GCL was held on January, Sunday 22 from 8 am to 9.30am. 6000 children from the city participated in this competition at 12 centres across the city with all zeal and enthusiasm. Spiritual leader His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj addressed the participants after the exam in ISKCON Girgaum Chowpatty Temple.

There are 108 prizes to be won. The results will be announced on February 26 at the award ceremony which is planned in Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan Auditorium.

The contest was presented as multiple-choice questions based on the first six chapters of the Bhagavad Gita.  The question paper was in English, Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati languages. Duration of the contest was for an hour there were two Groups in the GCL.

His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj said, “Our children are our future. We need to protect them, nourish and develop their minds to help them walk the path of leadership. Even a superficial analysis of the variety of exposures a child receives today is enough to scare us about their future. Children’s minds are like sponges that can absorb anything dropped into it. The television, movies and the internet together expose the child to violence, pornography and insanity that the child can easily get influenced and succumb.”

Swamiji further explained, “The solution is to give a positive and morale-boosting exposure to children, help them remain focused; assist them in taking ethical decisions, empower them to think with a balanced mind, as there is a hidden Arjuna in every child. We should be able to search that Arjuna in the child and allow him to grow. This can be best done with the teachings of Bhagavad Gita. Many management colleges have already implemented courses based on Bhagavad Gita in their curriculum, to shape the future managers.”