Houstonians celebrate Janamashtmi with traditional fervor

August 26, 2006, Houston – The George R. Brown convention center at the downtown Houston saw thousands of Lord Krishna’s devotees come together with the same zest and enthusiasm as they had in the past years. The celebrations started early in the evening and reached their culmination at the midnight when the dance area started overflowing with the young and old dandiya rass participants.

This year, the theme of Janamashtmi gathering was Manavata, or love for mankind. One of the highlights was the exhibition hosted by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), which presents many aspects of Hindu Dharma, as well as other achievements of India in the arts, architecture, science, and technology. The Raas Garba which has been the all time favorite of the young and old was led by Vandan Naik and group.

“The program was an overall success. The quality of cultural programs was excellent. There were significant improvements in the food arrangement”, says Girish Naik, the secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHP-A), Houston chapter and one of the coordinators of the event.

The decoration of the Janamashtmi hall was such that it carried people across half the globe to India. The colorful Rangoli, carefully designed by the nifty craftswoman Mrs.Sangita Bhagwan Bhutada, greeted the guests first as they entered the hall. With their charming smiles and adorned costumes, young girls and boys then welcomed them with traditional tikas. Their shoes were collected and they were let free to enjoy the spiritual and the jovial mood of the gathering.

The celebration started with a procession and aarti following which the cultural program took place with the dress competition for kids. More than sixty children, boys and girls, dressed as Krishna, Radha, Sudama, etc. enchanted the audience with there smiles and innocence. “Not just the kids, even their parents were very enthusiastic,” said Mrs. Sunita Zamwar the coordinator of the dress competition.

The cultural program, which has been a favorite of the audience, was made even more mesmerizing by the M.C.s Anu Udupa, Girish Naik, and Sanjay Jaju. Following the costume contest, the dances from various well known schools and associations started and went on till 9.30 PM. This year all performances were linked together with a story line – an idea that people thoroughly enjoyed. From the birth of Lord Krishna, the program took the audience through the enchanting episodes of His life, ending with a theme - Krishna, The Protector of The Universe.

“This year we had a great team working for the Janamashtmi program! I enjoyed chairing the event with Girish Naik. The cultural program format that we tried this year was very well received by the audience and participating dance schools and organizations. We feel encouraged and look forward to the next year,” says Anu Udupa.

Janamashtmi, over the years, have been attracting increasing number of mainstream American crowd who find spiritual refuge in such celebrations. “What a joyful occasion to participate in the Janamashtmi Celebration! It was both learning and playing experience. It was so good to be with so many others to honor the birth of Lord Krishna and also to view the beautiful costumes and dances,” said Charlotte White from the Houston Medication Group of Self Realization Fellowship.

Amidst the celebration a book on the late social worker, Sri Akhil Chopra titled “Akhil Chopra – a tearful homage” was released. In his memory, the Janamashtmi committee also gave out an award to an eminent social worker from in the city – Sri Rama Rao from the SVyasa Yoga Institute for his selfless and tireless community work. An amount of $500, sponsored by the Sewa International, was given away as a part of the award. The book release and the award distribution were done by the ambassador of India, Mr. Ronen Sen who was present with his wife to grace the event. Sri S.M. Gavai, the consulate general of India, was also present to participate in the celebrations.

This gesture of the Janamashtmi community touched the hearts of the audience. “I am so glad that Rama Rao ji, who is helping Houston community selflessly in the field of yoga and positive health, got the Akhil Chopra service award. It is co-incidence that, both Akhil and Rama Rao had a great influence on my life personally”, said Kirthi Jain, one of the volunteers.

Sushree Prabhakari Devi, a disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, spoke on the occasion as the chief guest and gave her blessing and good wishes to the Houston community, "On this Janamashtmi we should not forget to offer a gift to Shree Krishn. But what can we give Him? He himself tells us in the Gita, Patram, pushpam, palam toyam yomebhaktyaprayachati. 'Offer Me a leaf, flower or fruit, offer it to Me with bhakti, with love, and I will personally come to accept it.” “We each have the power to call Him here tonight, if we can sincerely offer Him our deepest love," she said.

Goswami Shri Dwarkeshlalji from the VPSS, a young and charming saint, gave a powerful discourse in Hindi.

This year’s celebration marked the 17th year of a city wide community event. The program seems to be improving every year in terms of coordination, professionalism, and youth participation. People appreciated the program beginning and ending on time and a smooth handling of various events by the coordinators. Unfortunately though, due to its coinciding with the Ganesh Chatuthee a considerable section of the Indian population seemed to be engaged elsewhere. The Janamashtmi committee is looking forward to the next year with a rejuvenated enthusiasm and novel plans of celebrating Lord Krishna’s birth.