Chinmaya Shivam Cultural Evening at Kendra Hall( 15 September 2012)
More than 650 people gathered at the Kendra Hall on 15 September 2012 for the Chinmaya Shivam Cultural evening. After weeks of meticulous planning under the guidance of Pujya Swami Abhedanandaji, the wet weather could not dampen the high spirits of the devotees. The guest of honor was the Indian Consulate General of India, Mr Sharma accompanied by his wife.
The evening’s program commenced at 7:00 pm with invocation prayers and Guru Stotram recited by the children of the Bal-Vihar class. This was followed by beautiful renditions of bhajans by Mr Keeran Ishwarlall. This was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience and many sang along in the chorus. Devotees were enthralled as Miss Varsha Sharma & partner performed the Kathak dance steps to the Shiv Tandav Stotram. Mr Vimal Singh beautifully played the Shri Raam Stuti on the sitar. The grand finale was performed Mr Manesh Maharaj accompanied by his two senior students. The audience was ecstatic to see the intricate footwork and splendid Indian Clasical Dance Performances.
Some of the world-famous dance forms that originated and evolved in India that were performed throughout the evening was the Bharatnatyam, Kathak, and Kuchipudi These dance forms use basically the same ‘mudras’ or signs of hand as a common language of expression and were originally performed in the temples to entertain various Gods and Goddesses. They were also effective in carrying forward the various mythological stories from generation to generation while entertaining the audiences. s Lord Shiva is said to be the ‘Nataraja’ meaning ‘King of All Dances’, who is said to perform the Cosmic Dance that delicately balances life and death and all that is happening in the Universe in harmonious cycles.
Inspiration behind the cultural evening comes from Swami Tejomayananda’s vision to propagate India’s Vedic and spiritual traditions through the Performing Arts. With much reverence the Chinmaya mission hold as their motto the phrases “Svara to Iśvara”, “Nartan to Paramātman” and “Geetam-Vadyam-Nrtyam to Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram” The theme of the cultural evening was Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram.
The Chinmaya Shivam Cultural evening showcased some of South Africa’s best local artists. It gave them the opportunity to express their vibrant, rich, culture, heritage and talent. A short video presentation provided information about the Chinmaya Mission of South Africa and the progress of the Chinmaya Shivam Temple Project, one of the largest Lord Shiva Temples to be built in South Africa.
Many partook of the scrumptious meals provided by the devotees of the Mission. The function concluded at 9:45 pm. The listeners left the venue looking forward to the next Chinmaya Shivam Cultural evening as their hearts were drenched with divinity after the marvellous performance of the various artists and success of the function.
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