As part of the Suvarna Mahotsav celebrations in the UK, Suvarna Arpan was the project dedicated to the children of our Sanstha. To guide them and recognise their talents over 840 Bal–Balikas assembled on Saturday 13 December 2003 at the London Mandir for a fantastic Shibir. Themed ‘To be the best’, each child received guidance on how to become the best. The day began with the ‘Deep Pragatya’ and the explanation of Bapa’s Ashirvad by Atmaswarup Swami. Everyone was then enlightened on the history of the Bal Mandal, starting from 1954 to 2003. Yagnatilak Swami and Amrutvihari Swami inspired the audience by speaking on the ‘Stars of the UK Bal Mandal’. There were many balaks to choose from, but only some were mentioned as a means of motivating others. They included:
* Tushar Shah - doing ghar sabha since birth (13 years).
* Kaushal Nayee - doing pujari seva at Wellingborough Mandir.
* Mitul/Nishant/Keval & Niraj - Inspired their families into Satsang.
* Jesal/Keval/Chirag - have been doing tilak-chandlo and panchang pranam to their parents for the past 4 years.
* Himesh/Vandan & Kiran - saved their pocket money to collect funds for Delhi Akshardham.
The ‘Dada and Kid’ skits took everyone through the program in a humorous, message-oriented manner.
Manoharmurti Swami spoke on the role of balaks in Satsang, emphasising that they have a big part to play in the future for the Satsang.
Also the balaks and balikas were auditioned in their chosen talents. Ranging from parayans to playing the tabla, all balaks and balikas were seen and assessed by the judges. The top 25-30 children from each talent will be selected to be trained further.
The third session saw a excellent magic show from ‘Mr Smiffy’. Following the magic show, it was explained how niyams in Satsang work like magic - you don’t get to see how it happens, but you witness the difference. Everyone was shown 3 video clips, which showed that without rules there was no fun. All took a niyam to either:
Do mala / puja daily.
Respect and bow down to your parents every day.
Attend the Bal Mandal/Satsang Sabha every week.
Study for 30 minutes extra.
Read religious books for 10 minutes each day.