My American Gandhi Camp

The Gandhi Camp held at Chinmaya Mission’s Krishnalaya retreat in Piercy, California this summer was an incredible experience for me. It allowed me to enjoy a new kind of interaction with people who practice the same customs as I do, yet were as American as I am. 

Just on my first full day of camp, I realized how different this would be. From waking up early to exercise and meditate, to saying multi-faith prayers in the evenings, the camp created an inclusive environment. I am a practicing Jain and knowing the main prayers offered an opportunity to lead the Jain section of the prayers. Even though Bay Area where I live is culturally diverse the experience of reciting prayers together from major world religions like Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism, Judaism, etc. was unique.

After yoga and prayers, we all listened to traditional stories with hints of life lessons like gratitude, forgiving, non-violence (ahimsa), respect, self-help, and more. Though the stories shared by a spiritual guide and volunteer Prasad uncle originated from traditional Indian lore, the values seemed American. We touched upon influences of Martin Luther King, Peace Pilgrims, Mother Teresa and Gandhian Subba Rao who founded the camp in the 1980s. We had guest speakers live on Zoom and sang camp songs. We also journaled, storing our rich thoughts for later reflection.

Every day, we practiced “karma yoga” for 3 hours in the mornings. After breakfast, we broke into small groups to work on our assigned tasks. Service-learning included trail blazing, mural painting, cooking and serving. On my first day, painting cabin walls seemed tough but as we progressed into the week, I started bonding with my groupmates and karma yoga became joyful teamwork. We arrived at the kitchen for lunch usually famished after karma yoga and an optional swim in the adjoining Eel River.

I am a vegetarian and lack of food choices has kept me away from joining multi-week American summer camps with my school friends. Aligned with values of non-violence and live and let live, volunteer aunties offered us a variety of delicious and nutritious food.

After lunch (which was always a different non-Indian cuisine every day), we would play cricket. Volleyball and badminton were popular at the camp where tech usage was discouraged. Counselors organized outdoor group games every evening and once pranked us by spraying water on all of us. The main organizer of the camp Abhay Bhushan uncle participated enthusiastically. Being able to cheer for my new friends and share some Indian cultural nuances with each other helped forge special bonds. Talent shows, jeopardy, singing and garba made it memorable.

Something completely out of the ordinary sparked me one night. After filling up with milk and cookies we headed to the grounds for stargazing, something I had no particular interest in prior to the camp. I decided to see what it was all about. Away from big city light pollution, the night sky in Piercy was so dark that we saw the milky way – it was completely visible! I learnt about constellations from a helpful camp counselor who had knowledge about astronomy. Being able to just look up and see so many different stars and believe it or not, satellites orbiting the planet, was such a relaxing way to calm down and reflect about my day. I found stargazing to be one of the most peaceful activities I had ever done. I continue to go outside my home in the evenings, to look up at the stars even if just for five minutes. One night, we saw an incredible meteor burn up in the atmosphere – such a beautiful sight in nature.

During the 3-hour drive from the Bay Area to Piercy this summer, I was a bit anxious about living in a cabin for a week, not knowing anyone and what to expect. Upon arrival I was welcomed by an adult volunteer and helped to my room. The greeting in familiar Hindi put me at ease. I chose to and loved interacting with volunteers at the camp in mostly Hindi.

On the last day, I was feeling extremely disappointed that we had to leave along with so many other emotional campers. I wanted to stay longer. I often remember Gandhi camp and look forward to attending again next summer.

The outdoor camp completed 38 years this year. Hosted amidst many acres in the woods at Krishnalaya, Piercy, CA, it is offered by the India Community Center each summer.

About the Author

Shreyans Jain is a 10th grader at Crystal Springs Uplands School where he enjoys Robotics. He loves swimming and is a certified lifeguard. He likes learning languages such as Spanish, music, and Java. He finds cooking enjoyable and has developed a new hobby – star gazing.