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Reflections of
Celebration on the 19th August 2011, in the South Mitcham
Community Centre
Another beautiful
‘Celebration’, merging an inspirational talk and a
mesmerising dance, took place on the 19th August 2011. Every
3 weeks, a new artist or speaker is introduced to our small
community, opening our eyes to topics, thoughts and even
emotions that we rarely tap into on a daily basis. This
particular event, though small in number, was one of the
most successful as I am sure that every audience member left
that night with a new insight on the issues we discussed.
The programme commenced, like always, with a brief
introduction to the charity and our founder. This
beautifully scripted introduction was followed by a
captivating dance performance by Swarup Menon and Sowbhakya
Rajabojan, to a number of enchanting fusion songs. The
essence of this ancient dance form, Bharathanatyam, radiated
throughout the room as these talented young dancers took to
the floor, and every member of the audience were unable to
take their eyes off them. We were lucky enough to have
Swarup’s gifted teacher, Mr Santosh Menon, among the
audience.
After a filling meal and some cheerful banter between the
audience and the artists, the show recommenced with one of
the most productive talks ‘Celebration’ has had. Mrs Savitri
Ray not only educated us with her own vast knowledge, but
also opened our minds and encouraged us to educate one
another with our own opinions. A few debates on culture,
community and heritage emerged, and each audience member,
including the performers, were able to express their own
opinions on how an Eastern mind can fit into a Western
world.
A most inspirational evening ended with a relaxing,
inspirational Arka Dhyana session, which was needed to calm
the audience after such an eventful and energetic evening.
We all left that evening with a feeling of divinity,
achievement and serenity; this ‘Celebration’ really did
combine entertainment, education and enlightenment.
Reflections of
Celebration on the 17th June 2011, in the South Mitcham
Community Centre
With a cosy audience the
show commenced with a brief intro about the two Charities,
and the founder Srinivas Arka.
The flute recital was by
Brenda Josiah a graduate from Trinity College London with a
teaching diploma in flute and Clarinet. Her performance was
a breath of fresh air. Simple and beautiful. She gave a
brief introduction of the compositions and the composers
from the 18th Century. Her performance was commended by
Aravinthan Baheerathan one of the leading young artists in
the UK.
After a short break we
witnessed a beautiful Bharathanatya recital by Mrs Vanathi
Bosch who has been working with a great exponent Marvin Khoo
for the past ten years. Her brilliant footwork and
expressions were greatly appreciated. We were able to
understand what she was portraying because she gave a very
clear explanation before each dance. She also answered
questions from the audience.
This very inspiring
evening ended with the most peaceful Arka Dhyana.
 Reflections
of Celebration that commenced on the 20th May 2011, in the
South Mitcham Community Centre.
A peaceful evening began with a welcome speech by Rasitha
Maddage and Vidhya Yogarajah. Both compeers had very
different styles in their presentation, and Rasitha narrated
an interesting story whilst presenting. The story was about
a beggar who sat on a box and kept begging every day, and
then one day when a stranger who had nothing to offer him
asked him to lift the lid of the box he was sitting on, he
found treasure. Rasitha summed up this story by reflecting
on Maha Guru Srinivas Arka’s teachings, regarding finding
wealth within you instead of looking outside all the time.
The next item on the itinerary was a speech given by Grace
Salmon of the Positive Network Group. Mrs Salmon’s bubbly
and bright personality reflected her intentions for the
group’s progress – she described her aim as a vision, and
explained that when your thoughts are focused things will
fall into place. When she met Srinivas Arka, he said that we
are all flowers with different fragrances and colours, that
come together to make a beautiful garland. This speech was
followed by a break, with refreshments and time to reflect
on the words shared with us by Mrs Salmon.
The second half of the programme was a classical dance
recital by Reena Naidu, a beautiful young dancer full of
grace, expression and passion for the art. Regardless of
slight issues with sound, she continued her piece in a calm
and professional manner which we all appreciated. It was
nice to see her teacher, Mrs Rahini Rajagopal, amidst the
audience, supporting her student. This, in the UK, is quite
rare to see after a student has graduated from a dance
school, and we appreciated this further.
This was followed by 9 year old Tavisha Bhatia’s small hip
hop performance, and her energy was radiated throughout the
room, making us livelier in the process.
The night ended with an explanation about Arka Dhyana by
Anushini Rajeswaran, and an Arka Dhyana demonstration by Mrs
Vasu Vora which was a jewel in the crown. Mrs Vora’s
demonstration spread a tranquil feeling throughout the
audience, and we went home content, peaceful and certainly
inspired.
A heartfelt thank you to our charity and our founder, for
showing us a way to celebrate every third Friday of the
month.
For more details, please contact us by email:
administrator. |
