C3STREAM Land Designs

-Sivaguru, SandhiyaBala, Saranya, Sanjay, Sribhavani, Arunkumar,Kugan, Rajesh, Pratap

Due to the “Fengal” storm in our region, we have faced many issues, such as electricity, transportation and mobile signal. Also, many trees and plants were broken, damaging roads and vehicles. We collectively involved to clean up the debris by supporting each other during this difficult time.

Sanjay’s reflection:

Because of the rains, the soil underneath the entrance path had whittled away making it impossible for bikes within campus to go out. I experienced this difficulty on Sunday as I ventured out to grab some food. As I was returning from breakfast on Monday, I saw Sudhir Pradhan at work filling up the pathway with broken bricks. I immediately joined him and the crew in bringing in the bricks, breaking them into little pieces with the hammer, and filling up the entrance with those. After that, I also assisted Mr. Rajan in hauling all the broken/sawed-off timber into one pile.

            None of us was used to manual labor, so we were all panting and pausing for frequent breaks. I keep physically active, somewhat, but this is different from going for a run or lifting weights, outdoor calisthenics playing badminton/tennis or even doing Yogasanas. My body was not used to it and my legs were also shaking from the effort. In addition, I also got blisters on my palms. However, after a bath, I felt invigorated and I could feel better blood circulation as well as a feeling of physical well-being that I had not felt in a while.  I also had a very stilling Vipassana sit after. It brought back memories of very stilling sits in Vipassana centers that I used to experience after cleaning toilets, cleaning the pathways, washing fabrics, and helping out in the kitchen. I remember that after this experience, I always used to look for manual labor whenever possible.

       From my perspective, Manual labor as a volunteer helping others has an advantage over going to the Gym or playing a sport because apart from the undoubted benefits for physical health, it also feels more meaningful (psychic health) and my Vipassana sits are always very stilling (Mental health) after that effort. There is also the connection one feels towards the community when involved in that effort. I get to know the person volunteering along with me a little better. It’s like being brothers in labor. The last three are something I do not experience after calisthenics, gym routines, sports are even Yogasanas.

               I resolved that once my responsibilities with Aura are discharged around the end of January, I will look for more ways to volunteer that involve manual labor, perhaps such as matrimandir cleaning twice a week and also involvement in Campus clean-up at C3SLD/Isai/Udavi. The rains reminded me of this, which I had forgotten. An opportunity beckons, and it is up to me to take it and make full use of it, benefit myself, and benefit others.

Sivaguruprasath’s reflection:

My name is Sivaguruprasath and I stand for courage, full-potential and equanimity for myself and for others. On cleaning the campus, I learned that I have to supporting others to build resilience in tough situations. I noticed that I feel responsible and care towards others and as well as the environment. I appreciate everyone for this team effort and being grateful for achieving a common goal.

SandhiyaBala’s Reflection:

My name is Sandhiya Bala and I stand for courage, care, and happiness for myself and others. I have learned many things while cleaning our campus as teamwork, everyone involved in cleaning our campus saw the responsibility of each one who was participating. I notice the quality of care and responsibility and I use it in my life.

Pratap’s reflection:

After the Fengal cyclone, our office campus was left in disarray. Despite limited participation, a small group took the initiative to clean up, collecting fallen stems and dry leaves. It was disheartening that not everyone joined, but the efforts of the few made a visible difference. This experience highlighted the value of taking action, even when support is minimal. It reinforced the power of teamwork and the satisfaction of contributing to our shared space. I hope this inspires others to join such efforts in the future, showing that every small contribution matters.

SriBhavani’s reflection:

My name is Sri Bhavani, and I stand for love and equality for myself and others. I felt accomplished in supporting our team in cleaning the campus. I learned that no work is easier or less significant than another, every task holds its own value. On that day, the Ammas who usually clean our campus took the initiative to prepare food for us, and some of our team members supported them as well. I am able to see the alignment of care and cooperation among everyone. I acknowledge everyone involved in the cleaning activity (Shram Daan) for their commitment and responsibility toward the well-being of our surroundings.

Ajay’s reflection:

My name is Ajay, and I stand for happiness and self-awareness for myself and others. My reflection from cleaning our campus after the Fengal cyclone shows the teamwork by everyone and the care shown toward the organization and its surroundings by me and others. It was difficult and hard for me to clean the entire place in one day, but somehow, with the help of our team as a whole, we managed to do it.

Kugan’s reflection:

My name is Kugan I stand for equality for myself and other. When everyone is responsible for their own work, it makes the team stronger. Teamwork then becomes about working together to do even better, not just covering for someone else’s part.

ArunKumar’s reflection:

Cleaning the office with my colleagues and inspired college students, I felt happy and motivated seeing the younger generation care for our environment. It was a great teamwork experience, and it also reminded me to take care of my physical health, as I felt tired easily.

Rajesh’s reflection:

After the devastating Fengal cyclone, our area experienced heavy rainfall, fallen trees, and a complete lack of electricity and internet. In response, a plan was initiated to clean and restore our workplace and school. Participating in this effort provided me with a unique opportunity to clean and organize the place where I work and teach, instilling in me a profound sense of ownership.

This experience made me realize that the environment around me is an extension of my home, and when the need arises, it is my responsibility to care for it. It highlighted the care and gratitude I feel for my office and its surroundings—a place I cherish daily.

Moreover, it broadened my perspective on the importance of nurturing the world, not just during times of disaster but as a consistent practice. It reminded me that taking care of people and the planet is an ongoing responsibility, fostering habits of care and compassion in every aspect of life. This experience was a powerful lesson in stewardship and the interconnectedness of my actions with the well-being of our environment and community.

Saranya’s Reflection:

Observation: After the Fungal Cyclone, my colleagues and I worked together to clean the campus. We all helped make the area safe and clean again. Some of us picked up fallen branches and trash. It was a team effort, and everyone worked hard. We were able to talk to each other, which helped improve our relationships. By the end of the day, the campus looked much better, and we felt proud of what we had done together.

Reflection: I have learned to stay calm and focused in any situation. I realize that I can make a positive impact by staying dedicated and offering my support. This experience helped me appreciate my role and the value of working together for a common goal. I feel proud of how I contributed and the difference it made.

-SandhiyaBala

C3SLD provides many opportunities to engage with events at Auroville and when I received a message from Poovizhi that for the Siddhi Day, Arulvazhi School organized a speech on The Mother and Sri Aurobindo at Savitri Bhavan, delivered by Varatharajan Sir, and Shyamala Amma I decided to participate in it and learn from it. I had heard them share some of their experiences with the Mother as pioneers of Auroville and I was eager to learn more.

Conversations on THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SIDDHI DAY (24 November 1926)

DISCIPLE: I do not know the significance of the 24th of November 1926; some say it is the immortality day while others say it was the descent of Krishna’s personality.

SRI AUROBINDO: It has nothing to do with immortality. It is the descent of Krishna.

DISCIPLE: Some say November 24th is a day of victory. By that, some mean that the Supermind (supramental consciousness) descended into the physical consciousness of Sri Aurobindo. Others say it was the coming down of Krishna into the physical consciousness. If it was the descent of Krishna, does that mean the descent of the supramental light?

SRI AUROBINDO: Krishna is not the supramental light. The descent of Krishna would mean the descent of the Overmind Godhead preparing, though not itself actually bringing, the descent of Supermind and Ananda. Krishna is the Anandamaya, he supports the evolution through the Overmind leading it towards his Ananda.

— Sri Aurobindo, CWSA 35: 272-273 In the talk Varatharajan Sir and Shyamala Amma shared their profound experiences of how they connect and interact with The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, offering deep insights and inspiration.

I attended sessions by Varatharajan Sir and Shyamala Amma, where I experienced something profound—goosebumps ran through my body, and it felt as if the whole world was embracing my heart. One significant lesson I learned from them is, “You work with the people who come to you.” This insight will guide and support me in my future growth.

They also emphasized that those with goodwill are always welcome in Auroville, as they can contribute to essential areas like education, water management, healthcare, and creating work opportunities.

Additionally, I had the privilege of decorating flowers at the Matri Mandir. This act felt like a meaningful offering for Siddhi Day.

The divine beauty of the flower arrangements reminds me of Krishna’s consciousness. It feels as though I can hear Krishna playing His flute under the Banyan tree! His consciousness, descending into the physical realm, impacts life on Earth in the most profound and transformative ways. It helped me connect with the universal values of happiness that manifest through me.

~ Jayabharathy, Arunkumar, Poonguzhali, Soundhariya, Gunavathi, Poovizhi

From September 30, 2024 to October 4, 2024, a group of students from Arulvazhi School visited STEM Land to explore and learn about various STEM activities. We warmly welcomed them and began the session with “Stand and Fear.” Through this activity, students reflected on their full potential. These sessions helped break barriers and encouraged teamwork. Each student introduced themselves and shared their qualities in unique ways. When students shared their fears or challenges, it created a sense of connection and understanding among them. This openness encouraged care and love, allowing participants to see each other as individuals rather than just classmates/schoolmates.

Children said that, they were able to realize who they were from deep inside. They mentioned that the socialized fears were prevalent in their everyday lives and they wondered how they failed to notice them before attending the RTL session. The tools helped them notice, name and let go of their fears and helped them to understand who they from possibility. One of the students mentioned that RTL was more related to life than the usual lessons they learn in classrooms.

After the RTL session, the students eagerly explored different STEM activities such as Scratch programming, Electronics and Robotics. It was a memorable experience for both the students and our team. Initially, we started teaching electronics as they were keen to learn it. The session began with an introduction to basic terms like resistance, current and voltage.

They learnt about resistance and measured their body resistance using a multimeter. They also learnt how to light an LED with the help of a battery and a resistor, and even through their body. Following this, the students had time to explore Scratch programming and were given simple tasks to accomplish. They had the opportunity to work with Makey Makey, which helped them understand conductors and non-conductors.

They were able to apply their Scratch knowledge in their Makey Makey projects. Additionally, they were introduced to Finch robots and were able to control the robots by creating simple programs using the Snap app. On the last day, the students explored the games available at STEM land. We observed teamwork throughout their visit. All these activities helped the students improve their knowledge in various domains, and for many, it was their first exposure to such technologies. Their active participation each day fueled our enthusiasm for teaching.

At the end of the session, children were asked to give feedback regarding their learnings at STEM. They said that they got an opportunity to explore material-based learning. It helped them to understand the concepts better and in an easier manner. They also said that the method of teaching both electronics and programming helped them to think more. They were able to find out solutions from their learnings without the answers being directly given.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Reflection from Madhivadhani S (Student from Arulvazhi):

The learning sessions at STEM was very useful for me. I learnt to make sounds using makey makey, program a robot and to code in scratch. The activities made me think a lot. I could visually see the outputs in scratch coding. It helped me correct my code by the movement of the sprite, when it did not do what I expected it to do. When I made a mistake, the teachers did not tell me the right answer directly, instead they gave clarity on why my answer was wrong. This helped me find the right solution by myself. The learning session gave me a platform to do peer learning. It helped to get along with my friends by helping each other which made the learning much easier and more interesting than the usual individual learning.

Reflections of facilitators…

Jayabharathy:

My name is Jayabharathy. I stand for care and courage for myself and others. The session with the Arulvazhi school children gave me an opportunity to work with children of different grades simultaneouslyrather than a single grade. Through this event, I learnt to change my level of explanation as per the understanding capability of children of different age groups. I also learnt to maintain a domination and groupism free learning space. I initially went there thinking I would support them for an hour or two. However, their eagerness to learn about electronics and Scratch motivated me to assist them throughout all the sessions they attended. I could see the joy of learning among the children as they made the LED glow using a battery, resistor, and wires. I also observed peer learning among the children. The older ones gave space to the younger ones and helped them accomplish tasks. These were valuable lessons that I intend to incorporate into my own life as I work with my team and juniors.

Arunkumar:

My name is Arunkumar I stand for Peace and Equity for myself and others, I supported Arulvazhi children on electronics and Makey Makey sessions, it was an interesting session. When we asked children to taste the current, initially hesitated out of fear they were then able to transcend it and taste the current. The children were from 4th grade to higher secondary so I assumed that only the elder children will learn more and won’t work along with the younger ones, but they were actually inspiring the young ones and shared their learnings and guided them to participate fully.

Poonguzhali:

My name is Poonguzhali I stand for courage for myself and others. I volunteered to support the holiday camp whenever I had time. As a team, we worked to our full potential, children took part in many activities they enjoyed. I feel grateful for being a part of the camp as it allowed me to interact with children in the during the break and I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent supporting it.

Soundhariya:

My name is Soundhariya. I stand for care and courage for myself and others. I saw that the children were able to understand concepts and learn how these ideas connect to concrete visualization and everyday life and it madelearning more effective and fun. Using hands-on tools allows children to grasp concepts more quickly and enjoy learning.

The sessions had a positive impact on students and it helped them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. I was able to notice this during the LED experiment. I gave an introduction about the terminals of the LED, the battery and resistance. With this information, they were able to make the LED glow from light to dark through the help of different resistors. This approach also encouraged collaborative learning with others.

When students actively participate in STEM activities, they become more aware of their own progress. As I was teaching them operate finch robot, they said the coding that they learnt the previous day in scratch helped them to do the finch activity. They also said that they were able to notice their improvement as they moved from scratch to snap. .

Gunavathi:

My name is Gunavathi, I stand for happiness for myself and others. While I was teaching students about finch robot 2.0, I felt responsible. When they understood the concept of move and degrees, I noticed children being curious and enthusiastic. At that moment, I understood inspiring children will lead them to learn themselves.

Poovizhi:

My name is Poovizhi, I stand for equality and equity for myself and others. Arulvazhi school teachers were inspired by the sessions we did during the STEAM camp we did during the summer and they have heard from children that they are interested to learn more from STEM land, so the teachers contacted me and asked if we could have a one week program for children during their quarterly leave. STEM land is open for anyone at any age who wants to learn and organised for the transport and the sessions. I feel grateful that I was able to coordinate and organise the session. I saw the joy of learning in children.