A youth camp for the questioning mind!
Chinmaya Mission & Chinmaya Yuva Kendra Navi Mumbai organized a Youth Camp from 15th to 17th
January 2016 on the theme ‘WHY DO WE’, which was followed by a trek to Lohagad on 18th January
2106. Br. Ved Chaitanyaji was the Camp Acharya & Chinmaya Prerana (Kharghar) was the venue.
The camp began with inauguration & ice-breaking activity that introduced all the campers to each other.
Each day began with beautiful exercise (Surya-Namaskar), meditation & sessions on Indian Culture
thus tuning the Body, Mind & Intellect! The camp had mainly 3 types of sessions. In the sessions on
Basics of Indian Culture, topics like The faulty Aryan Invasion Theory, Sarasvati Civilization, God, Art of
God-Symbolism, Scriptures, Religion, Types of dharma (laws), Varna-vyavastha (which is mistaken as
the present caste system), 4 Ashrama-s, Traditions, Festivals & Joint-family structure were discussed.
The campers enjoyed their group-discussion sessions on the topics of Idol-worshipping & rebirth. They
also asked many questions regarding the same in the question-answer sessions.
In the sessions on ‘Why Do We’, the scientific & logical reasoning behind the various cultural practices &
traditions in Indian Culture were discussed such as – wearing marks on forehead, prostrating, praying,
having a prayer room, greeting with Namaste & various things we do in the temple during Puja like
offering flowers, coconut, banana, naivedya & so on. The reasons behind the importance given in the
Indian Culture to the holy ash, kalash, tulsi, lotus, conch, fasting & chanting Om-Shanti were also
Chinmaya Prerana saw full enthusiasm of campers when they played Indian games like bull spear,
Kabaddi & Kho-kho. After the game-sessions, the tired bodies & fresh minds were given light
refreshments & the tuned minds enjoyed beautiful Aarati in the Mahalakshmi temple. The first day
ended with an awesome Campfire where all sang & danced around the fire. The second day saw pinnacle
of youth-energy as they kept playing (the most popular game) Maafia throughout the night.
The last day of camp had the Cultural program in which campers performed various skits highlighting a
value they admired. The campers then observed ‘mauna’ to reflect about what they learned in the camp
& resolved 3 things, which they will follow hereafter. The valedictory program saw the ‘emotional’ side of
campers where they expressed about what they felt about the camp. Vedji surprised the campers by a gift
(Chyk jersey), which they all loved a lot! The parents too were delighted to see their children so inspired.
The campers who participated for trek stayed back & others waved a good bye with a promise of meeting
The most adventurous day of the camp began with the campers departing on a journey to Lohagad. 7km
of walking to reach the base & then 6-7km of climbing to reach the highest point was an amazing
experience for all! In the journey, campers saw the excellent architecture of the fort, the various
techniques used for defense & attack, some amazing creations of God & much more. They also
experienced unity, teamwork & overcame their fears! It was indeed the beat part of camp that gave
inexpressible memories & thus cannot be described in the report but can just be experienced by those
Overall the camp, which saw the high levels of enthusiasm, brain storming sessions & epitome of unity
was a huge success as it definitely lit a spark in all the young minds & showed that YOUTH ALONE CAN!