Chandigarh: Founder of Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shanker Ji and the Governor of Punjab and Administrator UT Chandigarh V.P. Singh Badnore, today addressed about 100 school children during the Bal Chetna Shivir, a programme envisioned for the children aimed at helping them rise to their potential through various stress elimination techniques organised by the Art of Living Chandigarh Chapter.
The Shivir was organised at the precincts of Punjab Raj Bhavan. The young students in the age group of 12 to 15 years attended the Shivir and had an interactive session with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji.
Addressing the children, Sri Sri said that the children should be inquisitive as this inquisitiveness takes out the best from within a child. He also motivated them to become responsible citizens of the country by putting in their best in the nation building task. He also urged them to adopt healthy life style and shun evils such as drug abuse, drug addiction and other social aberrations. He said that children can be instrumental in evolving a healthy and determined society if their energies are channelized in the right direction.
He also said that “the goal of education is to increase awareness not information.” He also said that ‘hosh’ awareness, and ‘josh’ excitement were essential for any creation, while josh without hosh is a destructive force, he added. He also told the children not to be disturbed by the failures and similarly not to be euphoric on victory as these are a part of our life and these phases should pass naturally.
In his address, Badnore recalled how during his school days he attended similar shivirs that made him determined, strong and confident as a child. He said that all those meditation techniques and physical exercises learnt at that time were relevant even today. He also said that more such interactive sessions for the children should be organized in the city.
He called upon the children to be fully equipped with tools that help them deal with the day to day situations with a renewed sense of confidence. Expressing concern over the rise of stress away children as students, the Governor said that stress elimination techniques like breathing, pranayam and meditation were extremely important for them to overcome stress levels.
Appreciating the agile and alert students of the government schools participating in the Shivir, the Governor observed that there was a remarkable improvement in the academic and social standards of the children studying in these schools. He emphasized upon the need to further strengthen the educational and spiritual values in the children so that they could be ahead of the private educational institutions.