Parenting Workshops held across the centres of Mumbai, India!

The parent-child relationship is one of the most significant and beautiful bonds. Building a constructive relationship between parent and child requires an abundance of love and care along with a small effort, to maintain a strong and successful kinship. Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch (SRD) has been instrumental in imparting knowledge aimed to help strengthen this relation and stimulate an affectionate understanding, between parents and their children.

Thus, Parenting Workshops had been organised in various centres of SRD in Mumbai throughout the month of August. SRD Hughes Road, Vile Parle, Mulund, Ghatkopar and Matunga held these valuable and informative sessions.

These workshops were made up of sessions on - 'The Art of Good Parenting' by Mr. Ashok Nahar from the ISKCON Institution and 'Effective Communication' by Mrs. Rupal Kamdar, a neuro-linguistic programmer.

Some of the topics discussed in these workshops were:

• How to help your children deal with their feelings
• Building an active bond with your child
• Effective communication with your child
• Correctional behaviour without punishment
• Listening skills: the importance of eye contact, body language and touch
• The importance of self-introspection and the need to change one's own belief system.

The workshops were well received and appreciated by parents. Through the interactive, motivating and practical sessions, parents felt the need to know themselves better so that they could respond to their children with more love and understanding. At the end of the workshop, there was a mutually gainful sharing of the parents' experiences.

Some annotations from parents who attended the workshops:

"The session was very good and I have realised, to some extent, where I was going wrong and I feel that this will help me in understanding my child better."

                                                                                                                 -Darshica Shah

"A great workshop...this shall help us in becoming better people, understanding our genuine problems better and finding a way to solve them. This class is an amazing way to teach ourselves a lesson and improving first before expecting it from others."

                                                                                                                 - Rupali Shah

"It's not only for the child, but I see myself as a different person."

                                                                                                                 - Kejal V. Shah

For more information on a workshop nearest to you, please click here.

Five New Arhat Touch Centres Arrive to North America!

With great joy Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch (SRD) announces the inauguration of five new Arhat Touch (SRA) centres in USA. The land of the United States of America professes, ‘in God we trust,’ and in turn has welcomed Arhat Touch which imparts in a fun and joyful way, the wonderful teachings of Jainism to children, as propounded by our revered Tirthankar Bhagwans.

The blessed centres, where Pujyashri Gurudev inaugurated the Arhat Touch programme, during His dharmayatra to U.S.A. in July 2010 are:

1) Long Island (NY),
2) Fort Lee (NJ),
3) Princeton (NJ),
4) Philadelphia (PA), and
5) Austin (TX).

These 5 inaugurations were divided between two ceremonies:

• The first ceremony, included the inauguration of four new Arhat Touch centres, which was held on Saturday 3rd July ‘10 during the spiritual retreat named ‘Eternal Bliss: Here and Now’ in Whippany, New Jersey.
• The second inauguration ceremony was held on Wednesday 7th July ‘10 in Austin, Texas at the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Here, the ceremony began with an inspiring, elevating and powerful pravachan by Pujyashri Gurudev, creating a stimulating and emotional atmosphere all around.

The Programme:

• The inaugurations began with a wonderful dance of piety towards our revered Lord Mahavir, by the youth of USA.
• A PowerPoint presentation on the aim, curriculum, teaching aids and benefits derived from the Arhat Touch programme was shown to all.
• Following this was a short video of the first Arhat Touch inauguration that took place in Mumbai on Tuesday 7th July ‘09 and excerpts from the speeches given by the various dignitaries, on the Arhat Touch programme.
• This was followed by the main inaugural ceremony of the Arhat Touch programme by Pujyashri Gurudev.
• He then blessed the heads and deputies of the respective centres, with the Arhat Touch Teaching Material.
• In New Jersey, numerous dignitaries were present at the inauguration. Two of the dignitaries - Shri Pravin K. Shah (Chairperson of the JAINA Education Committee) and Mr. Gary Francione (Professor of Law and Animal Rights Activist) gave truly effective speeches.
  Mr. Gary Francione expressed that the youth of USA have a wonderful opportunity in the form of the Arhat Touch programme and that they should take maximum advantage of this programme. [Mr. Gary Francione is well known throughout the animal protection movement for his criticism of animal welfare law and the property status of nonhuman animals, and for his abolitionist theory of animal rights.]
• In Austin, the Arhat Touch inauguration welcomed Pujyashri Veenaben Ravani, popularly known as Bhabhishri. She presented the Arhat Touch teaching aids to the sevaks and then concluded the evening with an elevating and moving pravachan.

With a giant bank of wonderful and divine teachings of Jainism, with Arhat Touch the children of U.S.A. have taken their first step on the epic spiritual voyage to attain supreme joy.

Arhat Touch, North America looks forward to welcoming more and more children into this exciting divine journey ahead.

For more details on the centres of North America, please click here.

Teachers’ Training Programme at Pune, India

With the vision of Param Krupalu Dev Shrimad Rajchandraji and the blessings of Pujyashri Gurudev, Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch (SRD) has been successfully conducting various Teachers’ Training Programmes (TTPs) for Shrimad Rajchandra Arhat Touch (SRA).

The purpose of these TTPs is to build confidence within the sevaks and make them effective facilitators in imparting the curriculum of each programme in SRD.

In the TTP held at Pune from Tuesday, 15th June '10 - Thursday, 17th June '10, there were around 50 participants who learnt about the different facets of being an effective facilitator. Didis were given a chance to improve their vocal skills, increase their self- confidence and time management, amongst many other values.

The Didis also learnt about Child Psychology, Class Management, Voice Modulation and Teaching Skills, to help them impart the curriculum of SRA effectively to the children.

Many of us are not aware of the true depth of Jainism, its rituals and its meaning, as propounded by the Enlightened Souls. The TTP in Pune aimed at bringing together the knowledge, understanding, connection and ritual, which the Didis can eventually impart and share with the children of SRA.

For more information on the TTPs for SRM or SRA, please click here.

The Kolkata Summer Camp - 2010!

Summer vacations are an excellent time for children to explore new hobbies and attend various camps and classes, to improve their overall skills. The Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch (SRD) centre of Kolkata, added a divine touch to this special time by organizing a fun-filled 3-day summer camp from Tuesday 25th May ‘10 to Thursday 27th May ‘10. There were sessions in the morning and evening conducted by Shrimad Rajchandra Magictouch (SRM) and Shrimad Rajchandra Arhat Touch (SRA).

Some of the topics covered in the SRM sessions included beauty without cruelty, spiritual snakes and ladders, the letter of love, importance of silence and the story of great souls like Prahlad etc. On the final day a fancy dress competition was held where all the children dressed up as different saints!

The SRA sessions covered enriching topics like Panch Parmeshthi, Navkar Mantra, 14 divine dreams, Panch Kalyanak, Mahavir Bhagwan’s childhood story, meditation and much more.

On the last day, an orientation and interactive session was organized where parents expressed their keenness to enrol their children into SRM and SRA. Certificates and gifts were distributed to all children as an acknowledgement for their participation. Everyone present wished that the camp would never end! It was a joyous occasion where many sevaks were given the chance to offer selfless seva at the feet of Param Krupalu Dev Shrimad Rajchandraji.

Thus holidays offer an excellent opportunity to connect with little hearts and utilize their energies in constructive ways. The interaction at the camp allowed the Didis to reach out to a large number of children and helped boost the confidence of the young learners.

We applaud the Kolkata centre for their endeavour of making summer vacations a special time, where they can take a step further to unfold the divinity within little hearts!

SRA Kolkata in Halchal Magazine!

The children of SRA Kolkata recently went on a field trip to the Manektala Parshwanath Derasar. In the Derasar, 150 children danced in devotion for the Divine, sang stutis and performed various rituals like deep, dhoop and darpan puja with overwhelming enthusiasm towards our sacred Tirthankar Bhagwans. Many observers were so impressed seeing the heartfelt dedication of the children towards the Lord; that they expressed their wish to start these classes in their vicinity. This field trip is a part of the SRA curriculum, which focuses on imparting Jainism in a fun-filled manner. Halchal, a local magazine published in Kolkata, wrote a wonderful article on this inspiring event in their 5th March, 2010 issue! From the Derasar, the children of SRA Kolkata went to the Lilva Gaushala, where they lovingly fed the animals and planted trees whilst reciting the Navkar Mantra.

(Click on image to view a bigger version)

To enrol your child, or to obtain more information on SRA- Kolkata please contact the respective centre head mentioned in the following link:
http://www.shrimadrajchandradharampur.org/activities/html/act_ed_srd_centres.htm

Shrimad Rajchandra Arhat Touch in Pune!

Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch (SRD) is very pleased to announce the inauguration of Shrimad Rajchandra Arhat Touch (SRA) in Pune, India on Monday 26th April ’10.

Children of Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch, Pune already have a wonderful base of learning conveyed by two existing Shrimad Rajchandra Magictouch centres at Aundh and Mukundnagar. Now Shrimad Rajchandra Arhat Touch (SRA) will be operational at three new centres in Pune:

• Sujay Garden Derasar - Mukundnagar,
• Vardhaman Pratishthan Upashray - Senapati Bapat Marg and
• Ruturaj Society Derasar - Market Yard.

Thus in total now there are five SRD centres working in Pune.

Pujyashri Gurudev graced the audience with an elevating and inspiring pravachan, which was followed by the grand inauguration of the SRA programme. Through a Powerpoint presentation, the vision, mission and curriculum of the SRA programme was presented to the audience, showing the ability of SRA to nurture children with the fundamental principles of Jainism in a broad, balanced and enjoyable manner. Furthermore, welcome dances performed by the children of SRD (Pune), filled the atmosphere with love and devotion.

Pujyashri Gurudev then unveiled the SRA placard to declare the SRA programme open in Pune. In addition, the Didis of SRA (Pune) received teaching aids blessed by Pujyashri Gurudev, to guide them in the delightful seva of SRA.

One of the honorary guests for the occasion - Shri Shantilal Muttha (President of the Bhartiya Jain Sanghatana), concluded the programme with an inspiring speech saying, “What is truly outstanding is that without changing the core values, but by simply changing the delivery pattern, SRA is an attempt to bond the new generation and the Jain community with dharma and there could be nothing more noble than this for our Jain religion.”

Registrations are now open!

To enrol your child, or to obtain more information on the centres of SRA (Pune) please contact the respective centre head mentioned in the following link:
http://www.shrimadrajchandradharampur.org/activities/html/act_ed_srd_centres.htm

Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch Testimonials!

The testimonials aim to show the influence that Shrimad Rajchandra Arhat Touch can have on parents and children.

The curriculum aims at imbibing the values of Jainism and the moral principles of everyday life, into short classes for children aged 9 to 12 years. Moreover, parents are also able to volunteer and offer help to the classes, thus improving their knowledge of Jainism along with improving on self-confidence, time management, communication skills, teaching techniques, plus much more.

To view the testimonials click here.

If you are interested in participating in a Teachers' Training Programme for SRM or SRA, then please click on the following link:
http://www.shrimadrajchandradharampur.org/activities/html/act_ed_srd_ttp_intro.htm

If you wish to register your child for an SRM or SRA class, then please contact your nearest centre, by clicking on the link below:
http://www.shrimadrajchandradharampur.org/activities/html/act_ed_sra_centres.htm

NEW RELEASE: In Tune with the Arhats!

By the glorious grace of Param Krupalu Dev Shrimad Rajchandra and under the guidance of Pujyashri Gurudev, Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch is extremely happy to announce the launch of its second, most awaited Audio CD, ‘In Tune with the Arhats’. Celebrating almost a year of Arhat Touch (SRA), this Audio CD commemorates the wonders of the curriculum that is being imparted to the children of SRA.

This Audio CD consists of 23 awe inspiring tracks, dedicated to the ever revered, omniscient Tirthankar Bhagwans. The tracks include various sacred Jain sutras like Chaityavandan Sutras, Logassa and Ashta Prakari Puja Dohas, Arti – Mangal Divo, to name a few of the wonders included in this new Audio CD! The simple melodies will help one and all to learn the names of the 24 great Tirthankars along with their lanchhans and also become aware of the depth of the profound Jain customs.

The music has been composed and arranged by Vipul Samani and Sundeep Shah. A booklet comprising of the lyrics is also enclosed with the Audio CD to encourage one to sing along and thus connect to the Divine.

‘In tune with the Arhats,’ is an initiative to bring each one, young and old, ‘in tune’ with Jainism and furthermore, with their inner being. This Audio CD will be available at the Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch centres, online through the E-Divine Shop, at the Bombay Market centre and at Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram – Dharampur.

… So pick up your copy today, and get connected to the great Tirthankar Bhagwans – whenever you want, wherever you are!

For bulk orders, please contact sales@srdivinetouch.org

Story-telling Workshop by Geeta Ramanujam

On Wednesday 3rd February 2010, thirty-six Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch (SRD) Didis attended a half-day workshop at SRD Hughes Road, Mumbai on ‘Story-telling,’ conducted by Geeta Ramanujam from the reputed institute Kathalaya, based in Bengaluru, India.

The Didis learnt innovative ways of evoking the story-teller within themselves, aiding effective class delivery to children in the SRD classes. The training was specifically designed to meet the varied needs of SRD and it covered various topics including voice-modulation, class control, curriculum design and innovative techniques of how to present stories.

One of the many key lessons learnt by the Didis was that, ‘it is important to make oneself interesting in order for a story to be interesting.’ The Didis also learnt ‘the importance of breaking out of their shells,’ through different games and group interactions. In addition, the importance of creativity in story presentation was highlighted as the Didis took part in mock story presentations.

A Snacks ‘Didi’ of the Hughes Road SRD centre commented, “I never thought I would be able to share a story with so many adults as I am not into the teaching seva; but this workshop was so wonderfully conducted that I feel so much more confident now… I am sure that it is going to help me in my interaction with children during snack time and also benefit me for personal growth,” thus highlighting the positive effect these workshops can have on a Didi.

Geetaji's unique voice modulation skills and ability to capture any audience really inspired the participants. They were all very grateful for this wonderful training session and were eager to put into practice some of their creative methods of story-telling that they had discovered in the course of the workshop.

This is one of the many initiatives SRD has taken to improve the class time spent with children; and to ensure that each child and Didi walk out of class thoroughly benefitted.

Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch opens another centre at Marine Drive, Mumbai!!

Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch (SRD) is pleased to announce the opening of its 44th centre at Marine Drive in Mumbai on the 22nd of March at the Jain Mahila Samaj.

The very first SRD centre at Hughes Road extended to Nana Chowk due to the increasing popularity of the curriculum offered. Now- this centre has also been exhausted- there are currently over 500 children on the SRD registers- and a long waiting list of more children wishing to delve into the treasures offered by SRD. The Jain Mahila Samaj at Marine Drive have graciously offered their premises so that more children can be accommodated and thus enjoy the wonders of SRD.

To enrol your child, or to find more information on Shrimad Rajchandra Divinetouch at the centre nearest to you, please contact the centre head mentioned in the link below:
http://www.shrimadrajchandradharampur.org/activities/html/act_ed_srd_centres.htm