Dave Vasudevan
CHICAGO: Ganesh Utsav Samiti of Naperville-Aurora area celebrated Ganesh Utsav with lot of enthusiasm and devotional fervor in the parking lot of Aurora Fox Valley Mall with sizeable attendance from a large number of Ganesh devotees from surrounding areas.
The crowd chanted Ganapati Bappa Moriya in virtual unison. This was organized as a pious ritual that stretched from the 12th through 16th September. The five-day event comprised Bhajans, Pooja performed by priests, Maha Aarti, cultural programs and Prasadams. Ganesh Utsav has been gaining popularity among the Indians and many volunteers offered their service. The organizers said they were very happy to feed over 2500 visitors for the five days of the Utsav.
Children of all ages were given the opportunity to involve and learn more about Lord Ganesha. Drawing and painting were a part of the event to understand Ganesha as an obstacle remover. Bharatanatyam dances, Carnatic songs, a recital of Ganesha hymns and a Krishna Radha dance was performed by the kids from ISKCON.
The founders of the Chicago Ganesh Utsav Samiti were Raj Addagatla, Srinivas Reddy Sarikonda, Sudhir Velpula, and Ramana Abbaraju. They were very happy with the turnout and the enthusiasm in devotees participating in the event.
The founders thanked their core volunteers Shankar Dayal, Srini Murthy, Chidam, Vijay Reddy and Bhim Reddy for their support and help in getting the venue set and making sure every single devotee had a wonderful darshan and enjoyed the cultural programs and food.
