Mahamastakabisheka

Shravanabelagola/Sravanabelagola is one of the most important Jain tirth (a sacred place) of the Jains in South . It is a place of great importance from the point of pilgrimage and also archeological and religious heritage. The place derives its name from the point that Shravana or Shramana means a Jain ascetic and Belagola or Biliya Kola means white pond.

Mahamasthakabhisheka, the head anointing ceremony is performed once in 12 years to the 57 feet tall monolithic statue of Lord at .

The Bharat Scouts and Guides are actively rendering services during mega festivals and Fairs. We have been rendering our services during Mahamastakabhisheka since 1960s . However they were limited to few hundreds and for 7 days only. This is the first time in the History that a month long services has been planned and implemented successfully. This is a great Visibility to Rovering has been the right way to Celebrate 100 Years of Rovering. The Highlight of the Service camp was the Launch of “Food For Future” project which is an initiative to ensure food wastage is reduced. And this Campaign has created a Great Impact.

Participants

In this month long event a total of 3610 Rovers, Rangers and Adult leaders rendered the services; The Teams participated in batches of 5 days, 7 days and 15 Days. They rendered service from 5 Am until 12 in the midnight. On an average each Rover had rendered 10 Hours of service in a day in 2 shifts. The Below is the Details of Batches and Participants.

Sl Name of the Event Date Total Participants 1 Service Camp Batch 1 4 Feb - 8 Feb 2018 225 2 Service Camp Batch 2 8 Feb - 12 Feb 2018 291 3 Service Camp Batch 3 12 Feb - 16 Feb 2018 351 4 Indaba cum Service Camp 15 Feb - 20 Feb 2018 46 5 Service Camp Batch 4 - NHQ 15 Feb - 20 Feb 2018 242 6 Service Camp Batch 5 16 Feb - 20 Feb 2018 673 7 Service Camp Batch 6 20 Feb - 24 Feb 2018 641 8 Service Camp Batch 7 - NHQ 20 Feb - 27 Feb 2018 180 9 Service Camp Batch 8 24 Feb - 28 Feb 2018 567 10 HWB Meet cum Service Camp 25 Feb - 1 Mar 2018 99 11 HWB Meet Staff 25 Feb - 1 Mar 2018 11 12 Service Team Batch 1 4 Feb - 1 Mar 2018 37 13 Service Team Batch 2 4 Feb - 1 Mar 2018 63 14 Service Team Batch 3 4 Feb - 1 Mar 2018 71 15 Camp Staff 4 Feb - 1 Mar 2018 48 16 Camp Setup team 18 Jan – 3 Mar 2018 65 Total 3610

The Service Camp was conducted with the Guidance of the State Chief Commissioner Shri. P G R Sindhia and Mr. L T Lokesh, State Training Commissioner(S) was the Leader of the Month Long Service camp and was ably supported by Mr. Prabhakar Bhat, State Organising Commissioner (S). The Month Long Service Camp was coordinated by Mr. Madhusudan A S, MoP Co ordinator & District Treasurer Bangalore South. The Following is the List of Staff Members.

Service is the Motto of Rovers and Rangers, The Theme of the Service Camp was “Service is the Utmost Religion” . The Service camp was befitting to celebrate the 100 Years of Rovering . When we Started the Service on Day 0 many of them had written off Scouts and Guides and had taken us lightly. The Contributions and Services of our Rovers and Rangers turned the tables around and in 5 days into service our Rovers and Rangers were in demand and all the departments were requesting for the services of the Scouts. The Impact was as such that we were getting into the Headlines of the Newspapers. The Entire Service camp Gave Scouting a THUMBS UP and a Big VISIBILITY and CREDIBILITY.

The following enlists the Various Services rendered by our Rovers and Rangers.

1. Suprabata Maravanige Suprabata Maravanige is an Occasion, Where a procession is carried out early morning at 6.30 Am. Every day 100 Rovers and Rangers would participate in the Procession and our Rangers were privileged to carry the Sacred in the 1hour Procession . For 10 Days Scouts and Guides Band also participated in the Show.

2. Service at Jain Mutt : Our Rovers and Rangers Rendered Service in the Jaina Mutt by Serving Food to the Pilgrims, Taking Care of the Godown, Assisting the Mutt Staff in Purchasing the Provisions. Every Day 13 Hours of Service was rendered in the Mutt.

3. Vindhyagiri Betta : This is the Hill where lord Bahubali Stands Tall. Right from the foot hills to the adobe of Lord Bahubali Our Rovers and Rangers have rendered various services. Our Team Managed the General Route and VIP Route to the Hill a. All along the Hill at a Gap of every 20Mtrs our Rovers and Rangers stationed themselves to Serve Drinking Water. A team of 25 would carry 20Ltrs Water Can to fill the Drums for water Distribution. b. Our 25 Rovers Would Daily Carry Milk and Flower to Perform Puja to Lord Bahubali c. A team of Rovers and Rangers Would Assist the Elderly and Tired Pilgrims to climb up the Hill or Climb down the Hill. Many a Times our Rovers have carried the Pilgrims by themselves d. A team of Rovers and Rangers Would Assist the Mothers with babies and toddlers to Climb up the Hill or Climb Down the Hill by support them or by carrying the babies e. A team of 20 Rovers and Rangers served in the 3 Hospitals at the Hills giving an helping hand to the sick people and Assisting the Medical Staff. f. Crowd Management and Discipline Management was efficiently managed by or Rovers, which ensured smooth movement of pilgrims. g. The Rovers managed the VIP Route to the Hills and ensured the VIP Movement was not obstructed and also ensured the Dignitaries were received at the VIP Entrance with a Scout Salute. h. A team of 30 Rovers would Transfer the ORS Boxes form VIP Entrance to the 3 Hospitals on the Hill i. A team of 6 leaders managed the entire Show on the Hills and the service would start at 8 AM and finish at 12 Midnight. j. At the end of the day our Rovers would climb down by collecting trash from top of the Hill. 4. Chandragiri Betta a. A team of Rovers and Rangers Would Assist the Elderly and Tired Pilgrims to climb up the Hill or Climb down the Hill. b. A team of Rovers and Rangers Would Assist the Mothers with babies and toddlers to Climb up the Hill or Climb Down the Hill by support them or by carrying the babies c. Crowd Management and Discipline Management was efficiently managed by or Rovers, which ensured smooth movement of pilgrims. 5. Swacha Bharat Campaign (Cleanliness Campaign & Awareness ) a. Our Rovers and Rangers marched on the lanes of Shravanabelagola and created awareness and urged the shopkeepers to place dustbins and dispose garbage rightly and sensitized then the importance of not to litter. b. The Rovers and Rangers Regularly conducted the cleanup drives and got rid of plastic bottles on both Doddabetta and Chikkabetta. c. The Nagars were Kept clean by ensuring the Piligrims did not litter. d. In the run up to the Event , Our Rovers Cleaned and Sanitsed the drinking water tanks on Top of Vindhyagiri Hills. e. On the Occasion of MahaMaravanige 300 Rovers and Rangers ensured no plastic was littered in the 8 KM long Maravanige and they ensured the Plastic thrown on the Streets were immediately loaded in the Garbage Collection Tractor that was tailing the Procession. The ensures the streets were clean .

6. Bhojananagar – At Bhojananagar there were 6 Food Courts serving 6 Million Pilgrims. The Scouts played a vital role in Waste Segregation and Creating awareness about Don’t waste Food. The Highlight of the Service camp was the Launch of “Food For Future” project which is an initiative to ensure food wastage is reduced. And this Campaign has created a Great Impact. The Food Wastage in the First week was 4 – 5 Tons a day and after a week the food wastage was 1 – 1.5 tons a day and on the last week it was around 1 ton food wastage a day. The Following are the Actions at Bhojanalaya a. Our Rovers and Rangers were posted at the Food Distribution points and they were telling to Pilgrims to serve how much they can eat. b. Our Rovers and Rangers were posted at the Exit of the dining hall and they would request the Pilgrims to eat everything in the plate before exiting the dining hall and ensured people with empty plates were let outside. c. Inside the Kitchen the Scouts ensured the Kitchen Waste was segregated before dumping into the Bins. d. At the Plates disposal points the Scouts ensured the Food Wastes and Plastic waste was put in the respective bins by instructing they to follow the signage. 7. Health Centers - There Were 15 Health centers across all Pilgrim areas a. A team of 8 Rovers and Rangers served in each of the 15 Hospitals helping hand to the sick people and assisting the Medical Staff. 8. Information Desks Our Rovers and Rangers Rendered services in the 12 information Centers located in all the Nagaras, Bus Stand and Railway Stations. a. A team of 20 Rovers served in the Busstand from 8 Am to 10 PM in 2 Shifts . The managed the Information Kiosks and Directed Pilgrims to their respective destinations. b. A team of 10 Rovers served in the Railway Stations from 5 Am to 11 PM in 3 Shifts . The managed the Information Kiosks and Directed Pilgrims to their respective destinations. c. A Team of 5 Rovers and Rangers managed the information Centers in the 12 Nagaras and Directed and helped the pilgrims to find their locations and Gave information about Accommodations, Local Shuttle Busses and other General Information. 9. Service at Various Nagaras : Nagaras are temporary Townships developed to accommodate the Pilgrims and Munis a. A team of 15 Rangers Managed the Panchakalyana Bhojanalaya( Kitchen & Dinning Area) for 15 Days b. A Team of 15 Rovers and Rangers assisted the District Administration in each of the 6 Nagaras from 8 am to 6 PM c. A team of 16 Rovers managed the Transportation of Pilgrims in the Nagaras and handled the dispatch and arrival of Local Buses. d. A team of 26 Rovers Managed the Traffic in 10 Junctions of the Nagaras 10. Mantapa : This is the Main function Hall, where most of the functions were held. a. A team of 150 Rovers & Rangers Managed the Opening Ceremony which was attended by His Excellency the President of INDIA . We were responsible for Seat the pilgrims and guest. b. A team of 75 Rovers & Rangers Managed the Opening Ceremony which was attended by His Excellency the Vice President of INDIA. We were responsible for Seat the pilgrims and guest. c. A team of 20 Rovers and Rangers managed the Palace and controlled the Visitors to the Palace from 9 Am to 5 PM. 11. Cultural Arena : a. A team of 40 Rovers Managed the Crowd and gates of the Cultural Arena and ensured only Pass Holders enter the Arena. 12. Drinking water Service a. A team of 60 Rovers and Rangers served drinking water in Bottles and Jars to the Pilgrims standing in the 3 Km long queue to climb the Vindhyagori Hills. The service began at 12 Noon until 6 Pm in the evening. b. In Association with Andhra Bank Drinking water was served in the Nagars by a team of 15 Rovers and Rangers daily from 9 Am to 5 PM. c. On the Occasion of MahaMaravanige 450 Rovers and Rangers served Water , Buttermilk to all the Pilgrims in 3 location from 2 Pm to 6 PM 13. Pass Distribution on Highways: The Vehicles were stopped 5 Kms behind Shravanabeagola on all the 7 roads leading to the the Mahamastakabhisheka. A Total of 21 Rovers were divided into 7 groups and were posted in all 7 Designated Check posts and issued passes to the Donors as determined by the organizing Committee. 14. Disaster Management a. A team of 350 Rovers and Rangers performed a mock drill along with NDRF and other agencies to check the preparedness to handle the listed eventuality . b. A team of 650 Rovers and Rangers Performed the final Load testing of the Upper and Lower Floors along with the District Administration. c. 2 Rovers managed the Disaster Cell along with other Agencies in 2 Shifts d. 8 Causalities were Shifted to the Hospital by Scouts along with NDRF from top of the hill to Foot Hills onto Ambulance. e. We have assisted in rescuing 2 lost Kids and rejoined them with the families. 15. Tourism Department: The Tourism has organized Heli Tourism, Bike Tourism, Heritage Tourism and Water Sports for the Pilgrims. The Scouts Managed all the Booking and Marketing activities. a. A team of 100 Rovers and Rangers were deputed in 10 Kiosks in different points in 2 Shifts and they did Marketing of the tours, accompanied the Pilgrims on tours, and ensured the Booking was correctly made. They Worked from morning 8 Am to 7 Pm . 16. Campsite & Camp office a. A team of 20 Rovers and Rangers maintained the Campsite and Camp office undertaking the Back office work of the Secretariat

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