka. In total 20 members attended the meeting. The AGM adopted the

Chairperson report and audited accounts of Nagaloka for the year 2014-15.

Local Management Committee for Nagarjuna Training Institute

Under the Chairmanship of Dhammachari Vivekratna, for the year 2015-16 in total

three local management meetings were conducted on June 2015, September 2015 and

January, 2016.

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CONTENT Pages

1. Year Review: Main Highlight of Major Activities 5-26

Dhammasekhiya Course 5

Graduation Programe 6

Workshops 7

Retreats 12

Conferences 15

Skill Development Programe 17

Free Medical Check up 18

Field Visits 19

Participation at Dali Conference 20

Ashoka Vijay Dashmi Celebration 21

Sangha Day Celebration 23

Ambedkar Jayanti 24

Diksha Ceremony 25

Dhammamitra Ordination 25

Dhamma Classes 26

2. Our Coverage 26-17

3. Alumni Achievements 27-18

4. New Initiatives 28-35

Ambedkar School of Governance 28

Formation of Alumni General Council and 30

Central Executive Committee

International Trip to Sri Lanka 30

Nagaloka Staffs Workshop 31

Visit to Wardha University 32

Free Distribution of Sanitary Napkins 32

Visit to Nepal After Earthquake 33

Contribution Towards Chennai Flood Relief 33

Inauguration of Upaya Building 34

Completion of new boys hostel 35

5. Success Stories 35-16

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YEAR REVIEW: MAIN HIGHLIGHT OF MAJOR ACTIVITIES

DHAMMASEKHIYA COURSE

The year 2015-16 was the 14th

year of

Dhammasekhiya course training. In this

year, 120 trainees joined the course. It is

eight month residential course which offers

basic Buddhist teachings and practices

with special consideration being given to

Dr. Ambedkar’s approach to Buddhism. It

also introduces students to the rudiments of

Buddhist based social work and action. In

total 18 Dhammachari and

Dhammacharuni took the classes for

Buddhist studies, 5 resource persons took

Ambedkar thoughts and 8 experts took

social action. Along with this, Hozan Alan

Sanauke and Viradhamma from United States took the classes on Martin Luther

sermon on “I am an Untouchable” and American Buddhism.

During the training

programme, trainees practice

meditation twice a day, recite

suttas, participate in group

discussion, work duty and

work period. Along with three

hours of classroom teaching,

trainees was engaged with self

study in two hours of library studies. As part of course, three retreats were

conducted on meditation led by Dhammachari Vivekratna, Satta-aparihariya

Dhamma by Bodhidharma and Sigalwad sutta by Viveksheel. All the trainees have

admired our Dhammasekhiya course pedagogy, contents, quality and exposure.

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Number of Trainees enrolled in year 2015-16

GRADUATION PROGRAMME

Since 2012 Nagarjuna

Training Institute is

affiliated with

Rashtrasantha Tukodoji

Maharaj Nagpur, Nagpur

University and offers a full

time three year degree

course in Buddhist

Studies, Dr. Ambedkar

Thought, Pali, English and

Hindi. At present in total 47 students are pursuing graduation programme from

the institute.

One day study tour was organised for BA II students on 6th

March, 2016 to

explore the Buddhist destinations nearby Nagpur. Students were taken to

Mansar, Nagardhan fort which was built in 5th

century at Ramtek, Pench Dam

Sl.no States Male Females Total

1 Bihar 6 0 6

2 Chhattisgarh 14 17 31

3 Delhi 3 2 5

4 Karnataka 0 1 1

5 Kerala 0 1 1

6 Maharashtra 0 2 2

7 Madhya Pradesh 0 1 1

8 Haryana 0 1 1

9 Odisha 19 5 24

10 Rajasthan 3 3 6

11 Uttar Pradesh 6 10 16

12 Gujarat 1 1 2

13 Uttrakhand 0 1 1

14 Jharkhand 5 11 16

15 Tamil Nadu 4 0 4

16 Telangana 0 2 2

17 West Bengal 0 1 1

Overall Total 61 59 120

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Multipurpose project, and Nagarjun hill. One faculty and one staff

accompanied the students during the trip.

WORKSHOPS

Imparting workshop has been an integral part of Nagaloka. Every year

numbers of alumni turned up to participate in workshops. In 2015-16,

Nagaloka organised in total 4 workshops for the alumni on disaster

management, women health education, baseline survey and report writing as

well as 3 workshops for Dhammasekhiya Trainees on disaster management,

self defence for girls’ trainees and community organisation. The number of

total alumni participants was 82 out of which 60% were women alumni.

1. Disaster Management

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A six days workshop on disaster management was organised for both alumni

on 15th

to 19th

June, 2015 and for the dhammasekhiya trainees from 11th

to 14th

January, 2016. Both the workshop was conducted by Mr. Gauthama Prabhu.

In total 18 alumni and 96 dhammasekhiya trainees participated.

The programme introduced kinds

of natural and man-made

disasters, concepts of disaster

management, an understanding

of the different aspects of rescue,

relief, rehabilitation and

reconstruction and ways to

enhance these work though

Buddhist practice. The course included power point presentations from the

facilitator; group discussions open discussions; and group presentations,

pictorial representation, and short plays. The most important outcomes of the

course were that the students expressed a strong willingness to respond to

natural and men made disasters.

2. Women health education

Workshop on Women

Health Education took

place on 25th

to 27th

September, 2015 at

Sambodhi in Nagaloka to

provide a comprehensive

health education to women

alumni. The resource

person of workshop was

Karunaprabha, Director of Green Tara Foundation, Pune and was attended by 24

women alumni. During the workshop, a fun and interactive methods were used to

teach the aspects of health and well being that impact our physical, emotional and

social health.

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The workshop offers the following women related health education:

Understanding of body anatomy (male and female)

Reproductive system

Physical and emotional

changes

Balance and Nutritious Diet

HIV

Self esteem

Overall the workshop has been an

interactive program consisting of overview talks by resource person, oral

abstract presentations on the concern issues, question and answers sessions,

visual presentation, and group discussions.

3. Baseline survey

The workshop on baseline

survey was organised at seminar

room in Training Building,

Nagaloka from 16th

to 20th

December, 2015. The workshop

was attended by 18 alumni (10

male and 8 female). The overall

aim of the workshop was to

provide skill in order for

ascertaining the socio-economic status of a given area; to develop an

investigative attitude among socially engaged alumni; and to provide

analytical skills for the information extracted from baseline. Mr. Gauthama

Prabhu, Director of Nagarjuna Training Institute, Nagaloka led the

workshopThe workshop began with an introductory address on need of

baseline survey and method to conduct baseline survey. During the workshop,

participants were divided into groups and sent to various areas namely Indora,

Dhammadeep Nagar, Sanjay Gandhi Nagar and Pili Nadhi located in Nagpur

city and Rama Nagar, Kamgar Nagar, Kumhare Colony and Ramgarh of

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Kamptee Tehsil. Alumni visited the Balwadi centre of these areas and

gathered basic information about the centre. During the field visits, alumni

explored the functioning of Balwadi centre, Maternal and child care, social

problems and socio-economic

background of selected localities.

With the support of Balwadi

staffs, alumni conducted home

visit and interview some of the

community people. After the field

visit, each group gave

presentation of their findings and

shared their field experiences.

4. Report writing

Nagaloka conducted a

workshop on Report

Writing for the Nagarjuna

Training Institute alumni

from 14th

to 18th

January,

2016 at Paramita building.

The workshop was led by

Ms. N. Rebecca. In total,

22 alumni participated in

this programme. Participants were those who are pursuing higher studies

or involve in social development project. The overall objective of the

workshop was to help alumni to develop the skill and ability to write

effective report.

During the four days workshop, alumni were able to understand the

importance of reports and report writing, identify the purpose of report,

importance of identifying the readers and their needs, identify how much

detail readers need and will understand, structure and present report

professionally, organise the report so information flows logically and is

easy to follow and an effective way of writing summary, background,

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conclusion and

recommendations section.

The workshop sessions

includes lectures,

discussion, writing

practice, and presentation.

For writing practice,

participants were asked to

conduct an interview of

Dhammasekhiya trainees and write a short report about their experience of

staying in Nagaloka campus. Each participant read out their report during

sessions and discussed the difficulties in drafting the report.

5. Self defence

Three days self defence

training was organised for

Dhammasekhiya girl’s

students from 17th

to 19th

September, 2015 in

association with the

Prabodhini Mahila

Foundation at Nagaloka.

Dhammacharini Abhayadana along with her two staffs conducted the training

for 48 participants. The aim of the training program was to train female

students to defend themselves, and

to boost confidence. They were

introduced to mental, physical and

verbal techniques of self defence

which includes use of physical

forces, ability to get proper mindset

for execution of physical self

defence and to prevent or end an

attempt assault. Other form of self defence such as avoidance was explained

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during the training. Issues related with women welfare such as sexuality,

domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment were also discussed.

6. Community organisation

From 7th

to 9th

February, 2016

Stalin Ponnusamy from Tata

Institute of Social Sciences,

Mumbai, Maharashtra conducted

a workshop on community

organisation, development and

practice for the Dhammasekhiya

trainees. The aim of the

workshop was to provide an

understanding of community and

community dimensions which

includes culture, custom, socio-

economic system and

community problems. Through

the method of transcend walk

and community mapping, trainees were given exploration to understand the

situation of community, community infrastructure and ways to gather quantity

and quality data from the community.

The sessions during the workshop includes lectures, group discussions,

presentation and practical work. Total trainees were divided into ten groups

and these groups have given presentation on various issues of community such

as caste discrimination, child marriage, tribal culture and custom, dowry,

superstition.

RETREATS

In order to nurture spiritual life, deepen meditation practice, cultivate

mindfulness and learn more about Buddhism, various retreats are organised

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every year in Nagaloka for alumni and Dhammasekhiya trainees. During the

year 2015-16, the retreat programmes at our institute were broadly as follows:

Table: Number of Retreats conducted in year 2015-16

Sl.no Particulars Name of

Resource

Person

No.

of

days

No. of Participants

Male Female Total

1 Vision of

Nagaloka

Lokamitra 8 11 3 14

2 Kalamsutta Manidhamma 6 23 11 34

3 Meditation Vivekratna 8 74 70 144

4 Sattaapahariniya

Dhamma

Bodhidharma 6 59 54 113

5 Sigalwatta Sutta Viveksheel 6 48 47 95

6 Human virtues Lokamitra 6 23 11 34

From 25th

April until 2nd

May, 2015 a retreat was held for 14 Nagaloka alumni

at Madhyamarg Centre, Kondhanpur, Maharasthra. Lokamitra led the study

on ‘Saddhamma’, the two main functions of which Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar

says are to clean the mind of its impurities and to make the world a kingdom

of righteousness. He makes it clear that Dhamma practice is not just a personal

matter, but must express itself in the way we behave with and relate to others,

and also have a positive impact on the world around us, especially in terms of

breaking down barriers between people and establishing equality - in other

words in creating a better society for all. The participants explored in some

depth and breadth the implications of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's approach to

Saddhamma, looking at subjects such as the Middle Way, Atmavad and

Ucchedwad, pratitya samutpada, and many others.

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This year, second alumni retreat

was organised from 20th

to 25th

July, 2015 at Sambodhi,

Nagaloka. The theme of the

retreat was Kalama Sutta and was

led by Dhammachari

Manidhamma. 34 alumni

including 23 male and 11 female

from nine different states of India

participated in the event. Every

day sessions include meditation, lectures, group discussions, presentations,

and silence observation. Dhammachari Manidhamma began the event with a

talk on ‘Introduction of Sutta and Importance of Sutta in present situation”.

For group discussion, total participants were divided into three different

groups led by Dhammachari Manidhamma, Dhammachari Nagdeep and

Sushant.

A meditation retreat for the Dhammasekhiya course trainees was organised

from 21st until 28

th July, 2015 at Buddha Surya Vihar, Nagaloka. The retreat

was led by Dhammachari Vivekratna. Along with Dhammasekhiya trainees,

students from the graduation and skill development programmes also

participated. 74 boys and 70 girls benefitted from the retreat. On these eight

days, participants were introduced to the basic meditation practices, the

Anapanasatti and the Metta Bhavna (cultivation of Universal loving kindness),

walking meditation, and taught how to work with hindrances in meditation, as

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well as to keep a meditation diary. For two days participants observed

complete silence. Dhammachari Vivekratna held some question and answer

sessions and on the last day students were divided in groups in which they

shared their experiences.

Dhammachari Lokamitra led a special retreat for alumni general council

members in January 2016. The retreat begins with sharing the present

activities carried out by alumni at different part of country. During the

programme Lokamitra started by asking the alumni to explore the society and

gain awareness about better society. That better society, Dr. Babasaheb

Ambedkar called Prabuddha Bharat, and at its heart are the values of Liberty,

Equality and Fraternity. During the programme, Lokamitra inaugurated

Sukhavati Tours and Travels, an initiative taken by alumni from Kerala.

CONFERENCES

1. 7th

Alumni Main conference

The seventh conference of Nagaloka alumni took place on November 26th

up to December 1st, 2015 at the Buddha Surya Vihar, Nagaloka, Nagpur.

The conference brought together 116 alumni (37 females and 79 males)

from 13 states.. The theme of the conference was “The Commonality of

the Vision of Dr. Ambedkar and Urgyen Sangharakshita”. The event was

officially opened by Dhammachari Lokamitra.

The conference began with the observation of Constitution Day as the

constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th

November, 1949. Mr. Mangesh Dahiwale gave a speech on genesis and

importance of constitution. Dhammachari Vivekratna shared the

background of alumni conference. He opined the aim of the alumni

conference has been to bring together or bind all the alumni in a

harmonious way and form micro sangha where they will share their

opinions, views and experiences.

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Dhammachari Lokamitra

conducted three hour

session for the five days.

During these five days,

his session focused on

socio-economic

background of Dr.

Ambedkar and

Sangharakhita; commonality of western and eastern Buddhist; their

thoughts and characteristics of an individual and groups; purification of

mind; and importance of Sangha which he sees as microcosm of new

society. Other activities includes presentations by alumni sharing their

social activities and experiences, career guidance session by Mr. Prashant

Rokade (IAS) and Mr. Mangesh Dahiwale, presentation by Mr. Gauthama

Prabhu on upcoming alumni projects, formation of alumni General

Council of 31 members and Central Executive Council which include nine

members.

2. Regional Alumni Conference

Regional Alumni conferences have been organised at Chhatisgarh, Delhi,

Bihar and Karnataka in the month of January and February. The purpose of the

regional alumni conference is to introduce new members of alumni committee,

provide cross cultural interaction, and explore avenues for perfect livelihood

and enhance the spiritual and social activities. The theme of the conference

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was “Towards Ideal Society”. In total, 123 alumni participated. Dhammachari

Maitreyanath, Dhammachari Manidhamma, Dhammachari Upaiyraja and Mr.

Gauthama Prabhu led the conferences.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

For alumni development activities, Nagarjuna Institute, Nagpur provides four

months skill development program funded by Karuna, United Kingdom. This

year, the program begins from 10th

June up to 10th

October, 2015. In total, 22

alumni (11 females and 11 males) participated in the programme. For English

Language, Mr. Rajiv Indulkar was appointment as resource person and Ms.

Surabhi for Computer Course.

The inauguration program was solemnised on 19th

June, 2015. The Chief

Guest was Dr. Sunil Talware. In his speech, Mr. Talware talked about the

importance of English Language and computer skills in an individual life as

well as at professional front. With the knowledge of English an individual lose

the self esteem, lack of

confident and

generally fail to clear

interview.

Dhammachari

Vivekratna, Trustees

narrated brief about

the course and

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encourage alumni to make use of the given opportunity effectively. Mr.

Gauthama Prabhu, Director of Nagarjuna Institute talks how English language

empowers an individual and be an instrument for personal development.

FREE MEDICAL HEALTH CHECK UP

The first free medical camp for new

trainees of the Dhammasekhiya Course

was organised on 4th

July, 2015 at

Paramita and Grudhrakut, Nagaloka.

The initiative for organising this camp

was taken by Nagaloka with the

support of Dr. Ambedkar Doctor

Association, Nagpur. The 5 team members of association including four

doctors and one lab technician conducted camp from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm. Free

physical examination, blood pressure, blood test were provided by the

association. Approximate 120 new trainees came for health check up. Doctors

advised them various medicines and consultation during the camp. Camp was

successfully organised under the guidance of Dr. Mukesh Wagmare and

coordinated by Dhammachari Nagamitra.

Second free medical camp

conducted on 17th and 18th

August, 2015 for 114 students

and alumni (65 girls and 49

boys) in the campus. Dr. Jivak

Gaikwad and Dr. Asmita from

Pune conducted programme

checking pulse rate, blood

pressure, and weight as well as other health investigations. Appropriate

treatment and follow up action was recommended by the doctors. The

quarterly health camp was organised with the objectives of providing free

medical examinations/check up and to promote a healthy life among the

students.

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FIELD VISIT

1. Dhammachari Pragyaratna and Mr. Sushant Patra visited Kosmanda village

located in Champa district of Chattisgarh on June 6th

and 7th

, 2015 to

encourage the local alumni in their the Dhamma practice and activities. The

purpose of the visit was to know the meet alumni to built a good long term

relationship and to conduct one day retreat for local community people.

Seven alumni from the nearby areas organised a one day retreat. Around 40

people participated in the programme which includes alumni, alumni relatives,

youth, local leaders and community people. Dhammachari Pragyaratna

delivered speech on Dr. Ambedkar life and his work against caste

discrimination, non-violence and Dhamma. Mr. Sushant explained importance

of Dhamma in day to day life, and contribution of Nagarjuna Institution in

social transformation. The team also meet some youth and their families.

These interactions with the youth and community people are critical in

garnering support from society. During this, the team also met the four alumni

families. It was amazing to see that these alumni and their families are

strongly following the path of Dhamma

2. Dhammachari Nagamitra conducted field visits to Chattisgarh from May 21st –

24th

, 2015 to meet alumni who belongs to Ambikapur district. He travelled

five villages which are located at Naxalite hit areas. People are surviving in a

very difficult situation with no proper water and electricity. Most of the

villages are situated far from main road and there was lack of public

transportation. So far, Nagaloka has trained 37 alumni from Ambikapur. Many

of them are pursuing higher education and also engaged in social activities. In

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this journey, Nagamitra conducted meeting with around 50 community people

and brief about the Nagaloka activities. He met few youth and interviewed

nine people (four female and five male) for the Dhammasekiya course. Most

of the youth in these areas are into alcoholic with no proper qualification.

Another field visit was made to Kolkatta, Gaya and Lucknow from June 5th

–

10th

, 2015. In Kolkatta a meeting with Ambedkarite was organised and in

Gaya, Nagmitra met 5 alumni namely Vikas, Ramesh, Niranjan, Sujith and

Upendra and interviewed two youth for Dhammasekiya course. A visit to

Busanda village was conducted to see the work initiatives of Sujith and

Upendra who are providing free education to children of 6 to 10 years of age

from nearby villages. At present 48 children are attending classes of two

hours. There is no school in the nearby areas. In future, these two alumni are

planning to build a school and they have full support of villagers.

In Lucknow, Nagamitra had a

meeting two alumni Akashdeep

and Rina. Akashdeep has

organised a meeting at his village

Biswan where Nagamitra met 15

community people and talked

about Nagaloka. A home visit

was made to Vidhusi and Krisha

to meet her family. Her father is

taking initiatives to send trainees for Dhammasekiya course. They were very

happy with the visit.

PARTICIPATION AT DALI CONFERENCE

The Buddhism Association of Yunnan Province and Dali Chongsheng

Temple, China organised the 3rd

Chongsheng International Buddhist Forum

from 28th

to 30th

October, 2015 at the Chongsheng Temple, Dali, China. The

theme of the conference was “Humanistic Buddhism”. The aim of the forum

was to bring together Buddhist leaders, eminent scholars, and concerned

government officials from South Asia and South East Asia to promote

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friendship, harmony,

peace and develop

Buddhist culture. Over

one hundred delegates

attended and participated

in conference, from Sri

Lanka, India, Burma,

Laos, Bangladesh, China,

Taiwan, Japan, Thailand,

Russia, Cambodia and Vietnam, Australia and other places. The conference

was officially opened by Venerable Chong Hua, the president of Chongsheng

Temple, Dali. Dhammachari Lokamitra, Mr. Mangesh Dahiwale, Mr.

Gauthama Prabhu and Ven. Sugatavamso representing Nagaloka made their

presence and presented their respective papers in the conference.

ASHOKA VIJAY DASHMI CELEBRATION

Nagaloka hosted a grand celebration of Ashoka Vijaya Dashami, which is also

historic anniversary of Emperor Ashoka and Dr. Ambedkar conversion to

Buddhism on 22nd

October, 2015. Thousands of people paid their tributes

during this occasion at Nagaloka. Dhammachari Maitriyanath introduced the

programme looking at the significance of Dr.Ambedkar's conversion to

Buddhism as a step towards the creation of Prabuddha Bharat. He explained

the history of Nagarjuna Training Institute, its functions, activities, and the

achievements.

A Dhamma

Diksha Ceremony

was held for 47

people from

Karnataka, U.P.,

and Gujarat led

by Dhammachari

Vivekaratna.

Mangesh

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Dahiwale introduced and inaugurated the Ambedkar School of Governance,

which will hold its first course at Nagaloka in November. He also introduced

Theodore Mayer, who is developing a new MA programme in Socially

Engaged Buddhism, an initiative of the International Network of Engaged

Buddhists. The students will spend four or five weeks of the MA programme

at Nagaloka, learning about Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and his conversion to

Buddhism.

Dhammachari Lokamitra gave the main talk and in his speech he showed that

although Urgyen Sangharakshita and Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar came to

Buddhism in very different ways, they both developed a common approach..

Both saw the Sangha as instrumental in this, representing a microcosm of the

ideal society. Lokamitra concluded by looking at what we could expect from

the Sangha in terms of the principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

These, he said, corresponded to three aspects of Babasaheb's approach -

Dhamma as empowerment, breaking down barriers between people, and

governance.

To conclude the ceremony, Dhammachari Virdhamma, the Vice President of

Nagaloka, opined the achievement of the day by bringing out the important

events and the larger

impact it has on the

Indian society. He

further expressed his

great appreciation and

admiration for work of

Nagarjuna Training

Institute and

Ambedkarite movement.

Dhammachari Ritayush

was Master of Ceremonies.

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SANGHA DAY CELEBRATION

Thousands of people

from Nagpur and

nearby districts

visited Nagaloka to

celebrate Bahujan

Hitaya Bahujan

Sukhaya Day,

otherwise known as

Sangha Day, on 25th

November, 2015 in honour of the Buddha Sangha, the Buddhist spiritual

community. Dhammachari Lokamitra presided over the ceremony. The three

distinguished academicians, Professor Savi Sawarkar (University of Delhi),

Professor Aloysius (Pondicherry University) and Dhammachari Maitrivir

Nagarjuna (English and Foreign Language University, Hyderabad) were

invited to speak on this occasion with Dhammachari Maitreyanath as Master

of Ceremonies.

Professor Aloysius gave a talk on “Breaking down Barriers of Inequality”. He

opined that the world is suffering from pain and the main cause of pain or

suffering is discrimination because of religion, language, caste, creed etc. This

discrimination is spreading and growing in the Indian society. The only way to

change this is to make Dhamma as universal based on knowledge, loving

kindness and purity of action. Professor Sawarkar’s talk was on “Dhamma as

Empowerment” in which he stated that Dhamma is a platform of

reconstruction. He emphasised on the transformation of mind through art and

culture, and the importance of art in Dhamma revolution. Dhammachari

Maitrivir Nagarjuna explained the significance of Sangha Day (the day of

fraternity). He initiated his speech by explaining Dhamma as governance

based on the value of equality, liberty and fraternity and social transformation

through Sangha.

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Dhammachari Lokamitra speech was focused on Dr. Ambedkar’s ideal society

based on liberty, equality and fraternity. Recounting the mass conversion of

Buddhism by Dr. Ambedkar in Nagpur, Lokamitra stated that Babasaheb’s

expression of Dhamma in these three words – liberty, equality, and fraternity

is the essence of Dhamma Revolution and constituted a new turning of the

Wheel of the Dhamma,or Dhammachakra pravartan. He said that the key to

freedom of mind is cultivation of awareness. Further, he added the essence of

sangha, the essence of

democracy and

equivalent of fraternity

is maîtri. He concluded

with the key point on

keeping the wheel of

Dhamma revolving and

never let it get stuck.

On this special day,

Nagaloka also offered

lunch to nearly 1000

visitors. Later in afternoon, nearly 250 Dhammamitras gathered to reaffirm

their commitment to Buddhist practices and traditions. The ceremony was led

by Dhammachari Vivekratna and supported by Dhammacharini Jayakirti.

AMBEDKAR JAYANTI

To mark the 124th

birth anniversary of

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Nagaloka organised

a function on 14th

April, 2015. The event

was attended by Nagaloka staff, NTI

alumni, graduation students and local

people. The Chief Guest was Prof.

Mhaske, Head of Department of

Computer Deparatment, Vishwasarya

National Institute of Technology

(VNIT), Nagpur. During the events, ten

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NTI students shared their thoughts on Dr. Ambedkar’s life, his work against

social injustice, discrimination, untouchability, and Buddhism and presented

their critical analysis on social issues prevailing in their respective states.

DIKSHA CEREMONY

The Deeksha ceremony was organised on 28th

February, 2016 in which 45 (23

females and 22 males) trained youth of Dhammasekhiya course were

converted into Buddhism. The ceremony was presided by Dhammachari

Pragyaratna. The ceremony was attended by nearly 250 people.

DHAMMAMITRA ORDINATION

On the occasion of Vishak full moon day on 4th

May, 2015, Triratna Boudha

Maha Sangha, Nagaloka organised one day retreat programme at Buddha

Surya Vihar and a ceremony of dhammamitra ordination in front of walking

Budha statue.

The retreat was on the importance of mitra ordination led by Dhammachari

Pragyaratna in support with Dhammachari Prasannabodhi. In this retreat 164

people participated which includes order members, dhammamitra and local

people. In the evening, 52 members were ordained as Dhammamitra by the

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chairman of the Nagaloka Dhammachari Vivekratna. Out of these 30 were

males and 22 were females.

DHAMMA CLASSES

o Dhamma class every Sunday at 09:00 am in Buddha Surya Vihar

o Dhamma retreat every third Sunday at 10:00 am

o Every full moon day special programme

o Mitra day every second Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

o Meditation class every Saturday at 06:30 pm for general public

OUR COVERAGE

Since 2002 to 2015, Nagaloka reaches out to 843 youth in 140 locations across 24

states of India.

Sl.no State/UT Number of Youth

Male Female Total

1 Arunachal Pradesh 10 9 19

2 Andhra Pradesh 4 4 8

3 Bihar 44 3 47

4 Chattisgarh 71 48 119

5 Delhi 2 3 5

6 Gujarat 25 12 37

7 Goa 2 1 3

8 Haryana 1 1 2

9 Jharkhand 21 14 35

10 Karnataka 29 14 43

11 Kerala 50 13 63

12 Madhya Pradesh 0 4 4

13 Maharastra 72 63 135

14 Mizoram 1 0 1

15 Odisha 55 30 85

16 Pondicherry 1 2 3

17 Punjab 4 1 5

18 Rajasthan 23 11 34

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19 Tamil Nadu 31 16 47

20 Telangana 20 4 24

21 Tripura 1 0 1

22 Uttrakhand 0 2 2

23 Uttar Pradesh 60 60 120

24 West Bengal 1 0 1

TOTAL 528 315 843

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS

GOING GLOBAL

In October 2015, Bhante

Sugatavamso, an alumnus from

Gujarat was invited to attend 3rd

Chongsheng International Buddhist

Forum organised by the Buddhism

Association of Yunnan Province and

Dali Chongsheng Temple, China.

In this conference, Deepak presented a paper entitle a case study of social

transformation through Buddhism in which Deepak related his life story of

growing up as untouchable, the impact of Buddhism in his life, and on how

Nagaloka shaped his life and the lives of many other young people in India.

CLEARED COMPUTER EXAMINATION

Five of alumni namely Mamta Markam (Chhattisgarh), Vir Dravid (Uttar

Pradesh), Deepak (Rajasthan), Dayanidhi (Odisha), and Subham (Uttar

Pardesh) have been awarded with the certificate of course on computer

concepts, after the alumni have successfully passed the examination of course

on computer concepts conducted by National Institute of Electronics and

Information Technology. Certificates were distributed to successful alumni

during the main alumni conference held in November.

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CLEARED RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP

Four of the alumni namely Kiran Kutte (Chhatisgarh), Lalvijay (Chhattisgarh),

Firoz (Odisha) and Suman (Uttar Pradesh) pursuing higher education at

Wardha University, Wardha have qualified for the Rajiv Gandhi National

Fellowship (RGNF) funded by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

and Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

PARTCIPATION AT STATE LEVEL ESSAY COMPETITION

Lakinder Soren from Jharkhand

has achieved 10th

rank at

Maharashtra state level essay

competition “Abhivadan

Prashnottari” organised by Dr.

Babasaheb Ambedkar National

Association of Engineer, Nagpur.

He was awarded with excellence certificate and cheque worth Rs. 2000. In

total 60 trainees and alumni of Nagaloka participated in this essay

competition.

NEW INITIATIVES

AMBEDKAR SCHOOL OF GOVERNANCE

With aim to develop Nagaloka as centre of Ambedkar studies, a new initiative has

been taken up and established Ambedkar School of Governance (ASG). The

inauguration of ASG course 2015-16 was conducted on 5th

November, 2015 at

Paramita Building, Nagaloka. 16 candidates from various educational

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backgrounds took part in the course. Most of the participants are research scholar

doing studies on Dalit issues, Inclusive Education, Local Self Governance,

Dr.Ambedkar Thoughts etc.

Aim and objectives of ASG:

1. To study and understand the method and Philosophy of Ambedkar

2. To practice and propagate the philosophy and method of Ambedkar

3. To collaborate with individuals, groups and institutions to ‘study, understand,

practice and propagate’ philosophy and method of Ambedkar

4. Institutionalization of the program/aims and objective for systematic and

speedy outcome

Mr. Jadumani, course co-ordinator welcomes all the participants with brief

note about the ASG which is the first school to impart Dr.Ambedkar’s

philosophy and a way to propagate Ambedkar Thoughts and Buddhism across

the world. In the inaugural speech, Mr. Mangesh Dahiwale, Chairman of

Manuski and founder of ASG opined the needs and methodology of the

course. He explained that the purpose of course is to develop a deeper

understanding on Dr. Ambedkar’s ideologies and critically analyse the writing

and speeches of Dr. Ambedkar. He stated that Dr. Ambedkar’s writings has

gained worldwide recognition, and has revolutionary potentialities to

transform the world. The methodology of the course will focus on open

discussion rather than conventional methods. Participants will be engaged in

interactive sessions to develop an attitude to think and reflect more on Dr.

Ambedkar writings.

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“Being a participant of this

conference I built up my

confidence and

communication skills on a

larger scale. I can travel

hgoenceforth alone

anywhere without fear in

other countries. I liked

much about the od market

concept which I may try to

involve myself in adopt and

promote organic food

culture in my life and for

others”

Vajrajaya

FORMATION OF ALUMNI GENERAL COUNCIL AND CENTRAL

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

During the alumni main conference held on November, 2015 alumni general

council and central executive committee was formed to nurture the network of

Nagaloka alumni. In total, there are 34 alumni members in general council and

7 members in central executive committee. During the meeting of selected

members of general council and central executive committee, Dhammachari

Lokamitra expressed his gratitude on the formation of council and committee

and discussed about the development of alumni network. According to

members this council and committee will help to build rapport among alumni

and Nagaloka, justify the dhamma practice, to motivate alumni in carrying out

various social and dhamma activities.

INTERNATIONAL TRIP TO SRI LANKA

Nagaloka has taken an initiative for alumni to have an international trip to Sri

Lanka in order to experience of visiting other country, extend the learning

experience in such a way that alumni not only

understand the concept but also able to

connect with world, and develop networking

skills.

With this mind, Nagaloka sent alumni to

participate in INEB Biennial conference from

22nd

– 28th

January held at Sri Lanka. The

theme of the conference was Converging

Streams: Engaging for Holistic

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Development.The trip brought together four alumni from different states namely

Vajrajaya (Maharashtra), Binoj Babu (Kerala), Stalin (Tamil Nadu) and Deepak

(Gujarat).

During the seven days field trip, alumni explore some of the historical places

and different social institutions. These provide an opportunity for the alumni to

visiting a new places, meeting new people, and seeing and understanding the

things. Alumni visited to Jafna, Aruradhapuram and Colombo in Sri Lanka. The

trip was funded by Karuna Germany and Alan Sanuake (USA).

NAGALOKA STAFFS WORKSHOP

Dhammachari Lokamitra led workshops for staffs of Nagaloka in the month of

August 2015, September 2015 and January 2016. In these workshops in total 23

staffs participated. The aim of the workshop was to reflect upon the vision and

governance of Nagaloka, helping members of staff relate to the vision of a new

society, or Prabuddha Bharat (Enlightened India) and the implications for

governance or the way we work together at Nagaloka.

Each day started with a lecture, followed by small group discussions, and

concluded with short presentations and open discussions.

In the workshop we explored and tried to understand what is meant by:

1. Prabuddha Bharat

2. Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as Buddhist values.

3. How we move from vision to actuality, what are the implications for the way

we work together.

4. Individual perceptions

5. Communication skills

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VISIT TO WARDHA UNIVERSITY, WARDHA, MAHARASHTRA

A team of four from Nagaloka

visited Mahatma Gandhi

Antarrashtriya Hindi

Vishwavidyalaya, Wardha on

14th

October, 2015 in order to

affiliate for distance education

program provided by the

University. The team included Gauthama Prabhu, Nagamitra, Padmavir and

Rebecca.

During the one day visit, the team met academic faculties, vice chancellor,

dean and head of departments. The team was warmly welcomed by Dr. Surjit

Singh, head of department of Buddhist Studies. He introduced to other staffs

and faculties of University and short meeting with Nagaloka alumni who are

pursuing higher education in same University was conducted where the team

encouraged students to achieve their goal of life and study hard for better

career. In total 12 alumni are studying in the University. Vice Chancelor Prof.

Girishwar Mishra has given his nod to extend support in establishing the

distance education through Nagaloka if the criteria are fulfilled.

Regarding Chinese course affiliation, the team also met Prof. Hanuman

Shukla, Dean and head of department of school of language. Dr. Shailesh

Kadam, Assistant Professor of Distance Education suggested organising

another meeting in Nagaloka to understand the criteria to get affiliation with

University to start the Diploma Course in Buddhist Studies, Tourism and Pali.

FREE DISTRIBUTION OF SANITARY NAPKINS

In collaboration with

Shekhar Memorial

Foundation (SMF), Pune,

Maharasthra and Nagaloka,

on 16th

January, 2016 free

sanitary napkins were

distributed for in campus

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girls trainees and alumni. In total 61 girls have been benefitted. During the

event, Ms. Visakha Lanjewar, Regional Chapter Head of SMF spread

awareness about the importance of sanitary pad and hygiene and sanitation.

Such initiative has been taken up for the first time by Nagaloka.

VISIT TO NEPAL AFTER EARTHQUAKE

On April 25, 2015 at 11:56 am, a

massive earth quake with a

magnitude of 7.8 hit Nepal. The

official death toll of this disaster is

more than 8,000 lives. It was the

most powerful disaster to strike

Nepal since the 1934 Nepal-Bihar

earthquake. Hundreds of people were made homeless with entire villages

flattened.

In order to conduct a rapid disaster assessment for supporting the affected

people, Nagaloka, Nagpur and Manuski Centre, Pune (India) sent a team of

two to Nepal who have previous experience of working in disaster relief and

rehabilitation programs, especially during post-earthquakes, in India. The two-

member team were Dhammachari Anandshakya and Haresh Dalvi. The team

visited Kathmandu, Pokhara (second largest city in the country), Belahiya and

Lumbini between 1-4th of May, 2015.

CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS CHENNAI FLOOD RELIEF

Continuous heavy rainfall since

9th

November, 2015 caused a

massive flood across the state of

Tamil Nadu specifically in

Chennai, Chidambaram, and

Cuddalore city. In this flood

hundreds have lost their life,

thousands rendered homeless,

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rails and road link destroyed and airports shut, and preventing the entire

population of Chennai to access public amenities. Nearly 600 people have

died and over 1.8 million people have been displaced.

To support the flood

affected people, Nagaloka

took the initiatives to collect

cloths from all the part of

Nagpur and the students and

alumni of institute

segregated useable cloths

and packed them. Nearly

nine quintal of bags have

been transferred to Chennai and with the help of Nagaloka staffs, these cloths

were distributed to needy people in slums areas of Tiruvottiyur, Royapuram,

and Kashimedu.

INAUGURATION OF UPAYA BUILDINGS

The new building named Upaya

was formally inaugurated on

27th March 2016 by Professor

Zhu Qingshi, Academician of

Chinese Academy of Sciences,

President of the University of

Science and Technology of

China, Disciple of Master NAN

HUAIJIN, whose inspiration and support made this possible, along with other.

Master Nan was considered one of the greatest Buddhist masters of recent

times, being not only a great practitioner, but also an expert in Buddhist,

Confusion, Taoist studies, Chinese medicine, the martial arts, management

and education. Lokamitra met him in 2009 and again in 2011 before he died.

He was very keen to see Buddhism revived in India, and felt that India and

China shared a very special relationship through Buddhism. Master Nan and

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his disciples had already made a significant contribution to the Walking

Buddha, and his disciples hoped that these two contributions of theirs would

be stepping stones in the revival of Buddhism in India.The occasion was

graced by Mr. Lu-Songtao, Mr. Ma-Hong-Da, Master Chan Wen-Kuei from

China, Nagaloka trustees, staffs and hundreds of local people. The building is

a residential centre for short term training - courses, retreats, workshops,

seminars and conferences.

COMPLETION OF NEW BOYS HOSTEL

In month of October 2015,

new boy’s hostel was

completed which will

accommodate 72 people.

Adjacently construction of

another hostel building has

already begun which will

accommodate similar number

of people. The whole building

will be finish tentatively by October 2016.

SOME SUCCESS STORIES

MAMTA KHUNTEY, 20 years old from district of

Janjgir Champa, Chhattisgarh has completed

Dhammasekhiya course in 2015-16. She hails from

that society where there is less freedom of girls, lack

of education especially for girls, highly dominated by

Hindu religion. But her family has been practicing

Buddhism over the last two years. She is first girl

from whole village who have left the village to obtain

training in Nagpur. About Nagaloka she came to

know through one of the alumni from Chhattisgarh. Earlier she was not aware of

meditation practice and never heard about Dr. Ambedkar. Along with elder brother

she reached Nagpur in June 2015 and sincerely attended and finished the

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Dhammasekhiya course. The course has helped her to overcome anger and develop

positive attitude. She cherished every experiences that she gained through meditation

practice, work duty and work period.

“The best thing about the Nagaloka institute is that there is no discriminication and

everyone is treated equally”

- Mamta Khuntey

***************************************************************

Rajratan, a 20 year old from district Saraikella,

Jharkhand joined Nagarjuna Training Institute

for Dhammasekhiya course and graduation

programme 2015-16. One of the biggest

problems in his village is that there is

opportunity for quality education. Villagers give

less importance to education. In his village

many of youth are school drop-out, uses

substance abuse. There is no inspiration to

pursue higher education among the youth.

To be free from such society, Rajratan left his

village after completing higher secondary education and started working in Gujarat

for short period. Then one of his relative informed about Nagaloka and persuaded to

continue higher education. In 2016, he has successfully completed the

Dhammasekhiya course. The daily practice and discipline of the institute has shaped

his life. He is very much thankful to Nagaloka for providing such training. Currently

he is enrolled for Bachelor of Arts degree in Nagarjuna Training Institute.

“Earlier I used to have lack of interest in studies, lack of confidence and short

tempered. But after attending the Dhammasekhiya course, I have gained immense

confidence that I can give speech in public forum. The meditation practice also

develop loving kindness attitude”

- Rajratan