The 4th Hindu Youth Conference was held on April 16, 2005, on the beautiful campus of the College of Staten Island. The day was filled with exciting activities organized by yuva, for yuva. The theme for the day was Modernized India, which portrayed India’s accomplishments in modern times in the eyes of the world. There were about 60 youths attending the conference.
The conference commenced sharply at 9:00AM with a nourishing breakfast. The 1st session commenced with a vigorous sharirik session. The games played used skills such as teamwork, coordination and just plain luck. The other sharirik session was a bit diverse from the norm, Niyudha 101. Niyudha is the term used for ancient Indian karate. Interestingly, along with learning niyudha and practicing with a partner, there was a blend of combining rhythm to the moves of niyudha during practice. Having niyudha as a sharirik session added a lemon twist to the classic Pepsi.
The conference was not all games, but there were also baudhik sessions. There was an excellent presentation done by Anusha and Shivani Shreedhar on the progress of India, which was a follow up to the last Youth Conference, which showed India’s advancements in ancient times. The presentation showed aspects such as fashion, Bollywood, literature and last but certainly not the least technology. Followed by this presentation, there was a presentation of the Sangha Shiksha Varg (SSV) held in summer of 2004.
Attendees of the SSV spoke of their experience at the Varg and encouraged all to attend the next SSV. There were also group discussions that reflected topics that Hindu youths face in the outside world. Something new was tried this conference, a new session: Act Like Parents. There would be situations set up where some youths acted like parents and some others like kids and each would try to work out the situation trying to understand each other’s points of views. The baudhik sessions gave out knowledge in different aspects, which made the attendees of the conference think.
At the end there was a special peak event, a jeopardy-type quiz. Teams competed each other in the knowledge of the scriptures, India, and pop culture. The closing session included a powerful inspiration mini-speech by Rudra Upadhyay. Youths made a lot of friends and gained knowledge that would be beneficial for future life. The purpose of the Yuva Sangam was a huge success.