Love is an Ashtapathi.
The Gita Govinda, a compilation of Love Songs, was written by the 12th century poet Saint Jayadeva to immortalize the eternal love of Radha and Her Dark Blue Lord, Krishna. This particular song, the 6th song, lovelorn Radha reminisces about her first sweet union with her beloved. She tells her Sakhi, her friend, of that evening when they met in secret, in the hidden forest bowers; of the time when he spread a bed of tender leaves for them to lie on and how he gently lay on her chest. “ Oh Sakhi, how I leaned in to give in to kiss his tender lips as he held me in his loving arms. And how my eyes, filled with love and longing, languidly closed as I lay blissfully tired …. and their love story continues into the 21st century. Isn’t life all about celebrating love?
Like the divine and ethereal love of Radha and Krishna, lives on forever… May the new year bring more Love to all! May your holidays be filled with love, love and more love.
Wishing Everyone a very Happy Holiday Season & a prosperous 2018 filled with lots of love, laughter, health & kindness to all!
This ashtapathi was choreographed by and taught to Tat Tvam Asi’s workshop participants by Dr Neena Prasad during her 2017 US Tour. Music has been composed and sung by Madhavan Nampoothiri. Stay tuned for exciting news regarding performance opportunities coming up in 2018 for all TTA workshop participants.
Watch the video Here.
Darial Sneed , an amazing artist whose photographic work I’ve been captivated by for a long while has, in this photograph, beautifully captured the ecstatic joy of the Gopis as they dance the Divine Raas, in total abandon, with their dark Blue Lord Krishna!
This beautiful photograph was captured on August 15th at the ‘Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance’ hosted by the Indo-American Arts Council and presented by Jonathan Hollander & the Battery Dance Company at Battery Dance Festival 2017!
This festival maintains its sophisticated representation of Indian Dance forms from across the Indian Sub-continent thanks to the expert curation by Rajika Puri & Uttara Coorlawala ; directed by Deepsikha Chatterjee ; social media campaigns managed by Suman Gollamudi Nanduru; hospitality director Vasanti Mirchandani ; Dance Festival Coordinator Dominique Legros; all under the vision and leadership of the executive and artistic director Aroon Shivdasani.
Love the work Indo-American Arts Council has been doing diligently for years for promoting the cause of South Asian Arts in the US ! Here’s wishing IAAC many many more years of continued success.
Check out their exciting upcoming events Here.
– This article has been reproduced from a FB post written by Sruthi Mohan