On Saturday, the 11th of September the Vrindavana Preservation Society(VPS) a Quincy based Indian non-profit organization celebrated the festival of ‘Nandotsava’. Nandotsava commemorates the birthday of Lord Krishna and is celebrated fervently all over India. The VPS event held at the Broad Meadows High School in Quincy was a grand success and was attended by more than 300 people.

Neelam Kumar and Rajiv Ramaratnam, both members of VPS, hosted the event. The opening act featured melodious devotional music from Bairavesh Dasa, a Yugoslavian national who presently resides in Maine.

This event was followed by two Bharatnatyam performances. The first performance was presented by the Triveni School of Dance. Dressed in colorful traditional costumes and decked with jewelry, the young performers put on a wonderful show. In the second event Sachi Pheny from the Eastern School of Rhythms presented another wonderful performance.

There was also a children’s performance featuring young children from the Vaisnava Academy a subsidiary of VPS. The Academy is a South Shore School dedicated to promoting Indian Culture, particularly in the younger generation.

The climax of the evening was ‘Krishna Lila’ a play based on the life of Lord Krishna. In a time of anarchy on earth, all beings on earth approach Lord Vishnu, the Creator to rid the earth of this evil. Vishnu informs them that He will be born as Sri Krishna and solve this problem. Thus Krishna is born on earth to King Vasudeva and Queen Devaki. The rest of the play centers on how Kamsa, Devaki’s evil brother tries to kill Krishna and how Krishna prevails and finally kills Kamsa when He, Krishna is a teenager.

In the summer, VPS organized a very successful Cricket Tournament. Cricket, a British game once reserved for only the elite is today the most popular sport there. The Tournament brought together several Indian and Pakistani communities in a spirit of friendship and Camaraderie. There was a special award ceremony at the end of the program to honor the outstanding performers and teams in the Tournament. Mustafa Taj hosted this part of the program. The event ended with a sumptuous meal from VPS’s own Sachi Matha’s Kitchen.

This festival is part of the Society’s ongoing efforts to raise funds towards the purchase of a building in the Quincy area. This building will be a dedicated VPS center and a permanent home of the Vaisnava Academy. Some of the proceeds of the Nandotsava Celebration will go towards the preservation of the holy city of Vrindavana, in India. Vrindavan is the birthplace of Lord Krishna. VPS will celebrate Dipavali, the Indian Festival of Lights on the 20th of November. For more information on VPS and VPS events please visit us online at www.vps-international.org.

|