Anamay Ashram, Spring/Summer 2009
[http://api.ning.com/files/yaELt7UI2BaoyttTTBgyO42Afkw5WWTHoKz*-EhH2QPa3\ Fj4pIWGy6BqT*pgobjrG-Gp*VxdyEdknrCi9OvBD8kuCj*ZgQsa/P1010438.jpg] A Newsletter from Ashutosh-ji, [http://api.ning.com/files/Ofub4YsFg6WzNoq*lVEpcM1yMbPjOCEVMOjEvMdtY6XCr\ zvlpPMzKde-Smvv46QyoDz66JZRNav5XFbY2MZoC814PIAOMF-q/P1010260_2.jpg] Dear Friends and Supporters, A lot of progress has happened on all levels in our Vedic heaven in the Himalaya. New admissions of students, new buildings almost finished, pancha karma, new kendras opened, new fields of study, Assembly, Upanayanam . [http://api.ning.com/files/yaELt7UI2BYulOidiA1rBrUhAqojINy3PblL8pKIGx4Q1\ 0NC8wOMa8l*tf0WaX8iLrSH908nRFfz5yxdPc*CEH*zStkWTkN7/DSCI0318.jpg] Lets start with Buildings In our last letter we mentioned the student building's first floor. We started to use it, not yet perfectly, for the first time for our assembly for which over 150 students from many villages came during the last week of June. We postponed the start of the assembly in the last moment by 4 days, as we were simply not ready with all the tiling, plumbing, painting etc. etc. But we made it, and all the girls who came for the Vedic stotra competition and guests stayed in the new student home. And its roof was used as dining hall see below. The girls in pink and the boys in yellow. [http://api.ning.com/files/yaELt7UI2BbnlJ7RQiYNa7cHOwEiiJnTSWkPagQW*oBDl\ sm2qgc5EqUd5*X30slq5tiVEJttX*S-gKTfp3-zkGRNxIPT0laL/DSCI0352.jpg] Because the kitchen building, that houses on the 2nd floor the dining hall did not quite make it into a user-friendly state of development: We were able to house the Vedic students from a vidyapeeth in Rajasthan who came to compete with our students in the "basement" room on the lower left of the building. And the bamboo hall on the roof was also ready to be used. [http://api.ning.com/files/Ofub4YsFg6WnICh3pbGDH*aWl59CJHNoHjH*Ufyas4wye\ sPRWx1jv3rpZDPG7a1bDVRXeidAqD0JQW5umyo2KjdTT7z0P0p0/IMG_1452.jpg] All new initiations in TM and TM Sidhis were done in this hall. Well almost all, in the last night, where next morning there were the last initiations of the sidhis a rain downpour soaked all the foam mattresses like sponges. Its roof is temporarily covered with a plastic and not with grass, as we can get grass only after the rainy-season. And one plastic was blown over by the wind and the gates were opened for the downpour. [http://api.ning.com/files/Ofub4YsFg6XSvopzjfdmEFPvKArfctZwhFVh408-15X9J\ X2j1ypp9*AiR8p5G-snM8eyzJNpHoa5ZFkHdRpl5TXK*MNoWj7Y/IMG_1428.jpg] Overall it was almost a miracle that we could get the kitchen building to that state - it is all thanks to friends from Switzerland who donated generously towards the cost of building it! But now we desperately need another 2.5 lakh rupees (about $6500) minimum to finish it. A different contractor had started to build our new guesthouse at the same time. The kitchen contractor made 3 floors plus the bamboo hall, but this one reached not even to the roof of the ground floor: And we cannot even put much pressure on him, because there is not much money to pay him But we hope to have some guest rooms ready for October! [http://api.ning.com/files/Ofub4YsFg6UNlmBgiHwD0z93foESwmYitWwx27xTX9HHC\ dDpNrbhY19g8DvT3nh4Y9UyMxFMmFcJCDFX5-ldpQyq0hREoGhv/IMG_1961.jpg] Good news is that we have at least half the food cooked with gas produced by our biogas plant, that produces methane gas from cow dung. A 2nd biogas plant is under construction that will produce gas from human waste. We will use that gas for lighting parts of the student house as well as cooking. We also have built a vermi-compost plant that is getting filled up with decomposed cow-dung from the gas tank. Below is a picture shortly before it was completed. It is consisting of 4 chambers with openings between them. Next time we will inform you how successful it has become. Right now we are in the process of collecting the worms that will be added to the dung. This is done by mixing cow dung with raw sugar (gur) and spreading it over some open grass to attract the worms below. But what we observe is, that the chipmunks are attracted more by the gur than the earthworms! The most dragging construction project is our STP (sewage treatment plant). But we have reached its last phase: the water tank at the end. How exhausting it is you can see on the state of Masoud [http://api.ning.com/files/Ofub4YsFg6W-*3Onoj4prxGTCXZMr6OQjUe3ok51yaQ1J\ wB3VHi*y0OVmzi-EOKjmHvZxhiTpFRLw1E3cqhB44i1qFg32W9E/IMG_1550.jpg] Assembly, Upanayanam, Ashram For the first time this year we had our assembly not in temporary halls (tents) or rented places, but it was in final constructions (which no doubt will get some more improvements in time!) We had this time many new kendras (centers) participating. The interesting part therefore for our ashram children were the vedic students that arrived from Rajasthan on a 3 days journey to compete with them on recitation of Vedas. And that was very challenging. [http://api.ning.com/files/Ofub4YsFg6UYp2LDGNSMbYKDlm80Wn2AlX-RBGXCKO1xf\ teDTGOyOx-VsASH0JoCRp35aD4b5-x9g61*6lEPwWngzjF9cC1z/IMG_1495.jpg] General knowledge tapes by Maharishi and teaching of Ayurveda principles, like pulse diagnosis was another feature of the 6 day assembly which was partly finance by Rotary International in Delhi and California (see banner in the picture below). One thing was there for sure: lots of bliss and joy. The girls especially expressed that by singing bhajans any free minute they could find in the busy schedule. One day after the assembly was over, on first of July was the auspicious muhurt for the upanayanam ceremony. Only after this sanskar the boys can start with their vedic studies and it is therefore a very crucial step. In some regions of India this is celebrated more elaborately than marriage. We do it for all new students and how ever wants to join from outside in one day. Almost 20 students accompanied by their parents went through the procedure. [http://api.ning.com/files/Ofub4YsFg6WANhkL1dFuN8N7Vguv2SpwO7qx4QbE*Fe8J\ YWdvf4VFQCnPbw*J2kaLAcvr7gmnHM5YPV21NQCWYTDvW4cykCB/MVI_1860_0003.jpg] Here the newly initiated go around asking for biksha (donations). It was tradition that vedic students in an ashram are begging for their own food. Another new aspect in our students life was the addition of an acharya who teaches them who to properly use the voice and sing along with some instruments. Here a student caries a tolak, a very traditional vedic instrument. Another instrument we use is harmonium, that is anything else than traditional, certainly not vedic, unfortunately. But it is very easy to play and to use. Anyone, without going into a long period of learning the skill of playing an instrument can quickly get used to it and play some nice melodies. For the time being it serves our purpose to train the students for a musical ear. And it has its results. Since we have these classes they chant more in harmony than earlier. [http://api.ning.com/files/Ofub4YsFg6Vq5kFy*KdMqiP-MHUkPKNrD1Pks1j25I59Q\ -BirQrSH0mV6l7Fy9N*0*x3wZnsT93mdpva7ae9b67nUPZq1Kp7/IMG_1811.jpg] Gurupurnima Like in the previous year on Guru Purnima Swami Ajasranand came for a surprise visit. He will stay with us for one month and contacts a Sanskrit speaking course. Soon we will have the rule: speak in Sanskrit or keep silence! (Don't worry, it will not be applicable for the guests in the initial status). The guru puja was performed by every student individually on the auspicious time of 12.40 pm Indian Standard Time. Today, one day after Guru Purnima, a group of 18 students (all new and some older also) depart to our other place near Jageshwar, where they all focus on learning the Rudrabhishek. Two acharyas will be with them. It will be a very focused atmosphere for them there. [http://api.ning.com/files/Ofub4YsFg6WXMOT0NCvoCzpQZWtESsH2nlVxwPWtiPG8S\ jpqOOg17rEb70RnKoWIenc7IWaWWZ04w9IZIaHi7Y*9frFUPFa9/DSCI0064.jpg] Jai Guru Dev
