Annual Function at
Junior High School Omkarananda Surkanda Vidya Niketan,
Dev Darshani, Kanatal, Distt. Tehri Garhwal,
Uttarakhand on 2nd January 2010
One of the many beautiful Omkarananda
Himalayan Hill Schools is the Omkarananda Surkanda Vidya Niketan,
Dev Darshani, Kanatal, in District Tehri Garhwal. This Junior High
School was founded almost 20 years ago. It is situated at a breath
taking, most beautiful, divine and enchanting place in the
Himalayas, at the height of ca. 2000 metres above sea level, near
the famous Devi Temple "Surkanda Devi".
On the request of the Management Committee
Members of Omkarananda Surkanda Junior High School, Kanatal, to
grace the Annual Function of the School, as Distinguished Guest,
on 2nd January 2010, H.H. Shri Swami Vishveshwarananda Saraswati,
Paramadhyaksh (President), Swami Omkarananda Saraswati Charitable
Trust, accompanied by Kumari Somashekhari, General Secretary of
the Trust, Shri G. Sukumar, Shri Shantilal Patel, Shri P.C.
Malhotra and other prominent Members of the Omkarananda Ashram,
had been to Swami Omkarananda Surkanda Junior High School,
Kanatal.
This Omkarananda Hill-School is situated at
Chamba-Mussoorie Road, on the crest of a Hill amidst greenery and
natural beauty of a Himalayan Valley. On reaching this place, one
really finds oneself in the lap of nature. In the North, the
beautiful and majestic snow-capped Himalayan mountain range is
visible and in the West, at the height of over 3000 metres, there
is on a high mountain top Surkanda Devi, a famous Siddha Peeth.
The area is famous as Fruit Belt and surrounded by mountains and
rich forests of rhododendron trees.
For the last fortnight the Committee
Members, Teachers and students were busy in preparation to make
the Annual Function of Omkarananda Surkanda Junior High School a
grand success and they were eagerly waiting for 2nd January 2010,
when they would have a chance to realize their long cherished
dream of having Reverend Swami Vishveshwaranandaji Maharaj amongst
them.
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Shri Swami
Vishveshwarananda, President of Omkarananda Ashram, Shri
Kishore Upadhyaya, MLA, and other honourable guests are
nicely welcomed by the school students. |
Ultimately, the great day came, when the delegation, led by
Swamiji, reached the School site at 11:30 am, on 2nd January 2010.
The car drive from the Headquarters of Omkarananda Ashram, in
Muni-ki-reti, Rishikesh, till Omkarananda Surkanda Vidya Niketan,
Kanatal, takes about 4 hours' time, one way. The Members of the
Management Committee and other prominent people of the area warmly
welcomed the Delegates of Omkarananda Ashram in the traditional
manner by performing Arati and playing on traditional Garhwal Dhol
(drums). Swamiji, along with Shri Kishore Upadhyaya, local MLA,
and others were taken to the dais. Both sides of the school
entrance passage, the students of the school queued up and were
throwing flower petals on the passing crew. Having found Swami
Vishveshwarananda and Kumari Somashekhari amongst them, they were
all extremely happy. Joy and Happiness were evidently reflected
from their faces. They were shouting "SWAMI OMKARANANDA KI JAY!
SWAMI VISHVESHWARANANDA KI JAY!" very loudly. The whole atmosphere
echoed with it. While en route to dais, Shri Shantilal Patel, a
disciple of Gurudev, from Omkarananda Ashram Switzerland, along
with Swami Vishveshwarananda, Shri Kishore Upadhyaya and others,
cut the ribbon and made the auspicious inauguration of new
additional computers for the already existing Computer-Lab.
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On
the way to the Computer Lab |
Inauguration of new computers for the school by Shri
Shantilal Patel |
Thereafter the Annual Function of the
School started. The event commenced with Saraswati Vandana, sung
by the students. Shri Narendra Singh Negi read the Congratulatory
Address. Kumari Ankita, a very talented and actively engaged
school student read out a welcome address for all honourable
guests and participants of this function in an excellent English.
Afterwards small and big Students presented joyous, cultural
programmes, one after the other. They also sang a special song in
honour of the visiting dignitaries. The Solo-Dance Performance by
an outstanding school-student, Kumari Ankita, was a thrilling
moment. Ankita, who already had impressed everybody with her good
English speech, was spontaneously awarded with a gift by Kumari
Somashekhari, for her beautiful dance-performance and her other
great contributions to this function. On the request of the
eminent personalities, parents and students, Kumari Somashekhari
sang a Garhwali Song. As a matter of fact, the song put all
people, present on this event, into a great surprise. It was
highly appreciated. The way clapping was made, it surcharged the
whole atmosphere. Mr. Jagdamba Prasad Bhatt, who was conducting
the event, told spontaneously: "If there had been a Competition
and Somaji had participated in it, I am fully confident, she would
have got the 1st position." Besides he called on the Garhwalis to
take a lesson from Kumari Somashekhari and not to shun from their
own Garhwali culture and run too much after Western culture.
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The dignitaries at the Dais |
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School Teachers sang a beautiful Welcome-song and
Saraswati Vandana |
A
huge crowd of school students and some of their
parents had assembled on the ground in front of
Omkarananda Surkanda Vidya Niketan |
On this occasion, Shri Kishore Upadhyaya,
local MLA, highly appreciated the contribution of Omkarananda
Ashram in the educational field, and that too, in the remote areas
of Garhwal Himalayas. He told that Swami Omkaranandaji is
retaining the old tradition of imparting education (Ashram
Paddhati), as in ancient times education was imparted by Ashrams
only.
Many other eminent dignitaries like Block
Pramukh, Jila Panchayat Head and others highly appreciated Gurudev
Swami Omkarananda and also Swami Vishveshwarananda for his
devotion and dedication in realizing the vision of his Gurudev.
On this event Swami Vishveshwarananda
highlighted the activities being performed by Omkarananda
Educational Society.
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Omkarananda School
Students presented skillfully local Garhwali dances on
the school ground, under the brilliant blue sky. |
Kumari Somashekhari
addressed the students and sang two Bhajans in the
local Garhwali language. |
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Soma rewards a
talented school student, Kumari Ankita Saklani. |
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On the request of the local School
Management Committee and other local people to adopt another
Branch of the Omkarananda Kanatal School, at Thangdhar village,
near Kanatal, which has been running successfully for the last two
years, Swamiji out of his love for Garhwal and the Garhwali
children, accorded his kind approval for the adoption of the 3rd
Branch of the Omkarananda School in Kanatal. On this announcement
the public shouted happily: "Swami Vishveshwarananda ki Jay!" With
the adoption of this new Omkarananda Hill School, the total number
of Omkarananda Hill Schools is nearing 55.
In the end Mr. N.S. Negi expressed his
sincere thanks to Swamiji, Kumari Somashekhariji and others for
having come to them to participate in the annual school function
and make it a grand success.
On this occasion, all the school students,
teachers and guests, who came to attend this memorable event, were
invited to a sumptuous meal, arranged by the School Management
Committee.
Swami Vishveshwarananda thanked all of them
for their kind hospitality and then the delegation resumed the 4
hours journey back to Omkarananda Ashram.
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Shri Swami
Vishveshwarananda blesses and encourages all school
students, teachers and parents. |
Somashekhari distributes
sweets to the students. |
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MLA, Shri Kishore
Upadhyaya, Shri Swami Vishveshwarananda and Kumari
Somashekhari at the school ground before sunset. In the
background the beautiful Himalayan snowpeaks are
visible. |
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