Home Away from Home

WRITTEN BY : KRIPA CHANDRAN

One highlight of the whole Vistarika experience was being able to spend time in the family-shakha and with balas again. While I love working on yuva vishay, it was refreshing to go back to family-shakha and do activities with them again. I was a part of two Hindu Heritage Camps with WA and British Columbia vibhags and helped conduct a weekly Balagokulam in Portland. It renewed my admiration for karyakartas who are able to balance the work with their family and work lives.

Another major highlight in my time as a Vistarika was working on Charaiveti, the HY Summit in Chicago. It was exhilarating seeing this idea that had come up in our yuva baithak in October actually take place from September 9-11. HY@15, the 15th anniversary since the first registered Hindu YUVA chapter, was the perfect time to do it as well. It was wonderful participating and working with the planning team over the course of three to four months to make the most of the day and a half that we had to share as many relevant sessions and experiences with the chapter representatives as we could. It was amazing seeing everyone figure out how they could grow as a campus organizer and as someone who can work with all aspects of society later in life.

I can now confidently say that I have family in the NW, people I can reach out to at any time and feel comfortable staying with and working with. Being a Vistarika changed my perspective of Sangh work, and I can’t wait to see how I can more get involved in the future.

I remember having full-time Sangh volunteers stay at my house when I was younger. They would stop by for a night on their way to a Varg or a similar event. I thought that it was so inspiring that someone would dedicate a part of their life to Sangh and to service, and I distinctly remember wishing to do exactly that in future. After finishing college, I started working and became more involved with the Yuva Vishay. I experienced how different Yuva work in the family shakhas and how the flavor of Sangh work changed across the Sambhags as well.

Last summer, I was talking to a Karyakarta at a cafe about my plans for the future and he casually asked me if I wanted to consider going as a Vistarika. Sitting there with my iced coffee, I wasn’t sure, but as the days went by, I kept thinking about it. I kept remembering my childhood wish to have a full-time service experience, and soon I found myself telling my Sambhag Karyavaha that I wanted to be a Vistarika.

I started in late January, just as Shakhas went from online to in-person. In the Bay Area, Shakhas were still virtual when I left, but Yuva Shakhas were still meeting in person. When I first started in the NW, I was able to attend every Shakha in the Sambhag in one weekend, thanks to Zoom. Over the course of that first month, I saw the Shakhas encourage in-person meetings. All of us adjusted to being in person for the first time in about 2 years. Some families had started interacting virtually and were intrigued at the way aachar paddhati translated to the in-person experience. People were thrilled to be back in person and to play games and spend time together.

Kripa Chandran

Shakha: Yuva shakha, Seattle, WA Hobby: Enjoys hiking, yoga and trying new recipes

About Vistarikaship

One of the many ways you can contribute to society is by being a HSS Vistarak/Vistarika. Students live in other volunteers' home (Shakha Parivar) and participate in the local Shakha outreach activities.