Ask any immigrant and they will tell you the hardest part of living away from home is not so much the assimilation into a different environment, but it’s dealing with the yearning for what they have left behind. Top on the list for the culturally (and / or spiritually) inclined most likely, would be the activities in Chennai during the month of Marghazi or Dhanur. Spanning from mid December to mid January, it is a magical time of the year, steeped in consciousness, benevolence and celebration. Temples reverberating with the chants of the Azhwar (saints) Pasurams (verses), auditoriums filled with the sights and sounds of music and dance, and the audience decked in their finest, all set to be entertained and enlightened.  

Every summer, Jothi Raghavan creates this magic of Marghazhi in New England, through several arangetrams and dance dramas with her students from Nrityanjali School of Dance.   On the beautiful summer evening of Aug 2nd 2015, at the Littleton High School Auditorium, our very own Marghazhi season culminated with the premiere of the soul-stirring, audio-visual treat - Kandu Konden.  Featuring a live orchestra of the highest caliber, some divine chanting and brilliant choreography, Kandu Konden took us on a journey that explored the relationship between the known and the unknown, the individual and the Absolute.

After a brief introduction by Jothi Raghavan, the show started off with the vision of the Absolute by the three Azhwar saints, known as Mudhalazhwar followed by Pushpanjali with swara korvai (passages of musical notes) scored exclusively for this production, by Sri H.S. Venugopal.

Next, a beautiful Varnam by Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman provided a mellifluous background for stories of Kuchela & Krishna and Mahabali & Vamana. The Perumal Darshanam montage with its realistic portrayal transported us to the seven hills of Thirupathi. One could see the fervor of the devotees - young and old, able and unable - aching for a slightly longer glimpse of the Lord. Govindaa!  Goovinda!

A profound scene from Mahabharatha, credibly brought to life the battle field of Kurukshetra - the setting for Bhagawad Gita.   The wonderful choreography and powerful chanting of “Karmnaye Vadhika Raste, Maa Phaleshu Kadachana” made the anguish of warrior Prince Arjuna (on being forced to go against his kin) palpable and Lord Krishna’s upadesham (teachings that one is entitled only to one’s duty and not to the fruits of their action) deeply enlightening.  This scene ended with the magnificent Vishwaroopam - Arjuna’s vision of the Supreme Being.

The Varnam came to a conclusion with the wedding of Lord Narayana and Goddess Mahalakshmi, symbolizing the union of the individual and the Absolute. This was set to another composition, again scored specially for the production by Sri H.S. Venugopal.

The finale was a verse from Thirumangai Azhwar in praise of Narayana where he says "Naan Kandu Konden” - I have seen that the utterance of Narayana Naama will bestow health, wealth and happiness…

Resplendent in her white costume, Jothi Raghavan multitasked as the narrator and lead dancer for the show, also providing nattuvangam as needed.  Her students Manasa Jayanthi, Sowmya Varada, Mamtha Raj, Neha Kumar, Ramya Raghupathi, Krithi Nathan, Vidya Shankar, Suman Murali and Shalini Rao, dazzled the audience in jewel tones of teal and maroon.  These well coordinated dancers also skillfully supported her in roles such as Vamana, Mahabali, Sukhracharya, Krishna, Narayana and Mahalakshmi.  

A live orchestra comprising of Sri H.S Venugopal on the Flute, Sri N. Narayanaswamy on Mridangam, Dr. Revathy Ramaswamy on Veena, Sahana Srinivasan on Violin, Srivatsan Raghavan on Vocals and Sri Narayanan for chanting the verses, provided a feast for the ears.

The program was organized to support and honor Dr.K. Ramakrishnan, a neuro psychiatrist and executive secretary of TRUST (an NGO that provides holistic care to the mentally challenged in TamilNadu, India) for his humanitarian work.  It also showcased some of AASAI’s (American Association for Social Advancement of India) flagship projects including that of Dr. K. Ramakrishnan’s.   Chairman and President of AASAI, Sri L. Raghavan in his very informative presentation emphasized the importance of a sustainable model in all their projects.  

Dr. K. Ramakrishnan’s heart-wrenching presentation described the plight of the mentally challenged abandoned on the streets and the amazing service rendered by his staff.  It is nothing short of God’s work on earth!

Thanks to Jothi Raghavan & the Nrityanjali team, L. Narasimhan & the AASAI team and Dr. Ramakrishna, the audience too can say ‘kandu konden’, for we have seen all aspects of Marghazhi – the consciousness, the contemplation, the enlightenment, the celebration and most importantly, the benevolence!     

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