Merry Christmas!
Dear friends of our little school!
An early Christmas present for me and the school was, for the first time after six long years, the visit of my brother Herbert.
He is one of our main donors. It was only through him that the school project became possible in the first, because he saved it after Swami Nagananda's death in 2006 and has supported and accompanied us practically and morally since then.
As it is tradition in India, the entire school community gave him a royal reception. However, he had to be persuaded to accept and tolerate this lavish deference..
His visit was a special gift and the joy of seeing each other again was huge, as you can see on the photos 😀.
Your Helga Shanti Fründt
Welcome Herbert Sir!
We visit the school 🚀
When we drove to Mudigubba to visit the school, Herbert was welcomed like royalty by the teachers, children and staff. The title "Sir" is common in India and is used to indicate respect and courtesy. Every foreigner is greeted with "Sir" or "Madam".
Raja Sekhar, the headmaster, had arranged a long carpet of yoga mats from the entrance area to the administration building. A flower garland was hung around Herbert by Raja and the children showered him with flowers all the way to the administration building.
Exactly at that moment it started raining. A good omen, because rain is considered a blessing in India. Anyway there had been excessive rain within the last few months. According to the weather forecast, it should have been dry that day, but the rain increased to a staccato while we walked to the administration building on the carpet decorated with a few kilograms of flowers.
Herbert was showered with flowers
Dance of honor for a king 🤴
In the administration building, Herbert was greeted by the children with a traditional stick dance. Dancing is considered a sacred act in India. In his appearance as Nataraja, God Shiva is regarded the "King of Dance" and his cosmic dance symbolizes the creation and death of the universe.
Herbert was escorted to a "throne" where he was crowned with a crown. The whole ceremony was a very beautiful and opulent production in Indian tradition, as it would also go to other donors who have done a lot for the school 😂
Klaus - Herbert (on the throne :-) and Helga
Bhajana Concert (Songs of praise of God)
A performance by music teacher Horst Wagner with the seventh class followed. The teenagers had been practicing playing rhythm instruments for the past few weeks, and the performance sounded great. Bhajanas (traditional Indian songs in praise of God) and a song specially composed for Herbert by Horst were being performed.
Then Klaus came into action with other Bhajanas. He has been music teacher in our school for a few years, conducted bhajan workshops for teachers and visited the school the first time after three years.
Horst at the Bhajana concert
With the power of nature 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲
In a rain-free time-window, we took the guests to a tour on the school grounds. In the last two years, the 3000 trees that we have planted since 2010 have experienced an enormous growth spurt due to the heavy rainfall.
In 2010 there was only one tree: a neem tree, which was later surrounded by a mosaic bench. In the meantime, the area has blossomed into a small forest and we are more of a nature school than ever!
Everything green - a dream came true!
Dear Friends!
Thank you very much for your interest in our development as well as your contributions and donations. We really appreciate it.
We wish you a peaceful and harmonious pre-Christmas period, a blessed festival and a good transition into the next year. We look forward to you joining us again next year.
Your Helga Shanti Fründt
Contact
Shanti Ananda School Website
Shanti Ananda School on Facebook
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Donation Accounts
FCRA account
Shanti Ananda Education Society
State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch
40043801956
IFSC: SBIN0000691
General Account
Shanti Ananda Education Society
Andhra Bank, Mudigubba Branch
Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India
185410100193769
IFSC: UBIN0818542
German Donation Account
Shanti Ananda Education Society
Anahata Stiftung, Munich, Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
BLZ: 700 205 00
IBAN: DE72700205003751241124
BIC: BFSWDE33MUE