Young people need to be educated about Hinduism

By Jaya Dasrat

In the community many may ponder on the question “Why are religious competitions needed among the youth population and are such competitions a necessity?”  The answer is simple. Religious competitions are needed among the Hindu community to educate the young people on Hinduism. These persons are not only the future leaders of the Mandirs but they are also the future leaders of the community.
The idea of a Ramayana Quiz and Essay competition originated from the Sanaatan Dharma Mandir of NY’s Annual Youth camps. The Mandir held three camps which started in 2010.
Youths only learn from the best in each field of study. Some of these highly knowledgeable teachers included Acharya Krishnamoorty and Dr. Jatin Kapadia from the Chinmayananda Mission, Pandit Yoganand Ramnarine, Pandit Rishiram Persaud, Pandit Pavindradatt Parasram, Pandit Mahadeo Deopersaud, Pandit Ram Hardowar, Patanjali Rambrich, Tara Mangray,  Bina Mohabir, Joe Ragnauth, Ashok Ramsaran , Dr. Churamanie Bissundyal, Dr. Basdeo Mangru, and many more.
The Ramayana is a one such story in Hinduism that individuals of all ages can grasp or gain something from the teachings of this Holy Scripture. The Ramayana teaches valuable life lessons and shows the responsibilities and duties of how one should act at each stage of life. Such values are imperative for the positive development of values in our future leaders. At the Sanaatan Dharma Mandir of NY, emphasis is placed on educating youths into becoming strong Hindu citizens of society and learning the Ramayana is a start in doing so.
The competition was held on September 22, 2012 and was overseen by Dr Basdeo Mangru and the Youth Leaders of the organization. The award ceremony was done on November 17, 2012.
The 1st Place Winner is Avinash Nohar, 2nd Place Winners are Kavindra Dasrat and Parveen Nohar and 3rd Place Winner is Gowrie Sharma
The Executive Body of the Sanaatan Dharma Mandir of New York would like to extend a special Thank You to the Surya Narayan Mandir and various members of the Sanaatan Dharma Mandir of NY for donating the prize money, Bhai Navin Phagu for donating the trophies, and Bhai Kamal Raj Singh for donating the Ramayana for all the participants.