Every year, the celebration of Janmastami marks an excitement and anticipation for Gurukula girls of Nandgaon. For the past years, the girls performed in Vrindavan during Janmastami celebrations. But this year, they were invited to perform in Gurugram Radha Damodar Temple of ISKCON.
Around 40 students of Braj Gopika Vidyamandal along with their teachers arrived in Gurugram on the morning of Sept 3, 2018. The temple was in full bloom and festivity. Flocks of pilgrims swarmed the temple with gifts and prayers, offering their hearts to Lord Krishna’s divine auspicious appearance day.
In the afternoon, the stage was set up and attracted the audience for cultural presentations. The Gurukula girls started the event with soulful bhajan, they sang the Sri Narasimha prayers followed by a welcome dance to the tune of “Swagatam Krishna”. Then they recited the whole 12th chapter of Bhagavad Gita and performed two dance presentations; the “Wonderful Krishna” and Krishna Lila song interpretation. After 30 minutes break, the girls were back again in the stage; they enthralled the crowd with a beautiful Brajabasi song entitled, “udho gaye dwarka shyam, vraja mohe oor oor khaye”. This was followed by an astounding Damodar Lila drama, featuring the seven years old Visakha of 1st grade as little Krishna. The audience applauded the performance of the students and our adorable little Krishna grabbed everyone’s attention and captivated their hearts. Then the girls performed more dramas; the Ter Kadamba pastime and Yasoda Maiya Lila. The two dance teachers of Nandgaon Gurukula, Neetu and Sherin prepared an amazing dance to the beat of the song, “Om namo bhagavate Vasudevaya”. Then the enthusiastic Gurukula girls unleashed more performances; a drama about the “Cowherding Lila” and another dance depicting Radha Krishna Rasa Lila. The night is not yet over and the girls never get tired; they presented the drama about Lord Siva desiring to get the darshan of baby Krishna, the “Asishwar Mahadev Lila”. This was followed by another dance called “Dasavatar” and “Mohan Ke Mukh pe Basuri”. The girls concluded their performances by reciting the Brahma Samhita prayers.
It was a wonderful performance from the Nandgaon Gurukula students, everyone were fascinated by their exquisite talents. The girls also had set up their own booth showcasing their own creative works like handicrafts, papier mache and artificial jewelries. This was another memorable Janmastami for the girls and it was proven that if they have given an opportunity, they can grow and explore their skills and capabilities. We would like to thank their teachers who expertly trained them well. See you all again next year.
