Sep 21, 2025 - JCHYK Gr. 10-12 (Sunday PM)

Hari OM Parents,

This year, we are using a new, comprehensive curriculum from Chinmaya Mission West, titled "Gita for teenagers - Karma yoga". This has been developed based on the first six chapters of the Gita,  filled with activities and exercises, designed with teenagers in mind.  

Below is a summary of what we covered in the first three classes of Bala Vihar.

We watched an animated video that gave an overview of the Mahabharata. Following this, the students were divided into groups and were asked to put a scrambled list of events from Mahabharata in the right sequence. It was a lot of fun!

We discussed the various characters of the Mahabharata. We looked at the people Duryodhana calls out by name in the first chapter of the Gita, highlighting their relationship to him and to Hastinapur. We did an activity where students were asked to pick five characters from Mahabharata and asked to reflect on the following:

• What was each character's vantage point?
• What did they do—their strengths and weaknesses?
• How should they have ideally behaved if they had followed dharma?

The students came up with thoughtful responses. Below are the key takeaways:

• Avoid making hasty decisions.
• Approach situations rationally, not emotionally.
• Jealousy, anger, and greed are weaknesses that distract the intellect; nothing good comes from them.
• Apply your mental energy to things and people that add value to you and your life
• Use your intellect- the power to discriminate between right and wrong. Practice self-assessment.
• Keep good company, as it strongly influences thoughts and actions.
• Karna was a noble prince, but circumstances placed him in a difficult position where his loyalty to the unrighteous Duryodhana led him astray.

Since we have a diverse group of children from grade 10, 11, and 12 in the class, we did an anonymous survey of the children to understand what is important to them. Each student was asked to rank eight different categories and we identified the top priorities for the class based on the survey responses. Academics and College/Career were the top priorities, followed by Health & Fitness and time management. We showed how the 30 different topics that are in the curriculum for this year addresses these priorities.

We want the children to reflect on these three things as they begin their school year.

1. Stay true to who you are
2. Create a positive, growth mindset for all problems that come your way
3. Build inner resilience

With Gurudev's grace and our Swamiji's blessings, we look forward to a fun-filled and learning Bala Vihar experience.  We request you to be part of this journey with us. We request you to discuss with your child after each class about what was discussed in the class. Also, please promptly respond to messages in the class WhatsApp group. 

Regards
Sankar and Jody