T-R-A-N-S-F-O-R-M – a conference of educationists was held at the Delhi Chinmaya Mission, Lodhi Road, on January 30th 2013 with over100 principals and senior teachers of leading schools participating in the two hour programme as part of the national movement – Transforming Indians to Transform India (TITI). It began with a short introduction by the CHYKS to TITI and the Chinmaya Mission Yuva Kendra – throwing light on the role of the teacher-student relationship and the relevance of the teacher in shaping the students’ moral and ethical values, so important in today’s modern society.
Swami Nikhilananda, Acharya, Chinmaya Mision Delhi – in his welcoming note to the participating educationists, gave a wonderful example of a father giving his son a large torn world map with the request to fit in the pieces! To the father’s amazement the boy finished the task within minutes! On being asked how he did it, he simply replied that he joined the pieces of a picture of a man on the reverse side and the world map got fixed automatically! Fix yourself and the world fits into place!
Swami Chidrupananda, Acharya, Chinmaya Mission, Noida, took the audience through the seven levels of transformation mentioned in the book and encouraged all to read and discuss it with their students. He mentioned the absence of national pride in the hearts of the young; the increase of aggressive and insensitive behavior; how ‘career-knowledge’ was given more stress at the expense of ‘life-knowledge’; how the system trains the young to be like everyone else losing the need to be unique. He asked the members of the audience to encourage national pride in their students and inculcate the intense desire to transform. This in itself would gradually lead to actual transformation at all levels.
A question and answer interactive session ensued whereby certain doubts and apprehensions faced by the educationists in implementing TITI were cleared. Interesting issues were discussed like introducing the book in libraries and making it a part of the educational curriculum in schools. A video presentation on the vision of the TITI movement was shown. Another clipping was presented in which eminent people like Swami Tejomayananda, Worldwide Head, Chinmaya Mission and Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who served as the 11th President of India, were shown speaking about the movement. The success stories of the TITI programme were also shown by way of visuals. Teachers and principals of Delhi who have actively taken this movement forward in their respective institutions were honored by Swami Nikhilananda. In conclusion a CHYK member explained the methodology of filling in the forms for the quiz.
The conference concluded with tea and snacks. It was a successful event in which over 50 Delhi schools were represented.
—————————————————————————————————————————
