CHENNAI: Elders would always love to listen to stories that children narrate. And if stories are told through song and dance, they can’t ask for anything more. That is exactly what happened at the Russian Cultural Centre on last Wednesday.
Parampara, a movement dedicated to paying obeisance to the glory of Mother India, celebrated Tulsi Utsav to create awareness about the auspicious plant, where students from schools like Padma Seshadri, Chettinad Vidyashram and Calibre Academy gave dance and drama performance on the theme ‘Pay Obeisance to Tulsi — Save Ecology’. The evening also witnessed Tulsi Vivah, a ceremonial marriage between Tulsi and Lord Vishnu. The Vivah is usually performed on the eleventh lunar day (Prabodhini Ekadashi) of the Tamil month Karthikai.
Singer Bombay Jayashree, educationist Madhuvanthi Arun, scholar in traditional Indian wisdom Lalita Ramakrishnan were present at the Utsav and spoke about the country’s rich tradition and culture. While Bombay Jayashree sang Saint Tyagaraja’s kriti on Tulsi, Madhuvanthi spoke about the importance of teaching students about our rich heritage. “Children get a lot of energy and fresh air by nurturing Tulsi plants,” she said.
Lalita narrated the story of Tulsi and her marriage with a demon Jalandhar and how Jalandhar was subsequently killed by a trick performed by Lord Vishnu. She said the Tulsi wedding was also performed to signify the end of the monsoon. The children also narrated stories to explicate the significance of Tulsi plant, its medicinal values and why it regarded as an auspicious plant.
Manjulika Jhaver of Parampara said that Indians have always been aware of the spiritual tradition of the country and revere Mother Nature. Parampara has been creating awareness on the significance of Tulsi by distributing Tulsi saplings. And those who came for the Utsav went back with Tulsi sapling to drive home the importance of this holy plant.