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The Bhavan's Chennai Kendra was established in 1958 with the blessings of Paramacharya, His Holiness Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.
The activities of the Kendra are conducted in three different places in the city :
(1) Mylapore - Main Kendra Complex
(2) Kilpauk - Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram, a CBSE Senior Secondary School
(3) T.Nagar Sub-Centre
NEWS & EVENTS
The Diwali issue of Bhavan’s Journal dated November 1-15 was released on October 31, 2023, by the Governor of Tamil Nadu Shri R. N. Ravi at a function held in the Bhavan’s Auditorium, Chennai, on the occasion of the 148th Jayanti of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Swami Gautamanandaji Maharaj, Vice President, Sri Ramakrishna Math & Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math and Hon’ble Mr Justice Sanjay Vijaykumar Gangpurwala, Chief Justice, Madras High Court received the Independence Issue of Bhavan’s Journal from Sri K. N. Ramaswamy, Director, Bhavan’s Chennai Kendra in a function held on August 13, 2023. Many dignitaries including High Court Judges received the copies. Mr. Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetty, Vice Chairman and Sri M. Murali, Secretary of the Kendra were also present on the occasion.
ASTRA 2023 took place on July 6–7, 2023, in the premises of Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram. This year, the theme of the extravaganza event revolved around the retro spheres of ‘Red Carpet’.
Astra ’23 received registrations from over 40 schools and saw the participation of nearly 1,000 students. A total of 28 events took place over the span of two days, with the prize pool being over Rs.2.5 lakhs. The submission events including art, film parody and photography, captured the essence of the retro theme, Red Carpet. Futsal and OneMoreRep were a part of fitness events, dance, bands, adaptune, etc., which captured the audience with the creative skills showcased. These were followed by humorous and oratory events such as Channel surfing, adzap, green screen and many more.
The chief guest for the Inauguration Ceremony was Prof. Dr. Vijayshankar, a renowned ophthalmologist. The chief guest for the valedictory ceremony was Smt. Nikki Galrani, a renowned Indian actress who is famed for her commendable performances in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam films.
Astra’s very own signature events included Sherlocked (murder mystery event), Stun News (journalism), and Stock Market (investment event). This year, a brand new signature event named ‘Six Flags’ was introduced. The food stalls, which were set up on both the days of the event, were restaurants such as Wraps and Rolls, Belgian Waffle, RedBox, Barrocco, Sandburg and Domino’s Pizza.
Sanjay Balaji of SBOA School and Junior College won the title of Mr. Astra for the year 2023-24 in the Final Showdown event. The runner-up was Yohan Tharakan of SBOA School and Junior College. SBOA School and Junior College subsequently won the overall winner’s award.
The 44th Annual Sports Day of Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram was held on July 27, 2023, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The programme started with an impressive and synchronised march-past by the members of the Student Council, RSP, Scouts, Guides and Bulbuls, Class 5 students and students of the four houses.
The Chief Guest of the inaugural function, Sri. T. Senthil Kumar, IPS, Inspector General of Police, Chennai, declared the sports meet open and handed over the Olympic torch to the torch bearers who have excelled in various sports.
The Chief Guest’s motivational speech was peppered with interesting stories and anecdotes.
The rhythmic vibrancy of the aerobics, the harmonious fluidity of the yogasanas, the gravity-defying pyramid formation and the nimbleness and agility of the Tabata performers were mesmeric and captivating. The Chief Guests of the valedictory function, Dr. Smt. Aarathy Kasturiraj and Sri. Sandeep Warrier, distributed the prizes to the winners.
The Rajaji inter-school elocution and essay competitions were conducted by the Chennai Kendra at Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram on June 30 and July 1, 2023.
These annual competitions quintessentially create an awakening in our youngsters of India’s rich cultural ethos and an awareness of the venerated ideologies of our glorious forefathers.
More than 150 students from 25 CBSE schools participated in the competitions held in Tamil, English, Hindi and Sanskrit, and were judged by a panel of people eminent in their respective fields.