KOCHI: Unlike in the past, when the ritual of ‘Vidyarambham’ was performed at temples by gurus or priests, today it has become a big thing with events being organised on a large scale. However, a Christian institution at Vaduthala in Kochi heralded this wind of change way back in 1996. The Don Bosco Youth Centre at Vaduthala, which is made up of people from all walks of life and age, organised the programme staying true to its motto ‘All are one’.
“Though the centre functions on a campus that has a church, it is a unique institution that has a very secular nature,” said C J Joseph, general secretary of the Youth Centre. According to him, since its establishment, the centre has been organising Vidyarambham every year for the past 27 years.
“Late Fr Thomas Augustine, who was the director of Don Bosco Youth Centre in 1996, gave permission for the conduct of the event. The very first Vidyarambham was led by author C P Sreedharan and K S Radhakrishnan. That event might have been the last one attended by C P Sreedharan,” said Joseph.
Joseph said the youth centre was founded in 1956. “The aim of the centre is to send across the message that people from different religions, castes, races and creeds can work together for the betterment of society. To do that it was decided to organise Vidyarambham on its campus,” he added. The very first Vidyarambham saw over 600 tiny tots being introduced to the world of letters, said Joseph.