Yes, this is the title of our Dipawali concerts which are being graced by maestros Pandit Jasrajji who is an Icon of Classical Music for Indians of all ages, all over the world; Pandit Chaurasiaji who is an Idol for all instrumentalists and the first one to bring the flute to mainstream, and Smt. Sudha Chandranji who is an inspiration for all humans to fight adversity and develop inner strength to fulfill a dream of becoming a classical dancer.
I grew up in Mumbai, and was always surrounded by music. However, I used to hate it when my Dad played classical music, and preferred listening to Bollywood music.
As I became a teenager, I got drawn to Western Pop and Rock Music. Unfortunately, I never learned to appreciate classical music until I discovered Vedic Heritage. Fast forward my life to New York, and I discovered Sri Hanuman Temple of Vedic Heritage and began listening to the melodious Bhajans and Kirtans sung by GuruMaa. I got totally drawn to Her teachings and into spiritual music. 30 years ago, GuruMaa, introduced classical music and dance to the western audiences.. She brought outstanding classical musicians – vocalists and instrumentalists to USA. She fought adversity – some concerts barely had an audience. She persevered. And, now, we have continued this tradition, and are celebrating 30 years of the celebration of the marriage of classical Indian music and Vedic Heritage. She even had us learn the basics (starting with the seven notes ‘sa re ga ma pa dha ni ’) from Rajinder Jain, but I was hopeless. But, slowly, I developed the ear and now I enjoy it.
I look forward to our concerts every year. In the morning, on my way to work, I am usually listening to Pandit Jasraj or his disciple, Rattan Mohan Sharma’s spiritual music on my Ipod. GuruMaa also introduced two competitions. One was for the Holi festival. She introduced a competition for young PIO’s living in the New York tri-state area, so that the next generation is encouraged to learn classical music and dance, while being raised in the Western society. In our 2009 competition, we had 77 participants and I could just imagine GuruMaa looking at the youth with pride.
The other competition was introduced in India under AVIDES Foundation, named after Her Guru and inspired after Her music Guru from Her youth, Pandit Jasrajji. Sunita Budhiraja and Sushil Agrawal manage the competition in India. An esteemed panel of judges selects the top 2 winners in each category (vocal, instrumental, dance), and the winners are chosen by the audience in NY at the Dipawali festival. We have a mix of maestros and upcoming artists over a two day program – and it is like having a private feast of music and dance, which touches the very core of your soul. Vedic Heritage, as the name suggests, wants to preserve and promote the ancient culture of India, passed to us through the Vedas from one generation to the other. Classical music, while entertaining, is basically meant to satisfy the spiritual needs. We believe that music can bring salvation.
Indian music is in existence from centuries. Samveda is the earliest known treatise, which draws information and inspiration from Rigveda. The foundation of all vocal music is ‘Pranayama’, which drives the connection to our spirituality. Music starts with the first primordial sound ‘Aum”. Aum is the life-breath of creation and the first manifestation of energy waves which vibrate and galvanize all inert matter. Because energy waves emanate fomr one center, the point of balance between the unmanifested and manifested creation is called ‘Brahman’ – the vast expanse. Indian philosophy begins with Aum and is carried forward by all individuals through dance and music. Rajendra Kandalgaonkar and Ambarish Khare write in the magazine, “Heritage India’ that Indian Classical Music can trace its lineage to around 1500 BC. It is over thousands of years that the grammar of these notes have evolved and refined to achieve a precision – and create the positive vibrations to transfer us to an ethereal plan, far away from this material world.
The origin of music in India can be traced to 1500 to 100 BC as the Rigveda Samhita had the ‘udatta’ or the accents. This allowed the Vedic texts to be read in ‘rhythm’. The Samveda is a collection of hymns, and are supposed to be sung – ‘gitarupa mantrah samani’. The singing of the ‘saman’ was a necessity in rituals like Agnishtoma, Atiratra, Vajapeya, Rajasuya and Ashvamedha.
There are references to classical music in the Epics and Puranas. In the Mahabharata, the term ‘gandharva’ is used to denote music. As written by Debu Chaudhuri, in the book, ‘Classical Music’, Vedic music was known as ‘saman’, while the verses from Rigveda were called, ‘riks’ which were set to tune. This way, the Vedic music acquired a new form. Gradually, a number of rhythmic forms evolved, and these came to be known as ‘chhanda’, ‘geetika’ and ‘prabandha’.
The Vedic music is composed of ‘svara’, ‘laya’ and ‘pada’. Svara refers to the tonal aspects or melody. Laya indicates the motion – slow or fast and Pada embodies the text for vocal music. Svara is the life of the music. Laya is the movement and can be slow, medium or fast. But, when it is set to a cycle, it becomes a ‘tala.’ A tala could include any number of ‘matras’ or beats. A tala could include any number of matras set to a cycle – from 5 to 16 beat cycles. Pada is the text for vocal music; in the case of instrumental music, the pada is the stroke pattern or ‘bol’ which substitutes for the text. The Indian classical music today comprises of two broadly distinguished musical systems – Hindustani and Carnatic. The former was influenced by foreign invasions, and the latter remained purer. However, Indian classical music is so strong, that despite the foreign rule over centuries, the Vedic tradition and the age-old traditional raga system continue to survive, and flourish. Sonal Mansigh, writes in the book, “Classical Dances’ that Indian Classical Dance is deemed sacred because of its innate capacity to visualize and actualize the deepest philosophical concepts through gestures, movements and the art of suggestion. Accompanied by vocalists or instrumentalists, classical dance in its various forms is also an homage to God – how so ever you Visualize Him or Her.
We are very fortunate to present three maestros from the fields of vocal music, instrumental music and dance . I hope the readers come and experience the spirituality in our music and dance at our upcoming program. Jai Sri Hanuman!
