The well known musicologist and author Prof. P. Sambamoorthy says "Fine arts separate the humans from other living things." Without that there will be no difference between animals and human beings as fine arts evokes several different emotions that are so unique to humans.  Music and dance have always been part of our worship of God and the fine arts were also  patronized by the kings and queens in their courts in the old days. But today's world where there are no more kings or queens except for the sake of just keeping up with the tradition, we need other organizations and individuals to nurture it. MITHAS has been one such organization in the greater Boston area for the past 21 years and this is the first organization that was created for the sole purpose of promoting the fine arts from Southeast Asia in this part of the world. Thanks to this organization, its Board of Directors, Executive committee members and the volunteers and their tireless and selfless work we have been able to enjoy classical music, dance, work shops and lecture demonstrations in our area continuously for the past two decades. Of course, as it is the case with any such organization, the need for funds is a very vital one. With the increase in the fee of the artists, demand and the ever growing number of organizations competing for the same audience, fund raising has become an almost never ending task.

All the Boston area musicians and students came together and gave a very memorable performance called the "Nadha Sangamam" to raise funds for MITHAS about 5 years ago and the area dancers did the same a couple of years later. Now for the first time several of the dancers and musicians and their senior students will be coming together to present an amazing program titled 'Poetry in Motion' to raise funds for MITHAS. Jothi Raghavan, one of the leading dancer and teacher in our area along with me is spear heading this program that will take place at MIT's Kresge auditorium on the 28th of this month at 3 pm. There will be seven groups performing on that day presenting, Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathak, Mohini Aattam, and Manipuri with each group spot lighting poetry of great Poets of their region including Rabindranath Tagore, Subramanya Bharathi and many others.

Here are a few examples of why the area artists decided to be part of this program....

Jothi Raghavan, one of the leading dancers and the most sought after teacher says, "Poetry in motion" born as a mere idea, has taken shape as the most elaborate presentation of various styles of classical dance of India. When Durga and I were brain storming a while ago of organizing a major event to raise funds for Mithas, we came up with this idea of presenting various styles of dance with live music performed by local artists. After going back and forth on the theme, it was settled that "Poetry in Motion" as an appropriate title for the presentation. This gave each dance group the freedom to choose the poet. This title is also appropriate as I have always felt dance is an extension of poetry and music. The dancers were excited to have the opportunity to come together and present their work to raise funds for a worthy cause. I was thrilled to see so much enthusiasm amongst the dancers and musicians. I am looking forward to this Sunday. I hope the community comes together and support this event whole heartedly."

 

Here is what Sujata Bhattacharya whose segment show cases the great poet Rabindranath Tagore had to say when she was asked about her reasons to be part of this fund raising effort, "I like MITHAS for their extra ordinary efforts in bringing high quality South Asian music and arts from various corners of the world. This is extremely nourishing for music and art lovers in greater Boston area."

 

Neena Gulati who has been teaching three styles of dance, Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi and Odissi for the past 4 decades in the Boston area says" On my 40th birthday, I collaborated w/Jothi Raghavan & Rama Bhardwaj to do a fund raiser for the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. It was so rewarding that I made a pledge that day that I would perform only if I could raise funds for a worthy charity. So, for the past 30 yrs. Triveni has produced a show each year to raise funds for Saheli, Hyderabad Child Aid society, Akshay Patra & other such deserving organizations. This year I am delighted to collaborate with an amazing artist, Prafulla Vellury & raising funds for MITHAS, an organization that has brought world renowned artists to Boston & enriched the cultural ambiance immeasurably. I am looking forward to Sunday's performance".

 

The artists are showing the value of the organization and the importance of what they bring to the community by their willingness to come together to present this program as it has never been done before. Now it is the community's turn to show their appreciation for such an monumental effort by attending the program  this Saturday and make it a grand success. For more details about the program and to purchase tickets please log on to www.mithas.org and also www.lokvani.com.