More than 400 people attended the dance fundraiser at the Natick High school auditorium on May 7th , 2006 to support the Ashland temple activities. In the process they also enjoyed the Bharthanatyam presentation ‘ Ode to Mother’ by the area’s classical dance teachers. The event helped raise more thatn $11,500 that will be used to for many future projects.
The Temple President for 2005, K G Narayana, said that the funds generated from this event are being directed towards building infrastructure for Educational Programs. A new NEHTI Library is being dedicated and equipped with books, DVDs, and other educational resources about our culture and religion for youngsters. A gift shop is also planned, where devotees can purchase books on Slokas, books that describe our various poojas and rituals, and pooja supplies such as incense, aarati plates, and other materials. The gift shop and Library has been a dream since 1998 and it is now a reality. Narayana thanked Mr. Sivaraman from Rhode Island and Mrs. Solai Annamalai. for their efforts toward the library and gift shop.
Backstage, just before the performance, the green room resembled an inspiring sight for any dance student or a lover of Bharathanatyam. Here were assembled 12 accomplished and established local area teachers and dance exponents of the South Indian Classical Dance style, all getting ready for a performance on stage. Participants mingled, offered help and support for make up or costume and generally conversed before going onstage. It was definitely a feel good feeling to see the sense of community that prevailed among the artists.
The dancers who presented in solo and in groups were Jayshree Rajamani, Jeyanthi Ghatraju,Janani Giri Swamy, Mari Shakthi Muthuswamy, Meena Subramanyam, Neena Gulati, Poornima Risbud, Poornima Surya, Ranjani Saigal, Soumya Ramanathan, Sridevi Thirumalai, Sunanda Narayanan,. Jothi Raghavan was the master of ceremonies for the evening and presented the artists on stage in a dignified and elegant manner. She applauded the dancers for sharing their art and offering it to ‘Thaya’, the mother inspite of the busy lives that each one led.Blending soulful harmonies, the dance recital started with all the dancers presenting the traditional beats of the Mallari in Ragam Naatai and a sloka renditions performed by all artists followed by various classical pieces and ending with a Tillana in Ragamalika Although the dancers presented different items, it put all these choreographers from various dance schools on the same page. The audience was delighted and so were the children, many of whom were watching their own teachers on stage for the first time.
A video recording of the entire dance program was done with a professional video unit. The arrangements, and the post-show dinner, were universally appreciated and complimented by all those who attended. Narayana said that the primary motivation for these resources is to enable members of our community to use the Temple as a common place for worship, and also as a regular destination for families to visit with their children to participate in activities for the younger generation such as sloka classes, plays, dance programs, readings of the Puranas, etc in a manner that is interesting and easily absorbed by the youngsters. He urged the wider community to participate actively in special events that celebrate our diversity and to foster the community spirit. He urged all the registered NEHTI general body members to actively participate in Temple activities and be proactive about Temple operations, suggest ideas for its improvement, and use their voting rights to direct the Temple governance towards programs and steps that benefit the community at large – at a spiritual level first, and also at a social and cultural level. Patrons may present their feedback about the Temple to feedback@srilakshmi.org - a dedicated Devotee Liaison Committee in the Temple 's governing body reviews these ideas regularly and takes steps to address issues. Narayana and his fellow organizers representing the Board of Trustees – Geetha Ranga and Ram Krishnan – thanked all the artists for their time and stupendous effort and preparation over several weeks and months, the volunteers for timely and selfless service, and all the attendees for making this event a great success.
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