Visakhapatnam, August 27, 2013: Amid the exquisite settings of floral decors and artificial peacocks, the ‘gujiri’ theme of the Marwaris came alive at Rajasthani Sanskritic Mandal as part of of Krishna Janmashtami.

The celebrations started off a day ahead of the festival where women of the community dressed colourfully as devoted Gopis and some as Lord Krishna dancing to the filmy and devotional tunes.

Members of Akhil Bharatiya Marwari Samiti exhibited their skills in the form of bhajans, fashion show and a string of dance performances. Some also exhibited ‘Laddu Gopal’ with ‘jhulan’ and beautiful accessories that gelled well with the theme.

Women dressed in ghagra-choli participated in a host of cultural activities and ‘antakshari’. A quiz contest was also organised based on the history of lord Krishna where the audience received surprise gifts at the end.

Among others, president of the samiti Manju Rathi, vice-president Sangita Rathi and joint secretary Abha Goel and former president Usha Gupta kept the spirit of the festivities rolling with beautiful dance performance.

Briefing on the festivities secretary of the samiti Shalu Agarwal said: “This is the first time we have gathered to celebrate Janmashtami at the mandal. As a team we have done a lot of homework to design the theme and rope in the participants. It was such a fun to catch up with friends and relatives and celebrate the festival together as an extended family.”

The hall was packed with cheerful audience who encouraged and lauded the performing teams. Children regaled the viewers with fancy dress competition. The celebration concluded with the distribution of prasadam.

Source: The Hindu, August 27, 2013