Dubai: Samoohik Varamahalakshmi Puja Held with Devotion
by Shodhan Prasad
Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai (SB)
Dubai, Aug 22: Sri Varamahalakshmi Pooja Committee with great dedication successfully conducted Samoohik Varamahalakshmi Pooja at Karama Centre Conventional Hall on FridayAugust 20.
Hundreds of devotees attended the pooja which gave a vibrant devotional touch with Bhajans, Keertans and Aaratis. Well decorated mantap, fragrance of flowers, burning of incense sticks, camphor, sounds of shanka, jagate, tabla, harmonium, warmth of lighted diyas, aaratis, melodious voices of the devotional singers on the whole transformed the venue into a sacred place and welcomed Goddess Varamahalakshmi’s presence who showered her blessings to all the devotees.
The worship of the Goddess is held on the Shravana Shukla Paksha and popularly known as Vara Mahalakshmi Vrutha. This is the fourth year of celebration organized with great devotion. The programme started at around 5.30 pm with Bhajan Sankeertan by various Ladies Bhajan teams namely Thaayi Bhuvaneshwari, Divya Naada Tharangini, Sri Mahalaxmi Bhajana Mandali, Narayana Seva Samithi and Gana Gangotri.
All these teams presented a mix of bhajans in their own way praising the goddess and one should appreciate those children who presented few Kannada bhajans in such a way one would not believe that they are singing these for the first time and that too with their little knowledge of the language. The organizers had arranged a prize for the best performing team in order to keep up the awareness of spirituality with the current generation.
Later there held a pooja sankalpa wherein Satish Poojary and Suvarna Satish accepted to participate on behalf of all and sat on the mantap with priest Raghu Bhat performing the puja ceremony. Meanwhile the bhajan groups started chanting Mahalaxmi Ashtaka stotras continuously followed by Bhajans Ayigiri Nandini and chanting of Vishnu Sahasranamavali. This went on till more than half an hour sung by all the ladies team so dedicatedly while the archaka was conducting the puja simultaneously.
Later was Mahamangalarati and on the background was Sumanasa Vandita Bhajane Mangala going on until the aarti got completed. Followed was the prize distribution to the best performer of bhajan and Shri Narayan Seva Samiti was bestowed with the honour who deserved it. They were presented with a trophy covered with flower and fruits. Other teams too were presented mementoes with flower and fruits. Finally was Kannikaradhane and Brahmanaradhane and all the devotees individually
followed in queue to accept the prasadam and attain blessings of Goddess Laxmi. The programme concluded with distribution of Mahaprasadam at around 10.30 pm.
Suvarna Satish, Rajesh Kuthar, Satish Ullal, Jagannath Bellare, Ganesh Rai, Ramanand Belapu, Satish Poojary, Sudhakar Poojary, Jayashree Sudhakar, Yogita Salian and Shrilatha Hegde among otehrs were the volunteers volunteers who put in great effort and contributed for the success of the programme. The whole programme was possible under the proud leadership of Uday Kumar Kateel and his team who were able to make this event a truly traditional one.