Vedic Heritage Inc proudly presented the program of Spirituality in Classical Music and Dance on the 7th and 8th of November 2009 at their Pandit Jasraj Auditorium featuring Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Jasraj and Ms. Sudha Chandran along with the Avides Indian Idol winners from India . It was a program that many watched and admired with an aura of devotion to Indian Classical Dance and Music. The program had highlights of performances that the viewers would cherish as benchmarks whenever they experience similar performances in future. It was wonderful to see the audience filled with many VIPs including the Deputy Mayor of Hempstead, intensely engaged throughout as they witnessed young talent unfold, and had the pleasure of yet once again listening to the acclaimed masters.
It is the privilege of Vedic Heritage Inc to be able to carry on the legacy of Her Holiness and Pratham Parvatacharya Jyotishanad Saraswati Gurumaa in bringing together established maestros, and masters of tomorrow together on the same platform through the annual concerts held every year over two days at the Pandit Jasraj Auditorium. On the 7th, the ‘Diya Lighting’ ceremony by the Trustees of Vedic Heritage and mantra chanting by Pandit Rameshji marked the beginning of the evening where Ms. Ankita Sarsukumar was invited to the stage for the opening vocal performance. She had the audience applaud and merit her as to the level of her singing and the finesse of art she had perfected at a young age. Her recital was followed by Ms. Saili Oak, who also presented herself as an equal in her style of singing and with a bhajan.
Although there were votes counted as to who was the better of the two it ended in close call with Saili Oak as the winner. Truly they had both performed very well. We extend our congratulations to Saili and wish both of them and well for their future success. They were followed by a breath taking performance on the Tabla by Amit Kavthekar. He is a disciple of Zakir Hussain and reminded everyone very much of his presence in his style. His energy and nimble hands won him several rounds of applause. His was a performance you not want to end. He captivated the audience. The stage was then set for the Mastreo Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and Shri Vijay Ghate who accompanied him on the tabla. With utmost respect, the audience welcomed Panditji and felt the magic of his flute as they heard every note he played. The auditorium was filled with the melodious rendering of his mastery of the flute. He had a very welcome jugalbandi with Shri Vijay Ghate on the tabla which was one of the highlights of that evening’s presentation. It was very nice to hear them both perform together. Panditji accommodated an on the spot request for Raga Hamsadhwani and left everyone mesmerized.
On the 8th, the opening performance was of Ms Aishwarya Narayanswamy who was the only winner of the Avides competition in the dance category. She was well prepared and could well be amongst the most accomplished Indian Classical dancers today. Her precise movements, poses, steps and entire compositions were very well presented. Her hard work and love for the art was amply exhibited and much appreciated with applause from the audience. She was an inspiration to a lot of viewers in the audience whose children learn classical Indian dance. The audience was anxiously waiting for the next performer and came from all over the tri state area to watch her perform. She has had challenges in her life that would normally be a major hindrance in one’s life, but, with tremendous courage and undeterred perseverance of her art she stands, and stands to prove that determination and faith in oneself can be miraculous. And there she was, as she walked upon the stage to a very warm welcome, Ms. Sudha Chandran who lost a leg in an accident and yet she performed one recital after another tirelessly and relentlessly as if to conquer her condition. She is well-worthy of all the recognition and fame she enjoys worldwide. Her dances were all very beautifully staged and her expressions and grace were par excellence. She is the one gifted with talent, inner and outer beauty. Her husband Mr.Ravi Dang stands beside her. She won hearts and left with standing ovation and continued applause that filled the auditorium for quite some ‘emotional time’. Her presence that night will be remembered.
Pandit Jasraj has a special presence whenever he performs and it is all the more special when he performs here at the Vedic Heritage in the very Auditorium that is named after him. He was on stage with his disciples Ms Tripti Mukherjee and was accompanied on the tabla with Mr. Vijay Ghate. Needless to say that to hear Panditji is only wanting to hear him some more. He brings divine presence as he performs and when he sings in praise of Hanumanji, it is as if He is there to listen as well. His voice and range are incomparable, unmatchable and blessed by God. Panditji and Vijayji followed each other closely at times and won rounds of applause. A devoted crowd stood at the auditorium full of admiration and appreciation of the two wonderful evenings that they had come to witness at the Pandit Jasraj Auditorium in Long Island, New York as Pandit Jasraj took a few minutes to just talk to everyone collectively. He has that presence in everyone’s hearts and those who admire his music and have heard it through his collections and live performances cannot get enough of it.
At eighty year’s young, Panditji is still a magnet for classical music lovers and I dare say he loves them back. While Panditji’s was on stage, GuruMaa addressed the audience and the artists as well as members of temple over a wireless connection so that everyone could be blessed by Her as she Herself is presently in India. She was happy that Her legacy was in good hands and congratulated everyone for their efforts and hard work for the program. It was a very successful event put together the members and organizers of The Vedic Heritage Inc. Mrs Sunita Budhiraja was the master of ceremony and was as delightful as she has been in all the last ten years that she has had the responsibility.
A special thanks to TV Asia and ITV, Sahara TV and Jus Punjabi for the advertisements s they carried and for featuring us in their community news segments, and a special thank you to our media partner South Asia Times and Sulekha.com for adverts and articles.
