The campers were from 7 to 17 years, the 41 full- and part-time counselors a little older -college students or recent graduates, and the directors/coordinators still not 30. But they had several things in common: the desire to learn and teach about Hinduism; pride in their cultural heritage; the enthusiasm to make friends for life; and the will to come back next year, and the next, and the next.

Some have been attending the annual VHPA Camp for more than 20 years.

And what did the more than 166 young boys and girls say they learned in five days living together? That they are better Hindus, that they share and care, that they are not embarrassed to proclaim that they are proud Hindus, that they know more about their rich cultural heritage and that they have to contribute significantly to make their community, nation and the world a better place to live.
The bonus was that all of them had fun and a time well-spent.

The five-day annual Hindu Heritage Youth Camp organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, Houston chapter, at the sprawling Ida Gordon campsite in Richmond concluded on Sunday August 1, with short talks about the activities by campers and some of the counselors, singing of inspiring songs and tasty food cooked by prominent community activist ladies. Besides the participants, around three hundred parents were present to hear the ‘reports' and joyously take their wards home.

All the campers spent five days and nights at the campsite, sharing and caring for each other. They had day-long activities starting from early morning and ending late evening. The program included prayers, educational session, games, group discussions, yoga - and of course eating tasty and healthy food cooked by volunteering ladies led by Sushma Pallod and Heena Naik.

This was the 26th annual camp and all the campers I talked to enthusiastically said they will come back next year. Many had joined as campers, rose to be counselors and some are directors and coordinators.

I asked several young boys and girls what they learned in these five days. The common reply was: "A lot." That included the teachings of Hinduism such as the power of prayers, the common human bonds, sharing and caring, making life-long friends and preparing to face the future with discipline, understanding and greater confidence. Yes, they had fun and a lot of laughter; there was never a dull or boring moment, they said.

Ronak Shah, the Senior Coordinator, has been with the camp for more than two decades; starting in 1989 as a camper he rose to be a counselor and then coordinator. He said "In the beginning it was not easy to get a few dozen youth; now we have difficulty in accommodating all who want to join. The growth of the camps is very encouraging."

Asked to sum up his experience and results of the camp, Shah said it's to instill a sense of pride among the participants as Hindus, make friends to share knowledge, educate ourselves with India's great cultural heritage. It's an exciting experience seeing so many young people enthusiastically learning about religion and culture and participating in various creative activities.

Counselors Aditya, Anuj and Atul echoed the above views and added that four educational sessions daily have been important and the campers were also asked to give their input to make improvements and changes, if needed. Campers have been enthusiastically participating in all the activities, like stages of yoga, animal studies, and also interesting discussions about arranged marriages; there was even a mock wedding staged to familiarize participants with various rituals and their real meaning.

Aditya said it was great making fiends and also learning about and participating in various cultural activities, dances and singing. Sharing activities by living together for five days has been a rewarding experience, he added.

Sonu Gupta was a happy camper who said getting up early morning and participating in prayers, Surya Namaskar, Bhajans and other activities was enjoyable.

A first-timer Raejitha said she learnt Surya Namaskar and many things about Hinduism and now she can say with pride that she is a Hindu. For Tarushi this was the second camp and a nice experience to learn more about the religion and non-violence, marriage and moksha, among other things.

Several families had more than one child in the camp. Siddheshwar Gubba's son Subhash and daughter Geetanjali have been active participants, and so were Meghna and Karishma, daughters of Ervind and Rosie. They said it was an educational experience for the kids who come closer to our culture and learn what they could not at home, with parents busy in their work. The kids are excited about their experience.

Another couple, Purnima and Suresh Chaudhary, had also their two daughters, Neha and Sania and son Rohan in the camp. They said it's good to expose the kids to Hindu culture at such a camp where so many youth gather to have five days of learning experience.

Neeta Shukla served as camp doctor. She and her husband Urmil have been associated with the camp for about 17 years; their 18-year-old son, Indra was also one of the counselors and is a 15-year veteran of the camp. Neeta said in the campers are well looked after and encouraged more parents, especially physicians to volunteer

VHPA Houston President Pravinbhai Vyas said he was happy to see so many kids participating. He mentioned that till the last day there was enthusiastic response and the organizers had to say ‘no' to more than two dozen kids. He advised them to register well in advance next year to avoid disappointment.

Rishi Bhutada, senior director started as a camper and is now a 20-year veteran of the camp.

At the closing ceremony coordinator Kavita summed up the experience of the campers and counselors and said everyone wants to return next year to participate in creative activities that give them the right exposure, Hindu awareness and life-long friendship. They thanked the sponsors and supporters, the ‘cooking team,' community leaders such as the noted philanthropist, Ramesh Bhutada.

The program ended with the inspiring song Har Har Bam Bam, Hindu Bankure Hain Hum and a prayer.