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| Knowledge Contest On Ramayana Awards Winners And Draws Participants |
Darshan Thakkar
06/29/2006
On June 17, 2006, the first ever ‘Kaun Banega Ramayana Expert’ (KBRE) contest concluded with the prize distribution ceremony for the New England area (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) at the India Society of Worcester in Shrewsbury, MA. This joyous, energetic, and fun-filled event was attended by 120 people including the prize winners, their families, and karyakartas. The award ceremony was hosted by the Abhimanyu Shakha and emceed by Devendraji Rathore. The prizes were given away by Pushpaji Joshi who was the Chief Guest. Vibhag sanghchalak Mananiya Balwantsinghji Patel also graced the occasion.
The ceremony began with the regular Abhimanyu Shakha activies from 9:00 to 9:30. At 9:30 everyone gathered in the main hall in sampata. Udgithji Mankad led the sanghik geet and Shreya Rathore delivered the subhashitam.
Devendraji gave an overview of KBRE. He said that one of the main reasons to conduct a contest such as KBRE was to create an awareness of the Ramayana amongst children in the U.S.. In Bharat, this knowledge comes as part of growing up, whereas in the U.S. a special effort is required.
In all, 3006 children from across 30 states participated in KBRE. Of the 200 from New England, 140 qualified for the in-person exam. There were 5 test centers in New England.
Pushpaji, who is from Worcester, has been involved in the sangh since her childhood in Pune where she attended the Jijamata shakha. In her address, she said there were thousands of books written, but only one like the Ramayana. She spoke at length about the significance of Ramayana in today’s world and that a reader can learn how to lead an ideal family life.
Speaking about Shri Ram, she said that he was willing to lose his kingdom in order to avoid conflict in the family. One lesson that everyone can learn from the Ramayana is to consider other people in the family and make decisions based upon the happiness for all rather than happiness for self alone.
The children were very enthusiastic during the award ceremony. Devendraji read out their names and Pushpaji gave them their prizes. Of the 33 winners from New England, 2 are national level and 3 are regional trophy winners.
Candidate Name City State Group Comment Aditya Gupta Westborough MA Group 1 NE Vibhag Winner Anusha Kulkarni Ashland MA Group 1 NE Vibhag Winner Arjun Baronia South Grafton MA Group 1 NE Vibhag Winner Divyansh Rathore Medway MA Group 1 NE Vibhag Winner Himanshu Minocha Hopkinton MA Group 1 NE Vibhag Winner Neha Tipparaju Quincy MA Group 1 NE Vibhag Winner Samhita Gurrala South Grafton MA Group 1 II Prize-National Winner Saumya Oberoi Lowell MA Group 1 NE Vibhag Winner Anupama Balasubramanian Westford MA Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Chinmay Joshi Westborough MA Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Gitanjali S Rachakonda Williston MA Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Kiran Gite Arlington MA Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Lahari Kota Naugatuck CT Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Maitreyee Kale Stamford CT Group 2 East-Trophy Winner Pawan Bhat Wilmington MA Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Shreya Rathore Medway MA Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Soumya Prabhakar Ram Woburn MA Group 2 East-Trophy Winner Suprabhat Gurrala South Grafton MA Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Vikas Vepachedu New Britain CT Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Aneesh Anand West Newton MA Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Aniket Rege Westborough MA Group 2 NE Vibhag Winner Bhavya Chauhan Natick MA Group 3 I Prize-National Winner Nandakumar Mohan Sharon MA Group 3 NE Vibhag Winner Parul Sharma Westborough MA Group 3 NE Vibhag Winner Raashika Goyal Shrewsbury MA Group 3 NE Vibhag Winner Swati Sharma Hopkinton MA Group 3 NE Vibhag Winner Abhinav Mishra Shrewsbury MA Group 4 NE Vibhag Winner Anant Garg Shrewsbury MA Group 4 NE Vibhag Winner Anusha Gurrala Shrewsbury MA Group 4 NE Vibhag Winner Paavan Bhavsar Westford MA Group 4 NE Vibhag Winner Sabrina Tobarran Worcester MA Group 4 NE Vibhag Winner Sanchay Jain Brighton MA Group 4 NE Vibhag Winner Varun Nadgir Northborough MA Group 4 East-Trophy Winner
Vibhag sanghchalak Mananiya Balwantsinghji Patel spoke about KBRE and the relevance of the Ramayana. He also congratulated all the children for participating in the contest.
For the benefit of families with no prior sangh association, Devendraji spoke in detail about the HSS, its origin, its role in today’s society, and its current activities in the US. He then said that although KBRE expanded to Kaun Banega Ramayana Expert, a take-away could be Kartavya (duty), Bhratatva (brotherhood), Ras (sweetness of speech) and Esh (belief in Shri Ram) bhav.
The ceremony then concluded with prarthana, followed by snacks.
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