Thousands Celebrate Makar Sankranti At Bush Park
JANUARY 22, 2010

HOUSTON: Om Suryay Namah! So went the chant that filled the air as Hindus, both young and old, performed the yogic exercise known as Surya Namaskar, joyously heralding Sun’s celestial journey into Makar Rashi that brings longer and warmer days. The celebration saw hundreds of colorful kites of different shapes racing and zigzagging across the sky. Melodious thematic songs added to festivity of the occasion.

After days of cold weather and rains, Makar Sankranti celebrations at George Bush Park last Sunday saw a clear sky and perfect weather for a festival of fun.

Over 4,000 men, women and children joined in festivities with kite-flying, yoga, and music. It was a picnic with a difference where people from various parts of greater Houston area gathered to mark the festival that also signifies the sun’s northward journey, Uttarayana.

The festival organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, Gujarati Samaj of Greater Houston and Hindus of Greater Houston, with other organizations participating, has become a favorite fun day for the last two decades. This year because of the wet outfield, games like cricket and kabaddi were canceled but that did not diminish the enthusiasm of the gathering. The day extended for almost eight hours with the peak around 2 pm when music, food and kite flying were the big attractions. “Gujarati Samaj served khichari and buttermilk free, like every year,” said Prakash Shah, the President of the association.

Ekal Vidyalaya volunteers provided 1000 cups of masala tea free.

Swami Nikhilanand, pracharak for JKP Barsana Dham in Austin, TX, was the chief guest of the program and inaugurated the Surya Namaskar Yagna at the park. He stated that “It was very nice to see all the members of the various Hindu Temples and organizations in the Houston area getting together to share good-will and fun during this year’s Makar Sankranti celebration. It was a very spirited and well-attended event which I’m sure will provide good memories for the many participants.”

“Three years back Surya Namaskar was added to the program to promote health and wellness and has also become very popular,” said Suresh Patel, a Gujrati Samaj trustee. From the morning hours till well past noon hundreds of people from six to 60 participated in Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) that is beneficial to both the body and the mind. Lakshminarayan, one of the organizers, said “Surya Namaskar has become very popular and every day some 10,000 people do it in parks, playgrounds and at their homes. The goal is to reach 100,000 people this January throughout the US.”

Six-year-old Varun commented “it’s a good exercise and I feel good when I do it.” Leena Vaidya, her husband Hemant and two daughters Khyati and Niyati are regular participants in Surya Namaskar to keep fit physically and mentally and enjoyed the park setting.

“We had a large number of youth participants for Surya Namaskar. Doing Surya Namaskar in a group in a park and fresh air is a great experience. Over 3500 surya namaskars were performed.,” said Manoj Rathi, Surya Namaskar Yagna Cordinator. One enthusiastic participant was Guo Wen Jing, who was visiting from China, and said “I was very glad to engage in this activity that was really pleasant. I was proud to be a participant doing Surya Namaskar. The atmosphere of this event was harmonious; I was deeply inspired since it was my first time to do Surya Namaskar with nice people in a scenic park. It will be a wonderful memory of mine.

Bush Park has limited parking and the free shuttle service was not sufficient, so many people walked long distances to join the crowd. The organizers said they hope to add more free shuttles and handle the parking situation better next year.

The Makar Sankranti and Swami Vivekanandaji’s birth celebrations were first started by three or four families from Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America and Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh in 1989. Later Gujarati Samaj also joined in. Since then it has grown to be one of the largest festivals in the area.

Many of the attendees were full of praise for the event. Sam Merchant, Secretary of the Council, India House said: “The arrangements were awesome; the food, tea, and sweets were all given away free This was the first time that I had finally been able to make it to this event and I could not believe how much fun was being had by so many Indo-American families and their American friends. I had the pleasure of passing out tea to a young Anglo-American lady who just loved it. So many Indian-Americans of all generations had gathered at one place and were having a good time."

ICC President Swapan Dhairyawan was happy to see “great enthusiasm and impeccable weather helping to make it a great fun day.” Pradip Parekh, VHPA Houston, President-elect, said “as always, we are very pleased that several thousand people, especially our youth, came together to celebrate Makar Sankranti. Leaders of many organizations within the community expressed to me their satisfaction and thanks and promised their co-operation for future events.”

Sharad Patel, event co-coordinator, noted the large number of participants and volunteers, stating “Many volunteers were helping as early as 8 am, loading tables, chairs, boxes of kites and more in order to take them at the park by 9 am. Others stayed as late at 6 pm to clean up and return the items to storage.” He also praised the helpfulness of the nine police officers in contributing to the success of the event. He has plans to add more officers and volunteers next year.

A new volunteer, Sheetal Parwal, summed up the feelings of many, saying “The enthusiasm of the team and the public at large for kite flying was amazing! It made me remember my childhood days when we used to fly kites on Makar Sankranti back at home in India…”