Holi is the favorite festival for our younger generation, and it should be, since it is a festival of spring and colors. Vedic Heritage's Annual Holi Festival's primary motive is to have fun. However, the underlying theme in all of the activities at Vedic Heritage will always be the classical values of culture, tradition and art. So the good times rolled even as the younger generation exhibited their education and practice of traditional & classical Indian music and dance. The response was overwhelming, and we had to limit the number of contestants to 20. It was celebrated on March 6, and once again, Rachna Sarang and Renu Jain organized a very fine evening.
The fancy dress competition was very interesting, with the first prize grabbed by Asshna Shah and Kush Chokshi who were dressed as dulha-dulhan. Arita Shah was 'Bharat Mata' and came in second. Pranay Lunavat, the adorable Madrasi Pundit won the 3rd prize. Anuj Desai, Monica Batra, Abhishek Mehrishi and Ankur Kejriwal were the other cute contestants.
The dance competition for the youngest category (ages 6 to 9) was led by an inspiring Bharat Natyam performance by Shivani Desai, who won the first prize. In the semi-classical category, Karishma Kapoor with her 'meri payal hai chanki' won the first prize and Henna Khanijou's 'Maiya Yashoda' won the second prize. The 'tak chum chum' number, won the third prize, and the troupe included Abhisekh Trivedi, Aparna Trivedi, Priyanka Kumar, Ganesh, Pooja, Varun Sindagi, Varun Shivkumar, Sugandha Singh and Pranav Singh.
The age group of 10 to 12 was also very enjoyable. The first prize dance which will be remembered forever was the heartfelt rendition of 'Hum Jang Na Hone Denge' by Rachna Sarang's students (Saloni Surana, Barkha Patel, Karishma Chokshi, Karishma and Keaya Chokshi, Apurva Sand, Sanam Bafna and Shubha Kastiya). This was about the Kargil war and expressed the sentiments of ‘Ahimsa.’ This poem was written by our Prime Minister Vajpayeeji. In fact, this dance number was presented to him during his recent New York visit, and even brought tears to his eyes. The second prize was won by Sanju and Sejal Singh for 'Are Ja Re Natkhat.'
We had fewer participants for the age group of 13 to 16. Ankita Sagar with her 'Mohe Panghat Pe' won the first prize and Barkha Bhandari with "Albela Sajan Aayo Re" won the second prize. In the classical category, Juhi Desai's Bharat Natyam performance secured her the first prize, followed by the Kathak Tarana by Ruchi Bhargava, Sonal Goenka, Saachi Sachdev, Roma Chopra and Anjali Shah. Neelam Modi's Odissi performance won her the third prize.
It was really heartening to watch the young perform instruments. Sahil Trivedi on Tabla, Romil Malkan on his Casio and Rishika Lunavat on her flute were all fantastic. Even the vocalists did well. Adit Singh's soulful rendition of a Bhajan and the Swar Maalika in Raag Yaman by Nidhi Purohit, Anjali Purohit, Vrytti Dave, Neil Dave and Soham Patwa was great.
It was a very satisfying evening to see this youngsters so proud of our heritage. It was great to see the proud parents providing the right encouragement and training. The respective Guru's/teacher were also there for last minute instructions for a perfect performance. But the most difficult job was that of our judges (Anil Jain, Mrs. Lalita Surana and Mrs. Shilpa Sheth)
It was very disappointing for everyone since Her Holiness Guru Maa Jyotishanand Saraswati was still in India. Nevertheless, She was hear in spirit, and this writer can attest that She would have been very proud of Her children. And, in person, She was celebrating Holi at our Lonavala Ashram with Her devotees from all over India. Since Guru Maa is busy laying down the foundation of our Ashram in India, we will have to get used to 'sharing' Her with our brothers and sisters in India. Everyone remembered Her when they sipped the Thandai which was made by Guru Maa and Annapurna Bhangdia.
Meanwhille, Holi was also celebrated in our Ashram in India too in a big way under the leadership and guidance of Her Holiness Guru Maa. An all-day celebration was ambitiously planned. The morning began with some competitive activities for adults and children. The adults competed in a food, Rangoli and mehndi competitions. The children competed in painting and drawing competitions. After a brief rest, a dance/music/drama program began at 6 pm. We also had a Fun Fair with stalls of food and games. Most of the program was on the premises of Vedic Heritage. However, the cultural program was held at the Parasnath Mandir and we would like to thank them for their cooperation. The festival was celebrated with great enthusiasm by the people of Lonavala, and it seems that the Vedic Heritage Ashram is taking shape in India. A special thanks to the trustees for their contributions and financial backing for the event.
With Baba's blessings, we will have similar success in all our celebrations in 2001.
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