Manifestation of devotion

“Naa Kannayya’, the mother of a baby boy cuddles her child with all the love of the world in her eyes; And when the naughty 5-year old troubles his mother, she is angry and loving all at once reminding one of the Yashoda Krishna. ‘Aligina velane choodali gokula krishnuni chandalu’, as actor Savitri hums this beautiful song in the Telugu film, ‘Gundamma Katha’ trying to cajole NTR who shows mock anger – one is reminded of the Krishna the lover, that every woman sees in her husband / lover.

‘The dude of Gokulam’ is the most endearing and charismatic personality of Hindu scriptures. As a child, as a playful lover, as an indulgent life partner, as the God, the Benefactor and the philosopher, Lord Krishna evokes many emotions that fill the heart with love and devotion. And these passionate emotions have inspired several poets of the yore to pen down immortal lyrics in praise of this divine body – Jayadeva, Kshetrayya, Purandara Dasu, Annamayya have all immortalised their love for Lord Krishna through their verse.

So when one celebrates ‘Krishnaashtami’ by enacting the life of Krishna, be it the ‘Krishna Padalu’ (the tiny feet of young Krishna) that the devout paint in front of their houses indicating the arrival of the Lord (mostly in South India), the ‘Rasa Lila’ recreating the youthful and flirtatious Krishna, the ‘Dahi Handi’ or the ‘Utti’ signifying the Krishna, lover of butter (the venna donga / Maakhan chor); they go beyond the superficial rituals and signify spirituality and devotion in all its forms – which is probably what the Krishna Avatar of Lord Vishnu is all about.

A colourful procession of children dressed as epic characters Krishna and Radha will participate in Sree Krishna Jayanthi celebrations. Children in glittering robes and ornate headgear depicting various stages of Krishna’s life, accompanied by ‘Chendamelam,’ will take part in the procession.

Colourful and decorative floats depicting scenes from Krishna’s life also will taken out. The procession will take place on 28 Aug, from 4 pm onwards at Ayyapa Temple, Kamlanagar, ECIL. The chief guests for the event will be Swami Kamalananda Bharati, founder, Hindu Devalaya Parirakshana Samiti and Ekka Chandrashekhar, Prant karyayahak, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Balagokulam is a children's movement founded during the middle of 1970. It aims at enriching moral and social values in children and achieves their objective through the teachings of Lord Krishna. The Organization was registered in 1981 as a Nationwide cultural movement and it now has mission all over the world. The slogan of Balagokulam is "Sarvé Santhu Nirãmayah" in Sanskrit which means "Let everyone be happy". Gokulam was the place where an ordinary cowherd boy blossomed into a divine incarnation. It is here that Krishna's magical days of childhood were spent and his powers came to be recognised. Every child has that spark of divinity within. Balagokulam nurtures children to discover and manifest that divinity.