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Sivananda Balak Ashram - the Jewel of Bhuj
Part Two
 During
the Guru Poornima celebration, they proved to know quite a few of the
kirtans and bhajans already, and were ready to sing them on any occasion.
They showed a knack for dancing also - on the first day of the Guru Poornima
celebration, during the musical performance of powerful Kaachi music,
as the atmosphere was heating up, they spontaneously got up, all as one,
and started dancing, freely and naturally, in front of Swamiji. Of course,
it was only a matter of minutes before everybody else was on their feet,
dancing in joy.
Those days belonged to them - it was their Guru Poornima celebration,
in their ashram, with their Swamiji. And Swamiji was with them whenever
possible. Twice he took them for a visit to the nearby ancient temple
of Ma Tapakeshwari, hidden in rocky hills, where the road going past the
ashram ends. There they chanted together the 32 names of Durga, Hanuman
Chalisa and Devi Suktam, and then climbed the hills, exploring caves and
the summit. Throughout the drive to and from the temple, the bus was resonating
with the sound of kirtans, led by the children and Swamiji in turn.
 On
2nd July, Guru Poornima day, after Swamiji performed Paduka Pooja, all
the children came one by one and performed pooja themselves, devotedly
paying their respects to Swami Sivananda. Some of them had to be lifted
up by Swami Shankarananda, since they were too small to reach the paduka
altar. After that, during the rest of the ceremony, they were fully engaged
in assisting others to perform pooja, with full responsibility, fulfilling
their duties in a simple and natural way, as only children can do. A short
break during pooja they used for - guess what - dancing to the rhythm
of kirtan, of course!
Trying to capture photographs of them was one of the most joyful and
at the same time most challenging tasks I've had. Quick as lightning,
they would spot me and gather round making faces and laughingly 'posing',
and the chance for a natural shot was gone.
After receiving their Guru Poornima prasad from Swamiji, they had to
remain seated and participate in the program, with their prasad kits in
front of them, hardly able to resist checking on the spot what was inside.
Only occasionally would a head disappear into the big jute bag, but exploring
would be quickly interrupted by Gyanshakti, reminding them to keep their
attention on the program. After the program I went to their rooms - books,
stationery items, toys were all over the place, new clothing was tried
on and new games experimented with - all at the same time - it was as
busy as a beehive.
The morning after Guru Poornima, we were all preparing to leave. Swamiji
called the boys to Paramahamsa Jyoti to see them once more. One boy, Ramesh,
wrapped his arms around me, his head at my navel, saying in a quiet voice,
"Today is my birthday." It was his 11th birthday, and he went
to each and everyone and did the same. Soon he had an express birthday
party.
When our caravan of cars approached the ashram gate, the children blocked
the road, forming a chain with their bodies, holding each other's hands.
Hiding their sorrow in laughter, they wouldn't let Swamiji leave, and
he got out of his car to farewell them once again. A moment later, as
our car slowly moved through the cordon of singing children, our hands
touching, and finally out through the gate of Sivananda Balak Ashram,
I had the following thoughts.
 By
a twist of fate, these children had lost almost everything, apart from
their own lives - their parents, homes, childhood. To find out how they
might have felt, all we have to do is go backward in time, to the tender
age of our own childhood, and imagine ourselves in the same situation,
and find out how it feels. But then, by another twist of fate and their
good karmas, these children came into contact with and received the love,
care and kripa (grace) of saints and God-realized souls. Instead of being
helpless, distressed victims of the elements, they will grow up in a yogic
environment, imbibing yoga as a way of life naturally, and will become
creative, contented and responsible members of society.
At the time of receiving Guru Poornima prasad from Swamiji, each boy
expressed what he would like to become in life - musician, cricket player,
doctor, lawyer, teacher. Sivananda Math will certainly provide them with
the best of opportunities to pursue their goals, and with the personal
qualities to achieve them.
The grace of the guru was pouring into Sivananda Balak Ashram. It was
in the air we breathed, in the food we ate and the water we drank, and
in the sound of the chanting and satsang. It was available to all, and
it manifested with great spontaneity and naturalness in the young residents
of the balak ashram. Chanting of mantras, kirtan, havan, satsang - all
these events were strung together, like the pearls on the rosary of continual
joy and spiritual upliftment.
I felt privileged to have had this experience, and to have been one tiny
dot (pixel) in the whole big picture. My inspiration to serve tripled.
And in the heart the wish was born to return again to this 'Jewel of Bhuj'.
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