Essence of India, now in its second year, has become a much anticipated event.  Like last year, it was celebrated on the first Saturday following India’s Independence Day on August 17^th.  Helped by a broad bevy of volunteers, word of mouth advertising and a gorgeous weather, the crowd swelled to 1,400 on this sunny Saturday afternoon at NARA Park in Acton.

The event was founded last year by Sunanda Sahay and Seema Kapoor.  They wanted to celebrate India’s cultural diversity in ways that highlighted the classical and folk traditions of the country and its people, de-emphasizing the omnipresent Bollywood and pop culture that infects the popular mindset.  The goal was to pass on the heritage the future generations and build cultural bridges with the local communities, fostering mutual appreciation and enrichment. 

The event succeeded in achieving both goals.  Among the audiences were a large number of children of both Indian and foreign origins, and some of the performances included American artists who practice Indian classical arts.  In all, there were seven music and dance program segments that kept audiences enraptured for nearly three hours.  There were also volunteer-organized interactive activities for the children and a Pavilion of States, showcasing unique traditions and features of many states of India, from Kerala in the south to Kashmir in the north.  The most popular activity by far was kite making, and the soaring kites provided an uplifting ambience the entire afternoon.

The program opened with a beautiful rendition of the national anthem led by Anuradha Palakurthi, who emceed the event along with Jayashree Shahane.  This year’s theme was Indian music and its multiple genres.  So, after a ritualistic ‘flower offering’ by the dancers of the students of Bharatnatyam dance teacher Jothi Raghavan, several music genres were featured.  These included scintillating Ghazals by Dilip Acharya, Khayal music by Phil Scarff on saxophone, Koyel Ghoshal on Sitar, and Pranav Ghatraju on tabla, and Carnatic music by Bhuvana Ganesh and her students.  Later music performances also included bamboo flute performance by the young Prayuth Naduthota, an outstanding group rendition of Ravindra Sangeet by Swarlipi, and Kashmiri folk songs by Arti Koul and group.

The evening contained two special treats.  One was qawwali, a very energetic form of singing that can sometime resemble a singing duel between two opposing groups.  Pankaj Shah and Meena Sundaram led the men and the women singing groups, and the audiences swooned to the popular songs and joined in the chorus.  But the most notable event of the evening was a dance performance by five maestros of classical dance.  The participants were Neena Gulati, Jasmine Shah, Jayshree Bala Rajamani, Shamoyita Mukerjee, and Sheethal Dwarakanath.  These well respected doyens and teachers of classical dance, each adorned in uniquely beautiful costume, danced in such delicately choreographed harmony that the entire ground came to a standstill in awe.  Never before had they seen a performance that combined the best of Bharatnatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, Manupuri and Odissi.  The effort was courageous and imaginative, and the results sublime.

Besides the talented artists and audiences, the event also owes its success to many tireless volunteers such as stage manager Jaya Pandey, sound engineer Javed Wahid, booth organizers, and event coordinators Sunanda and Seema.  The credit also goes to Cultural Councils of the towns of Acton-Boxborough, Carlisle, Concord, Lexington and Westford whose financial support made the program possible.  Many, many heartfelt thanks to all of them.

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