JET Washington DC celebrated its annual Sri Krishna Janmashtami on August 24, 2019 at Claude Moore Park in Sterling, Virginia. With enthusiastic participation from scores of attending families with cutie little children supported by dedicated JET/VT Seva volunteers and parent well-wishers, event venue was filled with the air of Shraddha and Bhakthi. Symbolizing the essence of the festival, families joined hands together to celebrate the birthday of Lord Sri Krishna, who is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
The program began with a devotional song sung beautifully by a youth volunteer and followed by Krishna Bhajan song "Radhe Radhe..." that was sung by Madhavi Mylavarapu garu so melodiously that it captivated the entire audience so much that an elderly grandmother continued the flow with her own devotional song.
JET DC Prajna coordinator Venkatesh Madakasira garu gave a motivating speech on the benefits of Sanskrit sloka chanting that were taught in JET Prajna classes. Venkatesh garu articulated the fact that increased memory retention gained by sloka chanting and understanding of the meaning behind those slokas students will gain the necessary wisdom and knowledge to develop their individual personalities and successfully achieve their academic goals.
One of the key highlights of the event was the Fancy dress competition for kids below 10 years old. Parents were very excited to see their little ones walk on the floor with their cutie attire representing muddu Krishna and beautiful Gopikas. Interestingly, when the winning kids and their parents were asked to choose between Krishna idol and a $25 Gift card, parents chose the Krishna idol for their kids indicating that when God (Srimannarayana) is with us, Sri Maha Lakshmi will always reside with us giving us the necessary material benefits that stretch far beyond the $25 gift card. Followed by Fancy dress competitions, few kids participated in storytelling and earned their share of $25 gift cards.
Another highlight that captivated all the children and parents is the Vutti Kottadam that was setup in the park with ready-to-assemble pipes (looked like Pole Vault Competitions) with the Vutti filled with water. Each participating child took multiple turns to gently tap on the Vutti until the Vutti was broken at the end. It was a tremendous crowd-puller item that added limelight to the event.
Having seen such nicely celebrated religious event and understood the benefits of personality development, lots of parents were excited and came forward to join their little ones in upcoming Prajna classes starting in September.
Finally, the event ended with a socializing gathering and Prasadam (Pulihora, Yogurt Rice, and delicious Rava Laddu). Prasadams were coordinated by Pavani garu and prepared exclusively at home by dedicated volunteers. Event was coordinated by Venkat Burri garu and supported wholeheartedly by all the JET/VT Seva volunteers. Entire event was orchestrated by our long-time volunteer and dedicated Swamiji Bhakthuralu Reena Bommasani garu. Overall, Sri Krishna Janmashtami event was a grand success with enthusiastic participation from parents, volunteers, and most importantly the amazing cutie little children.