Lord Krishna is the emblem of platonic love. Lovers down the age are signified with the divine love of Radha and Krishna. But, Janmasthami is not the day for lovers. The day is remembered for our interesting mythological incident. Lord Krishna’s birthday was celebrated all over the city with pomp and devotion.

International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), organised a ‘bhajan’ sabha for the devotees. Men and women were dressed in saffron, danced with the rhythm of ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna." The idol of Sri Krishna and Radha were decorated with brand new clothes and sparkling jewelleries.

In front of the main ditty, a small ‘ jhola’ (swing) was decorated with flowers on which a small udol of ‘Nadoo Gopal’ was seated. Toddler Krishna is also known as Gopal which is one of his centre Octavian names.

The largest and costliest temple in Kolkata of Sri Krishan is Birla Mandir. In the evening we saw a huge serpent queue in front of the temple. People of all ages had gathered to offer their respect to their beloved lord. The deity was dressed with a gorgeous dhoti and kurta, specially designed for the occasion.

The work of ‘Zari’ embedded with shiny stones added glamour to the white marble idol. Radha who stands beside Krishna was looking equally charming in all new attires. The fragrance of ‘Jasmine’ would mesmerise the heart of every visitor and the sandalwood ‘agarbati’ gave it a divine touch.

Innumerable devotees gathered in front of Shyamsunder Tala Mandir, Dakshineswar Mandir and many other places. It is to be said that Lord Krishna was born in midnight. The following day to Lord’s birthday is popularly known as Nando Utsav. People serve prasads to the special items for Janmasthami. Homemade butter and ‘Kheer’ are also served as a special ‘bhog’ to the Lord.