By Fr Nathaniel George SDB for BIS Mumbai

“Please submit your phones and they will be given to you at the end of the day.” Was the first thing the youngsters heard just before Youth Fest began. The youth of the Nagar region, gathered together at St John the Baptist Church, Bhingar, for the annual youth program which included the youth from the Salesian parishes of St Anne’s, Ahilyangar and St John Bosco, Savedi. The youth were apprehensive however they decided to give this little stunt a try.

‘Do whatever he tells you’ was the theme chosen for the day. Based on the Strenna, the aim was to apply this motto for the youngsters in our parishes. The program began with meaningful prayer service which set the theme for day. Fr Richard Burkhao SDB, the youth delegate for the Nagar region, presented the theme in his session which focused on elaborating the words of the Rector Major, Fr Fabio Attard SDB. He emphasised on the need to listen to our mind and hearts in a very conscious way. The need to deliberately detach oneself from the vicious circle of opinions generated from suggestions of media generated content and intentionally make decisions for oneself was main crux of the talk. Look, Listen, Choose and Act was the method that Fr Richard proposed to the youth basing his talk on the biblical narrative of the miracle at the wedding at Cana, where one chooses to follow Jesus by listening to his voice.

The next session was given by Br Wensel a Jesuit who is currently based in the Nandurbar mission. The youth were enlightened by a very interactive session on how to recognise and deal with stress. With constant real-life examples and creative games and handouts, he managed to keep the youngsters hooked. His talk dealt with biology, emotions and practical ways to deal with mental, physical and emotional stress.

As the day proceeded into the afternoon, the holy mass was celebrated with well animated liturgy and youthful singing. The main celebrant, the rector of St Anne’s Parish, Ahilyanagar, Fr McEnroe Lopes SDB in his own unique way gave a spiritual bent to the theme. The need to become God’s ‘PARTNER’ (an acronym which sketched a roadmap to listening and participating in the fulfilment of God’s plan).

The final session was a purely interactive one. Two resource persons, Mrs Mukta Lokhande and Mr Karan Thombe, shared their experiences on how they achieved the success in their fields. Mrs Mukta is an A-class officer while Mr Karan has been placed in the Ammunitions Department in his capacity as an engineer. Intelligent and insightful questions by the youth showed not only their involvement in this session but also their admiration for these young achievers.

“It is in the playground that a boy reveals his true self,” is what Don Bosco once told his Salesians. The afternoon games displayed the determination to win, the love for fun and energy of the young which can be only seen to be believed. The fest was a grand success not because everyone submitted their phones and lived without them the whole day but because everyone experienced the camaraderie one finds at the end of a day spent well.