Hindu Students Honor Teachers

Paying respect to teachers is intrinsic to Hindu tradition and Hindu students in Howard county area schools observed this noble tradition on May 19th 2018, by honoring their teachers during the “Guru Vandana 2018” (Teacher Appreciation Celebration).

Guru Vandana is a concept, an idea that is as old as humanity itself. If looked at from the literal definition, the “Gu” in Guru means Darkness/Ignorance, and “Ru” means Light. The Guru is the One who dispels the darkness of ignorance and bestows upon him or her knowledge. From a spiritual prespective, the word Guru is “one who is beyond attributes and forms.” With such a beautiful, inspiring, and revered concept of Guru, the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Maryland chapter chose Guru Vandana to be one of their cultural events of the year, a tradition that they hope to continue every year honoring all those Gurus that impart
knowledge on the student. The event took place in the Bellows Springs elementary School Auditorium, which included students, teachers from the Howard county schools, as well as members from the local Indian community.

Mrs. Veena welcomed everybody to the event. Dr. Murali Divi, a volunteer of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), Maryland chapter, spoke about the activities of HSS which was created to raise awareness through Hindu Culture, Principles and Values to promote Seva, Selfless Service for the benefit of the community.
Bellow Springs Elementary principal Mrs. Carol Hahn and Veterans elementary principal Mr. Robert Bruce and Mr. Mahesh Kalla from HSS kick started the event with Lamp Invocation (Lamp lighting ceremony). Saraswati Vandana classical dance performance was given by kids. The event then went on to the chanting of Sanskrit Shlokas and a skit by Howard county elementary school students on the significance of Guru. Mr. Mahesh Kalla, chief guest of the event, elaborated about the importance of the Guru vandana and HSS activities. He then on to point out those events such as Guru Vandana are “beyond culture, religion, caste and creed”. Such events only promote Unity within Diversity among the community. The chapter organizers Rajeshwar Mishra and Saurabh Singhal in their remarks said that the event was designed to nurture the feeling of respect for teachers among students.

The Guru Vandana ceremony consisted of students putting Tilak and doing Aarti for teachers, followed by memento awarding Ceremony. Bellow Springs Elementary principal, Miss. Carol Hahn and Veterans Elementary principal Mr. Robert Bruce and several other teachers on the stage spoke about how humbled and honored they were for the event. Many distinguished faculty members and community members that were present at the event congratulated the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh organization for having such a unique cultural event. The event concluded with thank you notes from Mr. Praveen followed by Yoga Rhythm and Shanti Mantra by kids to create awareness among the people about Yoga and its advantages in achieving a healthy body, mind and spirit.