International Friendship Festival at Vrindavan

By Lakshman (das) Vrindavan (IN)

A very wonderful cultural program held in Vraja called “international friendship festival” devotees from India and Russia doing this presentation for the pleasure of Krishna and His devotees. It was celebrated in three places at Radha kund (dated 18th March 2010), Mathura (dated 20th March 2010) and Vrindavan (dated 21st March 2010) in order to bring people together with friendship. This program includes Hare Krishna Kirtan and bhajans, odissi dance (Ten incarnation of Lord Vishnu), Radhe Radhe dance, drama (Krishna in Dwaraka), dance (Radha-Krishna prana more) and magic show.

This festival was inaugurated in Vrindavan with melodious Hare Krishna Mahamantra Kirtan by HG Aindra Prabhu and his team and the drama performance of three modes of nature, which controls each and every conditioned living entity in this material world. It was presented in drama that material nature itself is constituted by three qualities: the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance.

Then Magic show by one of our ISKCON Vrindavan devotee named Kishor Kishori das. The same day (21st March) morning he was initiated by HH Janananda Goswami. His Holiness was personally watching the Magic show and highly appreciated, and all the audience went surprise. It was really pleasing the children of Sandipani Muni School.

Then Radha-krishna with Astha Sakhis appeared in the stage, beautifully decorated with ornaments and magnificent dresses which stunned the eyes of everyone. The danced called “Radha-Krishna prana more” was the main attraction of this program.

Then presentation was performed on the famous Orissi cultural dance (Ten incarnation of Lord Vishnu ) which thousands of people appreciated with their presence and clapping hands during dance.

Right after the Odissi dance the drama named “Krishna in Dwaraka”in which Krishna had a headache one day in Dwaraka, and He told His servant that He could be cured only by the dust from a devotee’s feet. The servant went out to the devotees, but they were shocked and said, ‘No, Krishna is God,’ and they dared not put the dust of their feet on His head, because they would be sent to hell. No devotees gave the dust of their feet. But the servant went to Vrindaban to the Gopis, Krishna’s purest lovers, who quickly gathered: ‘How is Krishna?’ The servant told them, and they at once scraped the dust from their feet and collected it for Him. ‘You gave the dust of your feet?’ said the servant. ‘Aren’t you afraid you’ll go to hell?’ ‘We are prepared to go to hell!’ they said. ‘We don’t care! But Krishna must be cured!’ That’s love. The less you care for yourself and care only for Krishna, that’s a good sign.

Also “Radhe Radhe” dance and 2nd time Magic show conquered the heart of audiance.

ISKCON Vrindavan Temple vice-president Janardhana Prabhu was the Guest of Honor on that program. He mentioned that we can conquer the world through Cultural Revolution by presenting Krishna Consciousness through the medium of cultural presentation like arts and dramatic plays depicting Krishna Lila. In this way one can invoke his original Krishna Consciousness.

It is sure that Srila Prabhupada would be very happy if he is here watching the fusion of artists between the devotees from India and Russia doing their presentation for the pleasure of the devotees

The whole program was organized by Shyamsundara Prabhu from Russia and at the end of the program everyone was served with nice Transcendental Krishna Prasadam.

This was a very momentous event being the first of its kind and we are hopeful that there will be more festivals like this in the near future.

Srila Praqbhupada: “Friendship means… Service means I ask you, “Please give me a glass of water.” You give me. And friendship means you are thinking, “How my friend will be… Now he may be wanting a glass of water.” So before asking me, if you give me, “I think you may require a glass of water,” that is friendship. Friendship means feeling friend’s welfare always. Suhrt. Friendship is not simply chatting. Friendship means thinking, “How my friend will be happy?” This is friendship.