As I sat next to Ganga watching her flow, she gurgled and cooed in her benign yet forceful way, inevitably stirring up the rusted internal thought-manufacturing machinery.  All she seemingly does is move, and in her movement lies wisdom that transcends time, flowing uninhibited, available to all yet elusive to most.  Saffron-clad sages enter into... Continue Reading →

For those of us who feel, the sudden loss of a loved one evokes pain tantamount to one’s own execution.  This passing of another opens a chasm so deep, one’s soul bleeds as though it suffers its own small death.  Hunger, thirst, fatigue and all sense of decorum take to flight as the debilitating grip... Continue Reading →

They hacked into me from top to bottom without mercy. For centuries I bore myself freely, offering shade, providing life, picking up dust and harmful particles onto myself a shield. I asked nothing but the right to exist unencumbered. They poured concrete all around my roots leaving me no space to grow no water to... Continue Reading →

A crisp morning breeze blew through the ashram, carrying Mother Ganga’s whiff.  The air was rent with the gurgling gush of Ganga as she cascaded over rocks, her crests rising and falling in crisscrossing oscillations, infusing the atmosphere with a dull cacophony.  Set against the backdrop beyond, the mountains loomed ominously, dark mounds etched against... Continue Reading →

In Vancouver, BC, Bharatanatyam is synonymous with one name: Jai Govinda.  Née Benoit Villeneuve, Jai Govindaji’s infectious passion for all things Indian has left an indelible mark in the Canadian arts scene.  Decades before all-things-yoga became a lifestyle in Vancouver, Jai Govindaji had already entrenched the city with roots in Bharatanatyam.  The Jai Govinda Dance... Continue Reading →

               For dancers in Bangalore, the yearly visit of Guru Smt. Bragha Bessel is a much-anticipated event.  For one week, we drown ourselves in an ocean of emotion and give expression to feelings we may never have experienced.  For this one week, we are forced to tap into the... Continue Reading →

    It is a daunting task to introduce an intellectual mammoth such as Dr. Shatavadhani R. Ganesh.  What words could possibly encapsulate one whose breadth, depth and soaring height of knowledge is so vast, it is quintessentially all-encompassing.   Anybody who comes in contact with Dr. Ganesh will be in awe of the sheer... Continue Reading →

The nattuvanars were true masters of art. Well-versed in multiple areas of dance, music, rhythm and the nuances of various languages, they were versatile artists with a strong scholastic background of the arts that was finely honed through many generations. Growing up in a household filled with music and dance, the nattuvanar received a concentrated... Continue Reading →

  'beneath a banyan,' is about lessons learned, experiences had, and an attempt towards the manifestation of latent potential.  It is only befitting that the first post is dedicated to the grandest figure of my life- my Guru, Swami Dayananda Saraswati.  One need not elaborate on Swamiji’s contributions, his achievements, insights and uniqueness.  Any description... Continue Reading →