The Dharma Internship Program has been the biggest highlight of my summer. Not only my summer but my life. There were three classes every week(Monday, Wednesday and Friday) . Every week, We would read assigned chapters of the Hindu Epic the Mahabharata and answer some multiple choice questions. On Mondays, we would talk about what we read and what we thought. It was wonderful to meet up with kids my age and older and get to know one another. My other favorite part were the webinars on Wednesdays where we met Hindu Role Models and learn about their journey to Sanatan Dharma or learn something new for example Hinduism during ancient periods and dynasties, Hinduphobia and how it can be stopped, or someone’s journey to Hinduism. After every webinar, I would feel inspired and go to bed happy thinking about what I learned. To me, virtual learning is usually boring. But attending the webinars, I was excited as I felt that I got my head in the game.
Finally, on fridays, we had shakhas. During these shakhas, we would all get together and hang out. First, we would start off with physical activities and team building games. A couple of the games were related to the concept of hinduism. One of my favorite games was temple run. We would get in two groups and run to a certain spot and pretend it was a temple. We would pretend to take our shoes off, pray, ring the bell, put on our shoes and run to our team and give the upcoming runner from our team a high five. These physical activities were normally led by students in the shakha meetings which was an opportunity for developing leadership. During these games, we would get to know each other and collaborate. Despite our differences, we made a great team. We would later have debates on important topics like the Russia/Ukraine war or debates on the Mahabharata. Doing these debates have helped me improve on my debating skills.
My other favorite part of DIP was article writing/content creation. We got so many options that it was so hard to choose. But then, I came to the conclusion that I was interested in writing an essay on my favorite character from the mahabharata, Arjuna. This was a fun project to work on and we would get volunteering credits after our article submission and grading. Since I like writing, I thought I would give it a shot. Although the process of researching, drafts, asking for references from my mom and typing took forever, it was pretty much worth it because my essay turned out successful and my favorite one I have written. I wrote two articles in six weeks of DIP that I published as a blog and also recorded on youtube.
Last but not least, Seva or selfless service is a very important part of DIP. It provided us opportunities of community service like benchmaking or volunteering at a festival coming pretty soon. When I was younger, I used to do some community service. But now, I’m glad that I’m getting more volunteer opportunities and learning to become a better leader. In the mahabharata, Dharmaraj asks Yudishtira who a true saint is and he answers saying that a “Philanthropic person is a saint.” By doing community service, you become a saint and find a key to happiness.
I have learnt so much as soon as I was admitted into DIP and reading the stories of the Mahabharata, Meeting new people, attending these webinars, participating in these shakhas, writing the essay’s and doing community service has changed my perspective of life and has changed me for good. The Dharma Internship Program has taught students to go back to their roots and find their way through Sanatan Dharma. Although DIP is over, I still look forward to learning more through shakhas and learning more about my faith. I would highly recommend this to any kid who comes from a Hindu background.
Last but not least, I am looking forward to the Presidential Volunteer Award for using my summer break for the Dharma Internship Program and several volunteer activities.