A DAY IN SCHOOL

Our day begins with singing devotional songs in praise of god. I really love the time spent in bhajans. It helps us free us from our anxieties and helps us to focus on the present. After the prayers, we have assembly session. In the assembly we get the opportunity to display our talents through speeches, role plays etc. We also do yoga during that period. Then it is time to study. We have trained teachers to teach all the subjects. At the beginning of every period we chant, ”Sai Gayatri Mantram” for good vibrations.

In order to ensure that we concentrate on our studies, our school provides us with milk and bananas alternately during short breaks. Not only that, school also provides us with hot and nutritious meals. Apart from academic education, we are also taught Veda, dance, music and karate. All these activities help us to relieve our stress. We end the day by thanking god for the gift of life and for his protection and guidance by singing bhajans.

We also take turns to clean our class classrooms and the school campus. It has helped to instill in us values like dignity of labor and humility. All this has instilled in us a new confidence. I love coming to school and I will surely miss school when I have to leave it after my 10th grade.

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus engaged himself in a mission of mercy to the sick and the poor. He served the poorest of the poor and taught his followers that whenever we serve the needs of the poor, the needy, the hungry and the diseased, we are serving God.

Jesus took birth to arouse in all people the awareness of their inner divinity. Jesus declared that every man is God. He taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is within – within everybody.

Sri Satya Sai Baba held up Jesus as an example for all. Baba taught us that God is love. Since God is love, love is the path to God. Baba’s teaching that God is love is also found in the teachings of Jesus ‘s closest disciple Saint John. Saint John was known as the Apostle or messenger of love. We must make our hearts sacred so that either we merge in Jesus or Jesus merges in us. Sri Satya Sai Baba said that when we merge in Jesus it is called Bhakti. To have Jesus awakened in us is called the path of Jnana.

What Jesus preached was in accordance with the basic teachings of all religions. Lord Jesus demonstrated through his life, death and resurrection, the path of love, selflessness and sacrifice.

Divya Shree, Grade IX

Alcohol

Alcohol is one of the most widely misused drugs. People turn alcoholics for various reasons. Some people drink alcohol to be sociable. But many drink alcohol to help them forget things that they are stressed out about. Alcohol has ruined innumerable families. Alcoholics have caused misery to their wives and children by wasting all their money on liquor.

The children of alcoholic parents are the most badly affected. If the child’s alcoholic parent was abusive when he was drunk, the adult child can grow up with a fear of all angry people. Some children may have very low self-esteem and develop a feeling of inadequacy. They may have difficulty making friends and isolating themselves as a result. The emotional and psychological scars on the children can become deep that they may last even into adulthood.

Thus, addiction to alcohol is the cause of many issues in low-earning income families. But, the government can’t stop this. Prohibiting liquor is not a solution to these problems. In the past, prohibition has not succeeded anywhere in the world and it has only been driven underground. It has led to the illicit trade in liquor. There is no doubt that malaise runs deep in our society.

Tax revenues from alcohol are a major part of the government revenue. And, these taxes enable the government to finance several public welfare schemes. The absence of these revenues severely impacts states ability to run public services. So the Government will not ban alcohol. And, it is every individual’s responsibility to understand the ill effects of alcohol abuse

CEILING ON DESIRES

Desire can be defined as “a longing or craving as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment. There are four components in the term “ceiling on desires”.

Food : Eat only what you need to eat. Don’t be greedy. Do not take more than you can eat and waste the rest, wasting food is a great in.

Money : Indians consider money or wealth as the Goddess Lakshmi. We should not waste money. By doing so, we will only become a slave to bad qualities, bad ideas, and bad habits. Use should only use money for good deeds.

Time : The most important, and most needed factor is time. One should not waste time. Time should be spent in a useful manner. Time is the embodiment of god

Energy : Our physical, mental and spiritual energies should never be wasted. If we see bad things, speaking evil, thinking evil thoughts, and doing evil deeds wastes your energy.

Man does not realize that as their desire increases their happiness decreases. There is no limit to desires. They multiply like ants in an anthill

DURGA BHAVANI: –

I am Durga Bhavani and I belong to West Godavari dist, Palakollu. My mother struggles hard in life to bring me up. Under these circumstances, my uncle told us about the school which provides not only free education, but also free books, uniforms and mid-day meals. My mother decided that we should move to Hyderabad, so that I could get a good education. I had always been very keen to join in swami’s school. So when I heard about this school I felt that my dream to study in swami’s school was going to be fullfilled.

In the year 2015, my mother and I moved to Hyderabad. I joined this school in 9th grade. As I was studying in a Telugu medium school till then and the medium of instruction is English in this School, I was worried if I would be able to cope with my studies. But I was fortunate to have very kind and supportive teachers. It is due to their guidance and support, I was able to secure very good marks in 10th grade.

It is not just about academics, but we are also taught Vedas chanting, bhajans and yoga meditation. In addition, we are also taught fine arts like music and dance. With the encouragement from my teachers, I completed my certificate course in dance. I have also given dance performances at various places in Hyderabad. We are encouraged to learn martial arts as martial arts is important for self-defense, and supports physical and mental development. I learned Karate, and I am a karate black belt holder.

Our school provides various social service opportunities for the students. I volunteered in ‘feeding the poor’ program, water camps in summer season and medical camps. As a result of interaction with people of various backgrounds, I am able to imbibe values like patience and empathy. Thus, all these activities have helped to bring my self-confidence.

We are grateful to the school which has not only given me and my mother shelter, but also shown me a direction in my life. My dream is always to become a teacher, inspired by my teachers. I decided to give to society by becoming a teacher and guiding the next generation on the right path. Now I am pursuing my ‘Diploma in Elementary Education’.

I am always thankful to the staff and management for the encouragement and guidance given to me and to the other students like me.

HIGHER EDUCATION

I am Sowmya. We feel fortunate that we have been given an opportunity to study in this school. In our area, parents feel that educating their son is an investment as they feel that sons will take care of their parents in the future. So, they are unwilling to send their children to colleges after the completion of 10th.

But the girls, especially in rural areas, drop out before they reach secondary or higher secondary stages of education as parents see the girls as a waste of time, energy and money. Parents prefer to get their daughters married rather than sending them for higher education, as keeping their daughter is a burden. So, in order to ensure that girls too, get the opportunity for higher education, our school has collaborated with ‘Prashanthi Bala Mandir Trust’ to set up ‘Sri Satya Sai Prashanthi Nikethanam college for women’ at Kondapaka village in Siddipet. Not only does this college provide continuous education which is free of cost, it also imparts high quality education with emphasis on moral values and fine arts.

So, I am happy that I will be able to pursue higher education in an institution well-known for its charity and social service. I would love to study as much as possible and give back to society in some way. I sincerely hope that I can bring a change in at least one person’s life.

ISLAM

Islam is animbibe selfless love for all mankind.

Islam is a word which donates not a particular religion but a state of mine, the state of total surrender to the will of god. Islam means dedication, surrender, peace and tranquility. One has to follow the straight path laid down by the lord until the very end. For this, the Holy Quran is the guide. “Allaho Akbar”, “Lailailla”. This signifies that god is the supreme sovereign. Allah is the undisputed and excellent ruler of creation.

In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna says, “there is nothing higher than me “. The Quran says the same. The five pillars of Islam are the declaration of faith (shahada), prayer (salah), alms giving (zakat), fasting (saurm) and pilgrimage (hajj). They constitute the basic norms of Islamic practice .

Hinduism emphasized Shraddha and Sabhuri. Like in Islam, Tirtha yatra is encouraged Hinduism too. There are various ways in which Hindus pray and one such way is re-erect to as “sashtang” which means to prostrate before god .

In Both religions, the scriptures refer to fasting. In Rigveda, stress in given charity to the poor, as same as the Quran . Thus there are many similarities between Hinduism and Islam.

Spiritual

Our school is like a family where students belonging to different religions and sects mingle together peacefully and harmoniously. There is no discrimination on the basis of religion. We love our classmates irrespective of their religion.

We celebrate all religious festivals whether they are Bathukamma, Sankranthi, Christmas or Ramzan with equal enthusiasm. We have been taught that there is only one religion: the religion of love. There is one caste: the caste of humanity and there is only one language: the language of the heart. Love for God and Love for our fellow beings are the fundamental basics of all religions. All religions are the different paths leading to one and the same destination. We believe in cultivation of love without regard to caste, creed, or color.

Hinduism is more than a religion. It is Sanatana Dharma, a way of life. ISLAM stands for I shall Love all mankind and Christianity stands for cutting your ego. Thus, there is an atmosphere of love and discipline in our school. Our motto is to start the day with love, fill the day with love and end the day with love.

About Self

I am Navitha from 10th grade, studying in Sri Satya Sai vidya mandir. I have one younger brother who is studying in 8th grade. We lived in Vikarabad dist and due to severe drought, my parents, who worked as agricultural labors, were forced to migrate to Hyderabad.

After shifting to Hyderabad, my father took up the job of pulling a cycle rickshaw. He earns money by ferrying goods. He works hard the whole day to earn a meager amount of money. My mother works in houses as a maid. My father, who is an alcoholic, comes home drunk and fights with my mother and also beats her. My family was not able to make ends meet.

My mother was always worried that she would not be able to send me to school under these circumstances one of my neighbor told us about this school which is providing not only free education but also free books and uniforms. My mother was relieved because now I got an opportunity to fulfill my dream of becoming a teacher.

The school is also providing hot nutritious mid-day meals. My parents felt happy that I am getting nutritious food every day. These all have reduced the burden on parents. During the parent-teacher meeting my parents were counselled. Due to this counseling, my father has changed his behavior, and he is not drinking as much as he was earlier, so I will be very thankful to the school and show my gratitude towards school.

GIRL CHILD EDUCATION AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

I’m Shruthi, studying in 10th grade. I have an elder sister and two younger sisters. All my sisters are studying as my parents believe that girls too must be educated. However, in India a girl child is often seen as a burden to the family. Often, She is given the task of performing domestic duties at home, while the boys are studying in school. Sometimes, girls are made to work outside, to support the family income.

It is in this context that Sri SatyaSaiVidyaMandir was established with the focus that education must not only inform but it must also transform. Keeping this in mind, apart from quality education, our school also provides us opportunities to explore various activities such as learning Vedas, dance, music, martial arts etc.

We are taught Yoga and meditation which are beneficial for our overall mental and physical well-being. Learning dance has improved our focus on the physique and music has helped to improve our memory and mental alertness. Martial arts is both a sport and a form of self defence. This has improved our confidence. All these have helped us to develop our interests, talents and passions which we can use later in life and has also instilled a sense of confidence in us. Apart from this, we are also involved in community service activities like feeding the poor and water camps during summer. Education is the most powerful means for girls and women. It is said that when you educate a girl child you educate the entire family.

As Chacha Nehru said, “if you educate a man you educate an individual”. However, if you educate women you educate the whole family. Women empowerment means the empowerment of the Nation.

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