Day 11 Visiting Maharishi Vidya Mandir in Chennai by Krystle Liggins

The MUM MA in Maharishi Vedic Science students were sitting on the back of the bus as we headed to the Maharishi Vidya Mandir (MVM) in Chennai (Vidya Mandir means literally "Knowledge Temple"--these are equivalent to the Maharishi Schools in the U.S. and Canada). We were asked to prepare a brief presentation in the event that we had the opportunity to present to the MVM students.

Upon leaving the bus we decided to teach students how to sing a favorite Sanskrit song of ours that we had learned on the bus from one of our course leaders, Bob Markowitz. We called it the "Jai Ganesha" song. It appealed to Ganesh to remove obstacles to each day's journey. We were going to perform this song to some of the younger children, using a little pantomime we learned in school where you make an elephant trunk with one arm while the other arm is crooked underneath and pinches the nose. It's hard to describe but easy to do and makes a reasonable imitation of a elephant moving its trunk.

As fate would have it, we did have the opportunity to sing this song with a sixth grade class of students in the school. We sang, "Jai Ganesha, Jai Ganesha, Jai Ganesha Deva. Matta jaki Paravati, Pita Maha Deva." The students watched us make the elephant trunks and then mirrored the same back to us. Many of them also knew the words to the song. We were happy and relieved that they enjoyed our little exercise, and we felt like we connected across cultures.

Before our little singing presentation, we heard from the principal, Mr. Sivayam and the TM-Sidhi administrator for the school, Mr. Perumal. They both embraced us with open hearts. We felt quite at home seeing research charts on Transcendental Meditation on the walls, along with Unified Field Charts and other teaching charts. The classrooms of students seemed endless (they have over 2000 students from grades kindergarten through 12th grade) as we toured the school.

Our spirits became quite uplifted as their students sang some of their songs to us. The principal, Mr. Sivayam, displayed great pride in his school and in the TM organization in Chennai and what it was accomplishing. He told us that his school was among the top schools in 150 schools that make up the Maharishi school system in India, sending high percentages of students on to the best colleges in India. Most impressive, though, was how he smiled on each and every student he encountered as if he or she were his own.

Mr. Perumal also informed us that there was another Maharishi Vidya Mandir recently started by them in Chennai. It was an international school with a world class swiming pool, classes in French and German, and of course Maharishi Vedic Science permeating the curriculum.

Mr. Sivayam said that parents are proud to send their children to Maharishi's school. The school administration prides itself on taking care of 90% of the child's life, so that the parents have only to do 10%. When asked what the main achievement of his school was he said, "balance," the children come out balanced. In addition, their manners are quite respectful, delightful, and blissfully calm.

We were told that 80% of the students go on to pursue higher education after graduation. The teachers all seemed to wear a smile of great pride on their faces as they said to us the one common phrase we all shared, "Jai Guru Dev."

It was so clear during our time at the Maharishi Vidya Mandir that the Transcendental Meditation organization is real and alive outside the U.S. It is having a practical impact on the lives of many students from many different classes and religions in India--Hindu, Christian, and Islamic. If you ever wondered that you were being too ambitious or not ambitious enough, Maharishi had clearly set a high bar for everyone through his own example. His goal to resurrect Vedic Knowledge and end the world's suffering seems to be happening now, before our eyes, in India. The unfolding of Maharishi's beautiful dream is occurring now and on a grand scale. Yet I can't help but think this is only the beginning.

Jai Guru Dev
Krystle Liggins