Happy Janmashtami: Celebs on the significance of Lord Krishna and his sayings in their lives

MUMBAI: It’s Janmashtami on August 19 and devotees of Lord Krishna are getting ready to welcome him home with prayers and his favourite food. Celebrities too are also geared up for the celebration. They talk about the significance of Lord Krishna in their lives, share their plans of performing special puja on the day and what are their favourite sayings of him. Read on:

Mitaali Nag

Lord Krishna is a beautiful mix of mischief, love, wit and valour.  His teachings in Bhagavad Gita help us in every step of our lives. I love the celebration of Krishna Janmashtami. I decorate my puja room, dress my Bal Gopal (baby Krishna) in a new and beautiful attire. I also make prasad for him and sing bhajans. Due to work commitments, I am not always able to invite friends to distribute the prasad but I take the prasad to shoot the next day. I believe in everything he said and my most favourite would be —“A man is made by his beliefs. As he believes, so he becomes”! Life coaches around the world are teaching this now.

Mitu

Janmashtami has always been a big festival in our household as we come from North India. And, my first memories of Janmashtami are of seeing jhankis being made by my childhood friend’s brother. It was very intriguing. After coming to Mumbai, it was about Dahi handi and it intrigues me too. But after the birth of my daughter, things have become more relevant about Yashoda maiya and Deviki maiya and Krishna ji during Janmashtami. I am not a devotee of Krishna ji but yes, we celebrate Janmashtami as a big festival in our own way.

Sudhanshu Pandey

The significance of Lord Krishna in my life is probably the same as Arjun’s. I feel Lord Krishna is someone who guides you through the struggles of life and gives you directions. I pray to Lord Krishna as well as Bhagwan Ram, Vishnu and Mahadev. Once upon a time Radha asked Lord Krishna ‘Krishna aap mujhse byah kyu nahi karte’ Krishna said, ‘Radhe biyah doo logon ke bich main hota hai aur hum mai se dusra kon hai’. I think this is one of the best words to express the love between two people who become one in life. We don’t do any special puja during Janmashtami. In my childhood, I used to go and enjoy celebrating Janmashtami in our area and as a kid I loved to celebrate it.

Mrunal Jain

I am very attached to lord Krishna. Ironically, I played Krishna in Ekta Kapoor’s Mahabharat. I fitted the role and got a lot of appreciation too. I am religious in nature who absolutely believes in God. I perform little puja at home on Janmashtami and go to the Krishna temple nearby too.  My favourite lord Krishna saying is, ‘The key to happiness is the reduction of desires.’

Aditya Deshmukh

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Janmashtami.
Being a Brahmin I am a very devotional person towards all the gods, not a particular god that I worship to be honest. During our school day, our moral science taught us that all gods are one and when you worship any one of them it means you’re worshiping all the gods. For me all the gods mean a lot and I believe in the power and there’s someone who’s always looking after you, taking good care of you as an angel guardian. We shouldn’t remember our lords only during festivals but they should be in heart always and should worship all of them. As Krishnaji was born at midnight, so my father prepares a sweet which is called Shunta. It's a really very special sweet it is made on every special occasion and is very significant. We used to have our exams during Janmashtami so we barely used to enjoy Dahi handi but we used to enjoy it to the fullest. Family, and friends come together and it’s a really fun time to celebrate it with them.

Avinash Mukherjee

Every God has their own devotees. There are people who like a particular God which are completely personal. Yes, Krishna is one of the most beloved God, he has taught us many things in life. I have personally read Geeta. Teachings which he has given are still applicable and relevant in today's time. He is a sign of pure blissed and passionate love. I'll be performing pooja on the show's set. My favourite Lord Krishna saying will be when Krishna said to Arjun nothing is above Dharma. Dharma is at its highest position and will always be.