Youth Meets Life in the Pink City

“Hello Life!” For every youth connected with SRM, these two words are the cue to shake hands with life. And from 28th to 31st March, a group of exuberant youth gathered from various parts of India to do just that, as SRM organised the Hello Life Youth Retreat at Ramada by Wyndham in Jaipur. While most of the youth came with the excitement to learn and grow in Sri Guru’s presence, some arrived, probably on insistence by their parents and friends, with a hint of scepticism for what lay in store.

A Haven for Learning

With the very first session, Sri Guru made it clear that the intent of the retreat was purely spiritual, as she is neither a motivational nor an inspirational speaker. She assured the beaming youth that the retreat was not her attempt to provide them with quick fixes, rather her passion to equip them with profound clarity.

Usually reluctant to wake up early in the mornings, the energies in the retreat campus kept the youth energised to rise and shine, and attend the early morning guided yoga and meditation sessions. Yoga helped open the blocked energy channels of the body, while guided meditation by the Master instilled a sense of healing and calmness.

The retreat was masterfully divided into sessions covering five broad topics. With the revelation of Cosmic Intelligence being the constant substratum of our existence, Sri Guru induced faith in the Higher Order. Through discussions on Karma Yoga, Self-Curiosity and Mastering Emotions, she offered guidance on making life coherent with the Higher Order. And finally, the youth were thrilled to get a glimpse of the purest essence of Love by a Master who has herself become an embodiment of Love.

Master Answers

Despite elaborate explanations of concepts in the sessions, Sri Guru left no stone unturned, recognizing the fact that individuals may still encounter obstacles in the form of lingering questions. She addressed that concern in Master Answers, a Q/A session, where she had an enlightening conversation with youth representatives Vishal Kothari and Tanvi Vora Prabhu, answering the most pressing inquiries of the youth related to life, relationships, career and success. Each answer left the audience feeling wealthier in the currency of clarity. The icing on this delicious cake was the fact that the Master shared priceless nuggets of wisdom through examples from her own life. Thanks to these personal anecdotes, it became pretty obvious that her answers, which a lazy mind could have considered as idealistic thinking, were realistic for practical application by each and every youth in attendance.

An Abundance of Creativity

Each session was interlaced with team activities that sparked collaboration and creative thinking among the participants. One of the activities required each youth to once again pick up the long-forgotten paint brushes and colour three huge canvases with their imagination — the distinct canvases ultimately took the shape of a single masterpiece, painted in the shades of Cosmic Intelligence and its ever-sprouting creativity!

Creativity serves as an incredible conduit to tap into the Cosmic Intelligence, and joy acts as the catalyst for unleashing creativity. Sri Guru not only elucidated this mystical concept to the youth, but also facilitated a hands-on experience with the Art Heart session. Everyone was filled with child-like joy and enthusiasm after an artistic mandala artwork demo by Tanvi Shisodia Prabhu, who ensured that participants, regardless of their skill level, could create their mandala artworks with effortless and meditative ease.

Embracing childlike joy seems incomplete without outdoor activities. On the penultimate afternoon, the youth marched on the green fields of the resort to play games such as Tic-Tac-Toe, Relay Race and an unusual blend of cricket and tennis. And when Sri Guru, along with the Seva Team, took to the games, the wide smiles on everyone’s faces showed just how joyful life could be in the smallest of moments.
Bustling with creativity on the final evening of the retreat, more than 140 youth conceptualised and performed skits, poetry, dance and Bhakti to celebrate the evening of Talent Uncover, one of the most anticipated events of every Youth Retreat. Coming up with brilliantly imaginative ideas in such a short time was proof that the participants had already begun putting the learnings of the retreat into practice, by tapping into the ever-creative field of Cosmic Intelligence.

From ALP to JLP

Enveloped in Sri Guru’s Prem Samadhi, the atmosphere at the retreat campus felt special from the very beginning. As the four-day retreat concluded with the final session on ‘Love’, an unspoken question ran in every mind – “Why can’t all days be like these?” Having spent four days in the irresistible energies of an Enlightened Master, this could indeed prove to be just the beginning of a new life for every youth who attended this retreat, a life where ALP (Anxiety, Loneliness, Pain) is replaced by JLP (Joy-Love-Peace).

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