For the second year in a row, Chinmaya Mission Sagar Zone's ANNUAL GEETA CHANTING COMPETITION was conducted from 1st to 7th December 2021 seamlessly and meticulously over Zoom.
An encouraging number of 1120 enthusiastic participants (including 198 adults), registered for this online endeavour and learnt chanting through the year under the expert guidance of either Mission Sevikas or their school teachers.
Of these, 336 participants made it to the finals, wherein 14 proficient judges painstakingly evaluated participants, on the chanting of Chapter 2 ( verses 39 to 72) of the Bhagawad Geeta, which was this year's syllabus.
Soon thereafter, on the 18th of December, the prize winners were announced, in an efficiently conducted online event, which had an audience of around 190.
Respected Swami Swatmananda ji as well as Smt. Vinita ji Asrani (President Chinmaya Sagar Zone) graced the occasion with their presence.
The event began with an interesting Audio- Video segment , which saw participants, spanning the age group of Nursery - going toddlers to 70 year olds, recount how much they had benefitted and learnt from this programme. They shared that chanting helped improve their focus and pronunciation. Some also praised their teachers and the organisers for their proficiency and commitment. Univocally, all were seen expressing gratitude to the Mission for giving them the opportunity to learn and grow through this uplifting sadhana.
A vote of thanks was then given by Sujata ji Murali (Zonal Secretary and Co-ordinator Geeta Chanting Competition Sagar Zone) to all the participants, Sevikas, participating school Principals ,teachers and the judges for their support. Special gratitude was expressed to the parents who encouraged their children and motivated them.
In the inspiring talk that followed, Swamiji highlighted the glory of Sanskrit (the language of the Gods), explaining through various examples from scriptures, how the phonetic and powerful language actually helped hone multiple skills and increase the alertness of the mind. The participants were advised not to focus on success or failure in the competition, but to try and understand the deeper significance of learning chanting, which was to increase the love for Sanskrit and make an effort to understand the message of the Geeta and live ‘the Geeta way of life'.
To quieten the palpable anxiety of the participants, the results were then announced (group wise and area wise) and shared on screen as a ppt presentation, amidst many smiling faces and congratulatory messages.
The session concluded with an address by Smt Vinita ji Asrani, wherein she applauded the efforts of all the participants and the team alike. Vinita ji further encouraged the participants to continue learning chanting with renewed fervour and inspire others around them to do the same.
A befitting finale indeed to months of dedicated effort by all who supported GCC 2021, Sagar Zone.
