Janmashtami Celebrated with Devotion and Joy at Sanskar Canada Sanskar Canada celebrated Shri Krishna Janmashtami on the evening of September 4, bringing together devotees, families, students and young children for a beautiful evening filled with Bhakti, Satsang and celebration. A special highlight of the celebration was the participation of many students and young children, who attended with their families and enthusiastically enjoyed the festivities. Their presence brought wonderful energy and joy to the evening and provided an opportunity for the younger generation to experience and connect with our traditions.

Continuous Satsang and devotional singing were held from 6:00 p.m. until midnight, as devotees came together to sing Bhajans, remember the teachings of Bhagwan Krishna and await the auspicious moment of his birth. At midnight, the atmosphere filled with joy as everyone celebrated the arrival of Bhagwan Krishna. Devotees offered Makhan Mishri, traditionally associated with Krishna, and shared Prasad together. Sanskar Canada thanks all the devotees, families, students, children and volunteers who participated and helped make the Janmashtami celebration so memorable.

Sanskar Canada’s Annual Community Picnic was a wonderful celebration of devotion, friendship, family and community spirit, with more than 150 people joining us for a memorable day together.

Mother Nature was certainly kind to us, blessing the gathering with beautiful weather that provided the perfect setting for the day’s activities.

The morning began on a spiritual note with Sunderkand recitation from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., joined by devotees of all ages. The recitation was followed by Aarti, after which the gathering transitioned into the fun and frolic of the annual picnic.

One of the most heartwarming parts of the day was seeing different generations celebrating together. Children shared chants and dances they had learned over the summer, bringing smiles and energy to the gathering. Many seniors also enthusiastically participated in the activities, enjoyed the delicious food and spent time connecting with friends and families.

The picnic also became an extra-special occasion as everyone came together to celebrate Anisha’s birthday and share their good wishes with her.

Adding to the excitement were several raffle draws, with many lucky participants winning tickets to Sanskar Canada’s upcoming Raas Garba celebration on October 16, 2026, at St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre in Oakville.

The wonderful food enjoyed throughout the day was made possible through the generosity and hard work of our volunteers. Sanskar Canada extends a special thank you to Indu Bhai and our many senior volunteers, whose continued involvement and dedication are deeply appreciated. Thanks to Richa Thakur and Rashmi Mantri for selling raffles and helping throughout the event.

Our sincere gratitude also goes to Renu Grover, Anu Thareja, Neetu Dhussa and Jayshree Behn for their tremendous support with cooking, organizing and serving the food, along with the many other helping hands who worked quietly behind the scenes to make the day successful.

The event was also attended by Sanskar Canada Directors – Ajay Sharma, Rajiv Shukla and Priya Shukla.

The Annual Picnic was a beautiful reminder of what Sanskar represents -people of all generations coming together in devotion, friendship, service and celebration.

Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, contributed food and helped make the picnic such a joyful community gathering.

Ganesh Chatuthi is a 10 day festival that starts during September. This year, the festival started on the 14th and will finish on the 24th. The festival marks the birth of Ganesh ji, when Maa Parvati created him from clay to guard her quarters, who was later given lids by bhagwan Shiv. Some of the traditions are to Ganesh ji in a murti, bathing, clothing and offering flowers to him, then finally letting him go by immersion of the murti into a water body.

Here is a mantra about Ganesh ji:

Vakra-tunda mahakaya, suryakoti samahprabha, nirvignam kurume deva, sarva-kareshu sarvada

Here is the translation in english:

O Lord Ganesha with a curved trunk and a massive body, whose brilliance equals ten million suns, please bless me so that my endeavors are always free of obstacles, always and forever.

Jai Ganesha!

Avish Sareen, Grade 9

The Thief No One Wanted to Catch Each week, the butter pots were placed at a higher level and each week, the butter pots were empty. In Gokul, each of the gopis complained of the thief with a smudged smile. This thief would climb onto the shoulders of his friends and tip over pots filled with butter, creating a mess in the process. The women attempted to scold him and even tied their pots to the ceiling but nothing seemed to work against him.

Krishna was once caught by one of the gopis with his elbow deep in her pot of butter. As she raised her hand to scold him, Krishna blinked his eyes at her and offered her a scoop of the butter. Krishna never ate alone; every scoop of the butter that Yashoda made for him was given to his friends and even the monkeys who sat on the rooftops. Yashoda questioned Krishna as to why he did so. He replied with a grin, “Because butter tastes better when it is shared.” The morning that Krishna left Gokul, the pots were still hanging untouched.

There was no sound of footsteps from any of the gopis. They all wished that Krishna would come back and steal their pots again. It was then that they understood that he wasn’t after the butter at all, he was stealing their hearts. The sweetest things in life are the ones we share with others and the people who teach us that these shared moments will never truly leave our lives.

Keeshika Dhussa, Grade 10

As this school year starts, I’m excited to be back at Sanskar to learn more through the variety of classes offered here. I attend Sanakar Sunday classes where I learn about Hindu culture, traditions, festivals, and important stories from our history. We start our day with yoga followed by a healthy breakfast.

We learn shlokas, chanting, traditional dancing and artwork. I am also learning values like respect, kindness, honesty, and helping others. I like Sanskar classes because I get to learn more about my culture and understand why we celebrate different festivals and follow certain traditions. I also enjoy spending time with my friends while learning something meaningful.

Atiksha Dhar, Grade 7