47 students along with 3 faculty members namely Asst. Prof. Harsh Shukla, Asst. Prof. Anaya Markandeya and Asst. Prof. Tushar Pawar of Mahatma Night Degree College of Arts & Commerce boarded Hussain Sagar Express on 6th December, 2017. Next day we de-boarded the train at Vikarabad Station from where we took the bus for Kanha Shanti Vanam. After reaching Kanha Shanti Vanam students were allotted their room. After lunch students were given general instructions about the programme and they sat for their first meditation session. Mr. Sridhar Thoda, Mrs. Seema Tripathi from Heartfullness Institute were the instructors for the program and Dr. Nivedita Shreyans from Pillai Institute of Management Studies and research, accompanied us in the Kanha Shantivana. Dr. Nivedita Shreyans introduced the importance of meditation as a way of life to students to enhance survival skills in this competitive world. Because of the efforts of our instructor and Dr. Nivedita Sreyans, in the evening students got an opportunity to meet with spiritual guru Daji. Students asked many questions to Daji and he resolved all the queries on mediation. One of the question asked in the question answer session that how to control thoughts during mediation, spiritual guru Daji said that we need not to pay any attention to any thoughts, we just need to relax and thus slowly thoughts will disappear.
On next day all the students along with faculty assembled at meditation hall at 6 a.m. in the morning. After 45 minutes of meditation, students went to nursery. In the nursery students were given general information about the various plants and they helped in re-planting small plants from small plastic bags to bigger ones. Breakfast was arranged in the same place. Later on students went for bath and followed by their lunch in the canteen area. The evening session was a brainstorming one where students were given more information about mediation and its benefit. In the evening session, students share their personal family problems and they were assured that they can benefit if they continue meditation for a long time. After the session students spent some leisure time around the campus and then went for dinner. The next day same routine was followed and in the evening Vineet Ranawat sir showed us the entire Kanha Shantivanam campus. Kanha Shativanam spread into 1100 acres of land and has an enormously large infrastructure. It’s a heaven for meditators. This place is full of meditators from Indian and abroad. The last day of the programme saw great enthusiasm from students about the various meditation sessions they have attended so far and they all seemed very happy about the way the programme was conducted and the benefits they have received from it. Some of the students shared their experiences. They said that the feel very relax and light. They were feeling inner peace which was hard to find in the city life. Further, they promised that they will continue meditation in Mumbai as well. On 11th December, we went for sightseeing at Hyderabad wherein we visited Golconda Fort, Charminar and Hussain Sagar Lake. In the evening we caught Mumbai Mail from Hyderabad station for coming back to Mumbai.