Children enjoy participating in fireworks
ST. LOUIS: While US President and Michelle Obama joined the students of Holy Name School in Mumbai and celebrated memorable Diwali, one of the biggest Indian festivals, Indians around the world organized celebrations in their own areas with lot of enthusiasm and gusto.
The Center for Indian Cultural Education in St. Louis, MO, was no exception and it held an interesting and well attended program on November 14 celebrating Diwali and Hindu New Year 2067 with 450 participants that included children and their parents. They performed puja in the Hindu Temple of St. Louis and heralded the New Year with fireworks. As a tradition, Bal Vihar School has been celebrating this event since 1992. Each child and parent offered Puja to Goddess of Wealth, Laxmi, and chanted bhajans. The event was followed by dinner for all who participated in the event.
Under the supervision of parents, children enjoyed the fireworks. Each child was given memorable gift, especially god and goddess idols for their use. The event was organized under the supervision of Giri Yanamala and Vishwakant Tripathi while the coordinators were Indu Shrimal and Sunita Shekar supported by a large number of volunteering parents.
Bal Vihar of St. Louis, a premier educational institution of MO, fosters Asian Indian cultural values in children. It was founded in 1992. The students are exposed to a wide variety of cultural and Asian religion aspects including meditation techniques and Yoga, a method to stay healthy internally and Indian festivals.
Debates are held on interesting topics like values of various cultures and their significances, their own cultural values in modern society, living in harmony with others following different cultures and traditions.
Children participate in the community awareness programs such as visiting local hospital and giving handmade items to the patients, collecting and offering food for the needy in the St. Louis area, conducting activities for Senior Citizens etc.
This year in summer youth members from Bal Vihar participated in following community projects.
- SLICE (St. Louis Interfaith Community Explorations) July program
- Hindu Temple community service by providing a helping hand in landscaping temple front.
- Participation in helping the “Pakistan Flood Victims”, Pakistan food relief drive. On Sunday, September 26th the youth collected non-perishable items, packaged them and sent them to the victims via PIA.
- Pakistan Flood relief activities also included “Change for Good”. The youth also collected monetary change such as quarters, dimes and pennies as donation for flood victims.
- Volunteering at “Circle of Concern” food pantry – included refilling shelves with food cans and unpacking the goods.
- On October 2nd, kids celebrated Mahatma Gandhi day with the “Faith beyond Walls” organization at St Louis Mahatma Gandhi Center.
