Great Britain-Sri Raghavendra Swami Brundavan (GB-SRSB), in association with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) conducted Sri Srinivasa Kalyanam on Sunday, 12th May at Rivermead Leisure Centre, Reading, UK. It was a unique event enjoyed by over 2500 devotees from various parts of the UK.
The event in Reading was part of TTD Sri Kalyana Utsavam Project’s (SKUP) efforts to propagate the Hindu Sanatana Dharma and Sri Venkateswara bhakti by organising Sri Srinivasa Kalyanams in different parts of the world. The Kalyanam in Reading was performed by the TTD vedic priests, specially flown in for the events in UK. Also, the enchanting vigrahas of Lord Srinivasa and his consorts, Sridevi and Bhoodevi, were brought from India after performing special poojas in Tirumala.
The day got off to a fabulous start with the enchanting rendition of Suprabhata by the TTD priests followed by the Tomala seva and Sahasranama Archana to the Lord Srinivasa, Sridevi and Bhoodevi.
The Srinivasa Kalyanam was performed with the same tradition as in Tirumala with the vedic chanting accompanied by the mangala vadhyam (traditional music performed with Nadaswaram and Thavil). The eloquent commentary by Sri Kamisetty Srinivasulu garu, former Director of Sri Annamacharya Project, helped all devotees to appreciate and enjoy the nuances of the event while Mr Santhosh Kumar Batchu supported the event proceedings as an anchor through key announcements to ensure the devotees were fully updated on the schedule.
The colourful and aesthetic décor of the stage accompanied by the enchanting, traditional music and the sweet rendition of Annamacharya kirtans by Ms Sumana and other devotees presented a spiritual atmosphere relished by the devotees dressed up in traditional attire. All the devotees were offered laddu prasadam specially brought from Tirumala.
At the end of the Sri Srinivasa Kalyanam, the event organisers felicitated the TTD priests, officials and Sri Kamisetty Srinivasulu garu as a token of appreciation of their excellent cooperation in delivering a unique experience for all followers of Lord Venkateshwara in this part of the world.
All the devotees present were treated to a delicious breakfast and maha prasadam (lunch).
The Balaji Cultural Programme followed in the afternoon where over 50 enthusiastic artists of all ages took part and enlivened the devotees with classical songs, Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi dances.
The evening Arathi to Lord Srinivasa, Sridevi and Bhoodevi brought the fabulous event to an end and all devotees took home many sweet memories to cherish for a long time!
A number of local and national organisations and businesses like ICICI Bank, Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Association of London (SHITAL), Telugu Association of Reading & Around (TARA), Shehnai Banquet Suites, etc. provided voluntary support and helped the organisers in many ways to conduct such a rare event enjoyed by the large Hindu community in and around Reading.
Event organisers and members of GB-SRSB (Mr Prahllada Purohit, Mr Badri Gargeshnari, Mr Vidaysagar Jyoshi, Mr Ragavendiran Govinda Rao, and Mr Srihari Gubbi) expressed their gratitude for the support received.
GB-SRSB is a UK-based religious charity with a mission to establish Sri Raghavendra Swami temple in the UK. The organisation conducts a number of religious events like Sri Raghavendra Swami Aradhane, Sri Dhanvantri Homa, Sri Narasimha Jayanthi etc. in various parts of the UK.
Please visit http://www.gb-srsbrundavan.org to learn more about GB – SRS Brundavan and the event gallery.
