Toronto — The
Bharat Sevashram Sangha’s summer camp this year focussed on imparting
some of the important skills needed to cope with life in our
challenging environment.
Over 50 kids of varying ages were beneficiaries
of this week-long training session in Toronto from July 14-18. The
program combined a healthy mix of religious teachings with mechanisms
to help the young ones grow into successful and confident adulthood.
The day after the camp ended was set aside to consummate the entire
learning program through a satsang with both parents and kids.
The course of training included yoga asanas
geared for students with an emphasis on the improvement of
concentration and confidence building. This aspect of the training was
handled by Geeta Maraj, a professional yoga instructor who was also
the chief coordinator of the camp.
Other course instructions included meditation,
recitations from the Bhagavad-Gita, music, public speaking and self-defence
techniques. Swami Pushkarananda, monk in charge of the Bharat
Sevashram Sangha, played a major role in relating the teachings of the
Bhagavad-Gita to daily life. Other volunteers at the camp were Sase
Narine and Christine Rekha who did the Mahabharat.
Asimilar camp was held two weeks later in London,
England at the Maha Lakshmi Vidya Bhavan with one difference: there
was a session for adults in the evening. Bankim Gossai, priest in
charge of the Bhavan was pleased that the camp attracted "so many
young people, especially teenaged boys." He was delighted to see the
youths showing "such an interest in what their culture can teach them
in coping with societal pressures."
According to Geeta the success of the camps was
the result of the method of teaching employed. "When we begin to teach
through the eyes of the students, its sparks an interest and respect
from them that we could never have imagined," she said.
Plans are in place to hold these camps again next
year with additional ones in Trinidad and Jamaica.
The Link Show:
riotously
funny
By Bernard Heydorn
Toronto — Luther Hansraj Theatre
Productions and Ned Blair brought the popular Guyanese Link Show to
Toronto on Saturday, August 16, and Sunday, August 17, for two shows.
The cast of 14, led by the veteran
Ron
Robinson, performed a riotously funny routine of skits interspersed
with song and dance. Robinson, with 49 years of theatre under his
belt, accompanied by outstanding actors like Desiree Edghill, Rajan
Tiwari, Sheldon Braithwaite, Nikosa Stewart, Andre Wiltshire, Nazim
Hussain, Marlon Braam, Henry Rodney, Sonia Yarde, Leslyn Lashley, John
Phillips, Howard Lorimer and others, made the audience laugh "till
their belly buss" as advertised.
Political satire brought one up to date on some
of the shenanigans in Guyana. Portrayals of a bank stick up, Bourda
Post Office, the many Guyanese beauty contests, street vendors, a
cross-dresser, a drunk, neighbours gossiping (spit press), a class in
school, Barbados Customs and Immigration, a local doctor, and the
longing of a number of Guyanese to emigrate, gave a good flavour of
what’s on the mind of the public in Guyana.
In spite of the fallout from the recent blackout
in Toronto, the award winning Link Show, in its seventh year in
Canada, equaled if not surpassed previous performances. With a mixture
of veteran and newer actors, the show, in existence for over two
decades, continues to charm and entertain Guyanese at home and abroad.
It demonstrates that the small, struggling South American nation has
talent galore. It also shows that the Guyanese people can laugh at
themselves, despite their hardships, and portray the foibles and
weaknesses in human nature.
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Continued