Jain Center Los Angeles CA 2008 09 Pratishta Souvenior

Author(s): Jain Center So CA Los Angeles
Publisher: USA Jain Center Southern California

Page 147

Pathshala from the Beginning
Alisha Mehta
I started Pathshala when I was six years old. My teacher's name was Purvi Parikh. Pathshala was two hours long. First, we learned Navakar Mantra and other stutis. The name of my class was "Mommy and Me I." There were 24 children in my class. My class participated in the Mahavir Jayanti Program. I was a little scared but still participated in this program. At the end of the year, I was promoted to the "Mommy and Me II" class and received a certificate.
In "Mommy and Me II" class, my teachers were Heena Shah and Chetna Savla. During this class, we learned Trishalamata's fourteen dreams, the twenty-four Tirthankars and their symbols. I learned about the five senses: touch, smell, taste, vision and hearing. I also learned how to perform Navangi Puja. During Paryushun Parv, I performed again on the stage. At the end of the year, we made the Presentation Board with different types of candies that Jains can eat.
In my third year, I started Gujarati with Pathshala. My teachers in Pathshala were Dhiraj Dedhia and Joyti Dedhia. I learned more about the Jain religion and some sutras. At the end of the year we had a graduation garba. During these three years, I made new friends. The next year my Pathshala teacher was Amita Desai. She was a very good teacher and taught us about non-violence, how to draw Swastika and more Jain sutras.
This year I had three teachers. They taught us the meaning of Sathiyo, how many Kalyanaks in the Tirthankar's life, and also explained the cycle of birth. We had to do a presentation on different tirths. My presentation was Palitana Tirth, Rushabhav Dev Bhagavan.
Pathshala and Gujarati school at the Jain Center is really fun. I enjoy going to my classes and learning about my culture and religion. In the last five years, I have made lots of new friends, participated in many stage programs, and I look forward to learning a lot more about my religion.
Alisha Mehta is a Pathshala student and the winner of the essay competition in the 7-9 age group.
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