The pre 100th Radhakalyanam celebration.
On the 7th of November devotees offered Ashtapadi 1- 7 at Namadwaar. Followed by Ashtapadis 8 to 15 on the morning of 8th of November. This day also marked the Avataram Dinam or Calendar Birthday of Sri Swamiji and also the 7th year Anniversary of Atlanta Namadwaar’s opening. In the evening, 1 hour Nama was offered at Namadwaar. 11-year-old Harini, baked a cake to celebrate both the occasions. The cake was cut and Namadwaar and distributed. On 9th November morning, devotees gathered to celebrate Unchavrithi. Devotees relished the Unchavrithi celebration as it was the first time that this was done at Namadwaar. Sri Ramasubramaniam ji from India graciously agreed to participate as the Unchavrithi Bhagavatha. Sampradhaya Bhajans were sung. Devotees offered rice and daal as Unchavrithi Biksha. They performed Paada Pooja of the Unchavrithi Bhagavatha and sought blessings. Kalayan Prasadam was served to all devotees. In the evening Sri Gadadharanji enlightened the devotees with Rukmini Kalyanam katha.
Through his anecdotes and witty sense of humor Gadadharanji kept everyone engaged in the Katha. The evening program concluded with Harathi, Dolotsavam and prasadham.
100th Radhakalyanam
In the year 2017 with Sri Swamiji’s grace Atlanta was blessed by the arrival of our beloved divine couple, Sri Madhurisakhi Sametha Sri Premikavaradha Takurji. Since the arrival of the divine couple, devotees in Atlanta had been blessed with many golden opportunities to serve the divine couple. Among the many sevas, devotees around Atlanta have opened their hearts and homes to perform Radhakalyanam or Sri Radha Madhava Vivah mahotsavam for our Takurji. Alongside performing Radhakalyanam at various homes, it was also performed at Namadwaar. The first Radhakalyanam was performed at devotees’ home in the summer of 2017. Devotees invite Takurji into their homes to celebrate milestones or as a form of gratitude. These celebrations through the years culminated in the grand celebration of the 100th Radhakalyanam.
On November 10th, 2024, 100th Radhakalyanam was performed for our divine couple. The celebration spanned across multiple days. Devotees started preparing and planning for the grand event months in advance ensuring everything was perfect. As a part of the 100th Radhakalayanam invitations cards were printed. The card was sent to Sri Swamiji to seek blessings and distributed to devotees in America. Atlanta Namadwaar devotees’ months of meticulous planning and preparation finally came to fruition. An event hall was booked to cater to the large community for people who responded to the invite. Close to 380 people attended the grand event. On the morning of 10th Atlanta Namadwaar bhaktas gathered at the event hall to decorate and organize. The venue was decorated with flowers and lights. Colorful strings of flowers were artistically strung together to decorate the venue. Every corner of the venue looked festive and grand. Special attention was paid to every detail decorating the stage where the divine couple were seated. Creative welcome signs and boards were made and placed at the venue. Seating arrangements, audio and video coverage were set up to ensure everyone in the audience had a good view of the divine couple. Devotees lovingly made garlands with Cardamom / Elaichi and beads for the idols to be used during the Individual kalayanam. Devotees brought in varieties of Kalayana Seer to be offered to the divine couple. The seer items were artistically placed and decorated. Multiple flower balls were made with colorful flowers to be used for Poo Pandhu. Sri Sriman ji from Hanuman Mandir, Alpharetta and Namadwaar Aradhakas decorated and adorned the divine couple with exquisite clothing and jewelry. Our beloved yugalam Sri Madhurisakhi and Sri Premikavaradhan in their new form took center stage. Seated on their throne they looked majestic and resplendent. A variety of colorful and fragrant flowers were used to decorate the divine couple. Priests from Hanuman Mandir accompanied Sri Sriman ji to add a sparkle to the celebration. The team of Ardhakas ensured all the pooja vidhanas were followed to perfection during the entire program. The priests joined in the vibrant chanting for Mangalya dharanam. Pushpavarsham was done with bright and vibrant colored flowers. The Nalungu shastra was performed with the beautiful rendition of “Rara Raja Kumara” kirtan. Satsang children Darshana and Sadhvika did anukaranam of Nalangu shastra with grace and elegance. They captivated everyone with their beautiful expressions and mudras. Please click on the link below to watch the Anukaranam video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKMsc6nAdV8
The Atlanta Namadwaar Bhajana Mandali led by Kishore ji kept the audience enthralled with their soulful and captivating rendition of Sampradhaya Bhajans and Madhurageethams. Devotees joined in the blissful chanting of the divine name and danced to various bhajans during Divyanamam. Sri Sriman ji joined the group and made a melodious offering of the bhajan “Vanamalli Vasudeva” the devotees’ joy knew no bounds as they danced along. Sponsors of the event were blessed with an opportunity to perform individual Radhakalyanam. Over 15 families participated in the Individual Radhakalyanam. The participants were provided with Radha Krishna idols brought from India along with the required pooja dravyaas. The sponsors and the priests from Hanuman Mandir were honored with special gifts from India and blessed by Sri Swamiji. Everyone who attended the event was given Tamboolam and Kalyana Seer. Devotees participated in offering the seer items to the divine couple, Muthukkuthal, Musala Narthanam, and Poo Pandhu, an undoubted favorite part of the celebration that all age groups love to participate in. Smt. Jeya Kishore ji offered gratitude to Sri Swamiji and emphasized how Sri Swamiji’s Kripa and Preethi has led to bringing everybody under one roof to celebrate the grand Radhakalyanam. She spoke about the importance of Radhakalyanam and the origins of the celebration. Sri Gadadharan ji spoke about the importance and significance of the divine union and how performing Radhakalyanam is pleasing to the lord. He explained how prayers manifest into reality during such celebrations. He highlighted the importance of Mahamantra as the best path to seek refuge in the lord during Kaliyuga. Please click on the link below to watch Gadadharan ji’s talk on Nama Mahima. https://youtu.be/6NJ9mED6X4g?si=IHb1pLSGjfBq4ne4
No celebration is complete without food. A team of dedicated devotees worked tirelessly to plan Kalyana prasadham for event. By Sri Swamiji’s and Sri Takurji ‘s grace over 400 boxes were packed and distributed to all devotees. The grand celebration marked the 100th Radhakalyanam performed for the divine couple. The devotees came together as ONE FAMILY and lovingly contributed their time and effort in this seva. Their keenness and unwavering enthusiasm to serve the Holy feet of Sri Swamiji was reflected throughout the event. This would not have been possible without the immense love, compassion and grace that Sri Swamiji and Sri Takurji have been showering on their children. Devotees are eagerly looking forward to participating in more celebrations in the coming months and years
Satsang for 100th Radhakalyanam Volunteers
The grand celebration of the 100th Radhakalyanam would have not been possible with Sri Swamiji and Sri Takurji’s parama Kripa. A team of satsang volunteers and Bhagawathas worked tirelessly to ensure the celebration was perfect. As a mark of gratitude, Atlanta Namdwaar hosted a watch party and dinner for all the volunteers. As a token of appreciation and gratitude, a picture of Takurji was given to all the volunteers. The devotees reminisced about the moments while watching the highlights of the event.
The volunteers also shared their experiences, gratitude, and feedback. A special dinner was served to all the volunteers.
