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| Samani Punya Pragya | Samani Jigyasa Pragya |
JVB Houston
Report:
by Shashank Jain
JVB Houston’s triple event 10th Anniversary Celebrations were observed with pooja rituals, a grand cultural evening, and with the 1st iteration of the Meditation speaker panel.
The weekend long celebrations began early on Saturday October 12th morning with the Annual Adhar Abhishek Pooja. Samanijis' Punya Pragya ji & Jigyasa Pragya ji provided the perfect start to the day with Navkar Mantra, & thereafter Sh. Jayesh Khona, who flew in from California to lead & conduct the extensive pooja and related ceremonies took over and stepped everyone through the meaningful rituals with deep explanations. Many patrons of the center participated in the “Adhar Abhishek Pooja” & various other rituals that are performed as part of the four-hour long ceremony; which culminated when the symbolic flag was hoisted on top of the temple structure. The ceremony was followed by a sumptuous lunch sponsored by Shanti & Geeta Gala.
The day turned into a gorgeous evening, which began with dinner at 5:30 p.m.; a good cross-section of the Houston community was in attendance to witness the grand cultural evening. It began with a pious Jain Prayer - The Navkar Mantra. Thereafter, the evening’s master of ceremonies & JVB board member Pramod Bengani reminded the audience that this occasion was three celebrations in one - 20th anniversary of JVB Houston's existence, 10th anniversary of the current facility, and the birth centenary of Jain Monk - Acharya Mahapragya ji. He also reminisced upon how the organization took shape 20 years ago with our founder hosts - Sh. Sunil Mehta along with the vision of our leaders; and the many Samanijis that have stationed in Houston over the past 20 years.
Next, Houston's newly crowned Bhajan Idols 2019 - Mahi Tomar & Soma Chatterjee took to the stage and performed soulful bhajans creating wonderful vibrations in the Pyramid hall. They were accompanied by Ms. Smriti Shrivastava on harmonium & Mr. Parshuram Das on flute. After the melodious start, JVB Gyanshala kids ages 4 - 14 performed Yoga poses, where some synchronized with music were a treat to watch. This program was conceptualized by Samani Jigyasa Pragya ji, with support from various parent volunteers.
As the stage was being setup for the much-awaited play, JVB's past President Nikhil Jain recounted the past 10 years of the facility through a slideshow, followed by a short discourse from Samani Punya Pragya ji geared towards the day of celebration. The current President Shashank Jain recognized key volunteers of the Annual Day celebrations; program leads & Vice - Presidents Ashok Jain & Gaurav Jhaveri & cultural program lead Seema Jain. Decorations for the event were led by Shashi Jain with assistance from Vinnie Verma & countless others. Media coverage was by Samji Dedhia, Navin Mediwala, Abhishek Baradia & food arrangements were coordinated by Sharada Gadiya.
Finally, the highlight of the evening "Swarg Mein Ek Hi Seat Khali Hai - Kaun Banega Daavedar?" began with melodious flute by Mr. Parshuram Das & vocals by Ms. Deepti Kanhere & an entertaining dance performance by Aayushi Gandhi & Esha Bora. Seema Jain was the play's story teller, who wound the audience through the hilarious acts by talented & homegrown actors from JVB Houston. The message of the play was clear - “Do good to others and good will happen to you!” Sudhir Daga, Ajay Gandhi, Jigar Dedhia, led the cast, & were well supported by Amit Sacheti, Kinjal Chheda, Monika Daga, Mayank Jain, Deepesh Jain, Sameer Parakh, Shanti Gala, Sampat Parakh, Varsha Sacheti & Shivani Jain.
The play was guided by Samani Punya Pragyaji, produced & directed by Pradeep Jain, and sound & light arrangements were managed by Shanti & Geeta Gala. The evening ended with recitation of Mangal Paath by Samaniji.
Sunday October 13th dawned & turned out to be another gorgeous day, and set the stage for the 1st Triveni Sangam (3 independent thoughts brought together in one session) on “Meditation: Stress Management & Beyond.” Guest speakers from Brahma Kumaris Texas - Dr. Hansa Rawal, Dr. Harish Chandra from Arya Samaj of Greater Houston presented their thoughts on the topic with an apt conclusion by JVB’s very own Samani Punya Pragya ji.
JVB Vice President Gaurav Jhaveri masterfully connected the 3 sessions together that ended with a Q & A session along with recognition of the guest speakers by Chairman Sh. Swatantra Jain & Board Member Sh. Alok Jain & followed by refreshments sponsored by Abhishek & Chetna Baradia & Nayana Mehta. Over 150 from the mainstream Houston community including patrons from Brahma Kumaris, Arya Samaj, Jain Society of Houston, Sewa International, HSS etc. attended the event, which brought the two-day celebrations to a fitting conclusion.