The Shri Krishna Vrundavana, Edison, New Jersey, celebrated its 13th anniversary April two, with Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das, Consul General of India in New York, attending the event as the chief guest.
Also present as guests of honors were Deputy Consul General Manoj Kumar Mohapatra and Yegna Subramaniam, a well-known person in Indian spiritual circles.
The celebrations started at 8.00 in the morning with invocations by priests. Prayers were offered to the great spiritual figure of South India, Raghavendra Swamy. Hundreds of devotees assembled to take part in the festivities.
To celebrate the diversity of the Indian-American community and the devotees, dance dramas were held In the afternoon, showcasing dance styles from various regions of India – Oddisi representing the Eastern part, Kathak to represent the Western and Northern part, Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam representing the Southern part of India.
Yogeendra Bhat, the temple chief priest, led the evening events with an invocation speech quoting Shri Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita and the universal message shared in the holy book. He also took an opportunity to share the efforts of His Holiness Suguneendra Theertha Swami, an ascetic, a spiritual ambassador, and a U.N. representative and the force behind Shri Krishna Vrundavana. He has established several such centers in the United States, Canada, U..K and Australia with New Jersey being an eminent one.
Consul General Ganguly Das joined the festivities in the evening. Speaking on the occasion, she lauded the voluntary efforts of the temple and the community engagement. She said the beauty of the Indian tradition is the integration of the spiritual aspects with the worldly aspects. It is not uncommon she said, for a person to be waking up in the morning, perform traditional rituals detached from the corporate environs and then during the day, be a leader in the business environment. The Counsel General expressed admiration for the transformation of this temple over the last several years into an arts and cultural center, promoting values of peace integrating with Indian values.
Yegna Subramaniam, a founder member of many temples in the tri-state area, commended the path and the journey of Shri Krishna Vrundavana over the last several years. He said, “The temple has become known for its devotion, commitment and discipline.” He praised the efforts of priest Yogeendra Bhat in developing the temple over the last 13 years. Managing a temple through volunteers and without any external funding is no small feat, he indicated.
The guests of honor were accorded a warm traditional reception and were felicitated on stage. The volunteers, including Srinivas Bellary, Balaji Rao, Asha Janardhan, Jeevan Kulkarni, Subbu Rao, were recognized for their efforts in sustaining the temple’s music and dance activities.
The event was put together by Mahesh Harvu, a community elder associated with the temple.
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