Our great motherland, India, is dotted with many scenic locations and sacred places of pilgrimage. Visiting these places and immersing oneself in the culture, folklore and lives of the local people is a dimension of education that is both invaluable yet becoming rarer. This is, perhaps, education in the true sense.
The youth and children of this great nation are blessed as they have the privilege and pleasure of walking across and wading through diverse terrains, different languages and cultures of the country freely without having to take visas and passports. They can just get onto a plane, train or a bus depending on the connectivity and, of course, ones’ means.
On one such recent sojourns of a holy city, Guruvayoor of Kerala, I was struck by all that it offered. Legend has it that the statue of Lord Krishna of Dwarka was carefully brought to this destination by the efforts of Guru (Jupiter) and Vaayu (The Lord of the Winds). This is what gave Guruvayoor its name. The temple complex, with all its activities which start from 3am till late night, offers a visual treat with the typical architecture of Kerala Ambalams, bejeweled
by hundreds of silently shining lamps with steady grace. The caparisoned elephants and the crisp, rhythmic background of the intricate ensemble of traditional drums and bugles further enhances the glorious shrine with the enchanting statue of Balagopala, the child form of Sri Krishna.
The captive elephant park which houses more than sixty five elephants of the temple is a wonderful place to watch elephants at pretty close quarters, as they are bathed and play in the park. The walls of the majestic shrine are adorned by exquisite murals made of special vegetable dyes that lend longevity and a distinct halo of a rich orange and rust to the various scenes and motifs.
The temple complex and the surroundings were charged with another dimension – cadences from the music festival being held at the temple. The annual, fifteen day festival is dedicated to the renowned legend, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhaagavatar, who also happens to be the Guru of the famous singer Yesudas. Commencing at 5am every morning, the festival provides an excellent faith-infused platform to all aspiring students of classical music till twelve midnight. They are also provided with percussion support and violin accompaniment. After all, Bhava (expression), Raga (melody) and Tala (rhythm) are the pillars of good music. Artists, young or old, who have learnt music for at least five years, are given a slot of five minutes each to offer their music at the feet of the Lord. Today, in the midst of an overpowering influence of Bollywood and MTV, those interested in exploring or pursuing classical traditions are often at sea. A forum such as this not only provides inspiration to many aspiring young artists but goes a long way in preserving our culture and heritage. Children and their parents are provided accommodation in the Dharamshalas of the temple and video CDs of the performance of each artist or child are instantly available for sale. Needless to say, such a place of worship teeming with devotees provides an almost captive audience both on the seats and streets. Given that nearly 13000 artists participate in this festival annually, it also has a multiplier effect on the local economics of the pilgrim town.
This took me back to my memories of my childhood in Punjab where I had, along with many young artists participated in several such events organized by the Gurudwaras. Not long ago, while staying at Cambridge, MA, we had visited churches and enjoyed the choir performances by young students from the region.
Witnessing these many splendored scenes at Guruvayoor, a thought crossed my mind. Gujarat in particular and India in general, have many temples, mosques, gurudwaras, derasars and churches. Can we not organize such two-week festivals in some of these and provide a memorable, first platform in the warmth of the divine lap for young students and budding artists to debut in full public glare too?
Smt. Jayanti S. Ravi
The youth and children of this great nation are blessed as they have the privilege and pleasure of walking across and wading through diverse terrains, different languages and cultures of the country freely without having to take visas and passports. They can just get onto a plane, train or a bus depending on the connectivity and, of course, ones’ means.
On one such recent sojourns of a holy city, Guruvayoor of Kerala, I was struck by all that it offered. Legend has it that the statue of Lord Krishna of Dwarka was carefully brought to this destination by the efforts of Guru (Jupiter) and Vaayu (The Lord of the Winds). This is what gave Guruvayoor its name. The temple complex, with all its activities which start from 3am till late night, offers a visual treat with the typical architecture of Kerala Ambalams, bejeweled
by hundreds of silently shining lamps with steady grace. The caparisoned elephants and the crisp, rhythmic background of the intricate ensemble of traditional drums and bugles further enhances the glorious shrine with the enchanting statue of Balagopala, the child form of Sri Krishna.
The captive elephant park which houses more than sixty five elephants of the temple is a wonderful place to watch elephants at pretty close quarters, as they are bathed and play in the park. The walls of the majestic shrine are adorned by exquisite murals made of special vegetable dyes that lend longevity and a distinct halo of a rich orange and rust to the various scenes and motifs.
The temple complex and the surroundings were charged with another dimension – cadences from the music festival being held at the temple. The annual, fifteen day festival is dedicated to the renowned legend, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhaagavatar, who also happens to be the Guru of the famous singer Yesudas. Commencing at 5am every morning, the festival provides an excellent faith-infused platform to all aspiring students of classical music till twelve midnight. They are also provided with percussion support and violin accompaniment. After all, Bhava (expression), Raga (melody) and Tala (rhythm) are the pillars of good music. Artists, young or old, who have learnt music for at least five years, are given a slot of five minutes each to offer their music at the feet of the Lord. Today, in the midst of an overpowering influence of Bollywood and MTV, those interested in exploring or pursuing classical traditions are often at sea. A forum such as this not only provides inspiration to many aspiring young artists but goes a long way in preserving our culture and heritage. Children and their parents are provided accommodation in the Dharamshalas of the temple and video CDs of the performance of each artist or child are instantly available for sale. Needless to say, such a place of worship teeming with devotees provides an almost captive audience both on the seats and streets. Given that nearly 13000 artists participate in this festival annually, it also has a multiplier effect on the local economics of the pilgrim town.
This took me back to my memories of my childhood in Punjab where I had, along with many young artists participated in several such events organized by the Gurudwaras. Not long ago, while staying at Cambridge, MA, we had visited churches and enjoyed the choir performances by young students from the region.
Witnessing these many splendored scenes at Guruvayoor, a thought crossed my mind. Gujarat in particular and India in general, have many temples, mosques, gurudwaras, derasars and churches. Can we not organize such two-week festivals in some of these and provide a memorable, first platform in the warmth of the divine lap for young students and budding artists to debut in full public glare too?
Smt. Jayanti S. Ravi
