Srjuana Dunnara makes a presentation on famous scientists.

The Second Ashirwad Vedic Fair will be held on Saturday Feb. 23, 2013 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy.

A free event for all, where participants will make heritage presentation on Gods, Leaders, Philosophy, Sports, Festivals, Traditions including Inter-faith. Heritage presentations will be a part of competition in 3 age categories, below 10, above 10 and Adults.

In each category winner will take home $350 & runner up $150. Each presenter will receive a gift for participating. Other highlights of the Fair include Visa to Vaikunt, Vedic Walk with Mahabharat theme, Arjun – The Chosen, a play by Kusum Sharma & Concept by Geetha Ravula & dance away in Raas with live band.

Ten year old Srujana Dunnara who presented “Famous Indian scientists and their discoveries” shared her first Vedic Fair experience in her own words.

She said, “I have been going to Ashirwad for 3 years now. My love for science and India made me think about the discoveries in the field of science by Indian Scientists, that’s why I chose ‘The Famous Indian scientists and their discoveries.’

“In fact several inventions and discoveries believed to have been originated from the western world, have been studied many centuries earlier by our ancestors.

“Famous ancient Indian astronomer, Aryabhata (476 – 500 BC) defined the shape of the earth, the movement of the Earth around the Sun and he pointed out the importance of zero.

Sushruta (600 B.C) is known as “The Father of Plastic Surgery and the science of anesthesia”. Acharya Kanada (600 B.C) was a genius philosopher and is known as “The Father of the Atomic Theory.” “Acharya Charaka’s (600 B.C) work titled “Charaka Samhita” is considered an encyclopedia of Ayurveda and is considered “The Father of Medicine.”

“Acharya Bharadwaja (800 B.C) was the pioneer in aviation technology. His discoveries in aerospace science and flying machines like one that flies on the earth from one place to another, the other travels from one planet to another, and another that travels from one universe to another.

“Bhaskaracharya (1114 – 1183 B.C) was a great discoverer, also a mathematician and astronomer, known for his findings on planetary positions and occurrences of eclipses and cosmography.

“Varahamihira (499 – 587 B.C) was a renowned astrologer and astronomer, and has revealed discoveries in the domain of geography, constellations, botany, and animal science. The list can go on and on.

“Although I might have had a rough week at school, I always look forward to Saturday morning that is when I go to Ashirwad. Our chief teacher, Mrs. Geetha Ravula always teaches us something new each week such as how we can make ourselves and the society better, limbs of yoga, way of life, and how souls travel from one body to another, most importantly self-realization and the way she teaches feels like I want to stay there forever. Our teacher always inspires us to do our best, in Ashirwad and at school. I had participated in first Vedic fair 2012 held on Saturday Feb. 11, 2012.

“The First Vedic Fair gave me a bird’s eye view on various aspects of India such as civilization, significance of festivals, culture, mythology, famous people in Indian history and their contributions to the society. This awakened an interest in me to explore and learn more about these various topics. I think this event helps kids from our generation to learn more about our culture, heritage, and contributions to the world. “

One of the presenters at Vedic Fair 2012, Rithika Ravishankar (12 yrs. old) presented the Vishnu Sahasra Nama Stotram sloka “Bhoopadhau Yasya Nabhir.”

This sloka was recited by Bheeshma to Yudhishtira in the Anushaasana Parva in the Mahabharata. This sloka was about Vishnu’s appearance and what each of his celestial items symbolized.

For example, the sloka states, “…Sun and the Moon are His eyes. Directions are His ears, and the Heaven is His head.” She said, I made a model of Vishnu with all the symbolism as the sloka had stated. During this presentation, I learned about Vishnu’s various appearances and symbolism.

Rithika said, “the Vedic Fair is very important because in this generation, not many people know about our Indian culture and traditions and it is important to know about our culture. I think people should encourage these kinds of opportunities that we get. I benefitted a lot from the Vedic Fair. I learned a lot about different aspects of Hinduism. I also had the experience of presenting in front of an audience, which helped me a lot in school presentations and others, too. I really enjoyed the Vedic Fair because I got to learn about my culture. “

Many people ask me, “Why do you go to heritage classes?” I really enjoy going to heritage and sloka classes because I love learning about Hinduism and also like chanting slokas. Going to these classes and Indian events means a lot to me, mainly because I like them and I enjoy everything about them.”