The global winter holiday season is filled with fun, travel, wishes for the new year and a spiritual atmosphere all around. Here is a glimpse into how the global Santulan family celebrates this time of togetherness!
Christmas Eve – Atmasantulana Village, Karla
The annual Xmas Market was filled with food and fun from 6 pm onwards, as the sun began to set. The Santulan kitchen set up a large food stall serving a number of goodies. With aloo tikki, idli and chutney, as the savouries, and cake with cream and a seemingly endless menu of Xmas cookies (8 flavours) to choose from the street food style service was a big hit! Even the Panchakarma patients could eat lahya chiwda and aloo tikki, and so, had a blast.
The Atmasantulana Music Group filled the air with Christmas Carols and were joined by enthusiastic patients and visitors on stage. Tanishka Tambe impressed us all, as usual, with her soulful voice in praise of Lord Jesus Christ. The audience participated heartily in a game of Tambola or lottery, laughing all the way. And finally, Santa Claus paid a visit to the Atmasantulana Village with little gifts for all the children in the land. We are very lucky that he always chooses to visit us every year…
The Sylvester Seminar at Hamburg in Germany
The tradition of Shreeguru Dr. Balaji Tambe’s annual Sylvester Seminar was reignited after a gap of two years at the very same Elsa Brandström Haus, the venue for all Sylvester Seminars since the beginning. The theme was the Life in Balance Movement.
Participants came from all over Germany and Switzerland and there were a couple of new, young faces in Jan and Ronja from the Ahrensburg SOM group. Several people commented on how the house retained Shreeguruji’s energy and made it easy for the seminar to take place. At the planning stage, it seemed unclear whether the seminar would even take place. Finally, 40 people filled the hall and rooms, restarting a wonderful tradition. Shreeguruji’s picture was installed on his regular seat, as the centrepiece on stage, and all the session speakers were placed to one side, addressing both the audience, and Shreeguruji.
The excitement of meeting each other after a long time gathered into a concentrated energy as the opening prayer of the seminar began. The group was together again, listening and learning from Shreeguruji. The Seminar was largely led by Shri Sanjay Tambe. His opening comments set the stage for the sessions. He selected and played from Shreeguruji’s Satsang videos and special meditations throughout the seminar, sent by the Atmasantulana Village team. He also performed the daily SOM Havan session at 10 am every morning as well as a Yadnya, with the online presence and mantra chanting of Shri Balkrishna Pujari Guruji, for the success of everyone present at the seminar. His son, Shri Anurag Pujari, who has earned a high degree of proficiency in Vedic Astrology then offered a short guidance session for the year ahead.
The introductory session of LIBM (Life In balance Movement) was conducted by Karan Makhija who took the participants through the details of the purpose behind the modules, based on the Philosophy of Life In Balance, as written by Shreeguruji.
Module Moderators
Module 01 – Brigitte Heinrich, Sanjay Tambe
Module 02 – Peter Kath, Everlyn Wutz
Module 03 – Winfried Herzog, Sabina Teich-Ihde
Module 04 – Thomas Trinter, Ina Anton
Each of the activities was presented in great detail by the pair of moderators, drawing from personal experience, illustrating with images and even some photos of themselves doing the activities. Each module had a Q&A with the moderators, along with Sanjay Tambe and Karan Makhija participating in the answers, when required. The involvement of the moderators as well the deep attention paid to their work by the participants created a highly concentrated learning atmosphere.
The New Year’s Eve Party had the participants letting their hair down amid a number of near impromptu performances – by Sabina and the Ahrensburg group, Arjun, Sigrida and others. A fireworks show was followed by some disco dancing fun!
Ulla Sachers supported all the Havan and prayer sessions on the harmonium. Smt. Veena Tambe conducted a Ramraksha Stotra singing session which was appreciated by all. Her cooking demonstration was a fantastic experience for the participants. She taught the group how to make a potato-mangold vegetable and a moong dal chilla. Participants not only paid great attention but also asked her a number of practical questions. We thank her for sharing her immense knowledge with the patience and care of a mother.
Morning Yoga sessions were conducted by Thomas Trinter. Everlyn and Andrea led the overall administrative effort and Jeanette Tambe was in charge of food management. An Indian restaurant in Hamburg did a great job of catering and served Ayurvedic food that was healthy and delicious. Each breakfast was done by Smt. Veenaji and Ulla, with the supporting kitchen team.
Barry O’Reilly conducted a wonderful and deeply learned session on Vedic Astrology for the year ahead and how we could apply some of these guidelines to various aspects of our lives. The questions were flowing thick and fast and had to be curtailed for paucity of time. The last session was taken by the team at Santulan Veda who had helped organise the seminar, and participants expressed their opinions and spoke of their happiness at how we were all able to come together and go ahead as a community. At the close, a meditation by Shreeguruji ended the seminar with a Shanti invocation. As farwells were said, some had tears in their eyes and a renewed resolve to move ahead bigger and better, year after year.
We hope to see all participants and those who could not make it, at the Pfingsten seminar at Santulan Aum Kurzentrum in June.
New Year’s Eve At Atmasantulana Village
To ring in the New Year the residents and patients at the Atmasantulana Village got together to create an evening of entertainment.
Tanishka Tambe took to the as the star entertainer throughout, as she was joined, one by one, by the other artists among the residents. Peter finally gave us a demonstration of his talent on the guitar. The patients and residents created a variety program telling jokes and stories all ending in a group dance. Shri Sunil Tambe and Dr. Malvika Tambe performed a song accompanied by Priti on the saxophone and Tanishka on the piano. This was followed by NIrada Gaumann, Beatrice and Yana taking to the stage.
The Sky Centre was awash with colour and the spirit of cheer for the coming year. We thank all the participants for making the evening a great success and wish all our readers a very happy and successful 2023!