Values for the Yatra

Newsletter Date
Values for the Yatra
AVEC Mumbai
Volume 1, Issue 1
Archdiocesan Value Education Centre (AVEC ) E-Letter August 2009

Value Education: The Guiding Ethos of Education

Personality Development Seminar
Nirmala Niketan M.Sc Students
St. Dominic Savio’s — Andheri
Leadership Seminar
AVEC E-Letter : Together on the Valued Path
At the Annual ABE General Body meeting held at St. Michael’s, Mahim on 16th July 2009,
Fr. Boniface D’Souza, SDB , Director of DBYS once again renewed the Salesians’ commit-
ment to the Archdiocese of Mumbai in the setting up of AVEC. The Archdiocesan Value
Education Centre is set up at DBYS Matunga. The main objective of the AVEC is to
provide animation services in the area of Value education to the Archdiocesan Schools.
As a way forward, Fr. Glenford Lowe, SDB presented the AVEC strategic plan to the
ABE for the next triennium (2009-2012). He focused on four key areas:
Structure, Animation, Capacity Building and Networking
• The Structuring of AVEC on the lines of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre in Catechetical
Animation
• Making AVEC as a Hub of Animation and Resources for Students and Teachers
• Empowering the Teachers and students through various Training Programs
• Networking with various NGOs and likeminded people in the area of Value
Education
It is hoped that the AVEC will be able to motivate schools to become more ‘Educational
Living environments’ in which values must be seen to lie not only at the heart of the
educational content, the “what” of Education, but also at the heart of the educational

process, the “how”, the way in which education is conducted.

Inside this issue:
Value Education, more than just seen as another subject within the curriculum, must be
Independence 2 owned by all as the guiding ethos of education: an ethos that emphasis the importance of
creating Educative Learning Environments that are characterized by values that are
Facts File 2 deeply religious rather than secular.
In his concluding speech, His Eminence Gracious Cardinal Oswald thanked the Salesians
Inside Story 2 and reemphasized once again on the joint need to promote value education in our
institutions. “Students, long after they have left school, remember the values they caught
rather that the sciences or languages they studied”, said the Cardinal.
Soul for the 3
Teachers’ Yatra
Independence Day : Let My Country Arise
Talent Search 4
“ There are two India’s in this country. One A little over three score years ago,
India is straining at the leash, eager to at the stroke of midnight, India made
Skit for 5 spring forth and live up to all the adjec-
Independence
her tryst with destiny. Freedom, our long birthright,
tives that the world has been showering
was once again embraced at the price of
recently upon us. The other India is the
Prayer Service blood, division and tears.
6/7 leash. One India says give me a chance and
I'll prove myself. The other India says Our fore-fathers’ dreams were realized.
prove yourself first and maybe then you'll Hope dawned for the new born.
have a chance. One India lives in the opti- Swaraj became a noble cause and the
mism of our hearts. The other India lurks tricolor our national pride.
in the skepticism of our minds. One India 62 years down the line….
wants. The other India hopes. One India What have I done to make my country a prosperous
leads. The other India follows.”
nation and a home for every Indian ?
Have I reached out in love and compassion
Quote: Amitabh Bachchan
to my neighbor?
 Values for the Yatra
OATH FOR THE YOUTH OF INDIA
I will have a goal and work hard to achieve that goal.
I realize that small aim is a big crime.
I will always be righteous in the heart which leads to beauty in the character,
beauty in the character brings harmony in the home, harmony in the home
leads to order in the nation and order in the nation leads t o peace in the world.
I will work with Integrity and succeed with Integrity.
I will be a good citizen of the country, a good member of my family,
a good member of the society, a good member of the nation and a good member of the world.
I will always try to save or to better some ones life, without any discrimination
Religions of the World Emblem of caste, creed, language, religion or state.
Wherever I am, a thought will always come to my mind.
Ahimsa and That is “ what I can give?”
truth are my I will always protect and enhance the dignity of every human life without any bias.
I will always remember that “ let not my winged days, be spent in vain.”
two lungs. I
I will always work for clean planet earth and clean energy.
cannot live As a youth of my nation, I will work and work with courage
without them. to achieve success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.
May God bless you.
Mahatma Gandhi -Abdul Kalam. (Former President of India)
Inside Story Headline

:- The Constitution :-
file
f a ct s
The Constitution was adopted by the Con-
stituent assembly on 26th Nov, 1949 and
came into being on 26th January, 1950.
National Flag:- 1. The first President of Constituent
assembly was Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
The flag is a horizon-
tal tricolor in equal 2. The Chairman of the Constituent
National proportion of deep assembly was Dr. B.R.Ambedekar.
Anthem:- saffron on the top, white in the 3. The draft constitution contained
The song middle and dark green at the 315 articles & 8 schedules.
'Jana-gana-mana' bottom. The ratio of the width to 4. The final constitution came with
composed by the length of the flag is two is to 395 articles & 8 schedules.
Rabinder Nath three. In the centre of the white
Tagore was band, there is a wheel in navy PREAMBLE of the constitution reads as :-
adopted as National blue to indicate the Dharma WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA,
anthem of India on Chakra, the wheel of law in the having resolved to constitute India into a
24th, January 1950 Sarnath Lion Capital. SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR
Its diameter approximates the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
width of the white band and it has and to secure to all its citizens
24 spokes. The saffron stands for JUSTICE social, political and economical;
courage, sacrifice and the spirit of LIBERTY of thought, expression, faith, be-
renunciation; the white, for purity lief and worship;
and truth; the green for faith and EQUALITY of status & of opportunity; and
fertility. The national flag was to promote among them all
adopted by the constituent FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the
assembly on 22nd July 1947. individual , the unity and integrity of
nation
2
 Values for the Yatra
What kind of an Educator are you ? ….
Dangers of being a Permissive Educator
1. Students learn anarchy
2. Students begin to think, “I do my own thing”.
3. In the end students become selfish.
4. Students loose respect for others feelings and needs
5. They become irresponsible citizens, workers and
family members.
6. It is wrong to think that being a permissive
Educator helps the student to express his/her needs
and so stop the misbehavior
7. Students will not have good memories of a teacher.
8. They learn to be very poor/weak leaders.
9. Students become unprepared for their future.
10. Educators fail to identify the talents and
potentialities of the students under his/her care.
Few good students take initiative, but soon they
give up due to lack of encouragement and support
12. Learning environment is just confused.
Questions for Teachers to Reflect upon ….
1. What do I have to Teach?
1A. What do I want to Teach?
2. Why do I have to teach, what I have to teach?
2A. Why do I want to teach, what I want to teach?
3. How do I have to teach, what I have to teach?
3A. How do I want to teach, What I want to teach?
4. Do I have to know how effective I have been?
Why? If at all, how will I know?
4A. Do I want to know how effective I have been?
Why? I want to know how?
Dangers of being a Autocratic Educators
1. Students learn to be tyrants in their own actions.
2. Students begin to think, “I do things only when
I am told to do”.
3. In the end students become dependent.
4. They do not have sincere love for their educators
and fellow neighbours.
5. Students fail to think for themselves and can not
make decisions for themselves.
6. Autocratic Teachers can not maintain good
behavior and desired actions for a long period.
7. They loose all interest and respect for
all democratic principles in the society.
8. They loose all respect for leaders in general and
they too will become so in the future. They even
begin to react with vengeance and hostility.
9. The system creates many trouble-makers,
Drop-outs, and potential delinquents.
10. Only a few good students become better; many
bad students become worse and the majority are
regulated by fear.
In this atmosphere good students try to excel
But only to feel superior in order to look down on
others.
Learning environment is far from being joyful.
( Prof. Albert Selvanagam, Bangalore)
5. Do I know what could be the impact / immediate
and long term consequences
(On me, personally, my students, and the society) of my
approach to teaching on the basis of my answers to the
above questions?
Do I have to?
Do I want to?
How can I know Where I am now in my teaching pro-
fession and Where could I be?
Is there any way to see myself on a kind of a scale,
though not a very precise one?
3
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India is the cradle of the human race,

The birth place of human speech,

The mother of history,

The grandmother of legend,

And the great grandmother of tradition.

Our most valuable and most attractive materials

in the history of man

Are treasured up in India only !!! (Mark Twain) 4

 Values for the Yatra
s te rpiece
h e Ma Road, nature, trees, sun, clouds, blue sky,
T mountains, streams, valley etc. as background.
Narrator: “ A painter wants to find out what the most beautiful thing on
earth is so that he can paint it. ”
Artist on stage as curtain opens –
Narrator: “ L ook at this young man. He belongs to your generation, those
who grew up without having participated in the Independence struggle. ”
Rasa talks to the audience:
I ’ m a painter. I ’ m looking for an immortal subject to paint. I want to make at least one painting in my life
that will contribute to my country ’ s rich cultural treasures. I love my country and am proud of it. Long live
India, my lovely land, forever.
Carries his palette, brushes, easel and stool on his back –- and starts walking to the East.
Meets an old man.
Asks him: “ I s there something around here I can paint? Something really beautiful? Something everyone
would like to see, admire and enjoy and would give them happiness. ”
The old man says: “ Yes. There ’ s a hospital nearby. It gives me health and keeps so many of us alive.
remember how before the independence we had almost no hospitals and almost no free treatment, ex-
cept for what the missionaries gave us. I wish you ’ d paint it. The doctors there really sacrifice a lot for us
poor people. It reminds me of the color in our flag – saffron. They say it stands for sacrifice. ”
The young man looks quite impressed.
But he decides to go on. This time he goes North.
Meets an old woman: Repeats his questions.
“ Y es, ” she says, “ there’ s an old age home nearby. Paint it for me, please. It ’ s really beautiful. Now
there ’ s no longer any joint families and my children have gone away, they look after me. It reminds me
the blue in our Indian flag, the Ashoka chakra – and the blue, for me, stands for the Buddha’ s compas-
sion. ”
The young man looks even more impressed, but he leaves her and goes on.
He goes West.
He meets a beggar.
Asks his usual questions.
The beggar: “ Y es, paint that mosque. Whenever I ’ m hungry they give me food. ”
The young man is happy and impressed.
He says: “ A h, that reminds me of the green in the Indian flag. It stands for prosperity and prosperity
shared is indeed real prosperity. ”
But he goes on, somehow still dissatisfied.
Finally in the South, he meets a little child.
Asks her the same questions.
She says , “ My grandfather died in jail while fighting for independence. So my parents tell me freedom
the most beautiful thing on earth. But what use is freedom if there is no peace in our hearts, Can you
paint peace for me? ”
The young man is astounded.
He says: “ Y ou are wise beyond your age, daughter. Your words remind me of the white in the Indian flag
that stands for purity. ”
Narrator: “ H e went home, extremely sad and happy at the same time.
The next day he painted his masterpiece.
It was a painting that had India in the background, our tricolor fluttering across its bosom proudly. And in
the foreground stood a smiling, happy little girl near a hospital, an old age home and a mosque. A white
dove fluttered in the blue and white sky carrying in its beak two green olive leaves. It also contained an
old woman and an old man. The painting was definitely a masterpiece. ”
Source:(educatorslogin.com/.../SKIT I NDEPENDENCED AY.doc)
5
 Values for the Yatra
PEACE – A STEPPING STONE TOWARDS PROSPERITY!!!

COMMENTATOR: Peace is a rich treasure. It ensures prosperity.

( A lit candle) Peace, like a lit candle, brightens our life.
(Flowers) Peace, like these flowers, spreads fragrance.
(Sweets) Peace, like these sweets, sweetens our life.
(Books) Peace, like these books, enlightens our life.
INTRODUCTION: Peace certainly is a God given treasure. It is believed that the greatest threat to
peace doesn’t come from outside but from within. And therefore, we have to unitedly labor hard to
preserve peace in our country. It is through Love, Unity, Service and Justice that we would be able to
experience the wealth of Peace. And it is this peace which can heal and set us free. On one hand we
have a beautiful India which is rich with spirituality and mysticism, on the other hand we have an
India torn down by violence based on caste, creed and made mockery of. As we celebrate our
62nd Independence Day today let us place our motherland in the divine care of our loving God. Let us
ask Him to realize our vision of a new India- a better India.
( Use any appropriate hymn/ bhajan on Peace.)
GOD THE SOURCE OF LOVE
Scripture Reading: “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you that the
world gives” – The Holy Bible.
Reflection: Peace is a God-given gift. It is God who is the source and
summit of Peace. It is already within us. The peace that God gives enables
us to be fully human and fully alive. Our one God promises us such eter-
nal peace and company. Let us seek to enrich ourselves with this deep,
divine peace rather than follow the shallow one which the world offers us.
SELF ATTAINMENT OF PEACE
Scripture Reading: “ A person who has given up all desires for sense
gratification, who lives free from desire, who has given up all senses of
proprietorship and is devoid of false ego- he alone can attain real peace” – The Bhagvad Geeta.
Reflection: When can we give peace? It’s only when we have attained and experienced it first our-
selves. The above scared scripture calls us to attain peace, but it is only possible to get out of our self-
ishness and self- centeredness. It’s only when we die to our desires, our ego and our position that can
we reach the stage of self realization and experience true peace.
WORKING TOWARDS PEACE
Scripture Reading: “My child, be steadfast in prayer, enjoin justice and forbid evil. Endure with for-
titude what ever befalls you. Do not treat others with scorn, nor walk proudly on the earth: Allah
does not love the arrogant and the vainglorious. Rather let your gait modest and your voice low: the
harshest of voices is the braying of the ass.” – The Quran.
6
 Values for the Yatra
Reflection: The Holy Scripture invites each one of us to be ambassadors of peace. The
peace that we have received is not to be spread through our benevolent actions. It’s
only through justice, goodness, humility, respect and love that we can be channels of
peace.
(Pause - an instrumental classical musical could be played in the background.)
INTECERSESSIONS
Response: May your peace be upon us O Lord.
We pray Lord that the peace we have received may help us to put an end to our fights based on caste,
creed, religion and region. R.
In times of calamities, we have always come together in unity. We pray, Lord, that this unity of ours
may be seen in every aspect of our lives. R.
God, we pray that we may work always towards unity in our neighborhood. Let there always be a
sense of oneness. R.
Lord, not one, or two, but let each and every one of us give ourselves completely for the growth and
prosperity of our country. R.
PRAYER: Almighty God, ruler of all nations: we pray for our nation and its people, and for our
leaders. May we be mindful of your favor and obedient to your will. Forgive our shortcomings as a
nation, and purify our heart to know the truth that alone can make us free. Save us from injustice and
oppression, from pride and arrogance, and from greed and self-centeredness. Increase our concern for
people beyond our own boundaries and for the poor and afflicted in our own land, that we may be a
blessing and an example to all nations. Bring us at last to that day when the whole world shall know
peace and blessedness. Amen.
Any appropriate Song:
Ae mere watan ke logon
Bharat humko jaan se pyara hai- Roja
Desh Rangeela – Fanaa
-Adapted from DIALOGUE- BUILDING BRIDGES, quarterly Bulletin of the Bombay Archdiocesan
Commission for the Inter- Religious Dialogue.

EXPECTATIONS OF ADOLESCENTS
Stand by us, not over us. Treat us as though we are normal,
even if our conduct seems peculiar to you.
Make us feel we are loved and wanted.
Teach is by example.
Train us by being affectionately firm.
Treat each one of us as a person in his own right.
Bring us up so we will not always need you.
Don’t keep us young too long.
Try to be as consistent as possible.
We need fun and companionship.
Don’t try to make us feel inferior.
Prepare us to lead our lives not yours.
Say “nice work” when we do something really well.
Permit us the failings of average children - just as we
Show respect for our wishes even when you disagree with
them. permit you the failings of average parents and teachers.
Give direct answers to direct questions.
Show interest in what we are doing. George Lawton
Let us make our own mistakes. 7
 Values for the Yatra

Ganesha Chaturthi or Ganesha Festival

is a day on which Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and
Parvati, is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all
his devotees. It is celebrated as it is the birthday of Lord
Ganesha. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar
month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi
(fourth day of the waxing moon period). Typically, the
day usually falls between 20 August and 15 September.
The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant
Chaturdashi . While celebrated all over India, it is most
elaborate in Maharashtra, Goa (Biggest festival for Kon-
kani people all over the world), Outside India, it is
celebrated by Newars in Nepal and Tamil Hindus in Sri
Lanka

The Assumption of Mary is the traditional belief held by Chris-

tians of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox,
and some Protestant churches such as Lutheranism and Anglo-
Catholic Anglicans that the Virgin Mary at the end of her life was
physically taken up into heaven. The Roman Catholic Church
teaches as dogma that the Virgin Mary, "having completed the
course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heav-
enly glory."

This means that it claims that Mary was transported into Heaven
with her body and soul united. This doctrine was dogmatically and
infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950, in his
Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus. The feast day
recognizing Mary's assumed passage into Heaven is celebrated as
The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by
Roman Catholics, and as the Formations by Orthodox Christians.
In those denominations that observe it, the Assumption is a major
festival, commonly celebrated on August 15. This is a Holy Day of
Obligation in many Roman Catholic jurisdictions.

AVEC E-Letter ‘Values for the Yatra’ is an initiative to provide

Animation Resources for Teachers involved in Value Education in the ABE schools/ Jr. Colleges .
Values for the Yatra will be published every month and is for private circulation.
Your valuable suggestions are most welcome to assist us in making Values for the Yatra
a useful tool of animation and bonding among the teachers and students of the ABE schools.

CONTACT:
Fr. Glenford Lowe, SDB / Natasha Almeida / Rochwyn Fernandes
AVEC—Don Bosco Youth Services
Matunga 400019 , MUMBAI Ph: 24154477 e-mail: avecmatunga@gmail.com 8