Vice President of India launches Heartfulness Essay Competition

• Undeterred by the pandemic the annual Youth Outreach Program by Heartfulness Institute & UNIC goes online for its 28^th edition of the event that has one million students participating each year across 20,000 colleges and schools
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Mumbai, September 11^th, 2020 : ‘Heartfulness Essay Event 2020’ jointly organised by the Heartfulness Education Trust, Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan(UNIC), was launched by the Vice President of India Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, in the presence of Daaji, guide of Heartfulness. The event was attended by leading educationists, academicians and students from across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India said, “I am extremely delighted to launch ‘Heartfulness All India Essay Writing Event’ organized by Shri Ram Chandra Mission in partnership with the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan. We need to recognise the importance of value-based learning for our youth. The Government of India is undertaking several reforms in the education sector to ensure education in the country meets the requirement of tomorrow and at the same time it is very cognizant that the foundation of system is based on imparting the right values. We are glad that organisations such as Heartfulness Institute are investing their time, energy and efforts over several decades to guide the youth in the right direction.”   

Initiated 28 years ago with a vision of inculcating value-based thinking through reflection, discussion and contemplation, the ‘Heartfulness Essay Event’, held annually is unique as a competition. It gives ample time for the participants to delve on the topic of the essay, discuss with peers, teachers, parents and friends, contemplate and reflect and give shape to the essay from the individual’s personal experience. It is held across the country in national and regional formats in English, Hindi and nine other regional languages and has helped shaping the minds and hearts of millions of youth across the last 28 years. 

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This unique annual Essay competition tries to inculcate value-based thinking, shaping the minds and hearts of millions of youth for the last 28 years. Participating students get an opportunity to contemplate and reflect on the topic chosen to write from personal experience. Students can submit their essays at www.younghearts.org in English, Hindi and nine regional languages.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Kamlesh Patel (Daaji), Guide of Heartfulness said, “The youth forms the fabric of the nation and they need to be delicately treated. It is very critical that they are inspired from within to find the answers, to know what is right and pursue that path. In this fast-paced world, the importance of reflection, discussion and contemplation is lost, this has an impact on the development of the intellect and value system amongst the youth. Through the essay event we are trying to preserve and encourage the wisdom of the traditional learning methods so that fabric remains strong and intact.”

The ‘Heartfulness Essay Event 2020’ – Details of Participation:

Participants can log on to www.younghearts.org for guidelines  of participation and for submission of entries. The last date to submit entries is October 10, 2020. There is no charge associated for the event. Entries are invited in English and Hindi at National Level and 9 regional languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu, at state level - under the following categories:

·         Category I - Classes 9 to 12. Topic: Thought pollution - root cause of all ills. with a word limit – [500 words]

·         Category II – UG&PG (Age Limit Less than 28 years and unemployed): Topic: Poverty is not just a lack of money with a word limit – [750 words]

The much-anticipated event has seen an incremental increase over the years with 18,000 - 20,000 institutions participating, and a million plus essay entries being received for evaluation. The evaluation process is at several levels including at the institutional level, state level and national level panels. The final evaluation committee consists of an eminent panel of 8 members who are educationists, PhDs, IITs or professionals- all are well qualified to evaluate the entries.

Prizes : Top 10 essays at national level (English & Hindi) and state level (English, Hindi and regional languages) will be given prizes which include mementoes for top three winners at National and State levels and Certificates jointly signed by the Director, UNIC and President, SRCM.  Certificates of merit for top 5 entries at institutional level and participation certificates for all will be given.

About SRCM:

Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) is a non-profit organisation which provides spiritual training to interested seekers from around the world, through Heartfulness meditation, which has its roots in the Sahaj Marg system. It offers a way for balanced living in a heart-based way. SRCM was founded in 1945 by Shri Ram Chandra of Shahajanpur, in honor of his spiritual teacher and guide, Shri Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh. With a presence in over 100 countries worldwide [SRCM Centers] and on every continent of the globe, it has its world headquarters in Chennai, India.

About Heartfulness:

Heartfulness is a lifestyle based on simple meditative practices and skills. It has been around for over 100 years. Heartfulness helps people find inner calm, peace and stillness. The simple practices are offered to people of all walks of life, cultures, religious beliefs and economic situations, over the age of 15, free of charge. With over 4 million practitioners, Heartfulness has been adopted in thousands of schools and colleges, and over 250,000 professionals have been introduced to Heartfulness in corporations, non-governmental and government bodies worldwide. More than 5,000 Heartfulness Centers are supported by over 13,000 certified volunteer trainers in 160 countries.