Hari Om Mandir Celebrates Mother’s Day with Indian Cultural Program
Chicago IL: Mother’s Day was celebrated on Wednesday afternoon, May 08, 2013, with a cultural program and food at the Hari Om Mandir, 6N020 Medinah Road, Medinah, IL. On a working day more than 150 mothers had gathered to celebrate the event.
Mother’s Day in the United States is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Anna Jarvis celebrated mother’s day first time in 1908, then campaigned to make it an official holiday. Previous attempts at establishing Mother’s Day in the United States sought to promote peace by means of honoring mothers who had lost or were at risk of losing their sons to war. Mother’s Day is celebrated to honor all mothers and express gratitude for the hardships they bear in bringing up children. The resolution for having a dedicated Mother’s Day was signed by US President Woodrow Wilson on May 8, 1914. Since then people across the world have been celebrating Mother’s Day with joy and devotion.
Ms. Nirmal Bagga the coordinator of the program started the event by a speech welcoming all the ladies to celebrate this eventful day. “Everyone gathered here today has shown the unity and great dedication of volunteerism either in donations, food or participation in the cultural program.” She said. Welcoming the child-bearers and volunteering spirit of all present, program coordinator Nirmal Bagga introduced MCs Madhu Salwan and. Suchitra Sarkar. The latter launched the celebrations with the slogan “Happy Mother’s day – for the mothers by the mothers.”
The Hindi devotional song (bhajan) “Insaaf ka mandir hai ye bhagwan ka ghar hai,“ was followed by a talk on mothers, jokes, dances, musical items, folk dance, skit, ghazal, and songs. The latter included Vande Mataram, Mujhe Bhol gaye Sanwariya, Ramaiya vastavaiya, and dances to the rhythm of Haryanvi folk – Mera Choondar Manga De O Nandi ke Bira, and Bollywood songs Aawara Bhawre, Silsila ye Chaahat kaa, and many more. Tea and snacks were also arranged by Usha Verma and Prem Salwan, who were responsible for the food arrangements.
The proposed items include: bhajan by Usha Verma; talk on mothers Sneh Chaudhary and Poornima Jha songs by Harita Khanna, Kanchan Vij, Rashmi Gandhi, Padmini Rao, Sureshi, and Pratibha; jokes by Anita Rawal and Indu Wadhwa; skit by Malti; dances by Kavita Rawla, Uma Nath, Suchitra Sarkar, Mayoori, and Pratibha; Neena Bawa’s musical act “Neena Bawa the Man;” and last but not least an international fashion show by the ladies.
The program concluded at 3:30 pm with a fashion show and a vote of thanks. Youth volunteer Babu Sarkar accompanied on the dholak (drum) and managed the DJ sound system with Pt. Yogesh Pandya.
About Hari Om Mandir:
Hari Om Mandir has statues of all major North Indian deities, is located at Medinah, in Dupage County, Ill. There is a general congregation at the Mandir every Sunday with offerings to the sacred fire (havan) followed by the lamp offering (aarti) and partaking of consecrated food (prasaad). On every first Saturday of the month the awakening of the Goddess (Devi Jagran) from 7 to 10pm. Shiva is worshipped on Mondays and Hanuman every Tuesday with recitation of his Chalisa. The temple is serviced by two learned priests, who also visit homes. Please visit Hari Om Mandir at 6N020 Medinah Rd, Medinah, IL Phone: (630)980-0900 www.hariommandir.org
Upcoming events:
Hari Om Mandir Youth Committee also invited everyone to another Mother’s Day program during the temple congregation on Sunday, May 12, 2013. The youth group will perform and organize the event.