The Indo-US Health Initiatives along with its partners organized an enjoyable program, ‘An Evening with Scientists, Celebrities, and Music Sarod Maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’ under the theme, “Yoga, Ayurveda, Music come together to Explore Integrative Health and Medicine” at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium on Jun 24, 2018 from 6:00pm to 10:00pm to have a dialogue with Scientists and Scholars in Integrative Medicine together with musical magic in life. Several hundred people in the audience enjoyed the entire program arranged for creating awareness about integrative medicine, Yoga, Ayurveda and cancer.

The program started with the panel discussion comprised of a galaxy of experts in the field, namely Dr. H R Nagendra, a former NASA scientist is the Founder and Chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Bangalore (S-VYASA) Deemed University, Dr. Gregory Lewis Fricchione, Director of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Vikas Sukhatme, a distinguished physician-scientist, current dean of Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Marc Halpern, a pre-eminent practitioner and teacher of Ayurveda in the United States, Dr. Shuvendu Sen, Director of Medical Student Education, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Yogi Amrit Desai, a pioneers of yoga in the West. They discussed cohesively on need and reasons for the integration of modern medicine with other alternative medicines and Yoga to provide the cure and quality of life to the patients because of non-affordable health care cost, no cure for non-communicable diseases, lack of holistic approach and etc. Dr. Balram Singh, Director, Institute of Advanced Sciences moderated the discussion and summed up by saying the there is a need for the new health care policies that consider alternative medicines and Yoga as part of the present health care system and allows both primary healthcare provider and alternative medicine practitioners to work together in the best interest of the patient. Dr. Nagendra Ji was honored with Guinness record for his lifelong work in the field of Yoga which was presented by Shri Yogi Amrit Desai, Founder of the Amrit Yoga Institute in Salt Springs, FL and Co-Founder the International University of Yoga and Ayurveda.

Mr. Kanchan Banerjee, Director of Indo US Health Initiatives thanked the audience for supporting their mission to promote yoga and Ayurveda as part of Integrative Medicine. Apart from organizing three international conferences on this subject, he announced the formation of the Boston Center of Excellence for Health and Human Development to do deep research in various areas of life to bring together ancient knowledge from India and modern science.

Later, at 7:00pm, Shri Yogi Coudoux from France, whom the audience and viewers of the Guinness world Record Prime Show watched breathlessly as a man warped himself into a small plexiglass box on the stage spoke to the audience about his love for Yoga since his childhood. For many years, he has traveled the world spreading the message of Yoga in order to reveal its extraordinary capacities on the human body, mind, and soul. He was born in 1946 in Tibet and later moved to Paris, France. He demonstrated on the stage the flexibility of his body and how he can shape his body’s structure by controlling breath. He also said that Yoga offers a range of treatments that cover all the needs of your body and mind and promises long-term wellness through self-knowledge and the mastery of self.

Gautami Tadimalla is a famous Indian film actress who survived cancer at a very young age and has formed her Life Again Foundation to create awareness about health in general and Cancer in particular. “When we share our success stories, it will inspire patients to fight against cancer,” Gautami told the public in this evening program. She also added that role of family members in helping the women to battle breast cancer is always crucial. She stressed that along with self-examination, it is important to put up a united front by joining our hands and efforts for a similar cause. Gautami was honored with the Guinness record for her commendable work through her Life Again Foundation by Dr. Anuradha Annaswamy from MIT. 

The concert was presented as the finale at the concluding event of the Integrative Medicine conference. Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan Ji was accompanied by his two sons: Shri Amaan Ali Bangash and Shri Ayan Ali Bangash on the Sarod along with Shri Amit Kavthekar, a disciple of the late Tabla Maestro Ustad Allarakha, and Ishan Ghosh, a brilliant young Tabla player from Mumbai who is the son of well-known Sitar and Tabla player Pandit Nayan Ghosh on Tabla. The first part of the concert, Shri Amjad Ji presented two beautiful Bhajans that were very dear to Mahatma Gandhi Ji as opening notes of the concert and dedicated them to the World Peace and Yoga Day celebration. As the ragas developed, the audiences were drawn into its tunes and rhythms, and an absorbed meditation charged the audiences and the players. As his ragas progressed to its faster and more vibrant parts, audience just enjoyed the sound and the magic of his fingers.

In the second half of the concert, Shri Amaan Ali Bangash and Shri Ayaan Ali Bangash played a beautiful raga. The strength and loveliness of the music was intensified by the two sarods, sounding together. Since raga is basically a creativeness, the musicians could interact on the stage by challenging each other to repeat with gradually complex rhythms. Shri Amaan and Shri Ayaan were joined by their father, Shri Amjad Ji, and then there were three sarods playing at the same time. All three Sarods and the Tablas teased each other, challenging, exciting, and building up almost to a climax, then relaxing, and settling into a calmer melody. This continued in waves and entertained the audience with the feast of music. All the performers on the stage were very gifted and talented musicians who brought out the voices and souls of their instruments. With their music, they transformed the audiences’ life into an extraordinary experience. 

It was one of the most purifying and revitalizing spiritual experiences of my life. I felt engaged, energized, animated and at the same time felt very peaceful within my heart – stated one of the audiences.

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