"Colonized" Hindus Christianizing Bharatanatyam

"Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it" ~ George Santayana


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Praveen Rai wrtes: Naivete of Hindus and their abject failure to learn from history should be a cause for concern. In the name of "universalism" the majority has fallen into a trap set by the secularists and Christian prosleytizers. While rural Hindus are too poor to resist the temptations of easy money, job and other goodies in return for conversion, urban Hindus, find it fashinable to be "secular", and embrace every act of subtle incultration, that robs them of their own deep and inclusive dharmic traditions. It's a pity that Sanatana dharmis don't recognize the 'fox watching the hen house.' Why don't we recognize the movie that has played out in so many parts of the world throughout history? Destruction of native American culture (they are rotting in reservations with all kinds of maladies and few have casinos--sign of progress?) is a case in point. Without dharma, there is nothing. The days of crediting christian-inspired laissez-faire capitalist system (most market fundamentalists are staunch christians)for material prosperity of the west is over; look at the pitiable state of once-upon-a-time powerful colonial powers from the continent of Europe. And now, we have 45million people on food stamps and 1 in 5 children suffering from hunger in the world's most powerful nation--USA! Only dharma's all-encompassing, holistic ways can save humanity. So, don't adulterate the purity of dharma in the name of freedom of art and expression. Read history and learn from a scholar like Dr.Elst (previous comment). Most of all, be aware of nefarious agenda purused by "exclusive" belief systems; do your due diligence; don't accept anything at face value. Protect dharma...dharmo rakhati rakshitah...dharma will protect you.


Texas - challenges to Hinduism





2. Bush refused to visit Mahatma's samadhi at Raj Ghat!

3. Current Governor of Texas believes that Hindus will go to Hell nonstop!




A: This could come up in Texas. The textbooks reflect Christianity naturally, accurately, because the people who wrote them are Christian and wanted their religion to be accurate. Judaism has a powerful advocacy group that has been outspoken for years. Islam has been very aggressive in getting the textbooks fixed as much as a decade ago. But Hindus haven't really caught on until recently. We heard a story that happened somewhere in Texas and the daughter came home and said she didn't want to be a Hindu anymore because of what the textbook said. Why is it distorted? Because it's so different than the Western religions, the tendency, at least a few decades ago, was to point out the bizarre and the strange.






In Houston it's beginning in October 2011



“Missionaries are perfect nuisances and leave every place worse than they found it.” ~Charles Dickens

On November 6, 1999 Pope John Paul II in his sermon at the Sacred Heart Cathedral of New Delhi, openly stated, "Just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted on the soil of Europe, and in the second on that of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that in the third Christian millennium, a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and vital continent [Asia]"

What is INCULTURATION?

Inculturation, as propounded by the Vatican Council II Documents 1, is the plan of Christians being within the folds of culture, tradition and heritage of any people, posing as faithful devotees and declare the "hidden Christ" at right moment, so that they (dubbed as heathens, infidels & unbelievers) would become "Christians". Till such time, they have to adapt and adopt their culture and related customs, practices and manners.

Before we explore Houston scene let's explore how the Christian missionaries are misappropriating Hindu culture, arts and history using this deceptive technique!




These are examples of Inculturation; one of the 45+ deceptive techniques used in conversions all over the world, nicely catalogued here. This is the modus operandi of Christian missionaries for the past 2000 years. They misappropriate good things of other civilizations and 'internalize' on their way to global conquest.

In the midst of all this comes an email from a local dancer about HOUSTON program




Christian Denigration of Indian Spiritual Dance



Excerpted with permission from Malhotra, Rajiv and Aravindan Neelakandan,
"Breaking India: Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines," Amaryllis Publishers, Delhi, 2011
Chapter: 8. Digesting Hinduism into Dravidian Christianity
Section: Christianizing Hindu Popular Culture
Sub-section: Christian Denigration of Indian Spiritual Dance
Printed Pages: 113-120
Footnotes included

Christian Denigration of Indian Spiritual Dance

From the 17th century onwards, Christian missionaries made scathing attacks on the Indian classical dance form seeing it as a heathen practice. This was often expressed by attacking the devadasi system on the grounds of human rights. The devadasis were temple dancers, dedicated in childhood to a particular deity. The system was at its peak in the 10th and 11th centuries, but a few hundred years later, the traditional system of temples protected by powerful kings had faded away under Mughal rule especially since the Mughals turned it into popular entertainment devoid of spirituality. The devadasi system degenerated in some cases into temple dancers used for prostitution, although the extent of this was exaggerated by the colonialists.

Many of the English educated elites of India accepted the colonial condemnation of their heritage and apologized for its "primitiveness." Some of them turned into Hindu reformers, and found the devadasi system detestable for moral and even social-hygienic reasons.[1] However the devadasis saw their very existence threatened and sent handwritten pleas to the colonial government explaining the spiritual foundation of Bharatha Natyam. They quoted Siva from the Saiva Agamas saying, “To please me during my puja, arrangements must be made daily for shudda nritta (dance). This should be danced by females born of such families and the five acharyas should form the accompaniments.” Since these Agamas are revered by every Hindu, the devadasis asked, “What reason can there be for our community not to thrive and exist as necessary adjuncts of temple service?” They opposed the proposed draconian punishment for performing their tradition, calling the legislation "unparalleled in the civilized world.” [2]

Instead of abolition of their traditional profession, they demanded better education to restore their historical status. They wanted the religious, literary and artistic education as in the past, saying, "Instill into us the Gita and the beauty of the Ramayana and explain to us the Agamas and the rites of worship.” This would inspire devadasi girls to model themselves after female saints like Maitreyi, Gargi and Manimekalai and the women singers of the Vedas, such that,


“we might once again become the preachers of morality and religion... You who boast of your tender love for small communities, we pray that you may allow us to live and work out our salvation and manifest ourselves in jnana and bhakti and keep alight the torch of India's religion amidst the fogs and storms of increasing materialism and interpret the message of India to the world."[3]

Despite such attempts, the missionary influence continued to dominate Bharata Natyam came to be seen as immoral and facing almost certain extinction. For example, a Dravidianist supported by missionary scholarship called the dance "the lifeline that encourages the growth of prostitution."[4]

However, Hindu savants worked tirelessly to remove the Christian slurs cast on this art form. Chief among them was Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904-1986) who protected and revived this dance by founding the Kalakshetra Academy of Dance and Music in 1936. She made it an acceptable norm for girls (and even boys) from middle class households to learn Bharat Natyam. Though operated like a modern institution, it functioned as a traditional gurukula with prayers before the deity Ganapati, vegetarianism, and a guru-shishya relationship. Throughout Tamil Nadu the guru-shishya form of decentralized one-on-one learning spread in various ways as part of this revival. Thus, far from being dead as intended by missionaries, colonialists and their Indian cronies, Bharat Natyam again became well established as a spiritual art form in South India, and started to achieve acclaim throughout India and abroad. Kalakshetra grew into a university with a large campus in Chennai.

Strategic Shift: Subtle Christian Appropriation of Hindu Dance

In recent years, missionaries are again targeting Bharat Natyam. But this time as a takeover candidate for digestion into Christianity. This reversal of strategy is in response to the growing enthusiasm for Bharat Natyam, including among many Western feminists who see Indian dance as a valorization of feminine sexuality.[5] Westerners took up this dance initially showing respect for Hindu practices and symbols, and studied under Hindu gurus who naively welcomed the Christian disciples. Each of the individuals who are at the forefront of Christianizing the Bharata Natyam today was initially taught by Hindu gurus.[6] In India there are many unsuspecting, or perhaps opportunistic, Hindu gurus who take this genre of Christian students under their wings. These Christian disciples worked very hard and many became exemplars, dancing to Hindu themes and enthralling the media and audiences.

However, they ran into conflicts between traditional Hindu art and Christian aesthetics and dogma. Father Francis Barboza, a prominent Roman Catholic priest and dancer of Hindu art forms, confesses that "the main difficulty I faced in the area of technique" concerned what is Indian classical dance's unique feature, namely, the hand gestures (hasta) and postures. He confesses:

I could use all of them in the original form except for the Deva hasta [hand gestures], because the nature and significance of the Bible personalities are totally different and unique. Hence, when I wanted to depict Christ, the Christian Trinity (Father, Son and the Holy Spirit), I drew a blank. I realised that I had to invent new Deva Hasta to suit the Divine personalities and concepts of the Christian religion. This was a challenge to my creative, intellectual and theological background. Armed with my knowledge of Christian Theology and in depth studies of ancient dance treatises, I then introduced a number of Deva Hasta to suit the personalities of the Bible. These innovations succeeded in making my presentation both genuinely Indian and Christian in content and form.[7]

Dr. Barboza has Christianized the Bharatha Natyam by inventing the following Christian Mudras: God the Father; Son of God; The Holy Spirit; The Risen Christ; Mother Mary; The Cross; Madonna; The Church; and The Word of God, as well as two postures, Crucifixion and The Risen Christ.[8]This strategy is strikingly similar to the development of “Christian Yoga” and “Jewish Yoga” by western practitioners who take what they want from yoga but reject or replace any symbols or concepts that are too explicitly Hindu.

Another example is the Kalai Kaveri College of Fine Arts, founded by a Catholic priest in 1977 as a cultural mission. He received patronage from various sources and sent out priests and nuns to learn from unsuspecting Hindu gurus. The college claims to be offering “the world’s first, off-campus degree program in Bharathanatyam,” with another program in South Indian classical music (both vocal and instrumental). Its website's home page shows Dr. Barboza’s “Christian mudras” using the Christian "Father Deity" as the Bharata Natyam mudra replacing thousands of years of Hindu mudras.[9] Kalai Kaveri is backed and funded as a major church campaign. The Tamil Nadu government is also actively funding and promoting it.[10]

Kalai Kaveri also has overseas branches. Its UK branch with Lord Navnit Dholakia as its patron, ”administers performances and educational workshops in the UK by the dancers and movement instructors from Kà lai Kà viri College in south India.”[11] Its website contains a passage from its 25th Anniversary handbook, Resurgence, which reveals the time tested Christian technique of first praising Indian spirituality and then mapping it to Christian equivalents, such as the subtle the use of the phrase "holy communion" which has specific religious importance to Christians that might not be noticed by others. It starts out with respect for the Vedic tradition:

“Music and dance when viewed in Indian tradition are fundamentally one spiritual art, an integral yoga and a science of harmony…. According to the Vedas, the Divine Mother Vak (Vag Devi) sang the whole creation into being. God's eternal life-force, Para Sakthi, entered or rather assumed the perennial causal sound Nada through the monosyllabic seed-sound Om (Pranava). Thereby the phenomenal world with its multiple forms evolved. This process of physical, vital, mental and soul contact or holy communion with God aims at complete harmony, perfect integration, and absolute identification with God, in all His manifested as well as unmanifested Lila (divine play and dance) at the individual, cosmic and supra-cosmic levels of existence.”[12]

But the article continues, the mapping turns more explicitly Christian:

“Therefore it is possible to trace each human sound or word back to its source by retracing step-by-step to the positive source, until the body of Brahman called Sabda Brahman is reached: ‘In the beginning was Prajapathi, the Brahman (Prajapath vai idam agtre aseet) With whom was the word (Tasya vag dvitiya aseet) And the word was verily the supreme Brahman’ (Vag vai paraman Brahman). This Vedic verse finds parallel in the fourth Gospel of the Christian New Testament: ‘In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.’ (John 1.1) The 'Word' referred to here is the primal sound or Nama. It cannot be the spoken word, and hence it is the creative power of God. The mis-named Odes of Solomon, which are probably from 2nd century Christian Palestine or Syria convey the same truth metaphorically: ‘There is nothing that is apart from the Lord, because He was before anything came into being. And the worlds came in to being by His word’ (Ode XVI:18 - 19).[13]

Father Saju George, a Jesuit priest from Kerala, is a Kalai Kaviri celebrity who learned from various Bharat Natyam gurus. He performs both Christian and Hindu themes. Kalai Kaveri boasts that, having also danced before Pope John Paul II in New Delhi, he has thus raised Bharathanatyam to the realm of Christian prayer and worship...Here is a rare opportunity to experience a new flowering of an ancient vine. In the concerts, imageries of Radha Krishna share a platform with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.[14]

Blatantly Rejecting Hinduism while Christianizing the Bharat Natyam

Rani David, the founder of Kalairani Natya Saalai in Maryland, USA, (strategically located right next to a prominent Hindu temple) is even more blatant about Christianizing the Bharata Natyam. Her website does not hesitate to reveal her disdain of Hindu symbols that are a part of Bharatha Natyam, and her vow to remove them from the dance. She wants to make Bharat Natyam non-Hindu:

At one of the elaborate 'Salangai poojai', in spite of her conviction, she was embarrassed because her Christian values would not permit her to bow down before a statue, whether one of Nataraja, Mary or even Jesus Christ. It was then that she vowed to herself that one day she would fashion this beautiful art into one that could not be exclusively claimed by any one religion. That vow began its fulfillment at Edwina Bhaskaran's arengetram in '92 when a patham on Christ, 'Yesuvaiyae thoothi sei', was included.[15]

But her initial posture of pluralism leads to an exclusively Christian dance as an “innovation,” of which she is proud:

Edwina’s grandfather, Elder Edwin, congratulated Rani and inquired, ‘can you stage a full program with only Christian items?’…. Consequently, 'Yesu-Yesu-Yesu' a two hour program on Christ was innovated and staged first in Maryland and then taken on tour to many parts of USA..[16]

Rani David is also proud of her collaborations with Father Barboza and other Indian Christians. In an article tellingly titled, “The Concept of Christianizing,”’ she begins by comparing the problems of Bharata Natyam with similar problems supposedly found in the Bible, making her assessment seem even-handed:

History of Bharatanatyam reveals that it was misused by religious people and became a social stigma. Likewise, the word ‘dance’ itself in the Bible has had two bad ‘sinful’ references: once with the Israelites and the golden calf and the other by Salome who danced before Herod. [17]

In the next sentences this facade of equal treatment is replaced by focusing on the positive aspects of dance only in the Bible. Citing particular verses that mention dance, she concludes:

… dance is strongly implied to be present in God’s Kingdom. But is there an unquestionable support? Yes, in Psalms 149:3 and 150:4 there are definite commands to include dances in the praising of God! One can hardly get any more definite than that![18]

In other words, when dance is condemned in the Bible, it maps onto the Hindu nature of Bharatha Natyam and both share the problem equally; but when dance is positively depicted in the Bible it is solely a Christian phenomenon without Hindu parallels.

What is neatly glossed over is the obvious fact that Bharat Natyam was developed, institutionally nourished and theologically refined within Hinduism precisely because it is a tradition of embodied spirituality that valorizes the body—both male and female, and even animal—whereas the Abrahamic tradition, precisely because of its obsession with sin and fears of idolatry, has stifled the possibility of such bodily representation as a divine medium.[19]

Rani David then explains the challenges in trying to make Hinduism and Christianity co-exist in the dance. She states that there are

two major differences that we cannot overlook. Hinduism is liberal and will accept anything ‘good’ as sacred. Christianity, on the other hand, is based on a ‘zealous’ God who commands you cannot worship any other gods. Christian form of worship is simplicity; that is why you see Christians dressed in white when they go to church. But a Hindu devotee believes in elaboration in worship. The more you beautify, the more acceptable! So where does one bring in Bharatanatyam? It is not an easy task to merge the two worlds.… it was the Catholic Priest, Father Barboza, who laid down some definite mudras which you see displayed on this page. With the idea of making a universal adaptation, I have used some of these mudras in my choreography. [20]

Anita Ratnam, a prominent dancer, goes even further and claims in her 2007 event in Maryland: “Rani David laid down facts and demonstrated that Christianity existed along with Bharatanatyam and Sanga Thamizh, but history lost in time has given Christianity a western outlook.”[21]

It is interesting to note how self-conscious and strategic the various Christians are when engaged in this cross-religious activity. Their Christianity is very explicitly present in their minds and they are deliberate in making their strategic choices. On the other hand, Hindus engaged in such cross-religious activities are easily lost in ideas of "everything is the same" and "there is no us and them." One side (i.e. Christian) has a strategy and is constantly reworking it and perfecting it, in order to expand itself. The other side (i.e. Hindu) is naively unconcerned, and unwilling to see this is a competitive arena.


[1] One of the most vocal champions for the abolition of the system was Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy, (1886-1968) the first female doctor of Madras Presidency, an advocate for women’s rights, as associate of Mahatma Gandhi, and a member of the legislature who worked for the abolishment of the devadasi system in 1929.

[2] Quotes excerpted from (Hinduism Today Archives 1993) . It is true that with the loss of royal and other forms of social patronage dating from (in many areas even before) British times, many of these institutions had sunk to a depraved level indistinguishable from prostitution (with possible elements of coercion given the patriarchal social structure). However, this was part of a more generalized decadence that could be seen also in the greedy behavior of temple priests at pilgrimage sites due to the same loss of patronage. Just as Bharata Natyam has long since regained its status worldwide, so too well-trained priests have now regained their status in the temples of the Hindu diaspora and in the better maintained temples of India,

[3] (Hinduism Today Archives 1993) .

[4] (Rao, Ramamirthammal and Kannabirān 2003, 210)

[5] For example, Western anthropologists (like Frédérique Appfel Marglin) have not just learned Hindu classical dance (the closely-related Odissi form) but have also lived with and given very sympathetic accounts of the daily lives and values of the devadasis. The Tantric inspiration behind these dance traditions, which were earlier the object of so much Christian-inspired censure, has become a badge of honor.

[6] Dr. Francis Barboza, who later invented Christian Mudras in Bharatha Natyam, was instructed in the dance form by two Hindus, Guru Kubernath Tanjorkar and Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar. (Barboza 2003) Father Saju George, a Jesuit priest, was instructed by Sri K Rajkumar, Khagendra Nath Barman, Padmashri Leela Samson, Nadabrahmam Prof. C V Chandrasekhar (all from Kalakshetra, Chennai) and Padmabhushan Kalanidhi Narayanan and Kalaimamani Priyadarshini Govind. Of these Gurus, Leela Samson is a Christian. (Kalai Kaviri 2006) Leela Thompson was instructed by the very founder of Kalakshetra Rukmini Arundale and Sharada teacher, another talented Bharatha Natyam Guru of Kalakshetra. Rani David, daughter of an evangelical fundamentalist, was instructed by Shri Shanmugasundaram in the Tanjore style and later by Smt Mythili Ragahavan, a direct disciple of Smt. Rukmini Arundale of Kalekshetra. She later studied Nattuvangam under Shri Seetharama Sharma and Shri ‘Adyar’ Lakshman. (R. David 2004:Dead Link )

[7] (Barboza 2003)

[8] (Barboza 2003)

[9] Gesture presented as representative of Bharatha Natyam in (Kalai Kaviri 2004) to be compared with “Christian gesture innovated” in (Barboza 2002)

[10] (Tamil Nadu Govt 2003-2004)

[11] (Kalai Kaviri 2004:2005)

[12] (Stephen.A 2004)

[13] (Stephen.A 2004)

[14] (Kalai Kaviri 2006)

[15] (Arangetram Brochure 1999)

[16] (Arangetram Brochure 1999)

[17] (R. David 2004:Dead Link)

[18] (R. David 2004:Dead Link)

[19] Thus, Sufi-inspired syncretism in India has focused on rasa and dhvani theory as applied to poetry and music rather than to dance, which had to be 'secularized' into Kathak to enjoy widespread patronage (the trance-inducing sama dances have little of the representational or aesthetic dimension of Indian classical dance). However, many among the Muslim audiences and patrons (e.g., in Awadh) could appreciate (at least at the aesthetic level), and despite the apparent contradiction, the backdrop of Hindu mythology with its various deities (esp., the already 'secularized' Krishna). Because of this acknowledged incompatibility, there has been no attempt to Islamize (as opposed to 'secularize') Kathak.

[20] (R. David 2004:Dead Link)

Since the middle of 2009 the website has expired. However the pseudo-historic narrative attempted by Rani David for Christianizing Bharatha Natyam has been approvingly displayed in a prominent Indian dance portal, www.narthaki.com, which is run by a prominent dancer named Anita Ratnam.

[21] (www.narthaki.com 2007)





Rani DAVID, Fr. George doing ChristaNatyams!!!


Explore this and see what's going on!!!

Breaking India has detailed analysis on how Rani DAVID is openly using Bharatanatyam as an Inculturation strategy ( See pages 118-120 ) and she does not hide it like Leela Samson. She spent 13 years with Seventh-day Adventist organization! ( archived page here )


Anyway, this is nothing but Breaking Indian Dance


About Seventh Day Adventists

It is registered in Tamil Nadu as a company called Services Association of Seventh Day Adventists Pvt. Ltd. It consciously guards its plans and nature of activities. It received Rs 19.6 crore and Rs 27.5 crore in 1996-97 and 1998-99, respectively. Figures for the other years were unavailable. However, the available figures reveal that between 1996 and 1999, the Seventh Day Adventists in India grew by a whopping rate of 18.5 percent. The church has reported a "real hunger for Christianity" in India. It has constructed more than 230 new churches in Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, and Rajasthan and claims more than 65,000 new followers. ( http://www.tehelka.com/story_main.asp?filename=ts013004crusader.asp )

**************************************************************************************

And here is the The Dancing Jesuit

Monday, 19 June 2006

The Dancing Jesuit


St Ignatius Loyola, St Aloysius Gonzaga and St Edmund Campion would be rather surprised to learn that the man in the picture is actually a Jesuit, Fr Saju George, S.J., the so-called 'dancing priest,' who begins his English tour later this week. This includes concerts at the Balaji Temple, Birmingham and Farm Street Jesuit Centre in London as well as performances during Sunday Mass at St Catherine's, Bristol (Fr Saju will provide a dance of self-offering, a Gospel meditation and a thanksgiving dance or Keerthanamafter Communion).

Fr Saju is attempting to 'Christianize' Bharatanatyam, a sacred dance which (in recent centuries) was often performed by prostitutes in Hindu temples - so much so that it was abolished in 1947. As Fr Saju explained to Brendan McCarthy in this week'sTablet, this ban led to its 'spiritual reinvigoration.' The dance, he said,
involves a commitment of the whole person, body and soul. Everything that is danced is in praise of God. God may be Shiva or Krishna - or one of the other gods of the Hindu tradition...As a Catholic I found that the dance may be in its traditional roots Hindu, but that it had the potential to express a Catholic commitment to Jesus through our own psalms; to make the spirit of the Bible alive in dance or movement.

The website advertising the tour claims that Fr Saju is following in a long tradition of Jesuit involvement with dance:

Alongside the important development of secular and romantic ballet at the French court of Louis XIV sacred ballet underwent a comparable development in many Jesuit institutions of higher learning. Suzanne Youngerman writes that ‘in Paris the students were joined by the most famous dancers of the Paris Opéra, and the ballets were choreographed by the same prominent dance masters, such as Pierre Beauchamps and Louis Pécour, who created the masterpieces of the secular theatre’.

Youngerman writes that the Jesuit ballets ‘differed from their secularly sponsored counterparts in having no female performers or romantic plots and in always having a moral point’… ‘They performed plays at different times throughout the year, but the principal event was during graduation. They generally staged a five-act tragedy with a biblical, classical, or national theme. A four-act ballet was performed between the acts of the play. The ballets were sometimes loosely connected to the play, but they did not deal overtly with religious themes, favouring the Greek mythological or allegorical plots prevalent also in the court and opera ballets. They were performed in the colleges throughout Europe and were immensely popular…’


Indeed, one of the great pioneers of ballet in the reign of Louis XIV was Fr Claude Francois Menestrier, S.J. author of Des ballets anciens a modernes (1682). But can we compare the stately ballet of baroque Europe (still a Catholic culture) to a pagan art form used in the context of the Sacred Liturgy?

source: http://romanmiscellany.blogspot.com/2006/06/dancing-jesuit.html





Carnatic Singer becomes victim of Inculturation



This is classic case of a "colonized" carnatic singer glorifying Christian carnatic music. The lady (convent educated) needs to be educated on the devastating effects of inculturation. Plenty of fawning comments. Do add yours to bring some sanity in there.

Love Thy Neighbor
http://kaminidandapani.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/10/love-thy-neighbor.html

The only comment made sense by a "Christian" (appended below). Kamini responds but pathetically so. And some extremely eye opening comments followed.

 ++++

Posted by: Dr Antony | October 09, 2010 at 10:24 PM

I understand you are an expert in Karnatic music and so I don't venture up on an argument with you. I am not an expert,and music is not my profession.But I seriously enjoy music, and I can never forgive self acclaimed singers,who cannot keep their pitch.It is very easy to recognize who has music in them.It wont take you more than few minutes.Do I have to tell you?

I think I have heard this priest in our local television channel,where he made a devastating attempt to do a kacheri. He cannot say ten swaroms at a row. The only evidence I could see that he was a student of Yesudas was his beard. That is often a good disguise for ignorance.

I am a Christian. In the history of the Church in Kerala,I don't find any Karnatic music experts. Yesudas never tried that mistake,because he knows the traditions of Karnatic music.The Keerthanas are all praises of Hindu Gods,and it needs tremendous devotion for it to come out.It was not meant for Christian church recitals. Christians in India imitate many traditional styles,and incorporate them in to their practices. I have heard some of these poor attempts of praises to Mother Mary in Karnatic ragas,to my utter despair. I always wanted to tell this priest to stick on to his job,and not to try to dirty the only pure tradition we keep in India. By the way,did it really come from your heart?

++++

Posted by: Koenraad Elst | September 23, 2011 at 11:58 AM

According to Pope Benedict XVI, faithfully relaying the story told in the Acts of Thomas (ca. 200 CE), Thomas only got as far as "Western India", whence Christianity later spread to South India. The text describes a desert-like country where people have Persian names: probably Afghanistan, not farther East nor farther South. It has Jesus sell his twin-brother Thomas into slavery and his slave-master take him on a journey to "India", i.e. Herat or Kandahar or thereabouts. There he makes career as a malicious miracle-worker who has a child eaten alive by a magically produced lion and who abducts women. When the people want to punish him, the king is kind enough to ask him politely to leave the country. He refuses and gets killed in punishment of his crimes, which deprives him of the opportunity ever to move on to Kerala. That Thomas ever landed in Kerala is a myth. Far worse is the blood libel that he was murdered in Chennai by Brahmins. Just imagine: Christians are given hospitality by Hindus, and in return they slander them as murderers of their own patron-saint. No interreligious dialog with Christianity can make sense until the Church leaders unilaterally apologizes for these centuries of blood libel against their benefactors.

++++

Posted by: Praveen Rai | September 23, 2011 at 05:38 PM

Naivete of Hindus and their abject failure to learn from history should be a cause for concern. In the name of "universalism" the majority has fallen into a trap set by the secularists and Christian prosleytizers. While rural Hindus are too poor to resist the temptations of easy money, job and other goodies in return for conversion, urban Hindus, find it fashinable to be "secular", and embrace every act of subtle incultration, that robs them of their own deep and inclusive dharmic traditions. It's a pity that Sanatana dharmis don't recognize the 'fox watching the hen house.' Why don't we recognize the movie that has played out in so many parts of the world throughout history? Destruction of native American culture (they are rotting in reservations with all kinds of maladies and few have casinos--sign of progress?) is a case in point. Without dharma, there is nothing. The days of crediting christian-inspired laissez-faire capitalist system (most market fundamentalists are staunch christians)for material prosperity of the west is over; look at the pitiable state of once-upon-a-time powerful colonial powers from the continent of Europe. And now, we have 45million people on food stamps and 1 in 5 children suffering from hunger in the world's most powerful nation--USA! Only dharma's all-encompassing, holistic ways can save humanity. So, don't adulterate the purity of dharma in the name of freedom of art and expression. Read history and learn from a scholar like Dr.Elst (previous comment). Most of all, be aware of nefarious agenda purused by "exclusive" belief systems; do your due diligence; don't accept anything at face value. Protect dharma...dharmo rakhati rakshitah...dharma will protect you.

++++

Posted by: George Thundiparambil | September 26, 2011 at 10:40 AM

Ms. Kamini Dandapani's blog post is a revelation of how gullible and naive Hindus are and can still be, and how easily they can be deceived by the chameleon-like activities of professional Christians. I say "professional" because the processes of cultural appropriation are invariably done by the clergy who are trained and assigned according to their skills to do what they are doing and devote 24/7 in propagating their religion. Apparently Ms. Dandapani has also probably never heard of "Christian yoga", "Christunatyam", etc. It is most likely that she also doesn't know what Christianity exactly is. For that one has to study it with the eyes open.

Sadly, the vulnerable situation the Hindus find themselves in (dwindling numbers, dis-empowered in their own country of origin, etc.) may be attributed to the characteristic Hindu naivety as exemplified by Ms. Dandapani. Cultures who similarly thought in these lines are no longer on this earth to talk about their culture.

Long after Hindus and Bharatanatyam are gone and buried, with the earth and dharma destroyed and burnt, Ms. Dandapani can find relief now in the thought that there will be Christian padres left to conduct the last carnatic concert on the prophesied doomsday. I am not saying this because of any irrational hatred I nurse for Christians or Christianity - most of my beloved relatives are still Christian, carrying on out of convenience or ignorance or arrogance. There is much evidence on my side if one cares to stick out her neck and look around.

Christmas and Easter were once pagan festivals in Europe around 1500 years ago, but none of the pagans remain to talk about them. How many people living on earth know that these were pagan festivals that had nothing to do with Christians or Jesus. The birthday of Jesus (Christmas) was celebrated by all early Christians on January 7th and is still celebrated by many Eastern Christians on that day. The date changed when the "faith" came to Europe. They changed the date to usurp the winter solstice celebration of the pagans and fixed it on December 24th, one of the dates in the traditional festival. Easter was the festival of the pagans at the spring equinox, associated with the moon goddess Aster. Now both festivals are patented and celebrated all over the earth by the Christians.

In 1599, the Goan bishop of that time, Alexis Menezes, originally a Portuguese, chaired an acculturation program among the Eastern Christians of Kerala, known in history as the Diamper Synod, where they were asked not to follow Hindu arts, crafts, customs, rituals and festivals and made a long list of prohibited things. After the second Vatican Council in 1962, when the church made a series of U-turns to accommodate a discontented people and new knowledge, they made provisions for the regional churches to start appropriating local customs to make it more attractive for the laity and to facilitate proselytizing among peoples like the Hindus.

Christianity in its core is not at all different from Islam, perhaps a bit more stringent. Medieval European Christianity was much more evil than the modern-day Taliban. One only has to open the history books to find out. The Church liberalism is only a show for people living in the West, because otherwise they cannot wield the influence they still have, like having a seat at the UN and in all countries as diplomats. It was the fascist Mussolini who made Vatican a state. Inside the Indian churches, the Christians systematically tarnish the Hindu religion and on the outside, are taking over one Hindu institution after the other (like Kalakshetra). Many Christian orders have shed their white cassocks and wear saffron robes. Earlier they had shed their customary black for white cassocks when they found that Hindus ran away seeing the black outfit. The white cassock was adopted only for India.

For me, who has seen both worlds, Christianity in all its forms is sheer contamination of the mind and environment and distilled evil. If Ms. Dandapani has any doubt, I am at her disposal to clear that.

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Houston Dancer's email about Samson event


Dear friends,

Please share this information with your friends. This is the very first time that the Kalakshetra group is traveling to the US in their 75 year history, and "Spanda" is a very interesting new work choreographed by Padma Shree Leela Samson, Director, Kalakshetra. We hope that you will all come and see the brilliant group in action! You will not want to miss this event.

Thank you and hope to see you on October 1, both at the Conference and the performance.

XXXXX

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Samson's anti-Hindu activities at Kalakshetra


Anti-Hindu activities at Kalakshetra, Chennai

By P Deivamuthu

Hindu Institutions are being systematically demolished by anti-Hindu Governments both at the centre and in the state. Here is the latest example of Kalakshetra, Chennai, famous for Karnatic music and Bharathanatyam exposition.

The new director, Leela Samson, a Christian, took charge about one and a half years ago at Kalakshetra Foundation which has a tradition of more than 50 years. She has destroyed the values for which this institution stands and is still continuing the destruction in a subtle way.

The new director is extremely hateful of the Hindu tradition of idol worship. She has told the students and teachers in the morning assembly that idol worship is nothing but superstition and it should be discouraged in Kalakshetra. Her visceral hatred of Hinduism is not known to most people outside the institution.

Last December, she refused to send students to the inauguration ceremony of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Seminar on "Health and Happiness held from 5th-8th Dec. 2006 at Anna University. The reason given by her is indeed shocking - "The festival is on Hinduism. So you need not go there". Ravi Shankar Ji had expressed his anguish.

The following are the changes that have been brought about by Leela Samson after taking charge as the director of Kalakshetra :

1. Most of the Vinayaka idols for which regular poojas were being conducted by the students have been removed, especially the idols in front of the theatre and hostel. After a lot of criticism she has replaced the Vinayaka idol in front of the theatre but the idol which was in front of the hostel has not been replaced.

2. Leela Samson ordered all prayers in the institution to be stopped. But the students are continuing with the prayers in spite of the possibility of disciplinary action and even expulsion.

3. The clothes that were adorning the idols have been removed.

4. A movie club has been started that has completely spoilt the Gurukulam atmosphere of this traditional institution. Her friends from New Delhi use the theatre and the funds allocated for teaching Bharatnatyam to run this movie club.

5. Teachers hand-picked by her are teaching Geetha-Govindam in a very vulgar manner sowing the seeds of hatred for Hinduism in the impressionable young minds of the students.

6. She is now planning to demolish the temple structure of the Kalakshetra Auditorium with the excuse of modernising it. This is going to be done in April 2007.

7. The logo of Kalakshetra Foundation designed by Rukmini Arundale has been changed without consulting any of the committee members or the Government.

8. She seems to be in a hurry to completely finish off the funds of the Foundation on a movie that she is taking. This is being opposed by everyone in the institution as huge amounts are being spent unofficially on this project.

9. The certificate that was designed by Rukmini Arundale with Narthana Vinayakar and the emblem of Shiva on it has been changed and the present certificate is plain without any symbols. These changes have been made without taking permission from the Board of Directors of the institution.

10. Earlier there were restrictions on the meeting of boys and girls within the boys' and girls' hostels. Now all these restrictions have been removed thus encouraging the meeting of boys and girls in any hostel room at any time of the day and night.

Members of the performing arts world outside Kalakshetra Foundation and members of the Hindu community are requested to initiate action immediately to stop the planned destruction of a glorious institution teaching and nurturing the ancient traditions of Sanatan Dharma.






"Father" Saju George and Leela SAMSON


A well-planned attack on Hinduism by cunning CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES...

Some Christian Missionaries get huge funds to pervert Hindu Art and cultural Institutions. They think by polluting and taking out all links with Hindu Gods, these schools will be made easy prey for Christian proselytizing.

Fr Saju George Moolamthuvuthil, a Jesuit priest from Kerala, trained in Chennai and now working in Kolkata, who was one of the two opening dancers at the Festival of India in Moscow, 1999, is a crusader with a baba cool look.
His mission is to fusion Hindu dance Bharatanatyam with ABRAHMIC RELIGION of crusaders and inquisition. can he succeed ?

He is also Research Director at Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts in Tiruchirappalli. Thus, we have all sorts of perverted fathers planted in the middle of Hindu Institutions of ART and CULTURE.

He has performed on some 60 solo and 25 group Bharatanatyam stages in India, Germany, Bangladesh and Thailand, with both Christian and Hindu themes. Having also danced before Pope John Paul II in New Delhi, he has thus raised Bharathanatyam to the realm of Christian prayer and worship!

In the concerts, imageries of Radha Krishna share a platform with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Fr Saju takes with him lot of dancers from Kalakshetra by alluring them with dollars. People like Sri K Rajkumar, Khagendra Nath Barman, Padmashri Leela Samson, Nadabrahmam Prof. C V Chandrasekhar (all from Kalakshetra, Chennai) and Padmabhushan Kalanidhi Narayanan and Kalaimamani Priyadarshini Govind used to tour with him the world over to prove that Bharatanatyam is nearer to BIBLICAL AND THEOSOPHICAL ideals. The Theosophical society in Chennai also supports the Director of Kalkshetra, MRS LEELA SAMSON.

Padmashri Leela Samson has been with a supportive nod from Sonia successfully bagged the post of DIRECTOR of KALKSHETRA with a clear mission to pervert Bharatanatyam as a fusion dance that any western secularist may use for his Christian conversion activities of weak Hindus.

Thus as a Director of this prestigious school, she is removing all Ganesh idols in Kalakshetra as per the orders she receive from her superior in VATICAN.

Please go to the following link for more information on her anti-Hindu activities: http://www.hvk.org/articles/0407/27.html


This couple forms a front in Chennai attacking the Tamil culture from all sides with their money power.
Will this fatal couple reap poor Tamil souls for their religions or will they finish in prison ?

This proselytizing father and this fanatic lady will continue to dance Bharatanatyam to promote an Abrahamic desert God who is more to do with a Palestinian than a South Indian culture Unless we all say “no” to this visual aggression and distortion of our art, there is no stopping these people from confusing Hindus who can be easily lured to Christianity.

Besides, to prove he has knowledge of Hinduism and his dance is based on a sound mastery of Hinduism, he has managed to get a PhD in the Saiva Tradition from the MADRAS UNIVERSITY!

What a wicked man this father from Kerala. But then, can we really blame him? He is just trying to do what those in Vatican asks him to do. THE PROBLEM IS THE WILL TO PROLETYTISE IMBIBED IN THOSE FANATIC ROMAN CATHOLICS AND CHRISITANS.