A few weeks ago, Gaura went down to South America for the Brazilian Festival of India and 24 Hour Kirtan, so we are all learning a little bit of Portugese (estamos aprendendo o português).
Gaura was at the Festival of India in Pindo, Brazil for Ratha Yatra, a parade native to Orissa, India, where Lord Jagannatha (Krishna) is annually taken out onto the street on a beautifully decorated cart. Of course, the parade involves a lot of kirtan, (kirtan vivo! ) a lot of clapping, ( a gente do Brasil gosta de aplaudir) and a lot of dancing (a gente do Brasil gosta de dançar).
Then, in a beautiful valley in the region of Ribeirao Grande, the real kirtan began. These were the rules: the kirtan had to be continuous for 24 Hours. We could change kirtan leaders, but the transition needed to be flawless. The result was that the people of the remote and eco-friendly farm community, Nova Gokula, were singing and dancing all night!
“You know, people don’t usually check in at three-fifty in the morning…” the clerk at the hotel sat behind the desk looking at Gaura incredulously as I shifted my weight side to side on my feet in the middle of the hotel lobby. The overweight clerk looked exasperated as he attempted to look up the overdue reservation in the computer system searching by “last name…vani.” After the program at Princeton we indulged ourselves in a vegetarian run to the nearest Shop Rite and enjoyed a light dinner of fruit, roasted veggies and good conversation with some of the new friends that we met at the program. The cost was that now we sat in the middle of the hotel lobby, tired, still slightly sweaty and some of us a little drugged.
“Shhhh” Ananta sat on the couch on the opposite side of the room with a giggling Janaki who was still recovering from having taken Benedryl for allergies that flared up earlier in the night. Her laughter was infectious and we soon found ourselves all smiling and chuckling a little.
“This is the first hindu program to ever be held in the chapel” Vineet, the organizer of the Diwali celebration that night said enthusiastically while we set up the stage for the program that night. I looked around thinking they had gotten the name wrong. What they called a “chapel” was as much a cathedral as I had ever seen. Chapel was definitely a modest way of putting it. The scenery of Princeton University was a wonderful place for taking pictures and I imagined that I could feel the pride that was held by the students who learned in this place and honed their intellects into something that would make their University proud in return. Continue reading ‘First Ever Princeton University Diwali Kirtan’
Walking up the stairs to the second floor yoga studio of Astanga Yoga NYC on 430 Broome Street felt like I was going home in a way. During previous months some of the As Kindred Spirits group were holding kirtan programs there every other Friday. I felt apprehensive and enthusiastic all at the same time. I wondered if our old friends would be there. I wondered if we would have a nice sized crowd because we had been gone for some months, but all of it paled beside the thought that everything would be okay because Gaura would be there. My big brother, my friend and sometimes my confidant, I am always amazed by the things that I learn while doing kirtan with Gaura and I was sure that this experience would be no less. When I reached the top of the stairs I was greeted with a bear hug, a bright smile, and the words “Are you ready for another interesting night?” My smile slipped just a little and my eyes widened. The other thing I forgot to mention about Gaura was that sometimes…he scared me. One of Gaura Vani’s best characteristics is that he’s all-inclusive, but this often leads to me being brought far outside of what I am used to in terms of traditional kirtan. So far in the years that I have been doing kirtan with him this has never been a bad thing…but one never knows when it could start. Continue reading ‘Photos and Recordings from Astanga Yoga NYC Kirtan’
My car was broken into this morning. The car was parked on 1st Ave., just outside the East Village Temple (Sanctuary Ashram). I almost saw it happen. I was just a moment to late. I stepped out of the building to move my car for street cleaning and I heard the car alarm go off. I saw someone in a hooded sweatshirt tuck something into their jacket and walk very nonchalantly away from my car and around the corner onto 2nd St. I immediately had a bad feeling. I ran across the street through the morning traffic and saw the passenger side window was broken and glass was all over my car. I just kept running in the direction of the hooded figure half expecting him to be gone, but after I rounded the corner there he was - half a block in front of me - walking down the street oblivious that I was running full speed behind him. I thought about tackling him and grabbing my bag, but then a thought popped into my head. ‘What if he has a weapon? I don’t wanna be wrestling with this guy and have him pull out a knife or a gun’. I guess I yelled, “Hey! Stop. I saw you break into my car and steal my bag,” or something like that. He glanced over his shoulder at me and I watched his hand reach around to his back pocket and start to pull out a knife with a blade the size of my palm. I was glad I hadn’t gotten any closer. I stopped running and kept telling him to give me my bag back. He said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What bag?” but I could see the bulge in his jacket. I told him, “You can have whatever you want. Take my cash. I don’t care, but give me the bag back. It doesn’t matter to you, but it’s important to me.” He said, “Why are you making a scene? Come over here and talk to me.” There were two or three passerbys warily watching our exchange. My bag thief was trying to get me to walk into a courtyard off the main street and deal with him there. I said, “Forget it! You stay there. I’m fine here. Just take what you want and put my bag on the ground.” He was getting all fidgety. Then he seemed to have a 180 degree change of heart. All of a sudden he started apologizing and said he had “screwed up”. He said, “Please don’t call the cops on me. I just need some money man. Come here and get your bag.” I said, “No way! You drop the bag there.” He started inching towards me. Finally he just handed me my bag and stepped back. Then he begged me for some money. He said he was hungry. So I gave him a few bucks and walked away. He thanked me as I walked off.
Now the car’s at the window repair shop until tomorrow and we’re bumming rides around town to the upcoming kirtans. LOL. I like moments like this because it is rare that we’re in situations where we have absolutely no control. It allowed me to depend totally on Krishna and just try my best. Now…more kirtan. Tonight we are doing kirtan at Jivamukti on Broadway. See you soon.
This Diwali gathering was the first official celebration of a “Hindu” holiday at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits led a Kirtan that was a magical gathering. Chanting in the Bethlehem Chapel with guest singer and yogi, Vrindavan Rao from Ottawa, Canada, the Diwali Kirtan brought together 150 people from across the spectrum of Washington, DC vibrant spiritual and interfaith community. This event was hosted by the organizer of the Sacred Circles event, Grace Ogden, along with W. Rukmini Walker (Gaura’s mom). The Bethlehem Chapel is a synchronistic place to host this groundbreaking event as it was the first completed chapel in the huge structure that is the National Cathedral and is considered the cornerstone of the building. It has therefore maintained it’s distinction as a groundbreaking place for worship and community.
“The Essential Kirtan and Yoga Workshop” was led by Raghunath, Gaura Vani, Keli Lalita and Balaram-chandra. It was a magical experience for all of us. About 20 people attended throughout the weekend and we were all uplifted and transformed by the deep mystical practices and divine friendships we developed. Thank you to all who took part.
If you were there, we’d love to hear from you to understand how this workshop affected your lives. You can contact us or simply post a comment below.
We feel the photos, MP3s and videos (coming soon) speak for themselves.
The VCU show on Oct. the 18th was great fun. Our good friend Gauri, a PHD student at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), invited us to perform as guests of the Yoga Education Student Orginization (YESO). The turnout was a little less then expected due to an unforseen student holiday that occured over the weekend, but all who were there danced and chanted their hearts out. Continue reading ‘Kirtan MP3s and Photos from VCU’
Saturday, we were welcomed at Baltimore Yoga Village for a spirited and interactive performance. Gaura brought his kids, who were eager to dance for everyone and Vrinda taught us all some fun Bharata Natyam steps. When the kirtan got going, all were equipped to move…with style!
Check out the pics and kirtan recordings from that night.
On Friday night, we spent some time with our old friends at Studio Serenity. The energy was calm and meditative until we decided that it was time to get our groove on. It wasn’t long before everyone was on their feet!
We recorded and uploaded all the kirtan from that night. Take a look!
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