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Indians, Russians join hands to celebrate Janmashtami

Hundreds of Indian and Russian devotees celebrated Janmashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, on Sunday paying floral tributes and singing hymns at temples.

A large number of people gathered at the local temple run by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness on Sunday morning to commemorate Krishna's birth anniversary.

Many devotees sat entranced during the kirtan (collective rendering of devotional songs), chanting Hare Ram Hare Krishna. The Kirtan continued through the day and prasad (holy offering) was distributed to all visitors.

The main attraction of the day, however, was a gala celebration at Moscow's famous Youth Palace in the evening.

The huge well-lit hall of Youth Palace was decorated with photographs of Lord Krishna and Lord Jagannath, creating the ambience of an Indian temple.

Former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, who was the chief guest, inaugurated the celebrations with quotes from the Bhagwad Gita.

Singh read a letter from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that emphasised the important role of ISKCON, whose mission has completed 30 years in Russia, in popularising the message of the Gita in a foreign land.

"It is a tribute to the resolute spirit of the followers of ISKCON that they have sustained their temple in Russia for so many years. This indeed shows that Krishna's message is eternal and relevant to all people at all time," the letter said.

Among those present at the celebrations were N Ravi, the Charge-de-affairs of the Indian Embassy, functionaries from the Moscow city government and other prominent personalities.

Natalya Durova, director of Moscow's famous animals' theatre and the People's Artist of Russia, described the event as a meeting of two great civilizations of the world.

"The annual celebration of Janmashtami has turned into an impressive evening of our abiding friendship," said Durova, recalling her participation in a children's procession to welcome India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to the former Soviet Union in 1955.

A gala concert that followed included performances by famous Russian artists like Alexander Barikin, Svetoslav Yasenko, Yelena Bazova, Aleksei Pavlov and the orthodox church troop 'Peresvet'.

Guru Triveni Prasad, his disciple Manju Bhatia and their group kept the more than 2,000-strong crowd spellbound for several hours with their bhajans (devotional songs).

A play based on Lord Krishna's life was staged by the local Gaurang drama group, and Odissi and Bharatanatyam performances by Russian girls charmed the audience.

Indo-Asian News Service

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