
In the Wednesday October 4th, 2006 issue of the Ojai Valley News,
the big beaming smile of Lord Jagannatha appeared on the back page in full
color! This was accomplished by taking advantage of the Halloween season
and a 120 lb pumpkin that was grown in the computer controlled 700 Sq. Ft.
Raised Bed Vegetable Garden at the American Vedic Association. After
growing the behemoth gourd, Adhoksaja Devi Dasi decided to paint it with the
beaming smile of Lord Jagannatha instead of the more common haunting
expressions like the seasonal Jack-O-Lanterns. When the artwork was done
it immediately attracted the attention of the local neighborhood children
and that gave her the idea to have her creative expression photographed and
sent into the local newspaper.

The editors of the Ojai Valley News recognized the extraordinary
nature of the photo and entitled the photo "Great Pumpkin", although they
had no way of knowing just how "Great" a pumpkin with an image of the Lord
of the Universe on it really was! |