Bhattar Swamy and his team of dedicated volunteers ensured that every student of Srimaan Trust had a learning role to play in the exhibition. The kids were looking forward to the start of their show with much enthusiasm, and they looked a confident lot as they settled into their various positions, dressed in pancha kuccam, paavadai ; some with nervous smiles, some rehearsing their lines, and others breaking out into giggles every few minutes or so.

On the ground floor of the exhibition was the Divya Desams section, where every inch of wall space was covered with beautiful charts depicting the 108 Divya Desams with a brief description of each and a photo of the Divya Desam Perumal for good measure. There were also some fantastic models of Divya Desam Kovils such as Tiruvellikeni, Srirangam, Thirupathi, Badri, Thiruvananthapuram, Srivilliputtur etc. The idea was to have one Divya Desam model From each territorial zone where Divya Desams are located, such as Chola Nadu, Pandya Nadu etc. The models of Srirangam and Tiruvellikeni were done with great attention to detail, and a legend by the side provided valuable information about various Sannidhis, Gopurams, Mantapams etc., which were numbered neatly on the models. Children of Srimaan Trust were waiting by the models to explain them thoroughly, and were also well versed with the Divya Desams and ready to provide information and assistance.

On the first floor there were four sections: ‘Azhwars’, ‘Acharyas’, ‘Science and Religion’, and ‘Vidwans of Srivaishnava Sampradayam.’  Special mention must be made here of the ‘Azhwars’ and ‘Acharyas’ sections, for they took the audience by storm. Little kids of no more than 6 to 8 years of age were displaying impeccable eloquence and mastery over their topic matter, each of them in the guise of the Azhwar or Acharya whom they talked about. Jeer Swamy was heartily surprised and lauded Srimaan Trust and the children for this beautiful depiction of our grand Srivaishnava Parampara. ‘Science and Religion’ had some interesting vedic maths charts, and a model displaying the Bhopal Gas Tragedy showed how one of the families in the vicinity of the toxic leak was not affected by it, having performed   agnihotram. ‘Vidwans of Srivaishnava Sampradayam’ showcased great vidwans like Khadi Ananthachar swamy, Annangarachariar Swamy, Karpankadu Venkatachariar Swamy etc. through charts that were explained fluently by the children in that section.

On the second floor arrangements had been made for a ‘home theatre’ experience, and movies were screened on the concepts of Sristi, Pralaya, Vishnu Purana, Kaisika Purana etc. This section received a great response from the adults in the crowd as well, many of whom were baffled by the various topics that were discussed in the film, such as the various aspects and stages of Sristi etc. The shows were held at regular intervals and attracted a steady inflow of eager viewers.

All in all, the first day of ‘Divya Darshanam’ proved to be a promising start for the three day event, which hopes to showcase in the best possible manner the brilliance and beauty of Srivaishnava Sampradayam. A grand state level inter-school competition has been arranged on the second day of the event, which will draw schools from Erode, Salem, Chennai,Trichy etc. We hope that this three day event will be a pleasurable experience for the visitors, and though any attempt at trying to showcase Srivaishnava Sampradayam falls short of it’s true splendour, we believe that the kids here at Bhattar Kuzham are showing great promise as the future adiyars who will help this Sampradayam grow and flourish.