By Basu Ghosh Das
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/basughoshdas1/BombayRathayataJuhuToLokhandwala
FridayJanuary292010#
On Friday, January 29, 2010, ISKCON Juhu, Bombay celebrated its 30th annual
Jagannath Rathayatra festival.
The Rathayatra festival was inaugurated by local MLA (“Member of the
Maharashtra Assembly”, the legislative branch of the Government of
Maharashtra) Ashokbhau Jadhav, and Sri Dilip Patel, the Chairman of “Best”
(the Bombay Municipal bus service authority), in a pandal (tent) erected in
front of the Juhu temple guest house entrance.
Three grand “rathas” (chariots), fabulously decorated with arranged flowers,
flower garlands, balloons and banners left the drive-in entrance to the Juhu
temple in a procession at around 2:00 PM, along with thousands of devotees
and congregational devotees from Bombay's four ISKCON temples (Juhu,
Chowpatty, Mira Road and Khargar), as well as visiting devotees from around
the world, local congregational devotees and several ISKCON sannyasi guests.
Senior ISKCON sannyasis and leaders, H.H. Gopal Krishna Goswami, ISKCON Juhu
GBC, and H.H. Navayogendra Swami performed arati to Their Lordships just
before the three rathas departed the Juhu temple.
From the temple, the Rathas then moved past the historical Chandan cinema,
and over to the main Juhu-Lokhandwala Road. The route was then almost a
straight path to the Lokhandwala garden stretching approximately seven
kilometers, where a three day “pandal” (tent) program was organized by
ISKCON Juhu.
Senior ISKCON sannyasis and GBCs, H.H. Kavichandra Swami and H.H. Radhanath
Swami joined the procession after it was underway. Both of them led
ecstatic kirtans during the procession, which reached the Lokhandwala garden
at around 7:00 PM.
Several senior disciples of Srila Prabhupada also joined the Rathayatra.
Jasomatinandan Das, ISKCON Gujarat Zonal Secretary, Narottamananda Das, Basu
Ghosh Das, Dadhibaksha Das, and Jagannath Charan Das also participated. Well
known and loved “kirtaneer”, Vaiyasaki Das led kirtan for sometime during
the procession.
Senior ISKCON India devotees Devakinandan Das, Zonal Secretary for Juhu
temple, Rajasthan and U.P., Bhaktivinode Das, co-president of ISKCON
Chandigarh, Braja Hari Das ISKCON Juhu temple president, Surdas, temple
president of ISKCON Khargar (New Bombay), Sanat Kumar Das, temple president
of ISKCON Chowpatty, Janardan Das, Sri L. Khurana, Chairman of the
Rathayatra festival committee, Brij Mohan Sethiji, long time ISKCON Juhu
supporter, Dr. Mukunda Madhava Das, ISKCON Juhu Vice President, Mahaprabhu
Das, Arjun Hari Das from New Delhi, and Vanamali Das from Bhubaneshwar, were
amongst the thousands of devotees who attended the festival procession.
Jagat Guru Das from Detroit, USA, Jagjivan Das from New Zealand and
Radhacharan Das, from Melbourne, Australia, was also present, despite having
just arrived from abroad. Krishna Premi devi dasi from Beijing, China, also
joined the assembled devotees. There was also a large contingent of
devotees from the Ukraine, at the Rathayatra.
Their Lordships were offered fruits, sweets and arati by local residents at
various places through out the procession.
After the completion of the Rathayatra procession, there was a grand program
arranged at the pandal (tent) at Lokhandwala Garden.
There was a grand altar constructed for continuous darshan of Their
Lordships. "Chappan Bhog" (56 items, mostly sweets) prasad was offered to
Their Lordships on Sunday, January 31.
The special features of the pandal program were daily lectures in the
mornings and evenings by senior ISKCON sannyasis and devotees, H.H. Gopal
Krishna Goswami, H.H. Navayogendra Swami, H.H. Radhanath Swami and H.H.
Kavichandra Swami, Jasomatinandan Das, Basu Ghosh Das, Dadhibaksha Das,
Devakinandan Das and others.
Thousands of pious members of the public crowded the pandal program in the
evenings!
There were a number of booths erected around the periphery of the pandal
that attracted the visitors, including Congregational preaching booth,
Bhakti Kalakshetra (ISKCON Juhu's auditorium organizing unit), BBT book
stall, BI booths, IYF booth, as well as sweets, snacks and gift stalls.
Also, there was a special “Srila Prabhupada pastimes” exhibition.
Free prasad (meals) was distributed on a grand scale: daily some 15,000 full
meals were served by ISKCON devotees to one and all, in a separate
arrangement opposite the program pandal. This area experienced heavy crowds
and long queues (lines) of persons eager to partake of the prasad!
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