Inchara' summer camp for children gets underway

Mangalore, April 24: “Learning becomes most effective when it is fuelled by the student's desire to know, and not when the student considers it to be a burden and a difficult task,” said Dr. Shikaripura Krishnamurthy, Sanskrit scholar and former Professor and Head of the Department of Sanskrit, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore.

He was addressing a group of students and parents after inaugurating 'Inchara', a summer camp for children organized by Shasthavu Sri Bhoothanatheshwara Temple in association with Hindu Seva Pratistan.

Elaborating further, he said that having the right attitude is very important for a learner. “Knowledge is like the river which is always full and constantly flowing, but the amount of water you can draw from it is determined by the size of the vessel. Similarly if you come with an open mind or a 'large vessel', then you can take home a lot of knowledge from this camp,” he said and urged the students to make full use of the opportunity before them.

Earlier, Chandrashekar Shetty of Hindu Seva Pratistan welcomed the gathering and said that this is the fourth camp that his organization is conducting at the temple in two years under the patronage of Vijaynath Shetty, the Chief Co-ordinator of Shasthavu Sri Bhoothanatheshwara Temple. He appreciated the leadership shown by Vijaynath Shetty in taking up the cause of rural development under the auspices of the temple.

The week long residential camp will be held from 23rd to 29th April 2012 at the temple premises at Badaga Yedapadavu, Mijar, Mangalore and 110 high school children have enrolled for the camp. In this camp, children aged between 11 and 14 years are given training to develop their personality and to build their intellectual wisdom.

The camp includes training in art, craft, culture and sports, along with exposure to Puranas, Yoga, Family Life etc. Six Bhaginis (trainers) from Hindu Seva Pratistan are conducting this camp. The camp is sponsored by Sri Bhoothanatheshwara Temple and is open to rural children. Entry to the camp is free including food and accommodation for all seven days.

Vasudeva Kottari, convener of Satsanga, who was the chief guest on the occasion said human soul is always pure and has no caste, creed, community or religion. “India is the cradle of civilization and the world looks up to us for finding peace and spiritual upliftment. Hence it is regrettable that we should be constantly engaged in politics, conflict and disharmony. Camps like this will open your eyes to our culture's greatness,” he said.

Presiding over the function Suresh Raj, the state president of Samskara Bharathi said he was very impressed by the student's response to the camp, despite being a rural area. “I am very happy to see so many eager students from the villages taking part in this camp, especially because this surpasses the response that we receive even in the cities,” he said.

Kanthappa Shetty of Sri Bhoothanatheshwara Temple proposed the vote of the thanks. Bhagini Shakuntala compeered the programme. Premalatha Shetty Mundabettu and Ramesh Shetty Mundabettu representing the temple administration were also present.

Free Eye Check Up and Treatment Camp

Shasthavu Sri Bhoothanatheshwara Temple also conducted a Free Eye Check Up And Treatment Camp in association with KS Hegde Hospital, Derlakatte on Sunday April 22.

The camp provided Free Diabetes & Blood Pressure Check-up, Free Eye Test, Free Spectacles Distribution, Free Medicines, Free Eye Surgery and Free Consultation and Advice to the people of the region. Over 300 villagers attended the camp, out of whom 178 are to be given free spectacles and 74 will undergo free eye surgery.

A medical team led by Dr. Jayaram Shetty and comprising of Dr. Divya Laxmi and Dr. Vasanthi Kotyan examined the patients.