WINTER CAMP OF DENZONG BAHA’I INSTITUTE OF SIKKIM

 by Sanjay Agarwal

21 days Winter camp organized by Denzong Baha’I Institute of Sikkim began from 20^th December 2009 at Baha’I School, Tadong. The camp will go till 9^th January 2010. The participants are from Sumbuk (South Sikkim), Pachey (Pakyong) and Gangtok. The camp of this kind was first started at Saramsa (Ranipool) in December 2000 by Denzong Baha’I Institute of Sikkim. At that time the participants used to be from Bhutan, Darjeeling and Sikkim. But in the later years in order to make it convenient and manageable the Institute decided to decentralize  it and have it in different centers. Now for past three four years, for the people of Darjeeling it is organized in Darjeeling itself and for Sikkim in Sikkim itself.

This is a kind of spiritual empowerment program. Here participants are taught to be tolerant and encourage fellowship among the people irrespective of cast, creed, colour, religion, race and nation. They get insights of the concept, God is one, man is the creation of one God and source of all religion is one. In the camp classes are conducted in a participatory method. The participants are divided in a different groups. For each group one tutor is appointed who coordinates the class and help the class to go ahead in a right track. Each group has to go through systematic sequence of courses which is from level 1 to level 7. The materials which they study are designed each with different subjects. They are as follows:

Level 1: Reflection on the life of the spirit.

Level 2 : Arising to serve.

Level 3 : Teaching children’s classes, Grade I

Level 4 : The twin manifestations.

Level 5 : Teaching children classes, Grade II

Level 6 : Teaching the Faith.

Level 7 : Walking together on a path of service.

These materials represent the experience gained by the institutions in raising up individuals capable of working for the benefit of their families and society.

Mr. Samir Pandey, Mr. Ramesh Pradhan, Mr. Nikhil Rai, Mrs. Hemlata Pradhan, Mr. Rohit Chettri, Mr. Binod Pokhrel and Mrs. Devikala Lama are helping as tutors in the winter camp of Sikkim,2009.