Chinmaya Mission Portland Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Program 3.00pm Welcome Invocation Prayer - Arunima Menon Naatyaanjali (Bharatanatyam) Navarasa School of Dance Shabdam (Bharatanatyam) Sri Vidya School of Dance Jagadananda Kaaraka (Bharatanatyam) Anjali School of Dance 4:15pm Interval 4:30pm Chinmaya Mission Portland: The Vision & Mission Ashtapathi (Kuchipudi) Anuradha Ganesh and students Yen Palli (Bharatanatyam) Navarasa School of Dance Dashavataramulu (Kuchipudi) Anuradha Ganesh and students Guruvayoorappan Thillana (Bharatanatyam) Sri Vidya School of Dance Mangalam Concluding prayer by all dance schools Thank you and Recognitions Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Chinmaya Mission Portland Our Vision The Mission of the Chinmaya Mission® orga- nization is “to provide to individuals, from any background, the wisdom of Vedanta and the practical means of spiritual growth and happi- ness, enabling them to become positive con- tributors to society.” Chairman Chinmaya Mission was established in India in H.H. Swami Tejomayananda 1953 by devotees of the world-renowned Ve- Acharya danta teacher, H.H Swami Chinmayananda. Swami Shantananda Under his guidance, these devotees formed the nucleus of a spiritual renaissance move- President ment that now encompasses a wide range of Narendar Sahgal spiritual, educational, and charitable activities, ennobling the lives of thousands in India and Secretary world-wide. The Mission is now headed by His Kishore Pathial Holiness Swami Tejomayananda with 300 cen- Treasurer ters world-wide. Suma Krishnamurthy Chinmaya Mission makes available the age- Executive Committee: less wisdom of Vedanta, the knowledge of the Youth Program one Reality, and provides the tools to realize Bala Cadambi that wisdom in one’s life. “To give maximum happiness to the maximum number for the Event Coordinator maximum time” is the tenet that drives Mis- Gopi Selvaraje sion workers to uplift humanity beyond selfish and sectarian attitudes and activities. Each Outreach/Website person’s gain is many-fold: personal growth, Subha Pathial heightened efficiency, contentment, and the Bala Vihar ability to live with others in peace and har- Rashmi Sahgal mony. Festival Coordinator We started the Portland center in 1996 with Uma Sriram two teachers and a single class of 19 students. Today our membership is at 120 students in 9 Books and Library class-groups from Pre-K – 12. We have mul- Krishna Devarajulu tiple tracks for adult study groups. In addi- Fund Raising tion, to Yoga practice session after Bala vihar Chandra Nair classes, this year we started a Samskritam language class. Over 13 years we have moved Adult Study Group five times to accommodate our growth, and Ashok Ramachandran now is the time to have our own center. Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland “Children are not vessels to be filled, but lamps to be lit.” - Swami Chinmayananda Children are the major focus at Chinmaya Mission. The goal of Bala Vihar is to inspire our children to reach their maximum potential. The children are taught by a team of specially trained, experienced, and dedicated teachers. The curriculum is designed for all grade levels (Pre-KG through Grade 12). At Chinmaya Mission, our goal is to provide an environment where the per- sonality of the child blossoms in a spontaneous way. Good conduct, emotion- al refinement, social responsibility and spiritual awareness are developed by the teachers through story-telling from the Puranas and other scriptures, singing of bhajans, chanting of stotrams, games, arts and crafts, plays, vol- unteering and other fun-filled activities. Children are encouraged to be confi- dent and responsible members of the society. The senior Bala Vihar classes provide a forum for youth where they are provided an opportunity to discuss, debate and understand the logic of our religion and its tenets and to become aware of their potential. After having gained this awareness, their potential is directed into creative channels. Chinmaya Mission Portland is visible and active in the community; a few examples of our volunteering efforts include: NAMI walkathon, Cedar Mill library, Oregon Food Bank, Loaves and Fishes senior center, Jane’s place women’s shelter, Washington Park Zoo and Tualatin Hills’ reforestation pro- grams. Our vision is to establish a center for Vedantic studies in the Portland metro area over the next 3-5 years. A center which includes a prayer hall, audito- rium, class rooms and dining room, will cost several million dollars to build. We plan to implement this in phases, the first step being to raise funds in order to acquire land. It gives me great pleasure to invite you on behalf of Chinmaya Mission Portland to join us for the second fund-raising cultural event “Nritta Sandhya” to support our long term goal of establishing a center for Chinmaya Mission in the Portland Metro area. I hope you will join us in this journey with enthusiastic support and ensure that we have a center that serves your children and generations of chil- dren to come – creating a legacy that you can share with friends, family and neighbors; something you can point to and say “I had a part in creating that.” Together, we can make our vision a reality. Thank you for all your help. Sincerely, Narendar B. Sahgal President, Chinmaya Mission Portland Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Navarasa School of Dance Navarasa School of Indian Classical dance trains students in the theory and practice of the classical dance style Bharatanatyam. The classes are conducted by Smt. Radhika Narayanan, who had her training in dance from Padmashri Adyar lakshmanan and later also studied under Guru Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai. Radhika has been teaching this dance form for over twenty years and has conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations in many public schools and collages. The students of Navarasa take part in various cultural programs in and around Portland. Dancers: Bhakthi Sahgal is currently a senior at Catlin Gabel School. She performed her Arangetram in 2006 and has also participated in many recitals in the Portland area. Divya Narayanan is currently a freshman at the University of Washington. She performed her Arangetram in the summer of 2008 and has taken part in many dance programs in the Portland area. Jothika Cholan is currently a Junior at Lincoln High School. She performed her Arangetram in 2007 and over the years has participated in performances in Salem and Portland, as well as in many school and community events. Roopa Sriram is currently a senior at Westview High School. She performed her Arangetram in 2006 and has participated in many dance programs. Nevedha Rajan is currently a junior at Sunset High School. She performed her Arangetram in 2008 and has also performed in many school and community programs. Sheetal Krishnakumar is currently a Junior at Sunset High School. She performed her Arangetram in 2008 and has taken part in many school and community events. Neela Ramanujam is currently a freshman at the University of Washington. She performed her Arangetram in 2006 and has participated in many dance programs and demonstrations in the Portland area. The Performances: Naatyaanjali Ragamalika, Talamalika This is an invocatory rhythmic dance in Ragamalika and Talamalika incorporating the five tala variations. This is a composition of Guru Elappa Pillai. This dance consists of prayers to various deities. The first prayer is on Lord Ganesha the remover of obstacles. The second prayer is in praise of goddess Saraswathi, the goddess of knowledge and education. The third prayer is on Lord Vishnu, the preserver and protector. The fourth prayer is on Lord Shiva, also known as Nataraja the Lord of Indian dance. The last prayer is the Gurustotram, saluting the Guru who is the creator, protector and destroyer. Yen Palli Kondeeraiya Ragamalika, Talam: Adi This is an expressive dance on Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam Temple in south India. In this temple, the idol of Lord Ranganatha or Lord Vishnu is in a reclining form on the snake bed ‘Adisesha’. The dancer narrates various episodes in his incarnations as Lord Rama and Lord Krishna and questions with a sense of humor, if he is resting because he is tired from the different events. This is a composition of Arunaachala Kavi. Nritta Sandhya, April 4th 2009 Chinmaya Mission Portland Sri Vidya School of Dance Akila Rao began learning classical dance from Guru Pasumarthi Ramalinga Sastry start- ing from the age of 7. She started performing in various dance ballets and All-India dance competitions. She also learnt indian classical music from D. Seshachari, one of the famed Hyderabad Brothers. By the age of 16, she performed arangetram and con- tinued performing in various cities in India and Malaysia. Akila moved to Dallas, Texas and along with her cousins started a dance group called ‘Sai Nrithya” and performed in the University Cultural programs. She also started teaching dance at Nruthyashala Dance School along with Bela Vasavada. She moved to Portland with her husband in 2005. She has performed in variety of productions with the non-profit organization and continues to train students for all levels at her Sri Vidya Dance school in Portland, Oregon. Dancers: Sharanya Ravi hails from a family of Carnatic musicians. She started learning dance from the young age of 8 from her mother Asha, who learnt from Smt. Vasantha Vedam. She then pursued further learning from the famed Dhananjayans of Chennai, the found- ers of Bharatakalanjali. She continues to perform and teach in Portland with her aunt, Akila Rao. Mrs.