More than 1,200 balaks and balikas from throughout Australia (Adelaide, Albury, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Gold Coast, Griffith, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Shepparton and Sydney), New Zealand (Rotorua, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton), Thailand (Bangkok), Indonesia (Jakarta), Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan participated in the online Bal-Balika Shibir based on the theme ‘Atmabuddhi – Jivanni Siddhi’. The shibir elaborated upon the proper way to perform the essential daily devotional rituals of puja, arti and thal by learning Mahant Swami Maharaj’s way of doing them.
The three shibir sessions were presented in the form of a day in the life of a child named Akshar. The children learnt about and experienced the importance of these daily devotional rituals through dramas, animated skits, presentations by swamis, activities, Zoom breakout discussions led by local karyakars, and special guidance by senior swamis and Mahant Swami Maharaj.
Relevant verses from the Satsang Diksha were used as a guide for how to perform these rituals. The participants learnt about the proper ways of doing mala and mansi, the glory of the arti and the correct way of offering food to God. They were also guided on how to perform these rituals with devotion.
The children pledged to strive to improve their regularity and quality of daily devotion by learning from Mahant Swami Maharaj’s bhakti.