Kerala witnessed more than 10,000 Janmashtami shobhayatras on September 4, with over five lakh children participating in the celebrations organised by Balagokulam across the state. Infants, boys and girls dressed as Sree Krishnas and Radhikas turned the streets into a Brindavan as Kerala celebrated Janmashtami Day, with the colourful processions held across major cities, towns, villages and the countryside.
Several prominent personalities flagged off the shobhayatras at different locations. They included Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.V. Rajesh, Kerala Agricultural University Vice Chancellor Dr T. Sajita Rani, former Union Minister and senior BJP leader V. Muraleedharan MLA and BJP national secretary K. Surendran.
According to Balagokulam, the shobhayatras have been part of Janmashtami celebrations in Kerala since their inception around half a century ago. The celebrations were marked by dancing, tableaux and colourful processions. Children dressed as characters from the epics participated in the shobhayatras, while youths added to the festivities by dancing along the routes.
The participation of youths and mothers was also significant, with thousands of men and women joining the celebrations in towns and villages across the state.
In Thrissur city, Neha participated in a shobhayatra dressed as Bharat Mata. Clad in saffron, she is the daughter of Mumtaz Taha, a Muslim BJP councillor in the municipal corporation.
Janmashtami is observed by Balagokulam as a children’s festival. The organisation said children look forward to the shobhayatra throughout the year after participating in the annual procession.
Balagokulam said that before it declared Janmashtami as Bala Dinam (Children’s Day), the festival was largely observed as a ritual at Sree Krishna temples in Kerala.
According to the organisation, the introduction of Bala Dinam and shobhayatras helped turn Janmashtami into a popular social festival across the state.
The organisation also said the Kerala government declared Janmashtami a holiday for schools a few decades ago following consistent requests from Balagokulam leadership.
Apart from its weekly classes on Bharatiya epics and culture, Balagokulam describes the shobhayatra as an important programme for character-building among children.
According to the organisation, children learn social behaviour and how to participate in celebrations in a disciplined and decent manner.
Balagokulam said people across political lines send their children to participate in the shobhayatras and that non-Hindu families have also started sending their children to the programme.
In 2015 and 2016, the CPM attempted to organise shobhayatras on Janmashtami Day in Kannur district, a stronghold of the party in Kerala. According to the account provided by Balagokulam, the attempts failed to attract children from their own communist families in good numbers and ended up being political programmes.
Balagokulam describes itself as the world’s largest children’s movement. Launched in Kerala, the organisation gradually expanded to major cities across Bharat where Keralites have a significant presence and later to other continents.
In 2000, Balagokulam became a member of the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC), an international forum of NGOs involved in teaching religious lessons to children.
