One enters a temple and expects to hear mesmerizing chants and deeply devotional prayers. The Sri Lakshmi Temple in Ashland is the largest temple in the New England area and has satisfied our devotional needs for many decades now.  In addition, the temple has also become a cultural centre for the Indian diaspora in our area. In the past few years our temple has indeed done a wonderful job of promoting Indian classical art forms in the greater Boston Area. The YCEP (Youth, Cultural, and Education Programs) Committee of the temple has greatly encouraged Indian youngsters in their chosen field of classical art. They have organized various events like the Trimurti day, Thyagaraja day, Composers day, Purandaradasa day, Nrityanjali during Mahashivarathri, and Nadanjali and Golu (a colorful display of dolls) during Navaratri where children can perform regardless of their merit level. In the absence of Sabhas like we have in India, the temple has become the stage where our youngsters and even experienced artists can exhibit their talent. Besides holding cultural events and competitions, Sri Lakshmi Temple has also become involved with bringing awe-inspiring performers from India to give our youth an opportunity to learn from and enjoy such great artists.

It is in connection with this that the YCEP Committee has organized a wonderful Bharatanatyam program by Kumari Shraddha Nagaraj, a child prodigy from India.

When: May 9, 2009
Time: 4:30 pm
Where: Keefe Technical Training Institute, Framingham, MA

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Shraddha is a 11 year old from Thane, Mumbai. She is the daughter of Smt. Sowmya and Sri Nagaraj and comes from a family of dancers and musicians. Shraddha started learning dance at the tender age of 3 1/2 from Smt. Sugandhi Subramanian. She performed her arangetram at the age of eight under the auspices of eminent artists like Smt. Radhika Shurajit and mirdangam vidvan T.S. Nandakumar. Shraddha is currently being guided in Bharatanatyam by Smt. Lata Rajesh of Nrityanjali School of Dance in Thane.  Miss. Nagaraj has performed all over India and has won a large number of awards.  The treat Shraddha has got in store for us Bostonians is a recital based on some episodes of the Ramayana, namely the Rama-Ravana yudham and Rama Pattabhishekam.

The YCEP Committee aims to promote enthusiasm for classical arts amongst our children and hopes to encourage them to work for the highest possible achievement in their chosen fields. The Sri Lakshmi Temple sates our nostalgic longing for concerts and dance recitals by bringing us performances by both talented local artists and distinguished dancers and musicians from India. The Temple has taken on the role of a Sabha in our community and has done a brilliant job in promoting Indian culture amongst us and has an unequivocal role in encouraging our youth through its various programs supporting classical music and dance.

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