Indore: More than 130 youngsters from Indore, Dhar and Dewas took part in the three-day ‘Reehai’ organised by Youth and Vocation Commission of Catholic Diocese of Indore at St Paul Institute of Professional Studies. The name Reehai, which concluded on Sunday, was given as it means to release oneself from the web of negativity.
A study conducted on 1200 college students in Coimbatore published in Indian Journal of Community Medicine last year revealed that 77.6 percent of girls were dissatisfaction with body shape, which developed low self-esteem in them. It was a major cause of depression, said another study.
The director of youth retreat Fr Sumit Tahir said low self-esteem is big problem facing today’s teens as images of beautiful faces, perfect bodies and glamour affect their mindset adversely.
“‘Reehai’ aims to free oneself from all bondages of non-life giving elements from within,” Tahir said. Resource person Fr John Bosco in his address said our hearts are the real dwelling places of God. “We need to free ourselves from smoking, drinking, drugs, pornography, social media and other negative aspects that break our relationships and family bonds,” Bosco said.
One of the participants, Praveen Parmar,26, from Khurda said, “I felt the need to attend ‘Reehai’ so that I am energised with spiritual guidance and support”.
Another participant 22-year-old Sahir Tahir from Vijay Nagar said he attended ‘Reehai’ for the first time. “I am surprised that I too can sit for some time quietly and meditate on myself. I was unnecessarily running after social media. I have learnt that I must love myself and build up self- esteem,” he said.
Participant Ashita Bagrawat, 17, said, she feels freed from within. “I am ready to live my life again with lots of blessings and affirmations,” she added.
