CMDFW Annual Banquet 2006
CMDFW hosted its Annual Banquet on Sunday, December 3rd, 2006 at the Omni Mandalay Hotel in Las Colinas. This banquet is held every year to showcase the activities of Chinmaya Mission in the Dallas/ Fort Worth metroplex, and to raise money for the continued growth and expansion of the facilities and activities. Our main purpose this year is the planned expansion of the facilities at Saaket.
The evening started on an auspicious note with our Resident Acharya , Brahmachari Uddhav Chaitanya lighting the traditional lamp accompanied by the melodious chanting of Tapovan Shatkam by some of our Slokathon children. This was followed by a short cultural program performed by our Balavihar children. The Gita chanting this year was enhanced by the addition of some adults chanting Gita dhyanam.
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of Slokathon trophies by Uddhavji to 3 children who have successfully completed the marathon task of memorizing and reciting several selected slokas from the scriptures.
In his keynote address, Uddhavji spoke about the grandeur of Pujya Gurudev’s vision which is manifest in the multifarious activities of the mission all over the world. Inspired by Mother Ganga as She flows from the Himalayas to the plains, Gurudev dedicated his life to disseminating the knowledge of our ancient scriptures to one and all. His vision was to make this knowledge available to everyone, in every walk of life regardless of their background.
This set the stage for the live auction of several handcrafted paintings and sculptures specially imported from India for the occasion. The auction was conducted by Venu Menon and Satish Gupta in their usual inimitable style! Besides the live auction, there was a silent auction also with over 70 items up for grabs! Some of the items generated a tremendous interest and passion in the bidders. All in the Chinmaya family spirit, of course!
As you can see, it was a memorable event. If you were unable to attend this year, we hope you can join us next year with your family and friends and help support Saaket.
