One of the most fundamental of Swami’s teachings has been “The End of Education is character”. And no wonder He instituted temples of education, redefining the education system and setting the standards for modern education. Temples that have, year after year, moulded students to be exemplary human beings to be the torchbearers of His Divine mission. Decades of fastidious effort in Swami’s service has today added up to 50 years – 50 years since the Brindavan campus was setup by Bhagawan in Bangalore as one of the initial bastions of His message. And to mark the Golden Jubilee of our hallowed institute, the management, teachers and alumni have come together to organise a one-of-a-kind Alumni Meet that cuts across all batches.
The idea for this alumni meet sprouted in the minds of a few senior management and faculty. They soon contacted some senior alumni, including brothers Niranjan, Ratan Kanal, VineetBasotia, Harikrishna and Ashok Reddy to actualise the grand idea. The vision was there and Swami ensured that the right people were onboard to guide this plan to fruition. The first step in this process was to identify single points of contact and to take a census. The core group then reached out to active alumni from each batch as well as regional alumni groups overseas. A four-month long effort was initiated in collating over 2500 contacts across various batches. Once the list was ready, after the April Summer Course, work began earnestly towards finalisation and implementation of the plan. The first course of action in this was to set up committees with respect to major activities involved – accommodation, food, logistics, etc.
With regards to accommodation, the committee wanted participants to be able to stay in the ashram. The Old Hostel has been made available for any individuals attending the event, while the guest houses have been made available for those attending with their families. Gokulam has been pre-booked for all the Trust members and Faculty who are to attend the event. For others, an active alumni group has booked rooms across various hotels in Bangalore where attendees can book rooms at a discount with coupon codes provided to them. The accommodation committee has done a huge amount of hard work under the supervision of senior alumni Ashok Reddy, Sai Kumar, Shreyas, Ratan Kanal and others.
Other brothers like Jaydeep Das, Ashok Ahuja, Ranganath Raju and others are involved in various activities that would be conducted across the two days. This includes an Alumni Drama, performance by the Brindavan Brass Band and various events where all the alumni can participate. Along with events in the ashram, there are various activities including Narayana Seva that have been planned in the Super Speciality Hospital. All these activities are coordinated by Raghuram. Apart from the committees, there is also a 24-hours help desk that has been set up for all the attending alumni that is run by brother Mukundan.
In addition to the regular activities like hostel visits and the Divine TrayeeDarshan, the organisers have planned unique experiences for the attendees as well. The senior alumni and teachers together have worked in getting the essence of the 50 years of Brindavan history for this meet. This involved reaching out to and inviting alumni from the very first batches of the Brindavan campus – day scholars who attended college before the hostels were constructed. The teachers worked together and have managed to invite teachers from the initial days as well. This just an example of the tremendous amount of effort that our brothers have put in to make this event a memorable one for all attending the event.
Numerous alumni have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that they are able to In addition to the regular activities like hostel visits and the Divine TrayeeDarshan, the organisers have planned unique experiences for the attendees as well. The senior alumni and teachers together have worked in getting the essence of the 50 years of Brindavan history for this meet. This involved reaching out to and inviting alumni from the very first batches of the Brindavan campus – day scholars who attended college before the hostels were constructed. The teachers worked together and have managed to invite teachers from the initial days as well. This just an example of the tremendous amount of effort that our brothers have put in to make this event a memorable one for all attending the event.
Numerous alumni have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that they are able to make it an interesting, exhilarating, elevating and convenient experience for all the attendees. In the same vein, there are alumni coming in from all over the world to be a part of this event, for a chance to relive their memories of the institute that shaped their lives and built the foundation for their futures, to see the place where the Divine interacted with His beloved and subtly and surely transformed us all into His Instruments. The Brindavan Alumni Meet is where we Gopikas will finally relive our memories with our beloved Krishna.
