Places of Worship Series

This is one of 7 events that will take place at various places of worship around Delhi reflecting the religious and cultural diversity of the city. We have tried to use historic places which have a meaning in the minds of the people. These include Nizamuddin Dargah, The Church of Redemption, The Uttara Guruvayoor Temple, Ladhaki Buddhist Vihara, Birla Mandir and the Dumdama Sahib Gurudwara. The Attic is not a place of worship but due to security reasons we could not accept the very generous invitation from the Judah Hyam Synagogue.

thursday 12^th february 6.30 pm •  ‘Jewish Sacred Music’ by Anna Hoffman at The Attic

                         One of the most ancient forms of Liturgical music were the chants and poetry of the Jewish tradition. This ancient tradition  disappeared with the destruction of the Temple and was retained in the synagogues of the various countries where the Jewish diaspora found a home. One such tradition was the Sephardic. Sephardic music was born in medieval Spain and The rich and unique musical heritage of the Jews of Spain is an important element in Jewish music as a whole. After their expulsion in 1492, their cultural heritage traveled with them throughout the Mediterranean region. Along the way it picked up influences from Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, the Balkans and even  Jerusalem, assimilating  along the way North African high-pitched, extended ululations; Balkan rhythms and the Turkish maqam mode. Their music was enriched by local music and the Ladino (Jewish- Spanish) and Hebrew lyrics. These Sephardic melodies  were transferred orally from generation to generation in the Diaspora and in Israel.

Anna and her group brings to you this evening prayers, romances and the poetry of the Golden Age performed on authentic instruments. Traditional Sabbath songs, prayers and  songs based on stories from the Torah in Hebrew and Ladino also form part of this evenings repertoire. There are 2 special songs, one based on the spiritual text of Jewish medieval poet Dunash ben Labrat who lived in Spain in the 10th century and a Sabbath song from Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish tradition.

Anna Hoffman is a graduate of College for Arts and Crafts, Moscow. She learnt Kathak first in Moscow and later under Pandit  Birju Maharaj. She learned Western Classical vocal music in the Marina Kikina private school in Moscow and won the 'Golden Hanukiya' 2007 competition, held by the world congress of Russian Jewry. After a recent performance at the DOM cultural centre in Moscow 'Lechaim' wrote "Anna Hoffman looked as if she walked toward us from the canvas of El Greco. The sound of her voice was most romantic and passionately impressive presentation of the genre."

Musicians: Anna Hoffman-vocal
Gennady Lavrentiev-guitar, violin
Lionel Dentan- rebab, saz
Andrey Demidenko- santur, ney, zarb
Suchit Malhotra- percussion

saturday 14th february 6.30 pm • Kutiyattam performance at the Uttara Guruvayoorappan Temple, Mayur Vihar.

 Kutiyattam  - A Masterpiece of Oral Heritage - Sanskrit Theatre

Kutiyattam is the Sanskrit theatre of Kerala that has survived in an unbroken tradition for two thousand years. Recently it has been declared as among Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Kuti meaning combined or together in Malayalam combined with attam ( theatre) simply means theatre in which several characters come together to perform on stage.  

It is a performed by a community of male actors called Chakyars and female performers called Nangiars, assisted by drummers called Nambiars, in theatre houses called Kuttampalams. It contains a combination of elements drawn from the local Dravidian and the pan-Indian performance traditions, integrating the histrionic aspect of the elaborate acting of the hero and the other main characters based on classical Sanskrit and the verbal narration of the Vidushaka, the comic character, in the regional language of Malayalam.  

The performance practice of Kutiyattam, though it broadly follows the abstract rules of aesthetics described in the Natya Sastra,(the 2nd century text on drama) has its own distinctive characteristics in terms of theatric conventions and method of acting. In the olden days, Kutiyattam was not accessible to anyone except people from the brahmin and other similar higher castes, and until recently, it was restricted to the temple as sacred art.  

The repertoire of Kutiyattam includes the plays of almost all the major playwrights in Sanskrit, including Bhasa, Harsha, Saktibhadra, Kulasekhara, Neelakantha, Bodhayana and Mahendravikramavarman. A striking feature of Kutiyattam is that it treats single Acts from Sanskrit plays as full-fledged plays. It bases its performance not on the full text but on the individual acts from Sanskrit plays. The grammar is one of the elaboration of action through extending the performance score to unbelievable heights of imaginative fancy. In this method of action, the poetic quality of a Sanskrit play with multiple layers of meaning, figures of speech, oblique or obscure expression and implied meaning get their full play. Situations of poetic richness and dramatic potential are elaborated in Kutiyattam to unravel the multiple layers of meaning embedded in the text of the play. A single act of a play can last upto 40 days or more requiring knowledge, empathy and an active act of imagination and participation by the spectator. 

From Sudha Gopalakrishna  More http://ignca.nic.in/kuti0001.htm  

This evening Actors from the Kutiyattam Kendra in Kerala will perform.

Ammanur Chachu Chakyar Smaraka Gurukulam, Trichur 

Ammannur Kuttum Chakyar

Sooraj Nambiar

Pothiyil Ranjith Chakyar

Kalamandalam Rajeev

Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar

Kalamandalam Ravikumar

Kalamandalam Unnikrishnan

Aparna Nangiar

Kalamandalam Divya

 Kalanilyalam Haridas

Sivadas P.N.

This event is organized by Sudha Gopalakrishna and The Sangeet Natak Akademi

tuesday 17th february 6.30 pm      • Raaslila  at the Birla Mandir  

VASANTA RAAS
The advent of Vaishnavism in the 18th century was a period of great significance in the cultural history of Manipur, which found its supreme expression in various forms of dance and music. The most eloquent of these was the Raas Lila, the dance that depicts the love of Radha and the Gopis for Lord Krishna as a metaphor for the individuals yearning for the divine. Dance here is 'not simply a form of entertainment. It is an offering, a dedication to the gods' and the Kings and Queens of Manipur were expected to epitomize refinement in aesthetic values and encourage the arts of elocution, poetry, dance and music. There are 5 types of Raas Lila and the artistes of the Manipur Dance Academy present the seasonal Vasanta Raas this evening. Vasant (Basant) marks the beginning of spring in the Hindu Lunar calendar and the dance takes place on the full moon night of Chaitra (march/april) when Shri Krishna goes to the appointed grove (kunja) and the gopis led by Radha respond to the call of his magical flute. Together they play holi in a riot of colours and almost every movement of the manipuri lasya dance tradition is exploited showing Krishna in a variety of poses.

The Raas is still a living force in Manipur and its sublime symbolism is the quintessence of Hindu Bhakti philosophy. "It is important to note that the Manipuri dancer exercises tremendous restraint without freezing fluidity in movement. This is perhaps the key to the style. No matter how complicated or forceful the dance, the element of control is constant and the dancer displays a unique ease of movement and an air of understatement".

A constituent unit of Sangeet Natak Akademi, The Manipur Dance Academy, is the leading Institute in the country teaching Manipur dance. Established in 1954 it offers several comprehensive courses in Manipur dance, music and allied subjects like 'lai Haroba'. The courses are planned as a foundation for professional artistes. The institution has on its staff teachers of eminence. It also has a production unit which is the repertory company of the academy.. Performances by artistes of the Academy have been featured in major national and International festivals. Masters of the Manipuri dance and music traditions such as Maisnam Amubi Singh, Haobam Atomba Singh, Atombapu Sharma, Abhiram Shana Sharma, Kalidaman Singh, Rajni Maibi, Kshetri Tombi Devi, among others have been associated with the institution.

Standing at the edge of Lutyens Delhi, one and a half kilometers from Connaught Place is the Lakshmi Narayan temple popularly known as Birla Mandir.  Dedicated to Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth and Lord Vishnu ( Narayan) the temple was completed in 1938 at about the same time that the construction of New Delhi was also being completed. It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi who put a condition on his involvement – that the people of all castes including untouchables would be permitted to visit the temple. The acceptance of this condition by an enlightened Industrialist of the time G.D Birla has made this one of the most popular Hindu temples of the city.  

The temple is designed in the Orissan style, with tall curved towers capped by large amalakas (circular ribbed motif at the summit of a temple tower). The exterior is faced with the white marble and red sandstone typical of Delhi’s Mughal architecture and the interiors and verandahs contain a profusion of sculptures, idols and ‘jalis’ ( latticed stone windows). The buildings at the rear are set amidst gardens and fountains creating a welcome relief from the aggressive touts outside.  

wednesday 18th february 6.30 pm • Chanting at the Ladhaki Buddhist Vihara .

Sengey Tsewa (The Revelry with the Lion)

Buddhist Chants from the High Himalaya

recited by the nuns of Druk Gawa Khilwa Abbey, Ladakh

Jigmet Rangjung, Jigmet Sherab Tsogal, Jigmet Ishey Spaldon, Jigmet Chozin Wangmo, Jigmet Tsewang Choskit, Jigmet Kunga Palmo, Jigmet Choski Tara, Jigmet Ringchen Zangmo, Jigmet Thupstan Chosdon, Jigmet Nawang Choskit, Jigmet Chosying, Jigmet Thinlay Choskit, Jigmet Thinlay Wangmo, Jigmet Rinchen Karuna, Jigmet Paldan Wangmo

Druk Gawa Khilwa Abbey is a spiritual community for female practitioners founded by His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa, the spiritual head of the Drukpa Lineage.  It is the Drukpa Lineage that holds the authentic blessings of Naropa and his consort Niguma.  At present, there are approximately 300 nuns at the Abbey, who alternate between the two centres at Kortsa (Ladakh) and Kathmandu (Nepal) learning the teachings and practicing the methods of their lineage so that they may attain salvation.

Female Buddhist practitioners have seldom had the same opportunities as their male counterparts.  The Abbey was established to counter this because His Holiness felt that “Women should be provided with equal opportunities as men to learn and progress on the spiritual path”.  Because of cultural and social expectations, women were not allowed to touch the kangling (the traditional trumpets), wear the ritual hats and perform the Vajra dances.  But Buddha Shakyamuni had never said in his teachings (sutra) that women cannot do these things.  Emulating the Buddha’s teachings, for the first time, in July 2004, His Holiness gave charge of the rituals to 200 of his nuns.  For ten days they led and performed all the rituals connected with both the Naropa Ceremony as well as the Drubchen (Great Accomplishment) ceremony, before an audience of over 135,000 people.  Again when His Holiness celebrated 800 years of the Drukpa lineage the nuns were out in front performing the rituals and chanting the prayers associated with the celebration. 

Ultimately, it is His Holiness’s hope to create an awareness that female practitioners can also inspire and benefit, not just themselves, but all beings on the spiritual path to enlightenment.  The 15 nuns performing at the Sacred Arts Festival are from Ladakh.  This is the first time they are performing in public.  Pure, meditative, inspiring the nuns chanting will demonstrate the rich spiritual music of Tibetan Buddhism, evoking the ethereal beauty of the Himalayas, the remoteness of their austere nunnery and the omnipresence of the wisdom of Buddha.         

friday 20th february  6.30 pm     • The Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria choir music  at Cathedral Church of Redemption

Sacred Music from the Eastern Orthodox Church

The Patriarchate of Constantinople recognized the Bulgarian Orthodox Church as an independent entity in 927 AD making it the oldest independent Slavic Orthodox church.

Ottoman political domination from about the 13^th century and Greek cultural domination oppressed both the Bulgarian language and national consciousness which was preserved for many centuries only in the monasteries which preserved both the literature and the Slavonic liturgy.

Among the most striking things about the liturgical worship of the Eastern Orthodox Church is the uniformity of its form, and the high degree of correspondence to the form that was in practice across the Christian Church in the sixth century. The Eastern Orthodox Church has experienced no Reformation that transformed the theological foundation of the faith as well as essentially doing away with the liturgical form and music, as has almost all of Protestantism. Neither has Orthodoxy experienced a twentieth century council that modified both the liturgical form and music, as has the Roman Catholic Church. It still retains a high degree of similarity to early Christian practice.

Cosmic Voices from Bulgaria brings to you in this 20 th century Presbyterian Church the Slavonic music from monasteries dating to the 6^th century virtually unchanged.

The Cathedral Church of Redemption (the Viceroy’s Church) is one of Delhi's  best kept secrets. Located opposite Rashtrapati Bhavan Gate no 35, adjacent to Gurudwara Rakabganj, it was built by one of Delhi’s leading architects Henry Medd between 1927 and 1935. He also built the Sacred Heart Cathedral. Its striking birthday cake exterior is matched with the interiors consisting of high arches, the beautiful dome, the stained glass paintings and the small recessed openings that allow for sunlight to filter through while keeping the church cool during the summer months.

 The Church also houses one of the two pipe organs in Delhi (the other being St. James's church at Kashmiri Gate) custom made in 1931 and an important part of the Sunday service. Apart from regular prayers on weekdays there are services in English, Tamil and Hindi on Sundays.

 
friday 27th february  7.00 pm  Qawwali at Nizamuddin Dargah

Qaul (Arabic) is an "utterance (of the prophet)", Qawwâl is someone who often repeats (sings) a Qaul, Qawwâli is the style of singing of Qawwâls. It is a form of Sufi devotional music  popular on the Indian subcontinent whose vibrant musical tradition  stretches back more than 700 years. Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines it has gained mainstream popularity with the late Pakistani Qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Using Persian influences it was fused with Indian musical traditions by Amir Khusro in the late 13^th century to create Qawwali as we know it today.

The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu and Punjabi (a kafi is a song in Punjabi,  in the unique style of poets like Shah Hussain and Baba Bulleh Shah)

The poetry is implicitly understood to be spiritual in its meaning, even though the lyrics can sometimes sound secular or even hedonistic. The central themes of qawwali are love, devotion and longing (of man for the Divine).Songs are usually between 15 to 30 minutes long. Qawwalis tend to begin gently and build steadily to a very high energy level in order to induce hypnotic states. Often listeners, and even artists themselves, are transported to a state of wajad, a trance-like state where they feel at one with God,  considered to be the height of spiritual ecstasy in Sufism.

A Dargah (Persian) is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. . Dargahs are associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels,(khanqah) and include a mosque, schools (Madrassas), hospitals, and other buildings for community purposes. In the Indian subcontinent, dargahs are often the site of festivals (Milad) held in honor of the deceased saint at the date of his Urs (death anniversary)

One of the most revered sites in Sufi Islam in India is the Dargah of Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi between Mathura and Lodhi Roads. Nizamuddin (1236 1325) was a disciple of Baba Farid and counted amongst his disciples two sultans, (Alauddin Khilji and Muhammad bin Tughlak) and one of India's most celebrated poets, Amir Khusro. Others buried here are Jahanara Begum, Amir khusro and Mohammed Shah 'Rangila.  With the grave of Mirza Ghalib,(perhaps the best Urdu poet of the subcontinent) not far away.

The 'Chishti' is one of the four main Sufi orders in India to which Nizamuddin belonged, emphasizes service to the people (while other orders emphasize 'Zikr', remembrance of Allah). Even now Dargahs of the Chishti order provide free food in a daily 'langar', serve all humanity irrespective of religious belief  and also  encourage music 'the food of the soul'.

The Nizamuddin 'basti' is 700 years old and predates the Saints arrival as the village of Ghyaspura. It is one of the living cultural centres of Delhi with its thursday evening Qawwali's, authentic muslim cuisine and the colourful celebration of at least 3 'Urs' , those of Nizamuddin Auliya himself and Amir Khusro when the whole community  celebrates with lights, special foods and all night Qawwalis

saturday 28th february 12.30 pm at  Damdama Sahib Gurudwara

Hymns of Guru Gobind Singh

From the time of Guru Nanak the first Sikh Guru , 'Gurbani', 'the sacred word' has been spread through hymns and kirtans, at first by his companions Bala (a Hindu) and Mardana (a Muslim) and later by the 'Sangats' that grew around the 10 Gurus. The chanting of these 'Shabads' (Hymns)and those of about 15 Hindu and Muslim saints ( Kabir, Ravi Das, Naam Dev, and Sheikh Farid ) are incorporated in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs. 

The Shabads are arranged in 31 main Ragas of Hindustani Classical music. They are written in various meters and rhythms and were originally in many different languages Braj, Old Punjabi, Khariboli, Sanskrit and Persian.  Both the religious and non religious music of the Punjab  has a strong Sufi influence. In terms of content and basic musical form the classical Sufi poetry and the devotional gurbani singing are very similar. 

There are three types of Sikh musicians who sing these hymns in the Gurudwaras - rababis, ragis, and dhadhis. The rababi tradition dates from the time of Guru Nanak and the Muslim Rababi  Bhai Mardana his accompanist-musician. The second type of musicians were ‘ragis’ who were amateur singers mainly used by Guru Arjan, the 5^th Guru. The ragi group generally consists of three persons playing the tabla, harmonium and sarangi. 

This event is being held in the historic Gurudwara Dumdama Sahib associated with Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Guru.  It commemorates his meeting in 1707 with Prince Muazzam, later Emperor Bahadur Shah, the Mughal king, successor to Aurangzeb. The meeting was held at this site behind Humayun’s Tomb where the Guru was received with great respect and presented a guard of honour by a contingent of the Mughal army

Gurdwara Damdama Sahib (place of rest) was first built by Sardar Bhagel Singh in 1783, when a huge Sikh army under his command conquered Delhi. At first it was a small Gurdwara. Later Maharaja Ranjit Singh deputed his officials to renovate it. Today it is one of the most important historic Gurudwaras of Delhi after Gurudwara Sisganj, Bangla Sahib and Rakabganj.

Ragis Baljeet Singh and Gurmeet Singh Namdhari who will recite todays kirtan are renowned exponents of Gurbani. They have been trained both in the Kirtan and in the  classical music tradition under the late Vilayat Khan Sahib.

Playing on the ancient rabab, associated with Bhai Mardana they will sing selected verses composed by Guru Gobind Singh, which are now rarely sung in the Gurudwaras of Delhi.