Ananda, the first of our fundraiser series, was held from March 7 to 9, 2019, at the Music Academy, Chennai. The proceeds from this fundraiser are being utilised towards Krupa Care, Chatralayams and our integrated community development initiatives at Manjakkudi, the birthplace of our founder, Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

The fund raiser, held on August 17, 2018, was presented by Revathi Ramachandran’s Kalasadhanalaya. The dance-drama-theatre presentation extolled the purity and sanctity of the Ganga with an underlying message to protect the hallowed river. The production interwove Bharatanatyam, classical Carnatic music, Garhwali folk music and mime and theatre, to depict the incomparable splendour of the Himalayan Ganga. The narrative was embedded in the tapestry of stories of the river and towards the end, the dance drama showcased contemporary issues concerning India’s most venerated river– pollution and preservation of the holy waters.

On August 16, 2018, AIM for Seva presented Nandalala, A Nritya Natak, directed by Smt. Anitha Guha. Lord Krishna’s life was brought alive on the dais by the renowned choreographer’s ensemble, Bharathanjali, in this multilingual thematic dance presentation on Krishna. The mesmerising story of the dark hued Lord coupled with songs of composers like Purandara Dasa, Annamacharya, Surdaas, Meera, Narayana Theerthar, Jayadeva, (Ashtapathis), Oothukadu Venkatasubaiyar, enthralled the audience.

‘Antar-Yatra – The Journey Within’ was choreographed and directed by Smt. Sharmila Biswas, a Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee and founder of the Odissi Vision & Movement Centre, Kolkata. This magical programme, featuring nine dancers showcased a wide range of talent – three classical Indian dance forms, songs sung in six different languages, and included the art of shadow puppetry and ‘kollattam’- a rural game from Tamil Nadu. This dance-drama traversed the inner conflicts of a creative artiste’s mind, the thoughts, emotions, and paradoxes that are encountered during introspection and reflection.

Anupam – Incomparable was the Project Day theme of the Swami Dayananda Matric Higher Secondary School, Manjakkudi, Tamil Nadu. The Project Day was held on February 14 in the school premises with class participation from Kindergarten (KG) to Class III.

Anupam was inaugurated by Sri. M.R. Rajagopal, Head, Wipro operations, Manjakkudi and coordinator of SDET (Swami Dayananda Educational Trust) activities at Manjakkudi.

In terms of themes, the Kindergarten section explored the world of fruits. Each class, right from Montessori to UKG selected a unique fruit as their project. The little ones did role play and sang rhymes and explained the benefits of fruits.

All the classrooms were decorated colourfully with student activities such as collage, colouring and glue work displayed on the soft board. A few of the students opted for a fruity fancy dress costume.

Students from Class I to III showcased their talents in maths, science and social science. The presentations included both working and static models. Twelve classrooms had different models, Students exhibited their talents in 12 classrooms .Each room have center model as follow–, 5 major lands, Indian states and capitals, rangoli using shapes like vegetable rangoli and solar system. The parents and other visitors were impressed with the confidence levels of the students as they went about patiently explaining the various project installations that were on display.

The principal of the Swami Dayananda Matric Higher Secondary School, Manjakkudi, Tamil Nadu, Smt. Padma Raghunathan, parents and other visitors appreciated the efforts of the students and teachers. Based on the positive feedback, the school management has decided to have a project day, every term.

The Sixteenth Annual Convention was conducted from 20 January 2020 to 26 January 2020 at Sri. G.R.Auditorium, Manjakkudi, Tamil Nadu. The main highlights were though provoking speeches on intangible cultural heritage that include artwork, monuments and ancestral values. In the evenings, the audience was treated to some spell binding dance and music performances on all 7 days.

The annual convention at Manjakkudi is structured as a cultural knowledge sharing platform that enables students from rural India to gain education of our vast heritage and traditions and also experience the aesthetic beauty by appreciating classical dance and music.

The 16 annual convention began with the lighting of the traditional lamp. Smt. Sheela Balaji, Chairperson & Managing Trustee, Swami Dayananda Educational Trust (SDET) gave the welcome address. Dr.Alarmel Valli, director, Dipasikha Dance Foundation, Chennai gave the inauguration and presidential address.

The week long convention saw a galaxy of speakers who dwelt at length on the contributions by the Imperial Cholas. Dr.Kodavayil Balasubramaniyan, an eminent epigraphist and archaeologist gave a lecture on ‘Cultural elements and art work of the Chola Dynasty.’  He said that the Cholas are one of the longest living dynasties which are remembered even today in arts, architecture, literature and culture. The monumental architecture in the form of majestic temples and sculptures in stone and bronze reached a finesse never before achieved in India. The following evening saw the inaugural musical performance by Smt. Bombay Jayashri Ramnath with the Mangala Isai Nadaswaram of Sri. K.S.Sivasubramanian and group.

The second day, eminent historian, Dr.Chitra Madhavan spoke on ‘Rajendra Chola – the Greatness.’ She pointed out that temples and architecture of this time still serve to this ecstatic period of history. In her presentation, Dr. Chitra Madhavan showcased a series of images of the successful campaign led by the great Chola king and also shared how the king got the title ‘Gangaikonda Chola.’ For administrative and strategic purposes, Rajendra Chola built another capital ‘Gangaikonda Cholapuram.’

Chitra Madhavan’s knowledge sharing sessions continued the next day where she narrated how Indian craftsmen have been fascinated by figures from mythology. The ancient tradition of sculpting is still preserved in all its glory and at the same time artisans have innovated and brought in new forms of sculpting, working with diverse materials and exploring myriad themes. In the evening, the audience was witness to musical concerts by Sri. Ramakrishnan Murthy along with Kumari Sriranjani Santhanagopalan and Sri. N.Vijaya Siva. Sri. R.K. Shriram and group mesmerised the audience with a violin and percussion concert. The Chief Gueest were acclaimed choreographer and dancer, Dr. Anita Ratnam and Smt. Meera Chari, a senior enterprise architect.

Celebrated across India, navaratri is a time for worship, sacred offerings and classic music. Spirit of the Earth presents ‘The Morning Raga’ – an open house where nine talented musicians will take centre stage and perform classical compositions.

The joy and contentment derived from listening to classical music is unparalleled. It imparts serenity, peace of mind for both the performer as well as the rasika. Our founder, Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati extolled, “We have a profound form of music, unheard of in other cultures. Also through Carnatic music, one is in constant with the ancient dharma.”

Music is the language of emotion, and no art arouses emotions so deeply as music. We believe singing or listening to Carnatic music evokes positive emotions in a person. This navaratri, come and listen to the music over nine days.

Programme:

Dates: September 29 – October 7, 2019

Time: 10:30 am – 11:15 am

Spirit of the Earth, an initiative by AIM for Seva, was set up in 2017 to promote and encourage sustainable lifestyle practices. We believe that the planet’s resources are not merely a source for our consumption and personal gratification; like earth, we need to learn to share (vibhakthi), to give in abundance (vriddhi), provide nutrition (vrihi) and be compassionate (daya) – to render harmony in society. Spirit of the Earth is committed to increasing social impact, reducing carbon footprint and protecting the earth’s resources. The immersion centre operates as a non-profit outlet that sells organic artisanal heritage rice cultivated at our 40 acre farm in Manjakkudi, Tamil Nadu. We also retail hand-crafted lifestyle products made by differently-abled adults living in Krupa Home. In parallel, our interactive workshops, events and discussions provide experiential opportunities that encourage people to move towards conscious living and through all this, we believe we can create awareness and motivate consumers to become contributors.