Krishna Temple's India Fest Celebrates 20 Years

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Krishna Temple's India Fest Celebrates 20 Years

BYU Newsnet - Provo,UT,USA

 

http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/60865

Krishna Temple's India Fest Celebrates 20 Years

By Reece Hanzon - 14 Sep 2006

 

 

Musicians and dancers from as far away as India will perform Saturday,

Sept.16,2006, in Spanish Fork at the Krishna Temple's 20th annual Festival of

India, a celebration of the Hindu religious epic "Ramayana."

The epic is the story of Rama's heroic quest to rescue his wife, Sita, from

the city of Lanka, where Ravana, the epitome of evil, imprisons her.

The festival will feature a theatrical production of "Ramayana."

"Ramayana is the most loved epic, even more than the epic in which Krishna

figures prominently," said Charu Das, festival coordinator.

One thing that makes this epic so popular is Rama himself, the mortal

incarnation of Krishna. Because he is a mortal man, Rama must overcome his

challenges by virtue of his own strength and intelligence.

"He has to respond as a man would respond," Das said. "We can empathize a lot

more with Rama."

"Ramayana" also promotes complete social morality, adding to its appeal. Rama

manages to overcome his difficulties purely through morally correct means.

"Rama is an example of the long-term benefits of total virtue and total

righteousness," Das said.

Apart from the theatrical production, India Fest will include a variety of

music and dance.

Nadam, a dance troupe from Bangalore, India, and Sandhya Raghuraman, a

classical Indian dancer from Salt Lake City, will perform several different

Indian dances. Shatakshi Goyal, a Bharat Natyam dancer from Boise, Idaho, will

also perform at India Fest.

Vatsala Naageshwaran, an instructor of Indian music in Salt Lake, and her

students will perform several songs. Salt Lake saxophone player Shreyas

Hoskere will perform, using South Indian style. Drummer Swaminathan will

accompany Hoskere on the mrdanga drums. The Indian popular music group

Desibels will also play.

The Pageant of the Ramayana will end the festival, preceded by a drama titled

"The Transformation of Valmiki" about the author of "Ramayana" and a costume

contest for both children and adults.

The climax of the celebration is the pageant celebrating the epic and

culminates with the defeat of Ravana, a large effigy destroyed with flaming

arrows and fireworks.

As festival coordinators, Das and his wife, Vai, have been organizing India

Fest ever since its Utah inception in 1986, although the temple itself was not

completed until June 2001.

Although private contractors carried out the majority of the construction, Das

said volunteers from the surrounding community performed many of the smaller

tasks and unskilled labor.

* India Fest

* Saturday, September 16, beginning 4 pm

* From Provo, take I-15 south to the Spanish Fork Main Street exit. Continue

south on Main Street through town, following signs to the Krishna Temple.

* Admission: $3 for adults, $1 for children (food and gifts not included)