SRI SATHYA SAI VIDYA JYOTHI

March 2019

JOURNAL CUM PLANNER FOR VOLUNTEERS

This Journal cum Planner is a model calendar for the

volunteers for effective implementation of Sri Sathya Sai

Vidya Jyothi Program. It is suggestive in nature and not

a mandatory plan. The school level implementing

teams / volunteers are requested to use this only as a

reference document to draw up their own program schedule

integrating the needs of the school and various stakeholders.

March 2019

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

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04 05 06 07 08 09 10

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9) Never make promises beyond the scope of SSSVJ. Engage with the child positively. Make child the partner in the process. Handle the children as your own, carefully.

8) Use only encouraging and positive words even if the children behavior is bad. Never resort to punishments.

Do's and Don'ts to observe when we work with Children

1) Do not become the hero for the child (Paramount). Make the teacher the star. Make the parent the hero. The teacher and the parent continue to be with the child even after completion of SSSVJ project.

3) During any physical activity, do not risk the safety of either the child or the Seva Dal.

4) Don't engage in any seva with the children without explicit permission / consent of the school staff and the parent.

5) Do not get into curriculum related teaching – that is beyond the scope of SSSVJ.

7) Do not share mobile numbers or contact them outside school. Off school interaction should be avoided.

2) Do inspire the child with your behavior; your action and Love. You should exhibit what you preach.

6) No male member will interact with girl children in a group or individually. Classroom sessions on Saturdays are permitted.

DO YOU KNOW?

th04 March – Monday

th05 March – Tuesday

th06 March – Wednesday

th07 March – Thursday

th08 March – Friday

th09 March – Saturday

th10 March – Sunday

MAJOR EVENTS OF THE WEEK

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

The feminine is the foundation on which a peaceful

and happy world is to be raised. When women are

true and brave, kind and compassionate, virtuous and

pious, the world can have an era of peace and joy

WEEK 1 MARCH 2019

International Women's Day

Chapchar Kut Maha Shivratri

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This is followed by the various tribal dances, the most important being the Cheraw or the bamboo dance. The function ends with the Then Thumna or the event where the local singers once again present the traditional popular numbers and are joined by the cheering crowd.

This festival is one of the oldest festivals of Mizoram. On this ocassion, farmers cut bamboo forests to make place for jhum or seasonal farming. This is the season, in which they wait for the chopped bamboo heaps to dry under sun before being burnt, and this process is termed as Chapchar. While, Kut means festival, as the farmers have nothing else to do during the season.

People wear colourful traditional clothes and hats made from beads and parrots feathers. In this festival they don t wear any shoes. A traditional bamboo dance is also performed where only women participate while the men sit on the ground and beat the bamboos against each other.

Chapchar Kut is celebrated in all the Mizo villages and is a very important cultural tradition in the society. Each village develops its own brand of celebration according to their time, idiom and ethos over the years. The celebrations are carried out for four to ve days.

The festival begins with Kut Puipate or the inauguration ceremony followed by the Then Katna, where the dance groups arrange themselves on the stadium. Once the Then Hnihna begins, the elderly members of the society come dressed in their traditional costumes, representing the individual tribes of the region and take part in a fantastic procession called the Kut rore.

Chapchar Kut is celebrated in the month of March. It marks the beginning of spring when the nature starts playing with colours. This heralds the festive mood in the lives of Mizos and they prepare themselves to celebrate Chapchar Kut, the festival of happiness. It is considered to be the most important traditional festival of Mizoram and is celebrated with great pomp and splendor.

1. CHAPCHAR KUT [FESTIVAL OF HAPPINESS] (MIZORAM)

In local Mizo parlance, kut means festival. There are three Kuts celebrated in the state- Chapchar Kut, Mim Kut and Pawl Kut. All the three festivals are connected with agricultural activities. The festivals are celebrated to mark the arrival of spring with feasts and traditional dances.

KNOW THE FACTS

Image source: scoialnews.xyz

2. MAHA SHIVRATRI

The prayers continue throughout the night of Mahashivratri and Lord Shiva's followers offer coconut, Bilva leaves, fruits and specially prepared sacred food for the occasion. As this is a dark fortnight, devotees light and diyas (a made usually of clay, with wick made of cotton and dipped in ghee) throughout the night. This is signied as a symbol of spiritual manifestation. Mahashivratri is one of the major festivals in India and everybody from kids to old-age people like to participate in one way or the other. Lord Shiva is also known as a 'Destroyer' or 'Transformer' according to the Hindu religion and he is worshiped not only in India but also in other neighboring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Source: https://www.festivalsondia.in/ChapcharKut/

This colourful cultural festival of Mizoram- Chapchar Kut has nowadays become the most popular and gazetted holiday in the state.

Children as part of Balvikas class be explained the Mahashivratri festival and its importance to the people of Hindus and how such festivals make the counrty with diversity strong. The following 11 key lessons attributed to Lord Shiva can be taught to Children.

Source: https://www.festivalsondia.in/mahashivratri

Shivaratri or Mahashivaratri (Night of Shiva) is a Hindu festival, celebrated all over the country with great enthusiasm. The festival falls every year around 13th night or 14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the of Magh (as per Shalivahana) or Phalgun (as per Vikrama) in the Hindu Calendar. The festival is exclusively dedicated to Lord Shiva who is known by hundreds of names. Maha Shivratri is the day to rejoice and pray to the almighty for wellness. On this day, Hindu people offer prayers to the Lord Shiva and also observe fasting (vrata) throughout the day. You can see huge crowd of devotees outside the Shiva temples where they come for early morning prayers.This is followed by the various tribal dances, the most important being the Cheraw or the bamboo dance. The function ends with the Then Thumna or the event where the local singers once again present the traditional popular numbers and are joined by the cheering crowd.

Children as part of Balvikas class be explained the Chapchar Kut festival and its importance to the people of Mizoram and how such regional festivals make the counrty with diversity strong.

Image source: India.com

1. Come what may, you must never tolerate evil - Lord Shiva was known as the destroyer of evil. He couldn't tolerate injustice and destroyed the evil rakshasas in a fair manner. Similarly, even we should try to keep zero tolerance for the evil happening around us and take a stand against injustice.

4. Materialistic happiness never stays for long - Take a look at Shiva's attire for a second. Only armed with a trishul and damru, Lord Shiva always stayed away from wealth. You're missing out on nothing in life if you're not attached to wealth and materialistic things. Because materialistic happiness is temporary. You need to nd your happiness in events and experiences, and not things.

5. You must learn how to suppress negativity gracefully - Shiva was a 'neelkanth' because he swallowed poison named 'halahala', that emerged from the ocean. Only Shiva could have consumed this poison and suppressed it in his throat. The important lesson to take back from this incident is to take negativity in our stride, and turn it into positivity.

7. Respect your better Half - Shiva was 'Ardhanarishwar', where half of him was Parvati. He treated Parvati with utmost respect and care. She was his 'shakti' and he gave her the importance she deserved.

2. Self-control is the key to living life to the fullest - An uncontrolled mind can lead you to live a disastrous life. You cannot win battles when you lose focus and fall prey to your desires and addictions. Therefore, it's necessary to keep your mind aligned to your goals and heart too.

3. Keep calm and carry on - Shiva was called a 'Maha Yogi' because he meditated for hours for the well-being of the universe. His calm state of mind was disturbed only due to extreme reasons, but otherwise he would always be in a meditative state of mind. Thus highlighting the fact that you can win half the battle just by being calm in a stressful situation. It's really the best strategy to sorting out a problem.

6. Desires lead to obsessions and obsessions lead to destruction - Since he was free from desires, Shiva never obsessed over things. It is a fact that desires always lead to obsessions, and these in turn make us self-destructive.

8. You must control your ego and let go off pride - Your ego is the only thing that prevents you from attaining greatness. It is your ego that comes between your goals and your dreams, and makes you a less loving person. It is said that Shiva carried his trishul to keep his ego in check. He never let his ego get the better of himself. On the other hand, nor did he tolerate anyone else's ego

The 2019 theme Think equal, build smart, innovate for change focuses on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure.

International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. International Women's Day rst emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.

9. Do thorough research on something you're likely to get into - The Ganga in Shiva's hair symbolises the end of ignorance. This implies that you should know what you are getting into. Being in denial about facts is not going to help.

10. Understand that everything is temporary - Maha yogis don't fall for 'moh maya'. They know that life is ephemeral and what happens today is not going to exist forever. Time changes and so do we.

11. Dance - Lord Shiva is known as Nataraja or the King of Dance. Although his 'tandav' destroyed the world, it was also an art that passed on to us.

Source of text and image: https://www.indiatimes.com/culture/who-we-are/11-lessons-from-lord-shiva-you-can-apply-to-your-life-247674.html

Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women's rights and participation in the political and economic arenas.

Children should be narrated with the stories of Indian women who won great accodade and fame for their acehivements in their respective eld. The narration should focus on how they

3. INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY

Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/womensday/

Image source: UNO stamps.nl

Over and above the few examples given above, there are many women from the history whose life story are very inspiring. Some of them are Rani Laxmibhai, Ahilyabhai Holkar, Abala Bose, Anandi Gopal Joshi, Asima Chatterjee, Chand Bibi, Jijhabai Shahaji Bhosle, Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay, Kittur Chennamma, Lakshmi Sahgal, Madam Bhikaiji Cama, Mother Teresa, Rani Avantibai, Rani Abbaka Chowta, Rani Durgavati, Rani Padmavati, Radrama Devi, Savitribai Phule, Sarojini Naidu, Tarabai, Velu Nachiyar and many more.

3. Mary Kom - She never let motherhood hinder her passion for boxing. She is a ve-time world amateur boxing champion.

4. Saina Nehwal - She's only 24. Yet, she's the rst Indian woman to win a medal in badminton at the Olympics. She is also the rst Indian woman to win the World Junior Badminton Championship.

Some of the great current times women acheivers we can talk about are;

1. Bhakti Sharma - First Asian women and the youngest in the world to create a swimming record in the waters of the Antarctic.

2. Arunima Sinha - A sports person who is lesser known. She lost her leg in an accident, and despite, managed to climb Mt.Everest.

5. Sania Mirza - Once upon a time, she was ranked India's no.1 tennis player by the Women's Tennis Association. Mirza has played extensively and has won a total of 14 medals.

could achieve the success against all odds and the fact that success comes with tirless efforts and determination. Girl children should be motivated to aspire to do something great in their life by learning from the life stories of these great acheivers. This exercise should be done by holding a motivational session for the children.

6. Kalpana Chawla - The rst Indian woman in space and died tragically in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

Key activities done this week:

Reflections / Learning for the volunteer:

Key takeaways / information for the team members:

Reminder / preparatory tasks for the next week

No of hours spent in the week for SSSVJ Activities:

Learn to speak good words. Never hurt

anybody with harsh words. Speak softly and

sweetly to make all people happy. – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

WEEK 2 MARCH 2019

MAJOR EVENTS OF THE WEEK

th11 – MondayMarch

th12 – TuesdayMarch

th13 – WednesdayMarch

th14 – ThursdayMarch

th15 – FridayMarch

th16 – SaturdayMarch

th17 – SundayMarch

World Speech Day

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Source: http://www.worldspeechday.com/about

The idea came from Simon's work in establishing a free database for contemporary and historic speeches. Speeches change the world: socially, politically, in the arts, business and religion. They play a profound role in holding our societies together and shaping change. The idea was born: a day to celebrate speeches and speech making around the world and reach out to #unexpectedvouces everywhere.

As part of World Speech Day, a special Elocution competition should be orgnaised for the children and children should be encoruaged to speak on subjects like love, non violence, truth etc.

World Speech Day was launched by Simon Gibson (Founder) at the Athens Democracy Forum in 2015.

In 2019 more than 100 nations across the globe will be involved. Schools, universities, speakers' clubs, think tanks, community groups, companies, NGOs - holding meetings in classrooms, auditoria, community halls, even cafes. Because what matters most is using the unique power of speeches to explore new ideas.

1. WORLD SPEECH DAY

KNOW THE FACTS

Key activities done this week:

Reflections / Learning for the volunteer:

Key takeaways / information for the team members:

Reminder / preparatory tasks for the next week

No of hours spent in the week for SSSVJ Activities:

WEEK 3 MARCH 2019

World Storytelling Day/ Saint Hazrat Ali birthday/ Holika Dahan/ International Day of Happiness

Holi/ Nowruz (New Year for Parsis)/ World Poetry Day/ World Puppetry Day/ International Day of Forests/ Yaoshang (Manipur)/ Gangaur festival

MAJOR EVENTS OF THE WEEK

Don't waste money, waste of money is evil.

Don't waste food, Food is God;

– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Don't waste time, Time waste is life waste;

Don't waste energy; Don't waste Water;

th18 – MondayMarch

th19 – TuesdayMarch

th20 – WednesdayMarch

st21 – ThursdayMarch

rd23 – SaturdayMarch

th24 – SundayMarch

nd22 – FridayMarchWorld Water Day/ Hola Mohalla/ Saint Tukaram Jayanthi

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1. WORLD STORY TELLING DAY

The signicance in the event lies in the fact that it is the rst global celebration of storytelling of its kind, and has been important in forging links between storytellers often working far apart from each other. It has also been signicant in drawing public and media attention to storytelling as an art form.

World Story telling day shall be celebrated by organising a story telling competition at the school with topics connected to water and forest as we celebrate International day of forest and world water day. The children should be encouraged to tell sotries around the subjectsmentioned but should be value based not memerly entertaining.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Storytelling_Day

Saint Hazrat Ali is a Muslim religious dignitary who is held in high esteem by the Islamic community across India and beyond. Born in 1238 to Abu Talib in the Kabba sanctuary, Hazrat Imam Ali was blessed by Prophet Mohammad who was also his father-in-law. During this period, Muslims belonging to the Chishti community offer their due respect to the legendary Su saint.

World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. It is celebrated every year on the March equinox, on (or near) March 20. On World Storytelling Day, as many people as possible tell and listen to stories in as many languages and at as many places as possible, during the same day and night. Participants tell each other about their events in order to share stories and inspiration, to learn from each other and create international contacts.

2. SAINT HAZRAT ALI'S BIRTHDAY

Ali is respected for his knowledge, courage, belief, honesty, deep loyalty to Muhammad, unbending devotion to Islam and equal treatment of all Muslims. He was also known for his generosity since he believed in forgiving his defeated enemies. He left for his heavenly abode on the day of Ramadan on 40th Hijrah and people from then until now follow his sayings sincerely though several centuries have passed by.

KNOW THE FACTS

Image source: Mats Rehnman

Image source: Responsible Corporate

Hazrat Ali is regarded as one of the pioneers who revived the Muslim culture and traditions to the core by spreading a unique message all over the world. He is considered a messiah of luck and every Muslim household is grandly adorned with glittering lights and beautiful owers on his birthday. People offer their sincere prayers to the imam on this day to seek his blessings. All the mosques across the country are lled with people who remember the great sacrice of this legendary soul.

During his 70 years of active representation of the Su sect, he became responsible for the development of several branches due to which it was possible to spread Islamic beliefs, traditions and values all over India. People in India celebrate the birthday of Hazrat Imam Ali with great respect and honor due to the services he rendered to the Islamic religion on the whole.

Children, as part of Balvikas class, should be told the greatness of Saint Hazrat Ali and his life story

Muslims across the world consider Hazrat Ali as the true heir to The Holy Prophet because of the wealth of knowledge he possessed. In fact, he is regarded as the perfect descendant because of the way he conducted his life. Not only this, he strived hard to spread Islamic values that he learnt from the prophet to all other people. Alternatively, Hazrat Ali proved to be a great philosopher throughout his life. As far as his family is concerned, enough evidence has been obtained about his brother who was named Jamaluddin; however, there is no reason mentioned anywhere why Hazrat Ali remained unmarried.

https://www.festivalsondia .in/Hazrat-Ali-Birthday/

3. HOLIKA DAHAN & HOLIHolika Dahan is an important ritual observed by Hindus as part of celebrating Holi with a lot of exuberance each year.

Hiranyakashyap was devastated and decides to kill his own son. He orders his sister Holika to sit along with Prahlad in re. Holika was blessed that re could harm her in no way and that

Several stories as per mythology are in circulation that highlight the importance of Holi in a perfect manner. Firstly, the story of King Hiranyakashyap and his son Prahlada gained maximum publicity due to which the festival of Holi is held in high esteem among the devotees. According to the legend, King Hiranyakashyap used to believe himself to the supreme power. He thought himself to be the only God that people have ever known. However, his son Prahlad was unrelenting and refused to pray him. Instead Prahlad offered his sacred prayers to Lord Vishnu.

Image source: Filmy Buzz

she would never die because of re. Surprisingly, it was Holika who gets charred to the core and Prahlad remains unaffected. It is because of the mighty power of Lord Vishnu about which Hiranyakashyap is unaware. Eventually, he gets killed by Narsinghma avatar (man's body and lion's head) as Hiranyakashyap had the boon of not being getting killed by humans or animals.

As per another popular legend, Goddess Parvati who is the daughter of Himalaya intends to marry Lord Shiva. However, the deep meditation of Lord Shiva causes severe unrest in her. Eventually, she orders Kaamdev to break the meditation of Shiva. This angers Shiva who burns him to ashes with his third eye and does taandav dance. After learning about the actual fact, he repents resulting in his marriage to Goddess Parvati. The event of Kaamdev getting burned is celebrated as Holika Dahan in modern times.

Interestingly, some people are known to offer their prayers to Lord Vishnu as part of Holika Dahan. It is a common sight to observe people getting devoted to the God in hammock. However, it is because of the popular belief that those who celebrate Lord Vishnu on the same day are known to realize happiness and joy for sure. People across India are known to observe the day in order to experience a prosperous life. This incident marks the celebration of Holi.

Holi is regarded as one of the most ancient festival of the Aryans, who have been honorably mentioned in our old Sanskrit texts like Garud Puran and Dashakumar Charit. Even the play "Ratnavali" written by Harshdev states a delightful description of Holi as a festival. In those days, this very festival was celebrated as "Vasantotsav". Later, everybody started calling it Madanotsav .

Not juts in India, this festival of colours is gaining recognition on the global platform as well and many countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Utah, South Africa, etc, have been organising Holi celebration on a massive level and Holi will surely bring all these diverse cultures close to our Indian culture.

Children should be explained the cultural signicance of Holika Dahan and Holi as part of Balvikas class. While burning is customery and a belief, children should be made aware of impact of burning large quantum on the environment. It should be symbolic and not in big scale.

Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated immediately after Holika Dahan. People consider the event as a symbol of friendliness wherein people bury their past enmities and offer to become friends henceforth. Applying colors on hands and faces to their relatives and friends is a part of grand celebration. Both children as well as elders participate in this popular ritual with equal enthusiasm.

Source: https://www.festivalsondia.in/Holika-Dahan/

4. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESSSince 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. In 2015, the UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet – three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness.

Children should be explained that real Happiness is in sharing and caring the poor and deprived. To experience the real happiness, Children (subejct to exams) may be taken to nearby old age homes or engaged in Narayan Seva or other seva actvities where they can experience the real happiness.

Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/happinessday/

5. NOWROZ (PARSI NEW YEAR)The rst day of the Iranian calendar falls on the March equinox, the rst day of spring, on 21 March. In the 11th century CE the Iranian calendar was reformed in order to x the beginning of the calendar year, i.e. Nowruz, at the vernal equinox. Accordingly, the denition of Nowruz given by the Iranian scientist Tusi was the following: "the rst day of the ofcial New Year [Nowruz] was always the day on which the sun entered Aries before noon." Nowruz is the rst day of Farvardin, the rst month of the Iranian solar calendar.

Followers of Shahenshahi and Kadmi calendars (some Zoroastrians in Pakistan and India) celebrate the spring equinox as Jamshed-i Nouroz, with New Year's Day then being celebrated in July–August as Pateti, the day of penitence

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowruz

Children should be explained as part of Balvikas class, the origin and greatness of Parsi community and their contribution to India in variety of elds. Pasri community is an integral part of Indian culture and over hundreds of years they have integrated themselves as part of Indian mainstream religion.

Image source: en.wikipedia.org

Image source: travelbeginsat40.com

World Poetry day can be celebrated by making the children recite poems and appreciate the contribution of authors in using poetic form to communicate values and key messages for the humanity. This event can be celebrated in Week 4

Forests cover one third of the Earth's land mass, performing vital functions around the world. Around 160 crore people-including more than 2,000 indigenous cultures - depend on forests for their livelihoods, medicines, fuel, food and shelter.

World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organization) in 1999. Its purpose is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world and, as the original UNESCO declaration says, to "give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements".

World Puppetry Day comes every March 21. The idea came from the puppet theater artist Javad Zolfaghari from Iran. At a meeting of the International Council of UNIMA in June 2002 in Atlanta, the date of the celebration was identied. The rst celebration was in 2003.

Forests are the most biologically-diverse ecosystems on land, home to more than 80% of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.

7. WORLD PUPPETRY DAY

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Poetry_Day

Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/happinessday/

6. WORLD POETRY DAY

A puppet show can be organised in week 4 of March to celebrate the world Puppetry day. While the puppet show can be entertaining for the children, this can be used as a great medium to communicate values / good messages to the children.

8. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS

Image source: youtube.com

Image source: UN.org

Ÿ Local populations use the fruits, nuts, leaves and insects found in urban trees to produce food and medicines for use in the home, or as a source of income.

The International Day of Forests is held annually on 21 March to raise awareness of the importance of forests to people and their vital role in poverty eradication, environmental sustainability and food security. Sustainable management of all types of forests are at the heart of unlocking challenges of conict-affected, developing and developed countries, for the benet of current and future generation

Children should be explained the importance of forests and its contribution to the human life. This can be explained prior to conducting the story telling competition with the theme of forest and water. Following are some of the key benets for forests.

Ÿ Forest bring rain, generates much needed oxygen & conserve water underground

Ÿ Trees also improve the local climate, helping to save energy used for heating by 20-50 percent.

Ÿ Trees reduce noise pollution, as they shield homes from nearby roads and industrial areas.

Yet despite all of these priceless ecological, economic, social and health benets, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate – 1.3 crore hectares of forest are destroyed annually. Deforestation accounts for 12 to 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

Benets of Forests to urban centres

Ÿ Forests and trees store carbon, which helps mitigate the impacts of climate change in and around urban areas.

Ÿ Strategic placement of trees in urban areas can cool the air by up to 8 degrees Celsius, reducing air conditioning needs by 30 percent.

Ÿ Wood fuel sourced from urban trees and planted forests on the outskirts of cities provides renewable energy for cooking and heating, which reduces pressures on natural forests and our reliance on fossil fuels.

Ÿ Urban trees are excellent air lters, removing harmful pollutants in the air and ne particulates.

Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/forestsday/background.shtml

Ÿ Forests in and around urban areas help to lter and regulate water, contributing to high-quality freshwater supplies for hundreds of millions of people. Forests also protect watersheds and prevent ooding as they store water in their branches and soil.

Ÿ Well-managed forests and trees in and around cities provide habitats, food and protection for many plants and animals, helping to maintain and increase biodiversity.

The festival starts on the rst day of Chaitra, the day next to Holi festival. From the day of Gangaur festival, the women fast for 18 days to complete the ritual. During this 18-day period,

Ÿ Urban green spaces, including forests, encourage active and healthy lifestyles, improve mental health, prevent disease, and provide a place for people to socialize.

9. YAOSHANG (MANIPUR)

Source: https://www.hellotravel.com/events/yaoshang

Children should be explained the importance of Yaoshang festival for the natives of Manipur and its cultural signicance as part of Balvikas class so that the children can appreciate the cultural diversity of India.

10. GANGAUR FESTIVAL (RAJASTHAN)

Ÿ Forests in cities and surrounding areas generate tourism, create tens of thousands of jobs and encourage city beautication schemes, building dynamic, energetic and prosperous green economies.

Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/forestsday/index.shtml

Yaoshang is one of the festivals celebrated in Manipur. It is commended by the Hindus and the indigenous conventions of the place. Yaoshang is one of the signicant celebrations of Northeast India. Because of its closeness of the Indian celebration Holi, it is regularly alluded to as the 'Holi of Manipur'.

The festival of Yaoshang is celebrated with singing, dancing and other customary exhibitions by the inhabitants of Manipur. Celebrated by the youthful and old of the place, one of the features of the celebration is the Thabal Chongba move, a customary people move of the district. Thabal Chongba can be meant 'Moon light move', which is in this manner performed amid the evenings. The move is performed with a few people melodies being sung, utilizing the Dholakar.

Ganagur festival is celebrated in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Gujarat and others. This festival is celebrated by the women folk as the festival of Goddess Gauri. The festival is celebrated once a year, during the month of March, for 18 days.

Image source: Hellotravel

women eat only once per day. The festival ends on the third day of Shukla Paksha.

On the seventh day from Holi, unmarried women carry small earthen lamps and walk around the streets, singing ghudlia songs. This continues for the next ten days. On the 18th day, the Gangaur festival day, the earthen pot is destroyed and the remains are thrown into a tank or well. Later, the women break their fast by enjoying a feast.

The last three days are the best part of the festival. The locals decorate their deities with ornaments and dresses. At an auspicious time, the locals form a procession with the deities on the head of married women. The deities are placed in a garden, pond or near a well. For the next two days, the procession returns to offer prayers and rituals. On the nal day, the idols are thrown into the water, bidding farewell to Gauri. It indicates the celebration of sending Gauri to her consort's house.

Source: https://www.travelogyindia.com/rajasthan/jaipur/gangaur-festival.html

11. WORLD WATER DAY

Children should be explained the importance of Gangaur festival for the natives of Rajasthan and its cultural signicance as part of Balvikas class so that the children can appreciate the cultural diversity of India.

One of the goal of Sustainable Development is water for all by 2030. By denition, this means leaving no one behind. But today, billions of people are still living without safe water – their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories struggling to survive and thrive. Marginalized groups – women, children, refugees, indigenous peoples, disabled people and many others – are often overlooked, and sometimes face discrimination, as they try to access and manage the safe water they need. This World Water Day, 22nd March, is about tackling the water crisis by addressing the reasons why so many people are being left behind.

Throughout the 18 days, the city celebrates with a lively fair that sells all kinds of souvenirs, masterpieces and interesting activities. Images of the God and Goddess are made out of clay for the rituals. Some families use their traditional wooden images, which they paint on the eve of the festival. This image or idol is used for rituals for the entire course of the fasting. Women decorate their hands and feet by applying myrtle paste in shapes of gures like ower, geometric design and others.

Source: http://www.worldwaterday.org/

Image source: Trippy Holidays

12. HOLA MOHALLA (PUNJAB)

The festival was started by the tenth Sikh Guru – Guru Govind Singh who had tried to gather Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles after Holi. This has now become a traditional annual festival of Sikhs held at Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib in Punjab. The festival also marks the New Year as per lunar Nanakshahi calendar of Sikhs. It is celebrated over three days and it retains the character of fun and joy of Holi which concludes a day before.

Even today, Sikhs celebrate this festival joyfully by watching and performing in martial arts parades, led by the Nishan Sahibs of the Gurdwaras. Which is then, followed by poetry readings and music competitions. But viewing it closely might be risky for spectators as the participants who perform Hola Mohalla ght hard with one another even though they do not ght in reality. The celebration has been recognized as a National Festival by the Govt. of India and it is being celebrated in the state of Punjab since 1701.

Source: https://www.festivalsondia.in/holla-mohalla/

Children should be explained the importance of Hola Mohalla festival for the natives of Punjab and its cultural signicance as part of Balvikas class so that the children can appreciate the cultural diversity of India.

Children should be explained the importance of water and why we should not waste water and why we should conserve the water. The world water day shall be celebrated by paritcipating in story telling competition on forest and water

13. SAINT TUKARAM JAYANTHISaint Tukaram was born in Dehu village of Pune in Maharashtra in 1608. Having set his sights on attaining Moksha, the revered saint has begun worshiping at a very young age. Tukaram belonged to a Kshatriya family. He was a businessman but could not succeed due to severe and consistent losses. Unable to cope with the hardships he chose the path of salvation after Lord Vithoba showed him the way in one of his dreams.

Hola Mohalla - a Sikh festival is celebrated every year in the month of March, a day after Holi. Hola "Mohalla" derives its name from Punjabi word “Mohalla” implies an organized Procession in the form of an army column accompanied by war drums and standard-bearers, and proceeding to a given location or moving in state from one Gurdwara to another.

Image source: Roundglass

Saint Tukaram Jayanti is observed not just in Maharashtra alone but all over India with due respect to the eminent personality of literature. Throughout his life in the past and present as long as he breathed his last, Tukaram maintained a simple life by sacricing all the worldly luxuries in a perfect manner.

Saint Tukaram is identied synonymously with the Marathi literature because of the immense contributions he made in a perfect manner. Perhaps, he used to display his tremendous control over the Marathi literature that no one else could for sure in the past. Dedicating all his poems and hymns (Abhang) to Lord Vithoba, they all were lled with love and respect to the God. Such was his inuence that some of his poems were included in Guru Granth Sahib as well. Even after achieving phenomenal success in life, he refused to wear costly clothes and jewelry. He believed in simplicity and abided by it.

Source: https://www.festivalsondia.in/Tukaram-Jayanti/

Children should be explained the life history of Sant Tukaram and his devotion to Lord Vitthal as part of Balvikas class.

Image source: pinterst

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MAJOR EVENTS OF THE WEEK

WEEK 4 MARCH 2019

Students should strive to earn good name in society.

Today's education is making the students materialistic. It

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their inner voice. One should acquire Atma Prabodha

(Atmic knowledge). That is true education.– Sri Sathya Sai Baba

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Key activities done this week:

Reflections / Learning for the volunteer:

Key takeaways / information for the team members:

Reminder / preparatory tasks for the next week

No of hours spent in the week for SSSVJ Activities: