As spring, the king of seasons, announced its arrival in Texas, covering the landscape with blue bonnets and sunflowers, we at the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas welcomed it with our grand Rang-Birangi Phoolon ki Holi! The sweet fragrance of the roses, colorful mums, and the spring-kissed carnations filled the whole place on the afternoon of 27 March 2016!

The venue came alive, as over five hundred enthusiastic participants began to arrive, eager to experience Radha Krishna Temple’s second Holi event. We opened the event with humble prayers to the divine! Shree Radha Krishna appeared to be beaming at all the devotees and seemed to be dearly pleased with all the arrangements! As devotees eased into their seats, our talented team of singers virtually transported everyone to the holy land of Vrindavan, with their soulful rendition of Braj-style kirtans!

The Bal-Mukund students of Frisco and Murphy impressed the audience with their flawless shlok-recitation! What was most striking was the way the sweet Bal-Mukunds explained the meaning of each shlok very clearly! Indeed, both the Bal-Mukund programs at Frisco and Murphy are actively working on delivering their promise of preserving Vedic culture among the youth! 

The cultural programs and Bharathanatyam performances by the youth were breathtaking and evoked devotion in our hearts!  This was followed by the award ceremony for winners of the Tall Tale contest that the Gavel Club of Radha Krishna Temple conducted. His Holiness, Shree Swami Mukundanandaji blessed the winners and commended the efforts of the temple for facilitating all-round development of the community’s youth!

In his divine speech, Swamiji explained the significance of Holi and helped us understand that the only way to overcome the three modes of Maya – tamas, rajas, and satva (ignorance, passion, and goodness) – is by immersing our mind in the color of devotion! The young and old listened ardently, as Swamiji explained with various examples, as to how to keep our mind and surroundings filled with positivity! The audience found Swamiji’s discourse very relevant to their current situations!

Finally, the much awaited flower petal Holi began with Swamiji singing “Nandgoan ka chora he, Barsane ki Chori he.” All the feet in the hall instantly began to move and dance to Swamiji’s stimulating kirtans! We showered rose petals on baby Radha and Krishna deities as Swamiji and devotees took turns carrying their basinet and dance joyfully!

While all the hearts filled with devotion and joy, Radha Krishna Temple youth volunteers filled our plates with a variety of delicious Indian snacks and food. It was indeed very heartening to experience the hospitality of the youth volunteers. The path of Shree Radha Krishna is selfless love and that reflected in the event and in every action of the volunteers, from start to finish! Congratulations to all volunteers on the grand success of Rang-Birangi Phoolon Ki Holi!

For more pictures, visit Radha Krishna Temple Facebook.