Maha Kirtan ^2

The final schedule should be available tomorrow. The event runs from 1pm - 8pm, and includes all the local favorites, as well as special guests kirtan brothers Bikram and Bacchu Srestha and Tina Hirani from Sydney, and Lila Kirtan from Byron Bay. Kalindi from the Gold Coast will also be there to talk about Kuli Mela Australia 2010.

The next Maha Kirtan at the Brisbane temple will be accompanied by a parallel program for kids, called "Maha Kirtan for kids".

I was telling Param Satya about the Maha Kirtan schedule and she said to me that she would be better off staying at home doing something, because otherwise Prahlad will just be running around the whole day, and she will have to keep an eye on him, so either way there will be no Maha Kirtan for her.

So I started thinking about the situation. Here is the program that we are doing:

• A parallel program to the Maha Kirtan specifically for the kids.
• It is run in shifts by different people, who engage the kids in different activities.
• There is always a rostered supervisor making sure that the program runs properly, as well as the helpers who are doing different things (so we need someone with the overall vision there the whole time).
• There is enough variety in the program to keep the kids engaged for the whole day.
• There are snack times so the kids don't get hungry.
• There is a certificate for each kid for attendance on the day
• There are different stickers that are awarded for different activities. By completing the activities the kids are awarded stickers, which go on their certificate.
• At different times the activity can be to participate in the kirtan for 10 - 20 minutes. Stickers can be awarded for singing in one kirtan, for clapping and singing in another kirtan, and for dancing in a third one.
• There is be a story time.
• There is a kids' kirtan.
• There is some sloka memorization.
• There are running around activities outside periodically (treasure hunt, etc).

Having the stickers adds achievement and competition to the whole thing, which will help to keep them engaged. If we make optional streams, for example by having several periods where the kids can choose from a variety craft activities to complete from a pool of different ones, then it won't be possible to rank them according to the stickers, because each one will be unique.

Basically we make it an awesome, memorable event for the kids, and treat it like a highly organized birthday party / play center.

Parents who put their children in the program can then participate in the kirtan when they are not rostered on for the program. So in other words, for rostering on and helping out for an hour or two with the kids program you get to have your child engaged in a Krishna Consciousness way the whole day, and you can participate in the kirtan for the rest of the time.

People who come with children but were not contacted to be rostered on can put their kids in anyway, because we don't want any kids roaming about - they will distract the others.