chinmaya mission portland “nritta sandhya” to support our long term goal of establishing a...

Chinmaya Mission Portland

Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009

Program

3.00pm Welcome

Invocation Prayer - Arunima Menon

Naatyaanjali (Bharatanatyam)

Navarasa School of Dance

Shabdam (Bharatanatyam)

Sri Vidya School of Dance

Jagadananda Kaaraka (Bharatanatyam)

Anjali School of Dance

4:15pm Interval

4:30pm Chinmaya Mission Portland: The Vision & Mission

Ashtapathi (Kuchipudi)

Anuradha Ganesh and students

Yen Palli (Bharatanatyam)

Navarasa School of Dance

Dashavataramulu (Kuchipudi)

Anuradha Ganesh and students

Guruvayoorappan Thillana (Bharatanatyam)

Sri Vidya School of Dance

Mangalam

Concluding prayer by all dance schools

Thank you and Recognitions



ChairmanH.H. Swami Tejomayananda

AcharyaSwami Shantananda

PresidentNarendar Sahgal

SecretaryKishore Pathial

TreasurerSuma Krishnamurthy

Executive Committee:Youth ProgramBala Cadambi

Event CoordinatorGopi Selvaraje

Outreach/WebsiteSubha Pathial

Bala ViharRashmi Sahgal

Festival CoordinatorUma Sriram

Books and LibraryKrishna Devarajulu

Fund RaisingChandra Nair

Adult Study GroupAshok Ramachandran

Chinmaya Mission PortlandOur Vision

The Mission of the Chinmaya Mission® orga-nization is “to provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and the practical means of spiritual growth and happi-ness, enabling them to become positive con-tributors to society.”

Chinmaya Mission was established in India in 1953 by devotees of the world-renowned Ve-danta teacher, H.H Swami Chinmayananda. Under his guidance, these devotees formed the nucleus of a spiritual renaissance move-ment that now encompasses a wide range of spiritual, educational, and charitable activities, ennobling the lives of thousands in India and world-wide. The Mission is now headed by His Holiness Swami Tejomayananda with 300 cen-ters world-wide.

Chinmaya Mission makes available the age-less wisdom of Vedanta, the knowledge of the one Reality, and provides the tools to realize that wisdom in one’s life. “To give maximum happiness to the maximum number for the maximum time” is the tenet that drives Mis-sion workers to uplift humanity beyond selfish and sectarian attitudes and activities. Each person’s gain is many-fold: personal growth, heightened efficiency, contentment, and the ability to live with others in peace and har-mony.

We started the Portland center in 1996 with two teachers and a single class of 19 students. Today our membership is at 120 students in 9 class-groups from Pre-K – 12. We have mul-tiple tracks for adult study groups. In addi-tion, to Yoga practice session after Bala vihar classes, this year we started a Samskritam language class. Over 13 years we have moved five times to accommodate our growth, and now is the time to have our own center.



“Children are not vessels to be filled, but lamps to be lit.”

- Swami Chinmayananda

Children are the major focus at Chinmaya Mission. The goal of Bala Vihar is to inspire our children to reach their maximum potential. The children are taught by a team of specially trained, experienced, and dedicated teachers. The curriculum is designed for all grade levels (Pre-KG through Grade 12).

At Chinmaya Mission, our goal is to provide an environment where the per-sonality of the child blossoms in a spontaneous way. Good conduct, emotion-al refinement, social responsibility and spiritual awareness are developed by the teachers through story-telling from the Puranas and other scriptures, singing of bhajans, chanting of stotrams, games, arts and crafts, plays, vol-unteering and other fun-filled activities. Children are encouraged to be confi-dent and responsible members of the society.

The senior Bala Vihar classes provide a forum for youth where they are provided an opportunity to discuss, debate and understand the logic of our religion and its tenets and to become aware of their potential. After having gained this awareness, their potential is directed into creative channels.

Chinmaya Mission Portland is visible and active in the community; a few examples of our volunteering efforts include: NAMI walkathon, Cedar Mill library, Oregon Food Bank, Loaves and Fishes senior center, Jane’s place women’s shelter, Washington Park Zoo and Tualatin Hills’ reforestation pro-grams.

Our vision is to establish a center for Vedantic studies in the Portland metro area over the next 3-5 years. A center which includes a prayer hall, audito-rium, class rooms and dining room, will cost several million dollars to build. We plan to implement this in phases, the first step being to raise funds in order to acquire land. It gives me great pleasure to invite you on behalf of Chinmaya Mission Portland to join us for the second fund-raising cultural event “Nritta Sandhya” to support our long term goal of establishing a center for Chinmaya Mission in the Portland Metro area.

I hope you will join us in this journey with enthusiastic support and ensure that we have a center that serves your children and generations of chil-dren to come – creating a legacy that you can share with friends, family and neighbors; something you can point to and say “I had a part in creating that.” Together, we can make our vision a reality.

Thank you for all your help. Sincerely,

Narendar B. SahgalPresident, Chinmaya Mission Portland



Navarasa School of DanceNavarasa School of Indian Classical dance

trains students in the theory and practice of the classical dance style Bharatanatyam. The classes

are conducted by Smt. Radhika Narayanan, who had her training in dance from Padmashri Adyar lakshmanan and later also studied

under Guru Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai. Radhika has been teaching this dance form for over twenty years and has conducted workshops and

lecture demonstrations in many public schools and collages. The students of Navarasa take part in various cultural programs in and around Portland.

Dancers:

Bhakthi Sahgal is currently a senior at Catlin Gabel School. She performed her Arangetram in 2006 and has also participated in many recitals in the Portland area. Divya Narayanan is currently a freshman at the University of Washington. She performed her Arangetram in the summer of 2008 and has taken part in many dance programs in the Portland area. Jothika Cholan is currently a Junior at Lincoln High School. She performed her Arangetram in 2007 and over the years has participated in performances in Salem and Portland, as well as in many school and community events. Roopa Sriram is currently a senior at Westview High School. She performed her Arangetram in 2006 and has participated in many dance programs. Nevedha Rajan is currently a junior at Sunset High School. She performed her Arangetram in 2008 and has also performed in many school and community programs. Sheetal Krishnakumar is currently a Junior at Sunset High School. She performed her Arangetram in 2008 and has taken part in many school and community events. Neela Ramanujam is currently a freshman at the University of Washington. She performed her Arangetram in 2006 and has participated in many dance programs and demonstrations in the Portland area.

The Performances: Naatyaanjali

Ragamalika, Talamalika

This is an invocatory rhythmic dance in Ragamalika and Talamalika incorporating the five tala variations. This is a composition of Guru Elappa Pillai. This dance consists of prayers to various deities. The first prayer is on Lord Ganesha the remover of obstacles. The second prayer is in praise of goddess Saraswathi, the goddess of knowledge and education. The third prayer is on Lord Vishnu, the preserver and protector. The fourth prayer is on Lord Shiva, also known as Nataraja the Lord of Indian dance. The last prayer is the Gurustotram, saluting the Guru who is the creator, protector and destroyer.

Yen Palli Kondeeraiya

Ragamalika, Talam: Adi

This is an expressive dance on Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam Temple in south India. In this temple, the idol of Lord Ranganatha or Lord Vishnu is in a reclining form on the snake bed ‘Adisesha’. The dancer narrates various episodes in his incarnations as Lord Rama and Lord Krishna and questions with a sense of humor, if he is resting because he is tired from the different events. This is a composition of Arunaachala Kavi.



Sri Vidya School of DanceAkila Rao began learning classical dance from Guru Pasumarthi Ramalinga Sastry start-ing from the age of 7. She started performing in various dance ballets and All-India dance competitions. She also learnt indian classical music from D. Seshachari, one of the famed Hyderabad Brothers. By the age of 16, she performed arangetram and con-tinued performing in various cities in India and Malaysia. Akila moved to Dallas, Texas and along with her cousins started a dance group called ‘Sai Nrithya” and performed in the University Cultural programs. She also started teaching dance at Nruthyashala Dance School along with Bela Vasavada. She moved to Portland with her husband in 2005. She has performed in variety of productions with the non-profit organization and continues to train students for all levels at her Sri Vidya Dance school in Portland, Oregon.

Dancers:

Sharanya Ravi hails from a family of Carnatic musicians. She started learning dance from the young age of 8 from her mother Asha, who learnt from Smt. Vasantha Vedam. She then pursued further learning from the famed Dhananjayans of Chennai, the found-ers of Bharatakalanjali. She continues to perform and teach in Portland with her aunt, Akila Rao. Mrs. Sowmya Sridhar, disciple of Sri. Guru Natyacharya Aravind, started at her training in Bharatanatyam at the age of six. She is now a Teacher and one of the founders of “SaiNrithya School of Dance” in Oklahoma. The dance school donates all of their funds to nonprofit organizations. Mrs. Preetha Sayeekrishna is a student of dance proponents Sri. M. V. Narasimhachari and Smt. Vasanthalakshmi Narasim-hachari. Preetha has been trained in Bharatanatyam since the age of 5 and has given many memorable performances both in India and the United states. She is the found-er of Preetha’s School of Bharatanatyam in Atlanta. Swathi Shankar and Meghna Shankar to follow their elders footsteps starting their training in Bharatanatyam and Carnatic Music at a very early age. Disciples of Mrs. Sowmya Sridhar, these accom-plished artists have performed Bharatanatyam in various centers and won awards.

The Performances: Shabdam - Ragamalika, Talam: Misra Chapu

In this dance, the dancers describe the various episodes during the life of Lord Rama, the son of King Dasaratha - Lord Rama as the protector of the yagnas, the one who lifted Shiva’s bow with ease and married Sita, and his story of going into exile with his wife. The Shabdam ends with the story of Lord Rama slaying the evil Ravana and taking his place back in the Raghu Kula.

Thillana - Ragam: Behag, Talam: Khanda eka

Thillana is a Nritta or pure dance item and a rhythmic piece. This item comprises of beautiful and graceful pure dance steps along with a number of alluringly sculpturesque poses and varied patterns of movements. Combinations of pure dance steps are executed in varying speeds with the scintillating movements culminating in a very fast tem-po. In praise of Lord Vishnu of Guruvayoor, the dancers dedicate all the music, talam (the beat) and the natyam (the dance) to the Lord and pray for his blessings.



Anjali School of DanceAnita Menon founded the Anjali School of Dance in 1996 to provide training in ancient Indian art form of Bharatanatyam to students in the Greater Portland area. There are over fifty students currently under her tutelage at her studio in Hills-boro. She directs them through a rigorous process of learning the basic steps and gestures to choreographing major pieces building on the fundamentals. For further information, please visit www.anjalidance.com

Dancers:

Anita Menon is a disciple of Padmasri Chitra Viswesaran and had her Bharatanaty-am arangetram at the age of eleven. In 1992, Anita was conferred the title “Aadal Kalai Selvi” for her exemplary performances. Sadhana Bharadwaj is a freshman attending Oregon Episcopal School and learning Bharatanatyam since she was 5. Shaila Ramachandran is 16 years old and a sophomore at Westview High school. She is a senior disciple of Anita Menon and has been training under her tutelage in the bharatanatyam artform since the age of 4 and has completed her arangetram, graduating performance. Sowmini Sengupta completed her Bharatanatyam Aran-getram at Chennai under the tutelage of Mrs. Malathy Thothadri and continues to learn under Anita Menon. She is a staff member at the Anjali School of Dance and has choreographed items for group performances. Karthy Chandra is fifteen years old and a sophomore at Westview High School. She has been learning Bharatanaty-am for five years and completed her arangetram in 2007. Meera Kanagal learned dance from late Smt. Padmini Rao in Bangalore and performed Arangetram at the age of 12. Currently she is a student at Anjali School of Dance in Portland, OR where she is continuing her education in dance. Subashini Ganesan, founder of Natya Leela Academy in Portland, is a student of Sreemathi Shantha Bhaskar and has over 25 years of dance experience. Mini Jairaj hails from an artistic family and did her Bharatanatyam training under Smt. Kalakshetra Vilasini and Smt. R.L.V. Devi. She is also a carnatic vocalist. Janaki Kolady is a student of Kalamandalam Vimala Menon and has performed in various cultural festivals in India. Maya San-jay a disciple of R.L.V Anil Kumar has been learning dance since the age of 4 and had her arangetram at the age of 7. She performs Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam and has won several accolades. Reshmi Suresh is a student of Smt. Girija Chandran and has trained in both Mohiniyattam and Bharatanatyam.

The Performances: Jagadaananda Kaaraka - Ragam: Natai, Thalam: Adi

The Anjali School of Dance has chosen to present Jagadaananda Kaaraka, the popu-lar Pancharathna Kriti by the famous poet Saint Thyagaraja. This item has been

specially choreographed for this evening’s performance and will include 11 dancers highlighting the artform’s pure dance (nritta) as well as emo-

tions (abhinaya). This song depicts the greatness and majesty of Lord Rama

who is the protector of the uni-verse.



Anuradha Ganesh & StudentsKuchipudi is the dance form that exemplifies the heart of Andhra culture with its rich variety and flamboyance combined with the mellifluous language, Telugu. Sidhendhra Yogi is said to be the first scholar to have given it the current form of dance drama. The technique of Kuchipudi makes use of fast rhythmic footwork and sculpturesque body movements. Stylized mime, hand gestures and subtle facial expressions are combined with more realistic acting. Kuchipudi, in essence, is the range and depth of Abhinaya representing various bhavas. The scintillating rhythm of the dance with its intricate style captivates all, the dancer and the connoisseur alike.

Dancers:

Smt. Anuradha Ganesh was trained in Kuchipudi style of dance under the illustrious guru Late Smt. Durga Devi who was the senior disciple of Padma Vibhushan Dr. Vem-patti Chinna Satyam. She has performed in various dance festivals in India and has won many accolades. Anuradha has a vast teaching experience of about sixteen years. She moved to Portland in 2001 and has been teaching since then. Her aim is to inculcate an appreciation for this rich ancient art form in her students and she puts her heart and soul into producing devoted disciples. Mallika Sharabu, 11 is studying 6th grade in East West Sylvan Middle School. She has been learning Kuchipudi from Smt. Anuradha Ganesh for the past 3 years. Sai Tejasvi Muttavarapu, 11 is studying 6th grade in Raechal Carson Middle School and has been learning Kuchipudi from Smt. Anuradha Ganesh for the past 4 years. Sravitha Matlapudi, 13 is studying 8th grade in Stroller Middle School and has been learning Kuchipudi from Smt. Anuradha Ganesh for the past 4 years. Susmitha Matlapudi, 10 is studying in 5th grade in Bethany Elem. School and has been learning Kuchipudi from Smt. Anuradha Ganesh for the past 4 years.

The Performances: Dasavatharamulu - Ragam: Mohanam, Thalam: Misrachapu

Each time the world is threatened with annihilation by evil powers, Lord Vishnu the preserver of the universe takes an appropriate form to destroy evil ones’ to protect the good and to re-establish the kingdom of truth. In this number ten incarnations of Vishnu being Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, Bhalarama, Buddha, Kalki are portrayed with valour given in a visible form. Dasavatharamulu is performed by Mallika Sharabu, Sai Tejasvi Muttavarapu, Sravitha Matlapudi, Susmitha Matlapudi.

Ashtapadhi - Ragamalika, Thalam: Adi

Here Radha is depicted as the Virahothkanthitha, a woman in separation from her beloved Krishna who is attracted by the Gopikas in Brindavan. Radha expresses her feelings to her attendant and conveys that she still loves him despite his shortcom-ings. She describes Krishna’s beauty and says her love for him is pure and sublime and has dedicated herself, body and soul. The entire universe is attracted by him with the belief that the sins of the people will be washed away by mere darshan of Sri Krishna. This Ashtapadhi is a composition of Sri Jayadeva.





Silently hear everyone. Accept what is goodand reject and forget to remember what is bad.

This is the way to live intelligently in life.

- Swami Chinmayananda

With Best Compliments from:

Mini Jairaj, Vijayam Illikkal, Reshmi Suresh, Nina Sivaram,

Jyothi Menon, Maya Sanjay, Maya Sandeep, Srilakshmy Anoop,

Preetha Kishore, Raji Chandra, Janaki Kolady,

Prabha and Shankar Viswanathan

chinmaya mission portland “nritta sandhya” to support our long term goal of establishing a...

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