“Nadopasana – Musical Worship”, the latest album in the “Dwell on Dharma” series, under the auspices of the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire and Bharathi Vidyashram, was kindly released by Sangeeta Choodamani Vidwan Sri O.S. Thiagarajan at the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire, Nashua, NH, on June 7, 2015.  “Dwell on Dharma” is an innovative techno-spiritual experiment that attempts to use the power and broad reach of the Internet and its free services, to deliver a well-regarded spiritual device to the community at little or no cost, while at the same time attempting to raise funds for a charitable cause (Hindu Temple of New Hampshire).

THE RELEASE FUNCTION

The renowned Carnatic musician Sangeeta Choodamani Vidwan Sri O.S. Thiagarajan kindly released the album at a special function held at the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire, Nashua, NH. The program started with a presentation by K. Arvind welcoming everyone, and providing an overview of the album and the ideas underlying the Dwell on Dharma experiment. This was followed by the album release by Sri O.S. Thiagarajan, who handed the first copy of the CD to Trichy Sri Vaidyanatha Iyer, whom he described as his dearest friend. Vidwan Sri Thiagarajan then delivered a speech in which he expanded on an axiomatic principle underlying Dwell on Dharma, namely “Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati” - your thoughts determine what you become. He recalled how he dreamt of becoming a successful musician in his younger days in Delhi, and how with sheer determination he overcame various challenges to realize his dream. Sri O.S. Thiagarajan urged everyone to serve music in some way. Sri Thiagarajan recognized and felicitated each member of the team that worked hard to produce the “Nadopasana – Musical Worship” album, including the album artists Aparna Balaji, Surya Sundararajan and Gaurish Chandrashekar, the recording studio (Flying Penguin Tracks Studio, Londonderry, NH) engineers Chris Friedberg and Mark Berard, Karthik Srinivasan the audio engineering consultant volunteer, and the producer K. Arvind. This was followed by a wonderful concert by the album artists Aparna Balaji (vocal), Surya Sundararajan (violin) and Gaurish Chandrashekar (mridangam), which was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. The concert included several popular songs including a nava ragamalika varnam, “Vatapi Ganapatim”, “Shivakumara Senthil Andava”, “Ananda Amrutavarshini”, “Kamalaptakula”, “Swagatham Krishna”, “Karunai Deivame” and a Thillana. Karthik Srinivasan handled the audio engineering for the concert, while others volunteers from Bharathi Vidyashram and the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire including Suresh Annamalai, Raidu Rayasam, and Manjunath took care of other arrangements for the evening. Sri Veeramani Ranganathan proposed a vote of thanks.

The Dwell on Dharma facebook page has more pictures and videos from the release event. Meghana Arvind provided the photographs and videos (which may explain why her dad seems to be in almost every picture).

THE ALBUM

“Nadopasana – Musical Worship”, is a Carnatic music album that consists of a hand-picked multi-lingual collection of a dozen beautiful compositions in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada drawn from the works of some of the greatest Carnatic musicians. Rendered by popular, well-regarded, and seasoned Carnatic musicians from the Boston area,  Aparna Balaji (vocal), Surya Sundararajan (violin) and Gaurishankar Chandrashekar (mridangam), the songs which are in praise of various deities are a feast for the ears and promise an hour and beyond of serene bliss. A video preview of this melodious album is available at this YouTube link. Profiles of the artists are available here.

THE MUSIC

The songs in this album, like the previous  one in the Dwell on Dharma series, pay tributes to various deities, direct and focus the listener’s thoughts towards their divine attributes, and in the process create a feeling of peace and sacredness. The songs included in the album are:

·         “Moolaadhaara Moorthe” (Hamsadhwani/Adi) by Papanasam Sivan (Tamil), in praise of Lord Ganesha.

·         “Sharanembe Vaani” (Saraswati/Adi) by Purandaradasa (Kannada), in praise of the Goddess of learning in Kannada.

·         “Enna Punniyam Seideheno” (Reeti Gowlai/Adi) by Oothukkadu Venkatasubba Iyer (Tamil) in respectful reverence of the Guru.

·         “Mahadeva Shiva Shambho” (Revati/Adi) by Thanjavur Shankara Iyer (Sanskrit) in praise of Lord Shiva.

·         “Punnagai Ondre Podume” (Hamsanandi/Adi) by Ambujam Krishna (Tamil) in praise of Lord Vishnu.

·         “Omkaarakarini” (Lavangi/Adi) by Balamuralikrishna (Sanskrit) seeking the grace of Devi.

·         “Sri Varalakshmi” (Sri/Roopakam) by  Muthuswamy Dikshitar (Sanskrit) in praise of Devi Mahalakshmi.

·         “Kamalaaptakula” (Brindavana Saranga/Adi) by Thyagaraja (Telugu) in praise of Sri Rama.

·         “Momu Jupara” (Behag/Roopakam) by Annamacharya (Telugu) that dwells on the antics of Sri Krishna as a child.

·         “Koovi Azhaithtaal” (Valaji/Adi) by Vaali (Tamil) in praise of Lord Muruga.

·         “Appan Avatarita Kathaamrutham” by Papanasam Sivan (Tamil) that narrates the story of Lord Ayyappan.

·         “Hanumanai Ninani Maname” (Ragamalika) by Swami  Surajananda (Tamil) that urges the devotee to dwell on Lord Hanuman.

More details about the album, the songs, and profiles of the well-known artists can be found in this digital booklet that accompanies the album.

HOW DO I GET IT?

“Dwell on Dharma” is an experiment that attempts to exploit the global reach and ubiquity of the Internet, the popularity and appeal of modern content delivery mechanisms such as iTunes and Spotify among the younger generation, and tap the advertisement revenue streams of these mechanisms, to raise funds to support a charitable cause, and to create awareness about the effective device of Namasmarana. 

As with the previous albums in the series, “Nadopasana – Musical Worship” is also available on your favorite Internet outlet. It can be purchased as a digital download on sites including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and BandCamp, as well as streamed for free to your phone or computer from Internet music streaming services including Spotify.  The album can also be purchased as a CD at Amazon CreateSpace. The CD’s are available at the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire also. All proceeds from the Dwell on Dharma albums will be donated to the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire.

Note that the album is available for free streaming.  A single streaming of a song generates about $0.001 (a tenth of a cent). For streaming revenue to be non-trivial, a very large base of listeners who will stream the songs often is a requirement.  So if you like the album, please help spread the word by socializing this link through services such as facebook, twitter and email, and also stream the albums frequently (even if you purchased a CD or downloaded it on iTunes) to help generate additional donations.

This album was made possible by the generosity of the artists and the producer who took the time from their busy schedules to perform and record the songs and produce this album gratis as a service to the community. Please encourage the artists, the initiative, and the cause by showing your generous support.

We invite you purchase the album, join this musical worship, experience the serenity and peace of Bhakti and Namasmarana, and support a noble cause.

LINKS:

     Facebook:  http://on.fb.me/108V7cG

     Album  video:  http://bit.ly/1I0Fnqg

     Information booklet:  http://bit.ly/1QngbUJ

      iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id997542895

     Online CD purchase: https://www.createspace.com/2282932

Dwell on Dharma was initiated and is run by K. Arvind, under the auspices of Bharathi Vidyashram and the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire. Dwell on Dharma can be reached via email at dwell.on.dharma@gmail.com, and you can also follow us on facebook and twitter.

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