Vedic Heritage Camp by Chinmaya Mission

CHICAGO, IL — The 35th annual Vedic Heritage Summer Camp was held in Chinmaya Mission Chicago’s Badri center (Willowbrook, IL) from July 16 to July 22.

The camp was a great success with about 100 children attending the camp, including those from California, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, New York, West Virginia, and Washington.

The children who lived outside Chicagoland were provided free host family accommodation. Organized and managed by the Mission volunteers, the camp was conducted under the guidance of Swami
Sharanananda and Dhiren Khatri, and support from visiting Brahmacharinis from Trinidad and Tobago.

Dr. Varun Khanna, a product of Chinmaya Mission Chicago’s Bala Vihar program and eminent Sanskrit scholar, also assisted with the teaching during the camp which began on July 16 with a Poorna Kumbha ceremony and the lighting of lamps.

Through the week, children in classes Pre-K through 6th learned the values of dharma, truth and devotion from the stories of Mahabharata, while those in classes 7th through 12th learned about the value of devotion through excerpts from the Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita.

Each day started with a yoga session guided by Swami Sharanananda and prayer by chanting verses from Krishnashtakam. While mornings were spent in learning, discussing, and debating the values from the scriptures, the afternoons were all about the arts and the sports.

From painting, cultural program practices, and bhajans on Lord Krishna to basketball, tennis, cricket and frisbee, it was a complete experience for the children. A wholesome and delicious vegetarian lunch was served during the week along with fun snacks like ice cream and
popcorn.

July 21 was not only a day for challenging the brain with extempore debate competitions and quizzes, it was also the day of the Fun Fair with board games, moonwalk bouncer and the ever-popular dunk tank and fire truck.

On July 22, the camp concluded with the guest of honor, Amrit Mittal, a long-time benefactor, presiding over the ceremony. Prizes were distributed for the quizzes and competitions, and cultural programs were presented by the camp children.

Chinmaya Mission Chicago, with its centers in Badri (Willowbrook), Yamunotri (Grayslake), and Chicago downtown has been serving the Chicagoland area for more than 35 years. A community of more than 500 families, the Mission offers Bala Vihar classes for children from
ages 4 to 18 (classes pre-K to12) and scriptural study groups for adults.