Sydney celebrates janmashtami
To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Sri Sri Radha Gopinath temple in North Sydney, ISKCON or “Hare Krishnas” as they are affectionately called, recently celebrated Krishna Janmashtami on a grand scale at the University of Western Sydney (Parramatta Campus).
The festival attracted thousands of visitors from both the Indian sub-continent and the broader Australian community. Visitors were treated to a riot of colour, costumes, music, dance, meditation, yoga, children’s activities and sumptuous vegetarian food, the trademark of the Hare Krishnas.
It was an ideal day out for the families, as Mr. Navneet Anand, visitor to the event noted, “The festival provided exposure to India’s heritage, culture, tradition and its rich spiritual history. This is particularly important for our children who, being raised in a foreign country, can be somewhat disconnected from their origin and ancestry.”
The fun began at 11am and continued all through the day. The stage at the magnificent University auditorium was the platform for some wonderful performances by well-know Sydney dance groups, including Geetanjali Dance School, Kakuli Mukherjee Group, and the rendition of devotional songs by Vinod Rajput.
A Vedic drama based on Lord Krishna’s interaction with his close friend Sudama was performed and had many amongst the audience enthralled, some even getting teary-eyed.
“For me, the drama was definitely the highlight of the festival. The performances were excellent and the messages were subtly presented in a thoroughly entertaining way,” remarked Rajan Sharma of Chatswood.
The Deity of the Lord rested upon a beautiful jhulan and visitors were invited to swing the jhulan and offer aarti to the Lord. There was also a fascinating astrology seminar by HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj.
Relishing the pleasantly sunny weather, the children seemed to be the happiest with an array of activities specifically for them including jumping castles, a colouring competition and gopi dots/face painting (quite a few parents appeared tempted into trying them too).
A variety of stalls adorned the venue, catering to the tastes of visitors from all walks and stages of life. The ladies were happy as their love for clothes, jewellery and henna were displayed via stalls showing off their attractive wares and services.
Flaunting henna-painted hands, Sarah from New Zealand beamed from ear-to-ear. “I had a great time. The yoga was so relaxing, the kirtan was transcendental, the music and dance performances were amazing, and the flavours of the food set my tastebuds on fire,” she stated enthusiastically.
Interestingly, the entire festival had been arranged with the help of more than 250 volunteers, many of whom had spent months planning the event.
The mela culminated with a soul-stirring kirtan which almost blew the roof of the auditorium. It capped the end of a fine day – if you sought a spiritual experience, excellent food, music and dance performances and a great day out, you would not have been disappointed. The Krishna Janmashtami celebrations at the North Sydney temple will continue over August 21-22 as well, so don’t miss out.
Asseem Arora
