Sadhana overflowing to Seva: When your heart fills to the brim with happiness, the excess flows over in the form of selfless service. At the root of Aghor Tradition, it is this which devotees and students of Baba Harihar Ramji strive towards.
Little Stars School was formed in 1996 by Babaji's long time friend and devotee, Asha Pandey. Starting out with twelve students on her rooftop and a vision to provide much needed education and nurture for Varanasi street children, the foundation was quickly laid for the first-ever school of its kind in the state.
Babaji and Asha both share the philosophy that creating significant change in the future begins with responsible, educated, respectful and civic-minded young people. Together they procured funding to buy property and build a school... enabling the program to flourish. Now with nearly 750 children, forty teachers and many dedicated friends, the school is alive with determination, encouragement and the promise of a better future for everyone there.
Learning not limited to the confines of a classroom, 30 students arrived at the Bal Ashram last week where we piled in to a boat and were rowed across the Ganges to the
Amrit Sagar Ecopark.
Most of the kids from Little Stars are from underprivileged areas surrounding Banares, heavily polluted without open space, greenery or nature. This was the first time many have seen fields of organic vegetables and herbs, bees producing honey, bio gas production and solar panels. The 10 acre parcel of land acts as a giant classroom to the students, modeling sustainable farming and overall environmental awareness.
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| Group shot |
We spent the day in the care of ‘graduated’ Bal Ashram students. Several of these young men have gone off to college and returned to take on leadership roles in maintaining, promoting and educating the community about the Ecopark.
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| Ramesh welcoming the kids to the park |
Students learned about composting, renewable engery, turning cow dung in to bio fuel and toured the dairy and organic gardens.
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| The kids learn about solar energy |
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| The boys take a look at the Park's dump truck |
Before lunch, we broke up in to groups to lend a hand in some of the days chores…
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| Pruning flowers |
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| Fertilizing new garden site |
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Preparing compost
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| Harvesting chilies |
After returning back to Bal Ashram the kids sat and shared their experiences with Babaji. Brimming with excitement, you cant help but think it will overflow...
Namaste,
Caspian Merritt
Bal Ashram
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| The "Strong Girl" team |
