या कुन्देन्दुतुषारहारधवला या शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता
या वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा या श्वेतपद्मासना।
या ब्रह्माच्युत शंकरप्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा वन्दिता
सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निःशेषजाड्यापहा॥१॥
Salutations to Devi Saraswati, Who is pure white like Jasmine, with the coolness of Moon,
brightness of Snow and shine like the garland of Pearls; and Who is covered with pure white garments,
Whose hands are adorned with Veena and the boon-giving staff; and Who is seated on pure white Lotus,
Who is always adored by Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shankara and other Devas, O Goddess Saraswati,
please protect me and remove my ignorance completely.
More than 3000 people joined us at the event from respective regions represented by the group and from other communities as well and witnessed zeal & harmony among the residents living in and around Casa Rio.
This event was to promote culture of Bihar, U.P., Purvanchal regions and bring together the people under one umbrella to make them stand united and be identified by the love that they carry in their heart for the place where their roots are grounded.
Keeping up the spirit of cultural importance, several activities were conducted during the two day eventful celebration.
Event highlights
Murti Pratishthan & aarti
People thronged the venue dressed in traditional yellow coloured attires to worship the deity of wisdom and knowledge. The decorations with yellow flowers, rangoli, ripened fruits offered to the Goddess marked the arrival of spring season in full bloom shortly after forty days. Children sought her blessings by placing their books, educational items near the vedi.
Shankhnaad
The unique competition of blowing conch shell was one of its kind. The sound of conch shell resonated in the vicinity of Ganesha Temple located in Casa Rio. It is believed the sound waves generated by the conch purifies the air and balance the body chakras.
Bhajan sandhya and sants yatra
The humble saints from ISKCON temple, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai immersed the devotees in bhakti bhajans and chants at Ganesha temple followed by saints procession starting from temple to the venue of Maa Saraswati mandap.
Traditional exhibition from the kitchens of Bhojpuri region
A small exhibition for displaying household items used in olden times was set up. Utensils like Paraat, Gagra, Hasua, Khal-Musar, Silbatta etc. were exhibited. The children were introduced to the concept of cooking in copper alloy and use of grinding stone in the kitchen.
Promotional stalls
What’s the growth of the community and it’s cause without the growth of its own people? To answer it optimistically, business stalls were given to budding entrepreneurs who hail from the bhojpuri region.
Cultural activities & competitions
The stage looked like a huge canvas of Madhubani paintings. It hosted kid’s dance & fancy dress competitions, traditional dresses fashion show, live art & music performances. The energy of the crowd surely illuminated the evening atmosphere.
Fancy Dress Competition
Traditional Dresses Fashion Show
Kid’s Dance Show
Honouring of senior citizens and dignitaries
There are few people whose efforts and achievements in their lifetime can become examples for the upcoming generation. Such dignitaries were chosen and honoured with memento and a bouquet of flowers in the presence of a full audience.
- Dr. Madhuri Saron, Scientist(Former director of Reliance Life Science Institute). Currently she is writing books on the role of nano-technology in defence, she is also on the advisory board of ISRO.
- Dr. Maheshwar Saron, Nano-technology scientist and former professor at IIT Mumbai. The husband-wife duo at the age of 81 and 76 are the epitome of continuous work-life partnership.
- Dr. Atul Shrivastava, Safety Engineer at Fitness Conscious. He is also a good table tennis player.
- Mrs. Manjari Shrivastava, Vice Principal of Pawar Public school, Dombivali
- Mr. BPN Sinha, former nutritionist. Believe and practice Yoga and Reiki.
- Mrs. Asha Shrivastava, a very active member in senior citizen forum, a good singer.
- Mr. Sadanand Jha, social worker.
Prasad distribution
It was a generous act by ISKCON saints that they helped with sattvik
bhoj for prasad. Khichdi and halwa were distributed to over 1600 people, more than what was expected as outturn of people. There was also distribution of shev & boondi, one of tradional prasad for the devotees.
Thanksgiving
It requires lots of effort, tears and sweat of the people, who dream to turn an idea into reality. Yes, we call them volunteers who worked tirelessly over three months, only to make this event successful.
It was some three months ago, the idea was formed to hold a gathering of the same region in reverence for Maa Saraswati. There were no funds, sponsors or trusts but only a vision which brought all volunteers together.
They voluntarily poured their time, money, energy for the cause of bringing people united and keeping the culture safe. They ran door-to-door asking for donations, seeking sponsors, arranging venue and seatings within limited budget, motivating people for participation, sending invites, advertising etc.
The efforts felt worthwhile when kids were amused, elders were delighted and everyone else was overjoyed.
Our very own MLA from Kalyan-Dombivali region Shri Raju Dada Patil graced the event by his presence the next day and acknowledged the work done by volunteers.
Volunteers were highly motivated by the presence of some of respected names in Palava
- Ravindra Dada Patil, Ex. Sarpanch, Nilje
- Chandrakant Shinde, Ajit Singh
- Gajanand Patil Saheb
- Satish Singh, Dheeraj Shetty & Team
- Sameer Kondalkar & group
- G S Mallappa
Havan & murti visarjan
Havan and aarti was performed before it was time to bid farewell to the Goddess. The devotees charged with energy, danced and accompanied the deity’s procession in Casa Rio. At midnight murti was immersed in the Khidkali pond, with her promise to return next year.
We look forward for more such cultural events in future. Bihar/UP & Purvanchal Group, Palava shall be further work on to bring all community people together.
together we stand stronger
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