Crossing the borders of India, the devotion of Lord Shri Krishna and the influence of his pastimes is now leaving its deep mark in every corner of the world. Amidst the geopolitical turmoil and conflicts of West Asia, a very beautiful and culturally wonderful picture has emerged from Israel. This time the festival of Shri Krishna Janmashtami was celebrated with great enthusiasm, enthusiasm and deep devotion in Moshav Aviel, a rural and quiet area of Israel. On this auspicious occasion, hundreds of Krishna devotees gathered from every corner of Israel, most of whom belonged to the Jewish community. All these devotees who came from far away places, by celebrating the birth anniversary of Lord Kanhaiya in their own unique style, proved that divine love, music and devotion have no geographical or linguistic boundaries. This grand event has once again presented a new and unique example of global brotherhood and cultural coordination. Traditional hymns and beats of traditional Indian instruments echoed in Israel's Moshav Aviel. When the celebration of Janmashtami began in the valleys of Moshav Aviel, the entire atmosphere was drenched with Indian culture and Vedic chants. Only the great mantras and chants of 'Hare Ram Hare Krishna' were echoing all around the venue, due to which every person present there started diving into the ocean of devotion. A unique spiritual joy was clearly visible on the faces of the local Israeli citizens and Jewish devotees participating in this religious and cultural gathering. Sharing her experience, Tamar, a local resident and ardent Krishna devotee, who has been a part of this event for more than two decades, said that she has been participating in this Janmashtami celebration with full dedication every year for the last twenty years. For many other locals like him, this festival is not just a one-day celebration, but has become an essential part of their spiritual life that they eagerly wait for throughout the year. The supernatural and sacred pastimes of Lord Shri Krishna came alive with the staging of the play 'Elohim Plus'. Cultural presentations added to the grand Janmashtami celebrations, in which a special play staged by Jewish devotees was the center of attraction. On this auspicious occasion, the devotees beautifully staged a very captivating and philosophical play named 'Elohim Plus' i.e. 'God Plus'. Through this play, the life of Lord Shri Krishna, his messages and his philosophy were presented in a very modern and relevant manner. Just before the theatrical performance, Israeli devotees were seen dancing and singing with full energy to the beats of traditional Indian musical instruments like tabla and dholak, making the atmosphere completely festive. This scene of foreign and local Jewish devotees dancing to the beat of the drum was enough to show how the tune of Krishna's flute has joined the hearts of the entire world. This unique confluence of art and music enthralled the audience and everyone got immersed in this divine bliss. The historic event concluded with a grand and divine feast of 108 vegetarian dishes. The completeness of any Indian festival is considered incomplete without its traditional prasad and delicious dishes, and this was especially taken care of in the event held in Israel. The grand Janmashtami celebrations concluded with the serving of Mahaprasad of Lord Krishna to the guests and all the devotees present. In this Mahaprasad, a very grand and huge feast was prepared, not just one or two, but a total of 108 types of pure and delicious vegetarian dishes. All the devotees were thrilled to receive this 108 bhog which was a perfect blend of traditional Indian dishes and local flavours. This diversity of food not only introduced the Israeli devotees to the Indian food culture, but everyone also accepted it with full devotion considering it as God's Prasad. Thus, amidst the colorful array of sweet and salty dishes, this Janmashtami celebration became immortalized forever in the pages of history. Janmashtami was also celebrated with great pomp in the historical Dhakeshwari National Temple of neighboring country Bangladesh. On one hand, the Jewish community in the Middle East country Israel celebrated the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna in its own unique style, while on the other hand, the echo of Krishna birth anniversary was heard in our neighboring country Bangladesh too. According to information received from leading news agency ANI, the Hindu community of Bangladesh celebrated the holy festival of Shri Krishna Janmashtami with full devotion and joy at the historical and famous Dhakeshwari National Temple in the capital Dhaka. On this occasion, thousands of devotees from all corners of Bangladesh enthusiastically participated in special prayers, traditional religious rituals and cultural programs to celebrate this great festival of birth of Lord Krishna. The temple complex was beautifully decorated and the entire area was echoing with Krishna hymns. A grand and huge procession took out on the streets of Dhaka, tight security arrangements were made. A very attractive and grand procession was also taken out in the series of these traditional ceremonies organized at Dhakeshwari National Temple of Dhaka. In this procession, a large number of devotees took to the streets, carrying pictures of Lord Krishna, religious flags and banners. People were dressed in traditional attire and the entire Dhaka city echoed with slogans of 'Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki' and 'Hathi Ghoda Palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki' all the way. Very tight security arrangements were made by the local administration to deal with any untoward incident and maintain peace during this procession and festival. The large scale holding of such events in Bangladesh shows that despite all the adverse circumstances, the faith and cultural traditions there are still completely alive and flowing.
