Hawan Group Introduction

Who We Are?

The main goal of the Hawan group is personal, religious and spiritual growth of kids. It is formed to encourage the youth in our families to become familiar with the Hindu culture and the Vedic heritage. In the process they also imbibe the values that are inherent in our culture. Most of the children, who, over the years, have attended the monthly hawans, attribute their successes to their participation in the monthly hawans.

What We Do?

The group meets on the last Sunday of every month at one of the members’ houses. If the last Sunday happens to be part of a long weekend, then it meets on the previous weekend. The hawan starts promptly at 11:00 AM and everyone is encouraged to arrive a few minutes early. Everyone is welcome to participate in the hawan, even if one is not a regular member of the group.

Our Focus on Kids

Every month, children are given an assignment. At the end of the hawan ceremony, they get up in front of the group and present what they have prepared. It could be as simple as a single line [by very young members] or detailed presentations [by senior members] on the assigned topic.

Special Programs

Here are some of the special events we celebrate:

• Summer Picnic: we kick off the summer with a picnic, which is usually combined with the June’s monthly hawan.
• Parents Day: while there is no day or even moment in life when we should not be thanking our parents, we have dedicated the month of July to our parents. At this month’s hawan, parents are admired, adored,, praised, and worshipped by their children.
• Annual Function: during the summer months (usually August), there is a community lunch (preeti bhoj) and cultural program.
• End-of-year revision: in the month of December, the children present the summary of their year-long learning using different means such as powerpoint presentations, skits, poems, posters, projects. We also use different creative ways to make this a fun-filled learning exercise.
• In summer, the group also hosts a two-day off-site camp.

Contact

For hosting Hawan, please contact Harsh Mendiratta (contact information is in the attached Hawan Book).