“The Gita Never Becomes Outdated!” – Enthusiastic Response to Chinmaya Mission’s Inter-School Gita Recitation Competition

“The Gita never becomes outdated!” This statement was made by Ajeybuva Ramdasi from Sajjangad during the prize distribution ceremony of the Bhagavad Gita Recitation Competition organized by Chinmaya Mission, Pimpri-Chinchwad division, held on Sunday, October 13, 2024, at the Manohar Wadhokar Auditorium, Jnana Prabodhini, Nigdi Pradhikaran.  

Ajeybuva Ramdasi was addressing the event held in commemoration of the 108th birth anniversary of Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda. Present on the dais were Acharya Brahmacharini Maitreyi Chaitanya of Chinmaya Mission, Pune, and Hemant Gawande, President of the Pimpri-Chinchwad division.  

In the introduction, Hemant Joshi shared, “Around 4,000 students from 60 schools participated in this competition across six categories, ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade. This initiative has been continuously organized at the school level for the past 36 years, and this year, the enthusiasm and participation from schools have been remarkable. Chapter 5 of the Gita was selected for the competition.”  

Speaking on the occasion, Hemant Gawande added, “It is commendable that parents encouraged their children to participate in the competition. The event is conducted through 350 branches of Chinmaya Mission worldwide, spreading knowledge of the Gita and other important texts from our culture in multiple languages.”  

Expressing her thoughts, Maitreyi Chaitanya said, “When students recite the Gita, it sparks curiosity about what the Gita really is. This is unique knowledge that leads to fulfillment.”  

Further elaborating, Ajeybuva Ramdasi said, “Our primary identity is as Indians and Hindus. Our culture teaches 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (The world is one family). If children are taught the Gita from an early age, patriotism will take root in their hearts, reducing the attraction to settle abroad in adulthood.”  

The winning students were honored with mementos and certificates. The first-place winners in each category were as follows:  

Group A :
Dhairyasheel Patil, Ahilya Bhalerao, Anvit Ranade, Vallari Patil, Rama Kulkarni, Janki Mishra  

Group B :
Urvi Shaligram, Raghav Inamdar, Indranil Chitnis, Shrived Kesarkar, Radha Pawaskar, Shaurya Patil  

Group C :
Gargi Kathikar, Shatanand Ganorkar, Aarush, Deepti Afle, Archit Savangikar, Aadya Godse  

Group D :  
Swara Bhosale, Anish Datar, Swaraj Rakshe, Anup Kumbhar  

Group E :  
Kiran Gaikwad, Nandini Pimparkar, Swarda Shirude, Abhir Joshi, Charvi Nayana  

Group F :  
Mihir Kale  

Jnana Prabodhini Navnagar Vidyalaya, Amrita Vidyalaya, and Ganesh International School, along with the judges, were honored for their significant contribution to the large-scale participation of students. Anand Deshmukh hosted the event and delivered the vote of thanks.