Programme Highlights

“Hotline to the Divine”

25 to 27 December 2009 at Chinmaya Mission, Thane.

A bhajan workshop - ‘Hotline to the Divine’ - was organized by Chinmaya Mission, Thane, from December 25th to 27th, 2009. It was conducted at the newly inaugurated ‘Gyan Mandir’ hall, at the Thane centre. Though essentially a residential workshop, there were around 30 members including a few day-campers.

The workshop began with the invocation of Lord Ganesha by Apoorva and Aparna. The Acharya of the Thane Mission, Brni Sandhya Chaitanya, and the faculty members, Smt Pramodini Rao and Shri Anupam Mishra invoked the blessings of God and Pujya Gurudev by lighting the inaugural lamp, following which they were felicitated.

Pramodini conducted eight music sessions spread-over three days and it covered around thirteen beautiful devotional songs. Some of the songs had lyrics by Pujya Gurudev, and Swami Tejomayanandaji and many of the songs were composed by Pramodini and her mother, Smt. Susheela Acharya. Interesting visual presentations and a couple of DVD recordings played for the campers added value to the workshop.

Being an excellent teacher, Pramodini actually took the trouble of teaching the songs, note by note, and paid individual attention to the participants. The campers were touched by her efforts.

Anupam accompanied Pramodini on the Tabla and gave apt explanations to the rhythms every time there was a new Taal taken. His mellifluous accompaniment helped elevate the bhajan experience to the spiritual plane

The music sessions were interspersed with four talks by Brni. Sandhyaji on ‘Bhakti Sudha’, a text written by Swami Tejomayanandaji. The text says, “Man initially needs to purify his mind. A mind free from likes and dislikes alone is capable of grasping the essence of self–knowledge. The knowledge takes deep root by practice of meditation, which culminates in the gain of nectar of devotion - ‘Bhakti Sudha’.”
Sandhya didi explained the text and narrated little snippets in her lucid style that gave a wonderful insight to the text. Her talks will surely help to make the campers’ lives more meaningful.

As a part of the cultural hour in the evenings, Smt. Mangalam Krishnamurty, a noted Carnatic classical singer, conducted a lecture-demonstration on “Bhajan Sampradaya” in South India. Stressing on the importance given in this tradition to the ‘Naama’ rather than the ‘Naami’, she briefed the audience on the “Todaya Mangalam” (the beginning portion of the sampradaya bhajan paddhati). This comprises compositions by the poet saint Shri Annamacharya. Her soulful rendition included works of Bhadrachala Ramadas, Saint Thyagaraja and Saint Purandaradasa. An AIR artist, Smt. Mangalam proved her mettle and handled the difficult compositions with ease and thorough mastery. Her group members gave her able support on vocal, percussion and rhythm.

The second evening’s cultural hour saw the campers rendering bhajans of their choice and this did give a platform to demonstrate their skills and capabilities.

An interesting exercise of music composition was given to the campers in three groups. Towards the end, the ‘budding composers’ gave a presentation of their capabilities and showcased their ‘hidden’ talents.

The campers were comfortably accommodated by the Thane Mission, who also provided delicious home-made food and snacks.

The workshop came to a close with a valedictory function. The campers were all praises for the faculty as well as the arrangements made by the Thane Mission. The participants dispersed with fond memories, looking forward to having Hotline to the Divine - Part 2 in near future!

We owe the success of this camp to the blessings of Almighty and Pujya Gurudev.