BY MAHADEV DESAI Photos by Mahadev Desai
Atlanta,
Jan2013: Despite rain and cold weather, thousands of devotees and
visitors from all over South-East thronged the Hindu Temple of Atlanta
(HTA) Riverdale, Georgia on Sunday, January 1st to celebrate a joyous
and spiritually suffused Navodaya 2013 festival. All
the deities in the Balaji and Siva temples wore a dazzling look in
their ornate fineries and colorful garlands. The dedicated priests
cheerfully performed archanas throughout the day blessing all the
devotees who came to offer their prayers. Around 10 a.m. Priest Sri
Ravishankar first performed a ceremony inside the Banquet Hall, and
later in the auditorium, chanting shlokas and conferring his blessings
for the New Year to the vendors. As
the day progressed, more and more devotees arrived inside the two
temples and after offering prayers, went around visiting and shopping
at the HTA gift shop and also at various booths, which were selling
sarees, household appliances and gadgets, jewelry, beads, artwork,
devotional music CDs and DVDs. Service booths also kept busy, offering
IT services, travel bookings, health insurance, etc. Some prominent
not-for-profit Organizations-The Art of Living Foundation, and Gaudiya
Vaishnava Organization had also set up their booths to disseminate
information about their Organization and forthcoming events.
Festivals
and food go together! The varied menu of South Indian vegetarian
splendors like spicy idli sambhar, masala dosas, tamarind or curd rice,
upma, boondi ladoos, Mysore Pak, and snacks lovingly prepared in the
temple’s kitchen by under the supervision of Food Committee
Chairperson, Seshu Sarma and served in the spacious banquet hall, by
the youth volunteers was relished by all. The
children’s activities at Navodaya included Quiz on Ramayana and
Mahabharata, Ravana balloon dart game, mehendi, face painting, balloon
twist, etc. The activities were coordinated by youth volunteer Anjali
Kumar. The volunteers who contributed their valuable time to make this
possible included Ambika Pisharodi, Usha Kumar, Usha Swamy, Veena
Rajeevan, Pushkara Chaganti, Vishwa Chaganti, Radha Panchapakesan,
Kiran Iyer and Ashokkumar Ramamoorthy.
The newly elected
President Narender Reddy said he was very happy with the massive
turnout of devotees despite the rainy weather.
He said, “The
devotees started arriving early in the day and the flow has continued
till 9.00 PM. ‘Navodaya’ couldn’t have been successful without the help
of our dedicated volunteers, trustees, executive committee and office
staff. I sincerely thank everyone for their tireless efforts in
making the event a great success with more than 5,000 devotees
receiving the blessings of Sri Venkateshwara & Sri Ramalingeshwara
on New Year ’s Day. My special thanks go to our learned priests who
conducted rituals round the clock with a smile on their faces. The
‘alankarams’ of deities, specially done for the New Year, won the
admiration and praise of the devotees. The efficiency and courtesy of
the volunteers ensured quick ‘Archana’ and service at the food
counters. Thanks to the efforts of Aravind Goli, Meher Lanka and
Rajyalaxmi Mohan all the vendor booths were rented, and I am happy to
report that the vendors were happy with the turnout and sales.
B.Krishnamohan organized elaborate arrangements for parking, including
a shuttle service for additional parking at a nearby place. Seshu
Sarma & her team of volunteers, with the help of Kitchen staff,
worked very hard to prepare delicious food that won the appreciation of
one and all. Subbiah Emani and Symala Naidu organized the Puja
services that were conducted very elegantly and smoothly.”
“Jay
Shankar, Mani & Raghu have been working late nights to keep our
additional Internet Terminals working to provide faster services and
ensure a flawless event. Krishna Das, Ashok Kumar, Krishna Mohan
Pinnamaneni and Hemanth Grandhige to name a few also rendered
commendable service to the devotees.”
“I feel happy and proud
that the Hindu Temple of Atlanta has been accomplishing landmark events
in its rich history year after year, the latest being the ‘Dwajastamba
Prathistapana’ ceremony for ‘Shiva temple’ conducted in Nov. 2012.I am
confident that with continued patronage by our devotees, HTA will
continue to grow to meet the expectations and needs of our
community. I, therefore strongly urge our community to be part of
our HTA by visiting HTA with their families and friends as often as
possible, especially during all festive celebrations. Without devotee’s
participation, a celebration will be just another ritual, literally.
Their increased participation will motivate our Priests &
Management to provide more and better services and facilities for the
growing religious, spiritual, social and cultural needs of our growing
community,” said Reddy.
The Hindu Temple, an iconic landmark in
Riverdale, Georgia, is well known for its spiritual, cultural, and
educational services to the Indian community. The Temple has played a
sterling role in enriching the religious diversity and enhancing the
multi-cultural image of Georgia.
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