7th Annual Puranava Indian Art & Culture Fest by Houston chapter of Global Organization for Divinity
By Sri Guruji’s immense grace, the 7th Annual Puranava India Art & Culture Fest organized by Houston chapter of Global Organization for Divinity (G.O.D.), was held on Saturday April 19, 2025. It attracted a moving crowd of about 2000 attendees of all cultural backgrounds from around the Greater Houston area and other nearby cities, through the entire day.
The event, which was supported by a cultural arts grant by the City of Pearland (a major suburb of Houston) was held in the heart of Pearland at the outdoor pavilion in the Pearland Town Center Mall.
Several dignitaries attended the event including the Honorable Mayor of City of Pearland Mr. Kevin Cole, the Honorable Mayor of City of Manvel Mr. Dan Davis, Mr. Prashant K. Sona HOC Consul for Culture & Commerce and Ms. Anju Mallik Consul for Community Affairs from Consulate General of India Houston, Executive Director Ms. Tracy Rohrbacher and Arts Administrator Ms. Sara Peters from Visit Pearland, Ms. Ranjana Narasimhan Community Leader and Board Member of Meenakshi Temple Society and many others. All the special guests had words of praise for the Puranava Culture Fest and community service of Global Organization for Divinity. The Mayor of Manvel city also presented a commemorative proclamation for Puranava to G.O.D.
The vibrant festival brought India together by showcasing performing arts from different regions of India presented by numerous cultural groups from the Greater Houston Area. The performances were presented both on stage as well as in the form of street performances during a lovely Chariot Fest when a divine chariot was pulled around the pavilion by attendees. Apart from the classical dances of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi from south India, Odissi from Odisha and Kathak from north India, there were also numerous folk dance performances this year including Assamese Bihu, Gujarati Garbha, Kerala Thiruvathira, Rajasthani Ghoomar, Marathi Mangala-Gauri, Bengali Baul, Karnataka Kamsale, and Tamil Nadu’s Poi-Kaal Kudhirai and Valli Kummi. Additionally, there were also three different folk percussion performances – Parai from Tamil Nadu, Chendamelam from Kerala and Dhol Tasha & Lezim from Maharashtra. A unique performance was also SIlambattam martial art from Tamil Nadu. Between the street performances in front of the divine chariot, the chariot was pulled around the pavilion by attendees, to the chanting of the Mahamantra.
The fest also featured a special Kids Zone where children could make and take special art and crafts, learn about how the solar cycle impacts our daily routines, build temple gopurams with legos, play traditional Indian games, taste Indian candy, win raffle prizes, play in a bouncehouse, and more.
G.O.D. volunteers also offered lovely henna art and a free Photo Booth where attendees could take pictures with Indian accessories against an Indian backdrop.
During the first half of the event, about 200 children of all ages participated in youth competitions in Chess, Art, Written Quiz, Classical Music, Classical Dance, and Ethnic Costumes that were conducted from morning through the afternoon and presided over by expert judges from around the Houston area. A Puranava Harikatha contest was also conducted at Sri Aishwarya Srinivasa Perumal Temple a week earlier. Awards for all the competitions were distributed that afternoon by the chief guests. See list of competition winners on our Facebook event page.
All day long, the festival had vendors selling ethnic clothes, accessories, beautiful handicrafts, artwork, financial and educational services, Indian mattresses, face painting and more. Key supporters of the event included the cultural arts grant from City of Pearland’s ‘Visit Pearland’ and VVLS Event Rentals, and competition sponsors were Divyendu Singh from New York Life Insurance and Tattvam School of Dance. Delicious Indian vegetarian street food including south and north-Indian dishes including fresh dosa, batura, and chaat made onsite, juices including fresh sugarcane juice, and cotton candy and popcorn, was procured, prepared and served by G.O.D.’s entirely volunteer-run ‘Kicha’s Kitchen’ and was a huge hit with the attendees. Several local restaurants, grocery stores and individual contributors donated groceries and menu items for Kicha’s Kitchen.
As part of our annual giving program, Love to Share Foundation America conducted two drives benefiting two local nonprofit organizations – a pet supplies drive supporting Sunnyside Street Dogs and a gift card and blankets drive supporting The Sanctuary Foster Care. Mike Hood from Sunnyside and Jennifer Masante from Sanctuary Foster Care received the donations on behalf of their respective organizations.
The event had 100+ volunteers, 170+ performers, 18 different performances, 20+ vendors, 200+ competition registrations and about 2000 attendees.
Facebook Album with glimpses of the event: GOD Houston
Facebook post about Puranava by Consulate General of India Houston
Facebook post about Puranava by Kevin Cole, Mayor of City of Pearland
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April 24, 2025, 9:30 pm
Radhe Radhe. Pranams and Prostrations to Guruji Maharaj’s Divine Feet on the Propitious Ekadashi Day and Guru Vaaram Day [Thursday]. The mind-boggling question that shoots prominently is “How can such a plethora of ‘thoughtfully crafted’ events, blossom in a Single Day! Without taking the foot off the paddle, Guruji Maharaj’s Grace has skyrocketed phenomenally and the heartwarming dose of adrenaline, blasting off exponentially, is restricted not only to the “Active Architects” but also to “Passive Readers” like us! There is not a ‘nary’ [modicum] of incertitude to assert that none of us would have ever witnessed a program of this Magnificent Scale, that too in a land thousands of kilometers away from India, scripting a Memorable program like a Fairy Tale! Floating crowd of about 2000 attendees, in unison, with utmost discipline, threw their hats in the ring, studded with the August Presence of Multiple Dignitaries, encompassing Honourable Mayor of City of Pearland, Mr Kevin Cole, Honourable Mayor of City of Manvel, Mr Dan Davis, is an Exemplary Feat that defies the Supreme Execution of lesser mortals. Each and every activity, bears the Signature Stamp of our Revered Guruji, but for whose Limitless Munificence none of this is even comprehensible, within the ken of our minds – leave alone accomplishment. A Sublime Confluence and Conglomeration of the string of dance performances, the Delectable Chariot Fest, Folk Percussions add Nectar to Sumptuous Honey is the chant of the Mahamantra vibrantly! Henna art, free Photo Booth, Quiz Competitions, Vegetarian Street Food, helming it all is the ‘Philanthropic Touch” that is the Core Nature of our Venerable Master – Significant Contributions to 2 NGOs, viz., Sunnyside Street Dogs and to The Sanctuary Foster Care, through Love to Share Foundation America! The photographs are enchanting and our hearts brim with Indefinable Joy and Sheer Ecstasy, just by seeing them, only! Salutations, in tons, to our Spectacular Guruji!!
