The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie
It isn’t often that I write about
events on the blog, and even rarer that I announce events that are yet to take
place. But this is a special one. Most of you who read my blog, have, at some
time, heard me rave about my sister, Kanthi, who is an accomplished dancer. She
is proficient in both, Bharatanatyam and Kathak, which speaks volumes of her
talent, and those of you who follow my Facebook page would certainly have seen
her photos at some point or the other. It is because so many of you have asked
me about her forthcoming performances that I am writing this post. That, and
the fact that this is a special performance.
The Sanskriti Academy of Fine
Arts, Thane, is where Kanthi has honed her skills. She has been a part of
Sanskriti ever since its inception, and the fact that she has evolved from a
student to a teacher there is something we are all proud of. We have enormous
respect for the founder, Smt. Asha Sunilkumar, who herself is an amazing woman,
who has succeeded in passing on, not just her proficiency in dance, but also
her passion, to her students.
This is the 15th year
of the Academy, which makes it a special one. However, what makes it even more
special is that the Academy has, this year, conducted its 25th
Arangetram, and 50 of their students have so far performed their Arangetrams
over these 15 years. All the more reason to celebrate, isnt it?
The event is meant to be a
celebration of all that they have achieved, but they have chosen to take the
celebration a step forward. They choose to call it ‘Sannimitam’ – Art ‘For a
noble and worthy cause’, in an attempt to give back to society for all the
blessings that have been showered on them. This is thus a charity event, with
all the proceeds going to Prem Daan, a non-profit charity in Navi Mumbai, that
works relentlessly to give a home to the homeless, health to the sick, and love
to the unloved.
Dedicated to Mother Teresa and
her Missionaries of Charity, Prem Daan is a home for the destitute, sick and
terminally ill. The Sisters of Prem Daan
are specially trained to take care of those women with mental illnesses. They
ensure that the women feel safe, secure and stable within the premises of Prem
Daan, before administering medicines and restoring them to health.
The programme
itself has been conceived with these ideas in mind, and, along with a
repertoire of traditional Bharatanatyam performances, it also includes a dance
ballet which depicts the resurgence of the inherent power of women. I had the
pleasure of having a brief glimpse of this ballet, and I can assure you it is impressive.
I can’t wait to see the performance in its entirety!
I will be attending the event,
and will post photos later. Posting videos might be more difficult, so I would
suggest you please try and attend the event and see it for yourselves, especially
if you live anywhere near.
Information:
Sannimitam will be presented at Gadkari Rangayatan,
Thane West, on Saturday, 7th December, at 11 AM.
Passes are available for the event, though they
are fast running out. Rs. 50 for Balcony, and Rs. 100 for ground floor. You can
contact Kanthi on 9820851925 for passes.
You can also write to Sanskriti at sanskriti.programmes@gmail.com
for any further information, or query regarding donations. They are accepting
donations in cash as well as kind. Kanthi can also give you details if you are
interested.
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