After a gap of many years, I restarted attending the downtown Chicago shakha. Usually the attendance in downtown shakha is three to ten and there is no swayam sevak or sevika of my age.
In the pre-COVID-19 period, the shakha venue was Shivalya temple. This provided me an opportunity to visit the temple and another incentive was a walk from my home to the temple.
Then shakha became virtual. However, attendance remained the same.
Many times I asked myself, why am I attending this shakha? There are only a few attendees. I can do the exercises myself and that too on my schedule. I can catch up on my reading during this time and achieve so much more.
However, something kept me going. I motivated myself to be a part of this for the following reasons:
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It inculcates discipline. I can exercise and read at my own pace and schedule but that does not give the same discipline as attending shakha on a particular day and at a particular time.
I was feeling very tired today and wanted to skip but then this discipline feeling prevailed and made me get up.
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This is a good opportunity to develop the virtue of patience. Everyone expresses his/her thoughts and others patiently listen.
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A small group means a more personal interaction.
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It exposes me to different points of view.
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It gives the motivation to read and explore.
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Everyone is either a benefactor or a beneficiary.
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It gives a weekly dose of laughter during the game session.
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The games make us use common sense and keep the brain faculties strong.
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Learning is better in small groups. In ancient India there used to be a Guru-Shisya parampara in which Guru used to give knowledge to one or a few students at a time.
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I see the organizers/shikshaks enthusiasm, humbleness, and persistence. This leaves a strong positive impact on others.
Please share your reasons to attend the shakha and what keeps you motivated.
Bharti Raizada
A poem on Shakha by ChatGPT
The morning sun rises
As I make my way to the shakha
I greet my fellow sambhagis
With a namaste and a smile
We gather together
In the park beneath the trees
To start our daily routine
Of drills and exercises
With vigor and discipline
We move as one
Our minds and bodies focused
On the tasks at hand
We sing hymns and chant mantras
As we march in unison
Our spirits soar
With each passing moment
The shakha is a place
Where we come to learn and grow
Where we build strength and character
And nurture our Indian heritage
For here in the shakha
We find a sense of belonging
And a bond that transcends
All boundaries and divides
So let us continue
To come together each day
In the shakha
Where we can find our way.