Veerayatan Newsletter,
September 2024, Edition-47

The beautiful Harikeshiya school in Pawapuri

This video shows how Veerayatan is spreading smiles in the small village of Pawapuri (the place of liberation of Lord Mahavir), the home place of Sulekha. The documentary shows how the lives of rural people are changing through the efforts of Pujya Tai Ma, the guiding light and the epitome of compassion. The teachings of Tirthankar Mahavir tell us to respect all, irrespective of their race, caste or creed. In our scriptures, there is a mention of the monk Harikeshiya, a disciple of Tirthankar Mahavir, who came from Pawapuri from the lowest of castes. Today, in this very same hallowed land, there are children from the same caste who continue to be deprived and are unvalued by Society at large. Witnessing this, Pujya Tai Ma made a firm resolve to educate these very children and change the direction of their lives. Shri Harikeshiya Vidyalaya, a school created in 2017 for these unfortunate children, is dedicated to Harikeshiya Muni. The transformational change, which has occurred since 2017 by destroying discrimination and sectarianism and instead creating friendships and breaking the cycle of poverty by giving access to education, is just phenomenal.

Pujya Tai Ma transforms Nepal’s suffering to a smile

In response to the recent devastating floods in Nepal, Pujya Tai Ma launched a comprehensive relief effort. Sadhvi Shri Shilapiji and Sadhvi Shri Manasviji led the initiative, distributing essential aid to flood victims across various regions.

Relief efforts included:

• Distribution of blankets, food packets, clothes, corrugated sheets and tents to affected families
• Free eye checkups and eye glasses distribution in various slums nearby Kathmandu

Supporting organisations:

• Anekant Community Center, Aparigrah Foundation
• Tarsadia Foundation, Sarva Mangal Family Trust, ISSO Seva

Local Partnerships:

• Ram Sharan Bhandari, Mayor of Panauti
• Shiv Humagain, Congress Central Working Committee Member and Ex-MP
• Professor Dr. Sagun Narayan Joshi, Executive Director, B.P. Koirala Eye Hospital
• Maranatha Jeshurun Church, Shantinagar
• Vishwa Niketan School, Teku
• Saraswati Vidyalaya, Manohar Basti, Bhaktapur

Veerayatan conveys heartfelt gratitude to all the supporters. Your prayers, warm wishes, and participation will make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need!

Celebrations of Bhagwan Mahavir’s birth during Paryushan

Bhagwan Mahavir’s birth was celebrated beautifully at Veerayatan Rajgir on the fifth day of Paryushan. Students from Bhagwan’s birthplace were present from Tirthankar Mahavir Vidya Mandir, Lachhuar, students from Bhagwan’s samosharan place were present from Shri Gautam Gurukul, Rajgir and students from Bhagwan’s liberation place were present from Tirthankar Mahavir Vidya Mandir and Harikeshiya schools, Pawapuri. It was wonderful to experience this gathering. Students had come beautifully dressed and proudly presented their love for Bhagwan Mahavir through dancing and singing!

Sadhvi Shri Sadhanaji Maharaj had organised a public speaking competition whereby the students of the Veerayatan schools were invited to talk about Bhagwan Mahavir’s message on ‘Let friendship be the religion.’ On the day 12 students spoke passionately, focussing their message on environmental protection, not cutting trees and not eating meat. A panel of judges, after much deliberation, announced the first, second and third prize winners, with all other participants also receiving a prize. After the celebrations all the students and staff were invited to a hearty lunch! What a wonderful way to celebrate Bhagwan’s birth.

Excelling in Inter College Competition

An exciting college-level Cyber Security Hackathon competition was held for the first time in Kutch, attracting 60 participants from various colleges. Among the winners were two students from Veerayatan Institute of BBA/ BCA, who proudly secured the third prize. This event provided a unique platform for students to showcase their skills in cybersecurity, problem-solving and innovation, marking a significant milestone for the region's educational and technological development.

Participation in the Veerayatan Volunteering Programme 2024

A group of 7 students from our school, accompanied by 2 teachers, embarked on this year’s 2-week volunteering programme to Veerayatan Rajgir (Bihar). It was a phenomenal trip for all. For more information about this programme, please see the above section in this newsletter.

In the words of the students:

The Veerayatan programme was transformative, offering us a fresh perspective on gratitude and happiness. The joyful students, the welcoming staff, the teachers, our co-volunteers, and the knowledgeable Sadhvijis immersed us in a community that felt like family. We are incredibly grateful for this enriching experience.

And from the teachers:

I have no words to describe the experience I had in the 2 weeks at Veerayatan. Being in the presence of the Sadhvijis whom we could easily interact with was a dream come true. The beautiful campus at the foot of Vaibhagiri hills was so serene and peaceful. The people who worked there had hearts of gold. As for the programme, I feel honoured to have been part of it. So well planned and we managed to get so much done in the time we were there. Early morning Swadhyay (learning), teaching at the school, painting of the classroom, tree planting, cleaning of the library, day trips and much more. The best 2 weeks of my life.

School Assembly

Seven students of SCVP who went on the Veerayatan Volunteering Trip 2024 were welcomed on the first day of our new term at our school assembly. They delivered an excellent presentation, detailing all the volunteering they undertook on the trip and engaged with the students and parents in a very interactive and informative session. As a result, many of the parents and children became inspired and are already asking about next year’s programme as they want to participate! Very well done to all the volunteers!

School Bake sale

One of our younger classes, with children aged between 9-10 years, together with support from our older classes and, of course, parents, hosted a very successful bake sale. The varied array of homemade goodies was very tempting and in no time they were all sold. Our bake sale proceeds often go to animal welfare programs or helping underprivileged members of society, and the charity is usually selected by our students after thorough research. This year as some of our senior students were joining the Veerayatan Volunteering trip, the proceeds have been earmarked for Veerayatan. Many many congratulations and well done to all involved for their hard work!

Annual open day

We had our annual open day with parents in July when the students and teachers showcased our SCVP school activities. Children, being our ambassadors, with the support of the teachers, proudly presented their learning in interactive ways thus giving parents a first-hand experience of how and what is taught at SCVP Nairobi. The parents were impressed with how well structured the lesson plans and syllabus are and gave us feedback on how they felt their child(ren) were faring, helping teachers understand how their teaching is being absorbed and implemented at home.

Paryushan Celebration in London

With the grace and blessings of Pujya Tai Ma and Sadhvi Shri Shilapiji we have had a very successful Paryushan in London with English Pratikraman conducted on all 8 days!

The children of SCVP London, with their amazing recitation of the sutras throughout the eight days, had the audience mesmerised, inspired and fully engaged! We also had our youth alumni and two adult sutra class students involved in conducting the Pratikraman and reciting sutras beautifully!

One participant said, "I would like to say a big thank you to the SCVP team for organising the English pratikaman and particularly offering it online. I started joining in 2020 during COVID when I also did my first athai (8 day fast). I have really enjoyed each day of the eight days of our festival over the last four years in which I have also completed two more athai and other fasts where I have experienced transformational change by becoming more tolerant and resilient."

To read more…….

Start of the new term

With the grace and blessings of Pujya Tai Ma and Sadhvi Shri Shilapiji, we are thrilled to announce a successful start to our new term of adult classes. This term, we are focusing on "Transformational Meditation," aimed at awakening spirituality through deep meditation and unlocking the subconscious mind.

In the first session, Vinodbhai Kapasi, one of our esteemed long-standing teachers, guided us through a fascinating exploration of comparative religions, including Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, as well as their meditative practices. This underpinning knowledge will be beneficial for practitioners embarking on a journey with Vishalbhai Shah, an expert in mindfulness and meditation, who is conducting the remaining seven sessions, delving deeper into meditation techniques, including Chakra meditation and various visualisation exercises. Vishalbhai’s first session was peaceful, insightful, and all the 150 participants are looking forward to progressing further.