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Chinmaya Swaranjali, the musical wing of Chinmaya Mission, was originally formed as a musical group by devoted and celebrated singers and musicians in Mumbai, India, who were inspired towards deep devotion by Swami Tejomayananda, Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide. The group (what is now Chinmaya Swaranjali, Mumbai) began performing in various arenas, such as Mission satsangs, special events, festival celebrations, and fundraising concerts.
Inspired by their incredible talents and soulful devotion, many more Mission devotees began this music movement of finding within, a joy and love for God in full abandon. They initiated Chinmaya Swaranjali groups in their local areas, and invited the musical créme de la créme of their Chinmaya Family-in the fields of music, song, dance, drama, and art-to join, practise, serve, and evolve.
With its explosive success, Chinmaya Swaranjali is now dedicated to starting new groups in local regions throughout India and abroad. Trained sevaks are readily available to give guidelines and helpful suggestions on starting up, planning and staging performances.
By mid-2007, Chinmaya Swaranjali was established and thriving in the Chinmaya Mission centres of Thane, Vashi, Pune, Delhi, Noida, Goa, and London. In September 2007, Chinmaya Swaranjali, Mumbai was invited by the Sahyadri Channel of Doordarshan to give a one-hour bhajan recital on the occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi. The highly acclaimed program aired on Indian national television in two parts, on two consecutive nights.
"Swara to Ishwara"
Chinmaya Swaranjali is a movement dedicated to exploring the mystical world of Indian classical and devotional music, and discovering its hidden joy of infinitude. Deeply touched and stimulated by the teachings of Swami Chinmayananda, the Chinmaya Swaranjali members look upon music not as an idle passion, but as a dynamic vehicle to seek the inner source of joy and divinity. Their performance is with every breath a tribute to their spiritual guru, whereby their musical recitals are offered as a service to spread his teachings, vision, and his Mission through the invocation and power of divine love.
It therefore comes as no surprise that Chinmaya Swaranjali performers always stir and stun audiences anywhere and everywhere, for even a seemingly meek damaru produces unparalleled music in the hands of Lord Shiva!
Chinmaya Swaranjali participates in diverse activities, as shown below. But its audio-visual multimedia concerts are, by far, the most popular, artistic, and highly acclaimed of its presentations. The concert is of devotional music, song, dance, and video extravaganza that amalgamates Indian classical arts and multimedia sources (slides, digital projections, video recordings, audio commentaries, etc), and offers them all at the sacred shrine of the Divine, leaving the audience with an unforgettable, holistic experience of a lifetime. To date, the two large-scale shows-Parikrama and Ai Man, Ho Jaa Magan-have been famed fundraiser benefits for various Mission social service projects.
Chinmaya Swaranjali offers:
- Recitals of devotional music, and bhajans and kirtans in multiple languages
- Audio-video multimedia concerts
- Workshops and demonstrations in Indian classical music
- A platform for young and upcoming artists
- Chinmaya Vaadya Vrnda, a classical orchestra with diverse, unique instruments
Without question, Chinmaya Naada Bindu is Chinmaya Swaranjali's most enterprising and visionary ventures. Its conception was based on the same premise as of Chinmaya Mission's many educational institutes for Vedantic studies, academics, nursing, and management. It is therefore of no small significance that a new educational institute, one fully dedicated to Indian classical music and dance, will soon be added under the Chinmaya Mission banner.
Chinmaya Naada Bindu, a residential school of Indian classical music and dance, will invite and welcome students from all over the world. The main subjects will be vocal music, instrumental music, and all major Indian dance forms. Affiliated to a reputed university, Chinmaya Naada Bindu will house highly qualified staff and a visiting faculty of celebrated contemporary artists. The school will be an ideal place of inspiration for musicians and music lovers to follow in the music traditions and lineage of a guru-shishya parampara.
Project completion, at the Chinmaya Vibhooti site in Kolwan, near Pune, India, is estimated by the year 2013. Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, the apex body of the Chinmaya Mission worldwide, administers the project. Funds for Chinmaya Naada Bindu will be raised by all Chinmaya Swaranjali groups around the world.
chinmayaswaranjali@gmail.com
www.chinmayaswaranjali.org
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