Chinmaya Mission Boston’s Diwali Banquet
 
Diwali was celebrated last Sunday, Oct. 28 on a grand scale by the members and friends of Chinmaya Mission Boston at the Double Tree hotel in Andover. Over 325 people attended the event - all dressed in beautiful, vibrant outfits bringing in a very festive look.  Colorful decorations in the lobby and on-stage captivated everyone who walked into the huge banquet room.

The program began with a sacred chant by the CMB priest, Satyanarayana Bhat ji and invocation songs by Andover / Metrowest teams. Soon after that, the stage was taken over by the classical dances performed by members of the CM. The dancers captivated the audience with their lovely Bharatanatyam performances.  Dhwani Sreenivas danced to Shiva-Parvati as the theme; Sumana Rao’s dance focused on the philosophy of Vedanta – the meaning of Consciousness - Brahman, and the cycle of life was depicted.  Sumana’s dance had live classical ensemble accompaniment by talented CMB youth.  Next, classical music segment enthralled the audience with Sahana Venkatesh’s veena and Amritha Pai’s vocal.  

Dr. Shashi Dwarakanath, spiritual guide of CMB delivered the keynote address. She spoke about the need for people to be united in spite of all differences and also to respect the environment. Newton Center’s video explained the meaning of Mahabharata – the fight between the good and evil, and the qualities that can be adopted in every human experience.  Members of Metrowest presented a few devotional songs. Archana Gorur choreographed a Bollywood group dance that energized the crowd. As part of the finale, Laxmi Ramesh’s group presented Bollywood songs medley, which ended with the popular number - “Kabhi alvida na kehana”. Guests enjoyed a grand, festive dinner that included an array of desserts.

Amongst the performances, audience were delighted to hear that one of our longtime members, Jyothi Mazumdar, was awarded the “Unsung Hero” award by Lokvani.

CMB’s Annual Diwali Banquet and Fundraiser event was a grand success, thanks to volunteers’ efforts over many months!

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