Chinmaya Amrit Yatra - Amar Chitra Katha Educates and Informs

On Wednesday, January 14th, of the auspicious year of  2026, our Brea Bala Vihar was given the amazing opportunity to reflect on our dear Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda's  story for Chinmaya Amrit Yatra - the 75th Anniversary of his teachings being spread around the world. This was beautifully illustrated in Gurudev's very own Amar Chithra Katha and our task was to discuss and expand upon the many points presented in the comic, going all the way from how Gurudev's experiences shaped his journey to discovering the essence of that which he worked so hard to deliver to us. 

Our event was headed by 2 of our very own Yuvakendra Students: Saikrishnan Sitaraman and Lakshay Raj, and was guided by the mentorship of our Brea Bala Vihar teachers: Kishore Billapati, Krishnaraj Pudukkottai, Jakan Janagadevan and Mohan Ramalingam, who were there to support the flow of discussion. After a brief introduction and an inspiring video of Gurudev being played, it was decided that a quick synopsis of the Amar Chitra Katha would be given in order to give everyone a chance to participate. As the summarized story of Gurudev was told, it was broken up into 5 segments where a few questions would be asked to make sure everyone was on the same page. This allowed the session to remain very interactive as both kids and adults were ready to answer questions while learning about his life. 

The climax of the event began after the reading, with a jeopardy-style game to allow both adults and kids to answer a multitude of questions and have discussions. The jeopardy table had no categories but there were 5 rows where the questions worth 100-300 points would be plot-based, such as “What was Gurudev’s nickname in his childhood?”, that weren’t too difficult to answer. When it came to the higher level questions worth 400-500 points, these would offer more philosophical questions that were geared towards being the spark for wonderful discussions. As the jeopardy began, it transformed from a simple game to a thought-provoking and thrilling environment to share our ideas. As both kids and adults stepped up to discuss and share their ideas, it seemed to fill everyone with liveliness and brightness. 

The two questions that provoked the most discussion were “Man minus ego = ?” and “Happiness = ?”. A number of kids and adults shared their perspective beyond the answers within the Amar Chitra Katha and combined their interpretation of Gurudev’s message along with their very own interpretation. It was truly a wonderful sight to see as everyone eagerly waited to share their opinions. In fact, so much was the curiosity and eagerness of our Brea chapter that we were unable to finish the entire jeopardy in the allotted time and had to move on to the final item of the evening. 

Our event finally ended as Jakan Janagadevan brought some final insightful questions and discussions to sum up everyone’s thoughts and leave a lasting impression of Gurudev’s message in everyone’s minds. An inspiring video of Gurudev was an excellent conclusion and send off from this amazing evening. Overall, the event was a huge success due to the effort of many students and teachers as well as the wonderful curiosity and knowledgeable members of our chapter. Through the guidance and support of all who attended the event, we all worked together to understand Gurudev’s life and the important message given to us through his perseverance and determination. We all try our best to apply this knowledge every single day. Hari Om!

--Saikrishnan Sitaraman