Reports on 2021 Durga Puja Celebrations at Berkeley and San Jose
Swami Prasannatmananda, Swami-in-Charge of the Vedanta Society Berkeley and the San Jose House, performed the Durga Puja on Oct 17 and Oct 24, 2021, respectively.
In Berkeley, many followers, devotees, and interested people watched the Live Streaming and Facebook Live of the puja celebrating the occasion since the center has not been opened for in-person events due to pandemic. Devotional songs by Sumita Chakravarty accompanied the worship. Many volunteers assisted in the preparation for the puja and cooking the prasad.
On Sunday, Oct 24, Swami Prasannatmananda performed Durga Puja at the San Jose House. Many participants watched the puja via live streaming. Sumita Chakravarty and Alokparna Deb performed devotional songs during the puja.
A new hall that was built in the rear space of San Jose building was inaugurated online after Durga puja by Swami Prapannananda, the Minister and Teacher of the Vedanta Society of Sacramento. This newly constructed hall is named after Swami Turiyananda. Swami Turiyananda, a brother disciple of Swami Vivekananda and a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna was brought by Swami Vivekananda to the United States of America for supporting propagation of Vedanta. While traveling to Shanti Ashrama on Mount Hamilton near Lick Observatory in 1900, Swami Turiyananda spent a night in San Jose at Rita Hotel. He was the person from the Ramakrishna Order who first marked his footprint on the soil of San Jose. It is apt that this newly constructed hall is named Turiyananda Hall. It is worth mentioning here that another brother disciple of Swami Vivekananda and a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Abhedananada also stayed a couple of nights at Hotel Vandome (located then at 601 N 1st Street, San Jose) and delivered a lecture as reported by the San Jose Herald newspaper on Aug. 15, 1901, after interviewing him.
Swami Vivekananda visualized a center near San Jose, Swami Turiyananda started his journey to Shanti Ashrama from San Jose, and Swami Abhedananda also stayed and lectured in San Jose. So, how could the Vedanta movement not find a solid foundation in San Jose? Hence, the addition of Turiyananda Hall is no doubt a landmark of San Jose House of Vedanta Society Berkeley in the process of marching towards the path instructed by Swami Vivekananda.
Swami Prapannananda, Minister and Teacher of the Vedanta Society of Sacramento, and Swami Ishadhyanananda, Assistant Minister of the Vedanta Society of Sacramento delivered speeches on this inaugural occasion of the hall virtually.
Video: Durga Puja Celebrations at Berkeley on October 17, 2021