SANTA ANA, CA – The annual fundraiser of Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles, ‘Sevanjali’ held on Nov.9, was an evening that celebrated the woman divine. Titled ‘Devi Bhakti-Desha Bhakti’ the dance program was a salute to women and mothers through the portrayal of the goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. Swami Ishwarananda, head acharya of CMLA, at the top of the program paid his tribute saying, each of us are who we are, because of the love, nurture and sacrifice of our mothers. Quoting from the Upanishads, various Devi related Suktams and other texts, he pointed out, mothers everywhere play three roles: teach and give us knowledge, inspire us and sustain us and, protect us from all the vicissitudes of life. When divinely seen, this translates into the roles that are embodied by the three popular forms of the mother goddess, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga. Swami Ishwarananda further said, that their worship was most keenly done respectively in Southern India, the West where the financial capital of India, Mumbai was, and in Eastern India.
On the aspect of ‘Desha Bhakti,’ he drew attention to the fact that both, India the country of our heritage and America, the nation which is home now, have the iconic Bharat Mata and the Statue of Liberty representing them. It was appropriate that the evening was dedicated to the worship of the mother and motherland.
Depicting Swamiji’s thoughts and the divine onstage at the Valley High School Auditorium, were three of SoCal’s well known classical dance schools. It began with guru Nandita Behera’s Odissi Dance Circle, where the performers beautifully performed the slaying of the demon Mahisha. Viji Prakash’s Shakti School of Dance in the Bharata Natyam style began their presentation with “Ya Devi Sarvebhuteshu” and went on to do some fast paced pieces invoking the mother goddess in her various manifestations. The smallest group of dancers belonged to Ramya Harishankar’s Arpana Dance Company but their coordination and attention to detail in ‘Nithyakalyani’ was equally engaging. The folk element was provided by UCLA’s Raas-Garba team Bataaka Nu Shaak who did a lively dandiya number that had the audience responding and clapping along.
The resounding final number was the coming together of all the dance groups to the strains of the patriotic “Vande Mataram” in salute to Mother India. The program was interspersed with a few speeches including one by the head of the Foundation Committee of CMLA, Dr.Shashi Acharya who announced that over $200,000 had been raised in support of the organization’s myriad community activities and spiritual and religious events. Navitha and Krishna Rao, longtime and active members of CMLA spoke of their continuing ties with the institution and the benefits they had accrued over the years as a family. Acharya P.Mahadevji thanked volunteers for their time and donors for their ongoing support.
Depicting Swamiji’s thoughts and the divine onstage at the Valley High School Auditorium, were three of SoCal’s well known classical dance schools. It began with guru Nandita Behera’s Odissi Dance Circle, where the performers beautifully performed the slaying of the demon Mahisha. Viji Prakash’s Shakti School of Dance in the Bharata Natyam style began their presentation with “Ya Devi Sarvebhuteshu” and went on to do some fast paced pieces invoking the mother goddess in her various manifestations. The smallest group of dancers belonged to Ramya Harishankar’s Arpana Dance Company but their coordination and attention to detail in ‘Nithyakalyani’ was equally engaging. The folk element was provided by UCLA’s Raas-Garba team Bataaka Nu Shaak who did a lively dandiya number that had the audience responding and clapping along.
The resounding final number was the coming together of all the dance groups to the strains of the patriotic “Vande Mataram” in salute to Mother India. The program was interspersed with a few speeches including one by the head of the Foundation Committee of CMLA, Dr.Shashi Acharya who announced that over $200,000 had been raised in support of the organization’s myriad community activities and spiritual and religious events. Navitha and Krishna Rao, longtime and active members of CMLA spoke of their continuing ties with the institution and the benefits they had accrued over the years as a family. Acharya P.Mahadevji thanked volunteers for their time and donors for their ongoing support.