On Sunday, July 11th, 2010, Shri Surya Narayan Mandir celebrated the excellence of the children of the Friday night Surya Veer Sang (SVS) class. Surya Veer Sang is a religious educational program created in 2001, by our spiritual leader, Pt. Ram Hardowar. It is a four-year program that covers topics such as, the basics of Hinduism, prayers and mantras, and chanting from our shastras etc. This ceremony honored the accomplishments of our mandir’s children as well as the knowledgeable faculty.
The ceremony began with the grand entrance of the graduates of all four years and their respective Archaryas. After a brief history of the program, the Year One class, led by Bhahen Sarika Persaud, came on stage to chant the opening prayers. These students are the youngest in the program and showed great enthusiasm. Everyone remain standing for the recitation of the national anthems of India, Guyana, and America. Following the opening ceremonies, all of the students performed the graduation theme song: “Itni Shakti Hame Dena Data”. The year 2 & 3 class, taught by Bhahen Sharda Budhu and Pandit Sewram Hardowar, respectively, took the stage to recite a few prayers that they learnt. The year 4 class, taught by Guruma,Radha Hardowar and Pt. Tulsie Bisesar, recited the Gita Dhyanam and the entire 15th chapter of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. This showcase of talent was followed by a kathak dance done by the SVS first year teacher and mandir’s dance class teacher, Sarika Persaud. Shri Surya Narayan mandir’s president, Amar Persaud, addressed the parents and graduates and remarked the importance of Hindu education and reminds the students that Bhagwan is always on their side. A musical presentation was done by Vidya Ragnauth and Kumar Pasram highlighting the music class as well.
The Dean of the SVS Program, Pt. Ram Hardowar, then gave his remarks. He also talked about the importance of a strong Hindu education and notified the students that the program would now be extended into five years, where he would teach Vedanta. Following Pt. Ram was a classical dance done by the founder of the Srijan Dance Academy, Abha Roy Chowdhury. In addition to the graduation ceremony, the winners of the Chess Tournament were announced by Bhai Rohan Bisram, youth advisor and organizer of Seva Saturday. The Chess Tournament grand prize winner was Mahesh Persaud. The valedictorians from each class were then honored and given a present in the form of a recorded CD of all the prayers learned in their class and an instructional video on the 16 steps of Puja. Mandir’s president also announced the completion and sale of years 1, 2 and 3 audio cds, of prayers from each class along with the “16 steps of puja” dvd. Finally, as the night wound down, the graduation award ceremony for all of the students of Surya Veer Sang took place. Each student was called on stage to receive their certificate and blessings from their teachers and Panditji. Ram.