By Sri Jagannath Mandir ,Kuala Lumpur
By SJMKL Editorial Team
ISKCON Malaysia celebrated the 1Malaysia Deepavali Damodara festival at Panggung Anniversary, Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur on 26th Oct 2013.
This auspicious event which celebrates Lord Krishna’s pastimes in His childhood form was launched by the guest of honour the Right Honorable Deputy Minister of Federal Territories YB Senator Datuk Dr. J. Loga Bala Mohan (HG Loka Bandhu Gauranga Prabhu).
The stage was beautifully decorated and transformed into the likes of a palace courtyard in Vrndavan. The colorful yet subdued lights, customized backdrops and opulent dais added much glamour, beauty and ambience to the whole event.
The event consisted of the launch, cultural programs, Bhagavad Gita books distribution to school children and mass offering of ghee lamps by all devotees and guests. Around 1,000 people took part in the event.
The cultural skit performed by Krishna children, painstakingly trained by SJMKL’s Gokul Garden teachers depicted the childhood mischiefs of Lord Krishna. The children did justice to their training and performed with great enthusiasm and childish aplomb.
The arrival of devotees dressed as Lord Rama, Sita Devi, Laksmana, Hanuman and palace officials as part of the entourage was a fitting finale of the cultural program. The Patabishegam (coronation of Lord Rama) that was staged on the main dais was as beautifully enacted as it was symbolic … the return of Lord Rama to the throne of Ayodhya on Amavasya (on a moonless Deepavali night) that coincides with the symbolic lighting of the ghee lamps to welcome Their Lordships to the palace after 14 years of exile in the forest.
A unique feature of the evening was the serving of prasadam to guests at the very places that they were all seated in the amphitheater. The idea was novel and very effective as it kept guests at their seats all evening. It provided for the guests to enjoy the program uninterrupted and to fully absorb the story lines as they were played out and enjoy the live music that was performed.
The special guest of honour, Dato Geethanjali G, the President of Malaysian Association of Women Empowerment and Malaysian Association of Indian Film and Entertainment Industry, Actress and Social Activist, gave a donation of RM 10,000.
By SJMKL Editorial Team
