Srinivasa Perumal Brahmotsavam: Children add a devotional flavour to Prabhandham ghosti

This is a refreshing sight – to see a bunch of young children being part of the vibrant Divya Prabhandham ghosti during the street processions at the recent Vaikasi Brahmotsavam at Sri Vedantha Desikar Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Mylapore.

Sreekar is all of five years and will be getting into class 1 at Vidya Mandir this year. His father, Sudarshan, a staffer at TCS, has already initiated him into the stotras of acharya Vedantha Desikar.

Aravind, is a resident of T. Nagar is also in the IT field. He brought his devotionally-inclined 11 year old son Raghava Simhan in the morning and in the evening to the Desikar Temple to recite the sacred verses along with the Prabhandham ghosti at the street processions.

Not yet into his teens, the class VI student at PSBB (T. Nagar) has already learnt almost half of the 4000 verses.

Chartered accountant Sriram, who runs his own audit firm in Venkatesa Agraharam, has been initiating his 8 year old son Haardhan into the ‘Mudhalayiram’ verses over the last year or so.  Haardhan has also been learning Desikar stotras and has already completed a number of these as well.

In a different world is Murali Krishnan who is into Vaideeha activities. His son Raghavanujan, now eight, began his initiation very early – when he was  4 years old. He has completed learning 2000 verses from the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham as part of the class organised inside the Desikar Temple.

In addition, he has already learned over 10 stotras of Vedantha Desikar. Interestingly, Raghavanujan, a class III student of P. S. Sr. Sec School, has also been initiated into Vedic learning over the last year.

While over 25 members of the committed Prabhandham ghosti team of Vedantha Desikar Temple were reciting the sacred verses during the street processions at the Vaikasi Brahmotsavam, these children have been a welcome addition to the sacred practice.

Their rendering of the Prabhandham has added to the devotional flavour to the utsavam, that was celebrated after a two-year break caused by the pandemic.

• Report and photo: S. Prabhu