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Article: The Days of Desi

An article in Deccan Herald “The Days of Desi” makes for an interesting read for Desis in Pardes.

Illustration by Kavitha Mandana

The author, Surekha Kadapa-bose explains “the end of 2017 is witnessing a sudden cacophony, a sudden urgency, and a new-found love for everything desi. This, of course, is a delightful U-turn from the previous passionate adoption of everything foreign. But, just as we went to extremes to adapt the Western lifestyle from the 1970s to the new millennium, we now seem to be doing the same with desi. There seems to be a bit too much stress on desi food, fashion, culture, religion, rituals, films, music, education etc.”

There is a general misconception that fashion, as shown in the big fat wedding scenes of Bollywood films, is ‘the’ desi attire – men dressed in long silky sherwanis, bandhgalas, with a angavastra wound round their necks, and women, of course, have to be dressed in voluminous ghagras with miniscule cholis, blingy saris etc…

After desi attire comes food. The craze for desi has made inroads here too. The best examples are the popular junk foods – pizzas and burgers – which are originally adopted from Italy and America. Now they are getting Indianised and are being served with a desi touch. You get pizzas with toppings like tandoori paneer, chicken tikka, paneer vegorama, and burgers with stuffings like veg aloo tikki, masala dosa, paneer and so on.

My take on this variation: if one is so much in love with desi khaana, then why not say “no” to pizzas and burgers, and have Mom-made dosas, parathas and samosas instead?

GaramChai.com has long prided itself in being the single stop source for “Desi in Pardes” with extensive listings of Desi Restaurants, boutiques, places of worship and culture

Yoga for Kids in America

Yoga is being promoted for holistic, well being. People in India are taking to Yoga in a big way for a number of reasons: to beat the stress of daily life and grind.

The concept of Yoga is also being promoted for holistic healing in the West. You may be interested in checking out GaramChai.com Yoga section. Here is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) of interest:

Why should kids do yoga?
Yoga is a technology and technology is for everyone & anyone. Scientific research & evidence is rising daily for what many have long said: that a practice like meditation and yoga can help us address many issues that our society is facing. It’s a technology whose benefits are innumerable when applied and learnt from an authentic source.

A few of several benefits for kids to do yoga:

Concentration: Kids learn to focus on their breath during meditation. They learn to
tune into what’s happening on the inside rather than focusing on what’s happening
on the outside. This tremendously helps them in reading, taking tests, completing
homework, and gets them ready for tasks that are required both at school and at
home. And enables them to tap into their creativity.
It’s FUN: A kid’s body is more open and receptive. Children who are introduced to
yoga at an earlier age have access to some distinct advantages as they grow up and
move through life. Yoga helps them to become more joyful. They learn that
everyone falls and everyone gets up. There is no competition.
Enhances flexibility: Yoga promotes physical strength as kids learn to use their
muscles in new ways. It helps the kids to become more aware of their body and
helps them build a deeper understanding of knowing how it functions.
Self-acceptance: Kids will learn to cherish and accept themselves as they are. We all live in a society which is becoming extremely competitive, so it has become very
common to send messages of inadequacy, yoga teaches kids to stay with stable
foundation and have the clarity and energy to be competitive & yet not stress over
its outcome.

All this understanding & more, automatically comes to them from their own experience while doing the practice. If given an opportunity for them to learn the scientifically proven ancient yogic practices & meditation – kids will naturally have the tools to fight the increasing feelings of self-doubt, inadequacy that come during the years and beyond.

Reading:

You may also be interested in YOGA NEBULA

Upcoming Children Program
Start: August 19 @ 9:00 am || End: August 20 @ 12:30 pm || Cost: $200
Contact: Samir Lal / contact@yoganebula.com / 201-696-7597

“Our classes at Yoga Nebula are taught with great care and precision to create a conducive atmosphere for learning the subtle science of Hatha Yoga in New York City/New Jersey. Taught in an intimate group setting, classes are designed to gradually introduce students to yoga practices through verbal instruction and demonstrations. We also feature informative videos that provide intellectual insight into the processes taking place. Unlike many modern yoga studios, we avoid playing music, using mirrors or props, talking while demonstrating, or physically touching participants during the classes. Many students comment on the depth of their experience as a direct result of this inward oriented teaching format.”

Hatha Yoga stems from a deep understanding of the mechanics of the body, and uses
yogic postures, or yogasanas, to enable the system to sustain higher dimensions of
energy. By practicing this profound science, one can change and enhance the way they
think, feel, and experience life. Hatha Yoga is about creating a body that is not a hurdle
in your life. The body becomes a stepping-stone in the progress towards blossoming
into your ultimate possibility. Developed by globally-renowned yogi, humanitarian and enlightened master, Sadhguru, the Isha™ Hatha School of Yoga has been established to revive the ancient science of Hatha Yoga, with programs taught to millions worldwide.
“Hatha Yoga is about creating a body which is not a hurdle in one’s life. The
body becomes a stepping stone … in one’s progress of blossoming into his
ultimate possibility.” – Sadhguru

Drive East 2017 — Indian Classical Dance & Music Festival in NYC — Aug 21-27

A gathering of Indian storytellers share perspectives through diverse forms of Indian Classical Dance and Music: 50+ artists from all over the world come together to New York City for Drive East 2017

August 8, 2017: New York, NY: This August will see its fifth Drive East festival in Manhattan, from August 21 – 27, 2017. Promising to have an even more impactful and immersive experience this year, Navatman sets off its week long Indian performing arts festival at Dixon Place on the Lower East Side. While usually at LaMama, the intimacy of Dixon Place serves to accentuate a sense of inclusiveness and immersiveness as soon as you enter the space, making it an ideal venue for the to view and experience all the nuances of Indian classical dance and music. From widely acclaimed stalwarts to lesser known gems, Navatman bring NYC 20+ concerts in Indian classical dance and music.

“This year, Drive East’s curation has been a little more nuanced. For instance, our four bharatanatyam performers each come from vastly different styles, allowing the patron to understand some of the more delicate nuances of the form. On the other hand, every kathak performance features guest and collaborative artists – such as Jin Won working with Korean Drums, and Rachna Nivas and Rina Mehta of Leela Dance collective working with tap. Some nights are intended to give you a more traditional feel, like the solos on Tuesday evening, and others are intended on showing the more unique aspects of Indian dance and music such as Saturday night’s artists Rajasthani Caravan, Devdutta Sengupta, and Battery Dance Company. – Sahasra Sambamoorthi, founder and co-curator of Drive East and Navatman

In addition to the 20+ concerts, there are a slew of smaller events: rangoli designs that are planned to adorn the festival steps, official artist meet and greets post each performance, free storytelling sessions on Hindu mythology for families, and advanced intensives for adults in the mornings. Each day brings more than just the concert, but an immersive experience that takes you through every performance.

“We are excited to move to a space that really allows a lot of intimacy between the performer and the viewer. Every year, we’d get feedback that people really loved seeing the shows where the performers were no more than an arm’s length away, so we took that to heart when we decided to move to Dixon Place this year.” – Sridhar Shanmugam, founder and co-curator of Drive East and Navatman

Some of the exciting dance events this year include: the beautiful and brilliant Odissi danseuse Sujata Mohapatra who will be performing on opening night; co-founders Sridhar Shanmugam & Sahasra Sambamoorthi will be performing on stage together, Renjith & Vijna form a husband and wife duet team from Chennai, and Prince of Dance – a power-packed evening of full length concerts by male dancers that includes Christopher Gurusamy (Bharatanatyam) & Avijit Das (Kuchipudi).

This year brings an interesting mix of collaborating Indian styles with other traditional forms. We have 3 Kathak performances but each performance highlights a different aspect and commonality with another style. We have Kathak being set to Korean drums (Jin Won and Sue Yeon Park), and Kathak being juxtaposed with tap dance (Leela Dance Collective). In addition, we have rarer art forms like Manipuri (Devdutta Sengupta) gracing the stage this year.

Music brings us the eminent sarod player Aashish Khan, who will be opening the festival, and the melodious and lyrical music of sitarist Kinnar Seen. Carnatic music can be rarer to find in Manhattan, but Drive East has two soloists Shankar Ramani and Ananya Ashok, not to mention the firebrand Navatman Music Collective, one of the only carnatic choirs in the world. The brilliant Rajasthani Caravan troupe joins us from India, bringing with them unique the sights and sounds of folk music and dance.

A new addition to the festival, Navatman will also host Saturday Youth Day concerts. Youth concerts allow exceptional up and coming students trained by stalwart gurus a place in the festival as well, such as Guitar Prasanna’s students who perform Carnatic music on electric guitars.

About Navatman:

Navatman, Inc was founded with an eye on creating a sustainable home for the South Asian arts in New York City and its surrounding neighborhoods, particularly emphasizing Indian classical music and dance. We are a game-changing organization dedicated to creating ground-breaking work in the South Asian classical performing arts in the areas of education, performance, and production. We are best known for our Manhattan-based classes, critically acclaimed productions, dynamic dance company, and stellar carnatic choir, all of which have received reviews in mainstream press including the New York Times, India Abroad, The Hindu, the Financial Times, and The Star-Ledger, to name a few. Navatman continues to see success in their goal to preserve Indian classical music and dance through democratizing these art forms by increasing their accessibility, and innovating on pre-existing business and organizational models to stay relevant, fresh and exciting.

Concert Line Up:

Monday, August 21st:

7:15PM – 8:15PM Aashish Khan – Sarode Recital
8:30PM – 10PM Sujata Mohapatra – Odissi Recital

Tuesday, August 22nd:

6PM – 7PM Indrani Khare: Hindustani Vocal Recital
7:15PM – 8:15PM Kinnar Seen – Sitar Recital
8:30 – 10PM Janaki Rangarajan – Bharatanatyam Recital

Wednesday, August 23rd:

6PM – 7PM Jin Won and Sue Yeon Park – Kathak Meets Korean Arts
7:15PM – 8:15PM Navatman Dance, Feat. Sridhar Shanmugam – Bharatanatyam Recital
8:30 – 10PM Shankar Ramani – Carnatic Vocal Recital

Thursday, August 24th:

6PM – 7PM Pranamya Suri – Kuchipudi Recital
7:15PM – 8:15PM Apoorva Jayaraman – Bharatanatyam Recital
8:30PM – 10PM Ananya Ashok – Carnatic Vocal Recital

Friday, August 25th:

6PM – 7PM Prince of Dance: Christopher Gurusamy – Bharatanatyam Recital
7:15PM – 8:15PM Prince of Dance: Avijit Das – Kuchipudi Recital

Saturday, August 26th:

2:30PM – 3:30PM Youth Concert Day: Shankhadip Chakraborty – Hindustani Vocal Recital
3:45PM – 4:45PM Youth Concert Day: Carnatic Power – Carnatic Guitar Recital
6PM – 7PM Rare Arts of India: Devdutta Sengupta Ghosh – Manipuri Recital
7:15PM – 8:15PM Battery Dance Company – The Durga Project featuring Unnath Hassan Rathnaraju, sponsored by State bank of India
8:30PM – 10PM Rajasthani Caravan – Rajasthani Folk Music & Dance Recital

Sunday, August 27th:

2:00PM – 3:30PM Navatman Music Collective – Carnatic Choir Recital
3:45PM – 4:45PM Rachna Nivas and Rina Mehta of the Leela Dance Collective with guest artist Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards – Kathak Recital
4PM – 5PM Renjith & Vijna – Bharatanatyam Duet Recital

Educational Events:

August 21 – August 25: 5PM – 5:30PM – Free storytelling sessions on Indian mythology for children
August 26: 12:30PM – 2:30PM – Saturday Youth Day

You may also be interested in checking out Garamchai.com ‘s Art and Culture section with extensive listings of Indian Dance and Music academies around North America