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Vivekananda
Vidyapith’s 29th Annual Function
(April 30, 2005; 5:00 p.m.; report written by Nisha
Parikh)
On Saturday, April 30th, 2005, Vivekananda
Vidyapith celebrated its 29th Annual
Function. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of
countless individuals—teachers, volunteers, parents,
alumni, and students—the program was a great success.
The program commenced with the auspicious singing of
the Pranam Mantras and the Shanti Mantras. As the
vibrations of the recitation continued to resonate
through the auditorium, Master of Ceremonies, Sheela
Krishnan, welcomed parents and guests and introduced the
first item of the evening, the Suryashtakam, presented
by the Sunday choir. The students began with the
chanting of the powerful Gayatri mantra. This was
followed by the singing of the hymn, interwoven with
beautiful alankaras and accompanied by the sweet sound
of the flute and the vibrant tabla.
Next, students presented recitations including the
Song of the Sannyasin and a poem on peace, both
written by Swami Vivkenanda. They spoke with poise and
confidence, and their voices captured the depth of
Swamiji’s profound and powerful messages. As the first
set of recitations came to a close, the curtains opened,
and the eyes of the audience were greeted by bright red,
green, and orange costumes that filled the stage.
Saturday and Sunday schools girls performed a Garba or
folk dance, in praise of the divine beauty of the Mother
of the Universe. The program continued with students
presenting additional recitations, followed by an
address given by Dr. Vandana Jani, whom we fondly call
Aunty. She thanked all those who helped with the program
and spoke of the numerous practices and rehearsals that
went into creating this function. She spoke of the
students’ experiences, the memories they created, and
the lessons they learned from not only these moments,
but in realizing the truths and values behind their
presentations.
Then came the moment many were waiting for, the
presentation of the play, Yashodhara. Directed by
Dr. Vandana Jani, this beautiful play captured the
emotions of Princess Yashodhara as she waited for the
arrival of her husband, Prince Siddhartha, who had
chosen years before to leave his family and his royal
belongings in search of salvation. This he did in order
to find an answer to why man suffered, to experience the
ultimate Reality behind the ephemeral, to find the
ultimate Truth. He returns now, not as a prince, but as
an ascetic, as Buddha, the “Awakened One.” Through the
delicate yet intense dialogue, the play captured the
anguish, the painful memories, and the fears of the
brave wife Yashodhara, whom the world had forgotten.
Many stories of the great Lord Buddha have been told,
but here, the story of his wife, Princess Yashodhara,
was unveiled. The audience watched, their eyes
transfixed on the actors and the beautiful stage
settings, holding their breath for the next scene. It
was truly a remarkable performance.
After the play was the intermission, during which the
audience enjoyed a delicious dinner and ice cream in the
cafeteria, and children were treated to delicious cherry
pies.
The Master of Ceremonies for the second half of the
program was 12th grader Satvik Patel, who
began by introducing the Saturday choir, which presented
the bhajan, Ramachandra Jaya. With melodious
voices, they enthusiastically sang, praising the
lotus-eyed one, Lord Rama. This was followed by more
recitations, and the second production of the evening, a
short play by the little children, called The
Little Red Hen, a story of friendship. Students wore
adorable head dresses of different farm animals. Mr.
Farmer related the story of how the little red hen
helped her friends on Friendship Day. Our little farm
animals taught the audience what it means to be a true
friend by singing nursery-rhyme-like songs: a true
friends is someone who keeps a secret, keeps a promise,
is a good listener, and shares. Really, the students did
a wonderful job.
After the children’s play, Dr. Mahendra Jani (Uncle)
addressed the audience. He said that Vidyapith’s annual
function is like Vidyapith’s birthday celebration. When
the Annual Function’s Souvenir booklet is published
every year, we know how old the Vidyapith is! So far the
Vidyapith has celebrated 29 annual functions and each
function leaves tons of unforgettable memories in the
minds of students. He also pointed out that life is a
mixture of Reality and Make Believe. A perfect balance
of these two makes life complete. Mahendra Uncle then
introduced the chief guest of the evening, Mrs. Maura D.
Shaw, the senior editor of Skylight Publishing Company.
Mrs. Shaw spoke of Sri Ramakrishna, his sincerity, and
his inspiring teachings of self-worth, oneness, and
perseverance.
After Mrs. Shaw’s warm words, it was time for the final
item of the evening, a humorous play based on one of Sri
Ramakrishna’s parables: Saccha Jhutha. As the
curtains opened, a beautiful setting of a fishermen’s
village was revealed. Soon, spectators’ eyes beheld
colorful and authentic costumes of the village. The play
began with a delightful fishermen’s dance. The story of
the play was about a fisherman who was desperate to
steal something to repay his debts. Upon being nearly
caught in a wealthy man’s garden, he disguises himself
as a sadhu (a holy man) only to find himself in more
trouble. All of the participants did a wonderful job,
and the audience laughed watching the comical scenes of
the guards stumbling through their master’s garden at
night, the feigned bravery of Bahadursingh, the
villagers mistaking the thief for a real holy man, and
the procession of enthusiastic devotees during which the
thief attempts to escape. The devotion of the
simple-minded villagers towards him brought a total
transformation in the heart of the fake sadhu, and in
the end, he decides to live as a true holy man.
After the play, students presented a few more
recitations of passages from Swamiji’s writings. The
evening ended with the singing of “Arise! Awake!”
by the students of Vidyapith. This anthem of the
Vidyapith, written by Dr. Vandana Jani and composed by
Mrs. Uma Ramakrishnan, proclaims the powerful message of
Swami Vivekananda, a message of compassion and strength,
faith and fearlessness, self-discovery and divinity. It
was a wonderful way to close the celebration, and the
audience dispersed with happy memories of yet another
Vidyapith Annual Function!
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