A message from the President of Vedic Cultural Center
Dear Devotees and Friends,
After nearly a year of contacts with the Redmond Arts Commission, I am
pleased to inform everyone that the Vedic Cultural Center (VCC) is organizing a free, lavish, two-day outdoor festival of India. Ananda means
'bliss' and mela, means 'festival. The event Ananda Mela - A Joyful Festival of India, will take place at the Redmond City Hall campus on Saturday June 26th and Sunday June 27th, from 12 noon to 9 pm.
Anandamela will present the colorful heritage of India in an enticing, educational and fun experience for the whole family. There will be many
artists performing popular, folk and classical forms of Indian music and
dance. The festival includes magic shows, cooking demos, arts and
crafts, strolling musicians, educational games, fun rides for kids, exotic
Indian cuisine, astrology, yoga, information booths and many more fascinating exhibits. The key performance on both days will be a 2 hour free,
energizing concert on the main stage by Delhi2Dublin, a contemporary
band and dancers featuring catchy melodies and rhythms of India and
Ireland, not to be missed!
The Anandamela is a practical demonstration of building community
and bridges with the greater American society. We are seeing a
dynamic awakening of the Indian community of Seattle replete with its
many talented artists. This will be demonstrated by the many cultural
and educational performances at the festival. Teachers from the greater
Seattle area will bring their music, song, and dance students to perform.
Organizations such as the Federation of Indian American Associations
of Washington (FIAWA) and Indian American Association of Western
Washington (IAWW) are partnering with VCC to promote the festival.
The festival website is www.anandamela.org.
Email: info@anandamela.org. Ananda Mela is a result of planning and
discussions at the Redmond Arts Commission, following adoption of
their 2009 Strategic Plan. It is conducted by the Vedic Cultural Center
(www.vedicculturalcenter.org), which is an organization devoted to
cultural, educational and community enrichment.
Come with your family and friends, and enjoy a free weekend slice of the
best of India’s joyful culture!
Harivilas Das
President
Key AcƟviƟes and Events at the VCC
The VCC is dedicated to preserving and promo ng the finest expressions of
Vedic arts, music, culture and spirituality. Its mission is to prac cally demonstrate the benefit of educa ng kids in Vedic values, and show how dharma
may be preserved and enhanced for future genera ons. In 2009 there were
many varied educa onal and cultural events.
Food for Life – An ongoing program for distribu ng healthy and nutri ous
sa vic prasadam (sanc fied vegetarian food)
For anyone visi ng the VCC
Mercy meals and teen feed events with other humanitarian organiza ons
My Sweet Lord Restaurant at University district
City food distribu on events
Vedic School: Vedic school to inculcate Vedic values in youth and Sunday
School to train young kids in Vedic heritage and developing younger generaon to preserve our values and grow our tradi ons. Kids are taught moral values and tools to overcome the difficul es in dealing with real life situa ons.
Contact : Vraja Bhak devi: 206 992 7589
Vedic Performing Arts Troop: This drama troop is made up of children who
a end the VCC and a group of talented mothers who train the young ar sts in
performing arts. You can enroll you child in the Vedic School and Dramas performed to date: Sakshi Gopal, Sudarshana Cakra, Varaha Avatar, Mouse Merchant, Me and my Mind, Sita Rama Kalyanam, Krishna and the doub ul Brahmin, Prahlada saved by Narasimhadeva, Ramanujacarya’s Life
Children’s Camp: Every summer the VCC organizes a summer camp for over
150 children. It is a fun filled event during which children learn dance, cooking,
arts and cra s, yoga, slokas amd bhajans, games.
Balamela is a special event at the end of July for children. It is a series of compe ons for kids. They can win prizes for recita ons, singing, dancing, coloring
contests. The event also features fun rides.
Language Classes: Sanskrit, Hindi and Telegu classes are conducted every
week for children
Dancing classes
Classical Singing classes
KarnaƟc singing
Yoga classes
Vedic Mantra recitaƟon classes Vedic University classes
Children’s fun nights
Kalashetra evenings
Senior’s programs
Priyam Vaca (Public speaking) classes
Saturday night movies for kids
Learn Deity dressing from our priest Bhaja Govinda das
Extension of the Vedic Cultural Center:
Performing Arts Center.
Training young children in the tradi onal Vedic arts such as Bharatanatyam
dance, Karna c music and song, etc., exposes them to 5000 years of a rich and
rewarding heritage. The wisdom of the ancestors speaks through the art forms
and helps to shape the character, values and confidence of children. Why invent the wheel in every genera on when we can profit from the collec ve wisdom of our forefathers. There is a proverb that says, “Listen to the wisdom of
our elders so that misfortune does not befall us.”
We are very fortunate to have a large number of expert teachers of Vedic arts
in the Sea le area. They are dedicated to preserving and growing these tradional skills for the benefit of new genera ons of children born in America. It
has always been a burden for sincere ar sts to make their art form financially
viable. In fact, the effort expended to teach, train, and arrange for periodic
performances is a herculean task. The addi onal burden of finding a suitable
hall, adver sing the event and selling ckets can be a distressful ordeal that
drains the energies and resources of teachers.
It is me that a first step be undertaken to create a Performing Art’s Center
specifically to facilitate Vedic arts in the Sea le area. The purpose of this modest effort will be to remove the cumbersome financial and logis c pressures
that teachers are faced with every me they want to organize a performance
of their students. There will be a professional performance stage with a
sea ng capacity of 100 in the new 1200 square foot annex of the Vedic Cultural Center (VCC) in Sammamish. On April 28, The VCC received the building permit for the construc on which should be completed by the late fall of this
year.
There is a Vedic aphorism that says “para upakar,” – one should do good to
others. The VCC promotes educa onal and cultural ac vi es that are beneficial for the individual and society. With this in mind, the VCC is proud to say
that it is collabora ng with Mrs. Subhashini Vijay Santhanam to develop the
floor plan and equipment of the performing art’s center. She will partner with
the VCC to organize performances by her students and those of the many other Sea le area teachers who want to use the VCC facility. The VCC also provides classrooms for teaching the arts. Teachers will be relieved of heavy financial burdens for performances because the VCC will provide its facility on a
volunteer dona on basis.
We want to thank Mrs. Santhanam for proposing the idea of partnering with
the VCC to make a performing arts center that will benefit many genera ons to
come.
The Vedic Cultural Center invites ar s c proposals from all ar stes in Sea le
(as well as from all over the world) to perform in its premises. We will update
our web infrastructure to accept online applica ons for future performances.
EducaƟon:
Dancing classes: Bharathnatyam
From Within Academy by Mrs. Subhashini Santhanam.Ph 425 281 2846
Ms. Shwetha Ashwin — 253 661 8327
Ms. Anu Raghavan — 425 283 6859
Classical Singing Classes:
Vishwavani School – by Mrs. Vanisree Vishwa teaching Ph:425 803 3066
Mrs. Prameela Rani—425 296 0016
Sitar and Sarod—Mr. Debi Prasad Chaterjee—206 459 7322
Learn to Play TABLA by Shrinath Acharya Learn.Tabla@yahoo.com
Classical Tabla by Rav (831) 345-9778 or tabladass@yahoo.com
CarnaƟc Music Classes:
Classical Carna c music – by Sea le Raman—Phone 206-227-4617
Yoga classes: –
Based on pranayama and asanas for healthy balanced devo onal life.
Nritya Gauranga das narender.gunna@gmail.com
Hatha Yoga (for women) by Surbhi Mehra surbhime@hotmail.com
Veda Classes – by: Srinivas Ph: 425-445-4294 Sthothras
 Pancha Sookthams and Upanishads
 Naalayira Divya Prabandham
Debi Prasad
From Within Dance
Yoga
Seattle Raman
The making of the Anandamela fes val 2010.
Latha P. SambamurƟ, Director of Arts, Anandamela, and Dr. Pat T.
PaƩabhiraman, Director of Strategies, Anandamela from Redmond, WA.
Latha: When I was a child growing up in India, I enjoyed the peace and love in
my tradi onal culture. I am an ar st and an educator. I am also an Arts Advisory Commi ee member and a grant panelist for 4Culture, an organiza on dedicated to advancing community through culture. Most recently, I was the Chair
of Redmond Arts Commission. Following adop on of our strategic plan in
2009, we had been discussing arts/cultural fes vals in the arts commission for
some me. Our dream is coming to reality now. We started with the idea of a
Fes val of India and wanted to see how we could do it. We also aspired to
broaden the scope of our offerings beyond art, to include culture as well.
However, in order to offer such large-scale fes vals to the community, we felt,
we needed to work with organiza ons with large scale capabil es, and we had
to empower them and work in partnership with them. We started talking to
Harivilas Prabhu, the President of Vedic Cultural Center. I had been familiar
with VCC for some years. I had sung at VCC on several occasions. I a ended
Kumbha Mela and other high profile VCC-organized fes vals. Therefore I can
say I have a clear understanding of the ability of VCC to organize large scale
events. I was immediately drawn to the opportunity of ge ng involved in
Anandamela as an ac ve contributor in making it happen. The fes val has materialized into a contract between the City of Redmond and the Vedic Cultural
Center.
Anandamela has given me an opportunity to showcase the best of my ar s c
and cultural heritage and share it with all the visitors who will come to the fesval. In a sense, this project is an extension of what I have been doing for the
community for over 7 years.
As the Director of Arts and Main Stage Co-ordinator for Anandamela, my goal
is to bring high quality performances of music and dance. Hopefully they will
engage audiences and leave them with a las ng impression of the elements of
peace, love, respect and zes ul celebra on of life that underlie all aspects of
Indian art and culture.
It is well known that India is not just a country but a con nent, with a bewildering variety of customs, languages, art forms and cultures. I felt it is worthwhile to show a sampling of that diversity in our programming. Accordingly,
we have planned to present many forms of Indian classical, folk and popular
dance – Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Bhangra, Bollywood, Gypsy dance, Rajasthani and other folk dances.
When I went to a recent concert of Delhi 2 Dublin at Kirkland Performance
Center, I was very impressed. I found their music-cum-dance live show to be
very interna onal in content, universal in its appeal, yet strongly Indian in fundamentals. To me, this is symbolic of what we want to show at Anandamela.
Delhi2Dublin is a fusion of Indian and western ethnic tradi ons of music and
dance represents the theme of the Anadamela fes val. We are pleased to
bring Delhi 2 Dublin to Anandamela on both evenings.
In terms of instrumental music, we are planning to present the VadyaVrinda
group playing several tradi onal instruments. Deepak Ram (a disciple of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia), the renowned player of the Bansuri flute. The Indian/Afro-Cuban ensemble called Anjuman, led by Brandon McIntosh, will delight audiences of all ages. One noteworthy aspect of Anandamela is that
many of the performances will involve Americans, Canadians, and other nonIndians. It shows how the interna onal community has embraced elements of
Indian art and culture as their own. I would like to do my absolute best in making this fes val a huge success, as the first of many more such fes vals in the
future. This fes val is a dream-come-true. I am delighted to see Redmond
taking the lead in organizing a cultural fes val of such breadth and depth. My
wish is this fes val become a regular fixture that Redmond/Eastside residents
and visitors can look forward to every year.
Pat: I have a doctor’s degree in computer science with specializa on with human language technology. I work for Conversay, a Redmond company specializing in voice recogni on technology for mobile phones and other electronic
devices. My work involves an interes ng combina on of computer science and
linguis cs. Given the highly scien fic and technological nature of my profession, art has provided a balancing component, so to speak, in my life. I have
been a happy beneficiary of all of my wife Latha’s ar s c ac vi es and involvement. I have volunteered for the arts in Redmond for over 6 years. In 2007, I
won the Arts Award from the city of Redmond. Most recently, a er joining the
Anandamela team, I have been formally appointed as a Redmond Arts Commissioner.
I felt compelled to offer my organiza onal skills to Anandamela a er hearing
about it from Latha. I thank the Anandamela organiza on for welcoming me in
the team. So far I have helped with communica ons, publicity, sponsorship
ac vi es and some other strategic aspects of overall fes val organiza on. As
the fes val day approaches, I hope to be able to contribute towards other elements of its logis cs. I share Latha’s passion for the success of Anandamela,
and I strongly feel that the fes val is in the very capable hands of Vedic Cultural Center.
We would like to contribute to (Sea le) Eastside’s pioneering efforts to inspire
all interna onal communi es and cultures cons tu ng our Greater Sea le area to hold similar celebra ons of their heritage and to enrich one another’s
lives as a result.
Lavanya Raghava Reddy: I was born in Andhra Pradesh, India. About 30 years
ago I immigrated to US. My husband I have been blessed with two wonderful
children. I qualified myself as a Montessori teacher in in New York, Minneapolis, and Houston. It is my great fortune that I moved to Sea le eighteen years
ago. Now, I have my own cultural center and school in Shoreline - Sri Manirama Cultural & Educa onal Founda on.
My family has visited the Vedic Cultural Center over the years and helped with
cooking at different public events. In 1996 we did a fund raiser with my husband for the Vedic Cultural Center. We have always respected Harivilas Prabhu for his dedicated service to the Sea le community . About two months
ago, Harivilas Prabhu called and asked me to be a co-ordinator for the Anadamela fes val. I was excited to hear about this event. I think it will be one of
the best events in this region and I hope it will con nue and grow every year. I
have been able to facilitate the par cipa on of Federa on of Indian American
Associa ons (FIAWA) which will sponsor eight fun ac vi es for children at the
fes val. FIAWA will also construc on displaying the life and work of Mahatma
Gandhi. I will display tradi onal dolls and tex les from my personal collec on.
and Indian dresses all from different regions of India. It is interes ng to note
that silk texture used in tex les and dresses varies due to regional clima c
differences. I have displayed this unique collec on earlier at shoreline arts
fes val. I am also very pleased that the VCC is a member of FIAWA and Naonal Federa on of Indian American Associa on (NFIA).
I am hoping that I can share my tradi ons with the American community so
that they can understand the variety and beauty of the wonderful Indian culture. With such understanding our children will feel more integrated into
American society knowing that their tradi ons are appreciated. I started the
diversity community in Shoreline Parent Student’s Associa on to help our kids
of Indian origin more accepted. I hope Redmond can adopt a sister city in India. Such a rela onship provides a two-way exchange of culture and tradi on.
Indian civiliza on has survived for thousands of years despite several invasions
due to the tolerant perseverance of its people who have unflinching faith in
the Supreme God.
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June26th,27th2010
Anandamela arƟst profiles:
The Asian Indian community in the eastside will celebrate
their colorful heritage of India which is enƟcing, educaƟonal, and fun for the whole family. There will be many arƟsts
performing. The following are profiles of some of these
arƟsts.
Delhi2Dublin
Delhi2Dublin was founded in March 2006 in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. The
five members come from different backgrounds and different musical influences. Tarun Nayar, Sanjay Seran, Kytami, Andrew Kim and Ravi Binning create a heady and energe c mash-up of Bhangra, Cel c, Dub Reggae and Electronica. “Audiences love to see a band transcending stereotypes and le ng
the music speak for itself”. Delhi 2 Dublin have played major fes vals in both
Canada and the U.S. including Bumbershoot in Sea le, Earthdance in California, High Sierra in California, Stern Grove in San Francisco as well as such diverse events as SXSW in Aus n, the Keelung City Ghost Fes val in Taiwan and
the Olympics in Vancouver.
Deepak Ram
Deepak Ram is a senior disciple of world renowned bansuri maestro Pandit Hariprasad
Chaurasia. Deepak is an incredibly versa le
ar st who is well known for his evoca ve performances in tradi onal North Indian classical
music, his collabora ons with musicians of
other genres, his innova ve composi ons
and for his excellence as a teacher.
Deepak began his formal training in bansuri and tabla under Sri Jeram Bhana in
South Africa in 1975. Two years later he was off to Mumbai, India to study
flute under the late Sri Suryakant Limaye (India's master flute maker); he simultaneously spent a short me under flau st, Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao. It was
in 1981 that his dream was realized when he became the disciple of the celebrated flau st, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (with whom he con nues to study
from me to me). During this period he also studied tabla under Sri Yashwant
Padhye and music theory and voice under Pandit Rajaram Shukla.
Deepak's versa lity is apparent in his numerous collabora ons with musicians
of various genres. These include performances with jazz pianists Darius Brubeck, Melvin Peters and Bheki Mseleku, Tunisian oud player and vocalist Dhafer Yousseff and the popular South African band Tananas. Most recently,
Deepak performed with South African musicians like Sibongile Khumalo and
Rwandan diva, Cecile, on Robben Island in South Africa's millennium concert
hosted by presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.
Deepak has six solo albums to his credit and as a session musician can be
heard on over twenty five albums. His bansuri can also be heard on movie
soundtracks, such as The Fast And The Furious, Matrix Revolu ons, Stealth,
India-Kingdom of the Tiger and the Indian film, Maya.
In 2000, Deepak was awarded Best Instrumental Album at the South African
Music Awards for his album Searching for Satyam. His previous album Flute for
Thought also saw him being nominated for Best Male Ar st and Best Instrumental Album in the 1999 South African Music Awards. Both these albums feature Deepak's composi ons and arrangements based on elements of North
Indian music.
One of Deepak Ram's fortes is his ability to communicate his knowledge, making him an excellent teacher. He served as visi ng professor in Indian Music at
the University of California, Santa Cruz. He lectured full me for four years at
the University of Durban-Westville, South Africa and has conducted many
workshops in Indian music in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Holland and South
Africa. He also has several publica ons to his credit, including an instruc on
booklet, Harmonium Made Easy.
From Within Academy:
Local Indian Classical Dance group turns Pro
Dance has, since me immemorial, been used as a
means of expression, communica on and in some
tradi ons, a pathway to God. One such classical
tradi on of dance, the original purpose of which is
to unite the individual soul with the supreme being,
is Bharatnatyam. One of the oldest dance forms
from India, its origins can be traced back in History
approximately 1800 years. It comes from the
Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This classical
dance form is a combina on of expression (bhava),
melody (raga) and rhythm (taala).
With me, this dance form moved away from its strictly sacred beginnings to
cater to the entertainment needs of kings and rulers. Its original purpose and
social standing were restored much later by great proponents of dance like
Krishna Iyer, Rukmini Arundale etc. In making it more popular and widespread, Bharatnatyam, as a dance, evolved too and several different styles
have developed and are being followed.
In India, there are several schools of dance, some big and established, some
small and enterprising which cater to innumerable students. As the popularity of the dance spreads around the world, preserving and maintaining all or
most elements of this age-old tradi on becomes important. “From Within
Academy,” in our own backyard, believes in this philosophy.
This school, founded by Subhashini Vijay Santhanam, believes that one should
celebrate the arts and that the prac ce of Bharatnatyam should help get people in touch with their inner spirit. The training, choreography and ul mately,
the performance should be natural and flow “from within” and not be forced.
The Academy also believes in contribu ng to con nuing the tradi on so well
preserved and propagated for over centuries. In this effort, they endeavor to
share their experiences and tradi on through classes and shows.
However, it is not easy for the Indian Classical dancer to find the opportunity
to share her art. The prac cal difficul es of transplan ng Bharatanatyam to
the West are numerous. For prac ce sessions, it is o en too cold for bare
feet, the noise of the dancers footwork and bells is not well received by neighbors, and ren ng or owning a dance studio is financially challenging. Perform-
ing presents different challenges: available performance opportuni es are
rarely longer than ten minutes, there are few, if any, paid opportuni es, and
suitable musicians are not readily available to create new work.
We are launching “From Within Nucleus”, our nonprofit performance wing
(fiscally supported by Allied Arts Founda on), to bring you our top dancers in
quality full length Bharatanatyam performances. We strive to maintain and
use the tradi onal language of Bharatanatyam in our produc ons, while capturing and communica ng the universal emo ons of the human experience.
Frank Dunn Magician
Renowned Frank Dunn Magician has 25 years of experience mys fying audiences. He comes highly recommended for his professionalism, talent, humor,
versa le style, innova veness, and worry-free entertainment; that will impress everyone of all ages.
Master Magician Frank Dunn backs all of his magic
shows with a money back guarantee. He will be the highlight of your next
event. Acclaimed Frank Dunn Magician has the right show for you. Visit his
different shows on this website; his references are respectable, they reflect
his na onal awards of unimaginable crea ve magic.
Professor Bamboozle
Professor Bamboozle (Brian Wood) is a full- me, all
age entertainer based out of Sumner, WA, U.S.A.
Born and raised in Des Moines, WA, he has been
performing his illusions since the 3rd grade, and has
worked in the live entertainment industry as a professional since high school. A er gradua ng, following his love of the theater, he started his own stage
ligh ng and special effect produc on Co.
(PAR-FECT STAGE LIGHTING AND EFFECTS) touring across the U.S. and producing light shows for local and na onal touring acts and bands, learning the art of
the ins and outs of ge ng the big shows, in and out. In 1990, picking up balloon twis ng as another hobby, he decided to combine it with the love of illusion, and began performing for small get-togethers and table hopping at local
restaurants. POP "O" produc ons was born, and in 2004 he changed the name
to AAAMAZING BAMBOOZLE PRODUCTIONS.
Mantra Rock by TiƟksava Karunika das:
Ti ksava Karunika (Thomas Plummer) was born in
Santa Monica, California and started playing guitar at
the age of 11. In the late 1970's he was playing in a
band called "Smokestack Lightning" which was playing the club circuit around the San Francisco bay area.
In 1979 he joined the Hare Krishnas and for the me
being set aside his music and engaged in selfrealiza on. A er learning the science of connec ng
ones occupa on with God Consciousness he again
took to playing the guitar and wri ng songs but this
me with the idea of helping people to make progress on their spiritual path. In 1984 he started the band "Krishnau x". Krishnau x produced four Krishna rock albums.
In 1992 he was asked to join the Gauranga Bhajan Band who had been doing
concert tours in the eastern European block and the former Soviet Union. The
Iron curtain had just come down and the two things that the former communist regime feared the most was western rock music and religion (Krsna
Rock). The Gauranga Bhajan Band had both. A spiritual rock band with spiritual rock music. The tour was a huge success, culmina ng in Moscow with a
spiritual rock concert in the biggest stadium in Russia. The one where the
1990 Olympic Games were held. Over 30,000 people a ended and everybody
was into the chan ng of the holy names. The crowd was ecsta c. Boy George
who shared the bill, said it was the best concert he had ever experienced.
Hare Krsna Rock music lives!!
TK did two more tours with the GBB one in Poland and another in former Yugoslavia both of which were highly successful. In 1993 he decided to move to
Europe to be closer the the bands ac vi es. He made two albums with them.
Unfortunately the group shortly therea er broke up.
Next he headed up a group in Slovenia called "Transcendence" who toured
extensively around the country in 1994 and 1995. These were smaller shows
at town squares a ended by 200 to 2,000 people but were a great experience non the less. The first year the band toured, the local temple boasted 17
new full me members. And the mood was the best it had ever been. "We
had a real preaching spirit and that was the ecstacy doing these mantra rock
concerts ". Transcendence made three albums. Two studio and one live.
Nalini – Kathak and Bollywood Dance ArƟst
Nalini is an accomplished dancer trained in classical Indian dance tradi ons.
She has combined her formal training with more modern expressions of Bollywood and Belly Dance. Audiences are thrilled by her graceful and colorful performances.
Her dance school in Sea le is a fun des na on for learning dance and exercise
disciplines to body tone and health. Nalini has trained a group of beau ful
young ladies who perform a mix of Bollywood, Belly and Gypsy dances that
cap vate audiences. Contact Nalini at www.Nalinidance.com or 425.647.0555.
The LEELA KATHAK DANCERS are the performance group of the Prabha
Rustagi Memorial Trust. Urmila Nagar, Senior teacher of Jaipur Gharana Kathak
Dance in the Kathak Kendra in New Delhi before her re rement, is their well
loved Guru.
So, who is Prabha Rustagi?
Prabha Rustagi was the first Kathak teacher in the Northwest. The wife of a
U WA professor and mother of two children, she had been trained in instrumental music, tabla hand drums, and Kathak dance as a youngster. Her
marriage at a young age and early pregnancies kept her too busy to develop
into a performer of dance but as her children grew she began to teach Kathak
to her own daughter and to other children of Indian friends who knew of her
ability. In the early 80s her youngest child graduated from the University of
Washington as an engineer, and moved into a job, marriage and a child of her
own. Prabha, encouraged by her friend Shantha Benegal, began to develop
her dance for performance. Whenever in India, she studied with a great young
dancer, Durga Lal. She was terribly saddened when, at the peak of his career,
he died suddenly of a heart a ack.
In her search for a new teacher, Prabha found Urmila Nagar, a renown
dancer from the Jaipur Gharana, the same style as Durga Lal. Prabha prac ced
hard and became a well known performer in the NW. Shantha Benegal, vocalist and Annie Penta, tabla player became accompanists for Prabha, and their
group, LEELA, performed many me in Folklife, Diwali celebra ons, the Children’s Museum and in many schools, community centers and libraries. Her
natural grace and expressive ability won her many admirers and her love for
teaching and children made her many friends in outreach projects.
She con nued to teach dance and in 1994, when ovarian cancer took her
from us, she had 13 dedicated students. Parents of students, her widower and
many other admirers and friends formed a non-profit organiza on, the Prabha
Rustagi Memorial Trust, and asked Urmila Nagar, her Guru in India, if somehow she would con nue to teach the students. Urmila-ji’s response exemplifies the depth of the guru-student rela onship. She said. “If they are students
of Prabha’s they are my students. Of course I will come and teach them.” She
came the first year in 1996 and has loyally returned every year since.
In 2001, the name of the dancers was changed from Dancers of the Prabha
Rustagi Memorial Trust to the LEELA KATHAK DANCERS. This name s ll keeps
Prabha’s memory alive for those of us who knew her and it pays homage to
the wonderful commitment and ar stry of the only teacher these present
dancers have ever known, Guru Urmila Nagar.
VadyaVrinda is an 'Indian
Instrumental Ensemble' from
Sea le. It is a unique and innova ve group of musicians
who together present a beauful experience of sophis cated light and classical music by
blending specialty Indian classical musical instruments.
The idea was envisioned and implemented by Anjali Joshi in October 2005.
Since then, the group has performed all through US.
Rhythms of India Dance School
Bhangra was born as a folk dance to celebrate the warm harvest fes val in
Punjab, the northern state of India, and Pakistan. While it ushered the joyous
month of harvest, it filled the air with sounds of drums, vocals and claps. Giving away the warm patrio sm and music full of excitement. Bhangra took the
form of boliyan (short poems) accompanied with the bass of the Dhol (drum).
Rumba meets Raga
Anjuman: Indian/Afro‐Cuban Ensemble is a Sea
le based fusion
group that combines the rhythmic vitality of salsa drumming with the melodic poignancy of East Indian ragas. Anjuman is Brandon McIntosh (sarod),
Seth Li lefield (percussion) and Phil Georgas (bass). Anjuman regularly invites guest ar sts to perform with them. A few of the past performers are
Archana Kumar (Indian kathak dancer), Johnny Conga (conga player), and Sri
Neeraj Prem (sitar player).
Seth and Brandon have been making music together for over 10 years. In
1997, while working on their undergraduate degrees at Central Washington
University in percussion, they began playing in bands together and dabbled in
Indian music. A er gradua on Seth went to Cuba and Brandon moved to India to pursue music. In 2005 they reunited in Sea le and began to envision
what would become Anjuman. A er trying out several bass players, Phil Georgas’ deep understanding of Indian music and decades of bass playing seemed
a natural fit. He joined the group in 2008. "OM" SeaƩle Indian Music Band
"OM" is a Sea le based local musical band with a group of people passionate
about learning and having fun with music. The band has been rendering performances since 2008 on various occasions and loca ons in and around the
Sea le area. Here is a quote from the members of "OM" in their own
words: "We sing, play and create music and strive to bring it from our hearts
with a hope to reach the hearts of our listeners."
Urvasi Dance Company
Ratna Roy, Ph.D., started her training in Odissi dance in 1972. One of his seniormost disciples of the guru of gurus, Pankaj Charan das, she has performed
extensively as a soloist in India, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, the
Bal cs, South Africa, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, China, and Japan.
She formed her dance company Urvasi in 1975 to train dancers in the guru’s
legacy. Today Urvasi is considered to be one of the ten foremost companies
in the world. In the US she is well-known for her own choreography based on
her dual heritage as an Indian and an American.
The making of the Anandamela fes val 2010.
The Anandamela which will take place on June 26th and 27th at the Redmond
City Hall Campus will be the biggest ever fes val of Indian culture to be held in
the Pacific Northwest. The organiza on of such a fes val is complicated and
requires the help of many dedicated and talented volunteers. What follows are
personal profiles of the highly talented volunteers who are working so hard to
make Anandamela a reality. We begin with Greeshma Saxena who recently
formed a startup company called Moms do Ma er
Greeshma is the founder and president,
Moms do Ma er. Moms do Ma er is conceived from my own experience. This was
established on April 3rd. The idea is to form
a bridge between market demand and working needs. The poten al and skills of mothers
who live at home are limited within four walls
due to their family obliga ons. I wanted to
do something to facilitate stay at home moms
to develop their professional skills and market
them. This is what prompted me to start
Moms Do Ma er. My company focuses on reviGreeshma Saxena
talizing skills of moms through training, volunteer opportunity, networking, workshops and placement. I o en encounter
mothers whose professional skills have been underu lized. I started by crea ng a database of moms’ skills in various fields. I have been a devotee of
Krishna from birth and feel very blessed that I live in the neighborhood of
VCC. When I heard he VCC is organizing the Anandamela , I realized it was an
ideal opportunity to engage the untapped skills of the many moms I know to
good use. My aspira on is to make Anandamela a success by giving it a professional look. Also I want to use the same skills of the moms to give a professional look to every event of the VCC. This in turn will help moms in building
their resume. We are helping in the following areas:





Media – print, television, and radio
Copywriter for website
Logo designing
Poster/Brochure and flyer designing
Accoun ng
The VCC is all about building a community that is growing dynamically day by
day. Moms do ma er has the same goal and therefore is a good complement
to the VCC.
My goal is to help moms build their confidence and self-esteem by engaging
them in public welfare ac vi es. This ac vity is very fulfilling. I believe I have
come to this world to contribute in some small way to broader community. I
feel indebted to my own mother who has always inspired me. By Lord Krishna’s mercy, I hope I can inspire many moms to share their talents in volunteer
work and professionally on the marketplace.
VCC is the hub of not only Hindus but the greater American community for
tradi onal Vedic arts and culture. It is opening many doors of communica on.
Anandamela is a flagship representa on of this. VCC is becoming the torchbearer of many amazingly talented people of Indian origin in the Sea le area.
At VCC I find that everyone is welcome regardless of religion affilia on, race or
ethnicity. My religious feeling speaks not only to God but also to humanity. At
the VCC, I see that everyone is treated equally with respect. I am convinced
that this is the true spirit of a devotee of Krishna. I am also witnessing that my
children are learning the same principles of inclusiveness and respect.
I hope that Anandamela will develop into a wonderful yearly event that the
en re Indian community in Sea le will look forward to and par cipate. Let’s
work together to make this the showcase and pride of our community and
share it with the American public.
Sujatha Harish
Web copy writer
I heard about Anandamela from a friend who is
in contact with Greshma. It is very interes ng
to do work for our community through the
efforts of VCC. I am helping by wri ng copy for
the web page. I visit the VCC regularly and I
have come to understand that VCC does many
community outreach projects. This is my way of
helping such a good cause. I also understand
that Anandamela will be a very big event and
am thrilled to be a part of it. Due to my volunteering for Anandamela I am visi ng the temple
more o en and have become more closely connected to its ac vi es.
I know that Anandamela will be big and with lot of
fun events and people. This will be the biggest Indian event in Sea le area like Kumbhamela in Marymoor park. I am trying to help by offering my talent. Greeeshma approached me for volunteering
to be the co-ordinator for fes val public rela ons. I
want this event to be a huge success both in Indian
and American community. It is fun to see everybody come together in this community celebra on.
That is why I have volunteered my services. This
par cular PR service a racted my interest since I
like to meet people and act as an ambassador for
Indian culture.
I first heard from Greshma about the Anandamela.
Last year I a ended the Kumbhamela at the VCC
during Janmastami. I want to serve my community
and Lord Krishna. I am offering my accoun ng exper se for the event to keep the income and expenses ledger. I am a Chartered Accountant from
India and CPA from US. I was working in India for a
Florida based company. I do my own tax consul ng
in the US. Accoun ng and Audi ng is close to my
heart and would like to use my skills for this event.
Thus my educa on and knowledge are being used
for a good cause for the VCC and the Indian community. This will give me great sa sfac on. I want the
Anandamela to be a huge success that will show the
world our culture in a big way.
Sangeeta
(Sanji) Munoth
Public RelaƟons
Radha Agarwal
AccounƟng
I heard about Anandamela from Greeshma. I am actually doing the marke ng collateral for the whole
event. I like to give something to the community and
I like the whole process. When I correspond to other
par cipants for the event I use God’s name several
me. I hope with my collabora on I can mo vate
people to come to the event. I want the rich heritage
and culture of India to be showcased through the
Hema Muthya
event and my work. I get immense peace by doing
Publicity Posters
this and serving the Lord and Indian community. This
is my li le seva for Krishnaji. I hope to get a huge
target audience and make Anandamela a tremendous success.
One warm summer evening last year I visited the
temple to see many volunteers working on large
art projects for another event called Kumbha
Mela . I offered to help with my ar s c skills, I
have been pain ng Krishna for many years now
and this seemed to draw me in. I have since been
involved with the temple’s art projects, working
with Sanjay Gupta . When I heard about Anandamela from him, I thought it would be a fun opportunity to be a part of the design and implementa on of such an event. I have been going to
the temple at VCC ever since 1992. Every me my
Jayashree Krishnan family and I go to get Darshan of Lord Krishna, we
cannot help but admire the camaraderie and the
family friendly atmosphere there. It is instantly welcoming and inclusive. I am
very fortunate to have been offered the responsibility for designing the art
work for the event. It gives me great pleasure to be a part of this ever-growing
community in VCC and now to help with Anandamela – a fes val of happiness
and joy. Hare Krishna!
Ananda Mela Sponsorship OpportuniƟes
Sponsorship benefits
 Ananda Mela is the biggest two day Fes val of the culture of India in the
Northwest.
 Ananda Mela will a ract between 15,000 to 20,000 visitors during the two
days. This represents over 30% of the Asian Indian American populaƟon
in the SeaƩle area.
Visitors will see your message in a culturally rich and relevant environment.
For more details please contact: Sponsors / Adver sement Organizaon Team
Harry Terhanian
Namita Purohit
Ramesh Yerramse
: 425 246-8436 - harry@anandamela.org
: 425 996-7079 - namita@anandamela.org
: 425 208-5036 - rameshy@anandamela.org
Prashant Sarawade
: 425 503-0687 - prashants@anandamela.org
Narayanan Subramanian : 425 657-0948 / 425 301-5107 narayanans@anandamela.org
TesƟmonials for VCC
Subhash Rangapure
I have been coming to the temple every
Saturday with my family. My wife (Rakhi),
7 year old daughter (Rashmika) and 2 year
old son (Rashav) love to come to this temple and join in the chan ng. My kids love
chan ng Hare-Krishna, Hare-Krishna, Krishna-Krishna Hare-Hare, Hare-Rama, HareRama, Rama-Rama Hare Hare. Chan ng
these mantras gives us pleasure and peace
in our family.
Parag desai, Dipali desai, RiƟka doshi,
from Bellevue.
We like the atmosphere of this temple
which is very welcoming and peaceful.
Devotees seem to be blissful and helpful.
We always like to come here for the peace
of mind.
Nagendra Manugolu and Tejovathi
Kuchi
We have been coming here for a month,
we just moved from South Carolina. Temple is very good. We like the kids compe on for Sri Rama navami. We feel like we
are in India.
Santosh Chapaneri and Radhika
Chapaneri
Vedic Cultural Center is like our home
with a big family of wonderful devotees.
We feel very secure and guided at every
step. We pray to Sri Sri Radha Nila
Madhava to give us more associa on of
devotees to develop our Krishna Consciousness. Also, we are very much inspired and educated by the courses held
under Vedic University since it is educa ng us to establish a solid founda on
of values to deal with various aspects of life. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
TesƟmonials for VCC
Santosh Nadgeri and Sheetal Nadgeri
We have been coming to Vedic Cultural Center since past three years. We feel very happy and peaceful a er doing Kirtana and service here. This temple has brought revoluonary change in our lives but also to other
families we know. We are truly grateful to
the temple and lucky to have so much devotee a en on by Krishna’s mercy
Bharath Mysore, Divya Mysore and
Tanish Mysore
We were introduced to ISKCON in Bangalore
and the spirit here is the same. We enjoy
coming here. The cultural ac vi es here are
amazing. People here are very nice. My kid
loves coming here because of the prayers
and music.
Srikanth Boinapally and Kashmira
Boinpally from Bellevue
We feel at peace and a ached to this temple. We feel blessed we are able to con nue our culture and tradi on and we are giving same to our kids. This place is very good
to improve spiritual life by a ending ceremonies, cultural ac vi es and discourses on
Lord Krishna. We get an opportunity to meet the Indian community.
Shailendra Aggarwal and Richa, Tanu and
Riya.
We experience peace and calm at VCC. We
usually come once a month. Today we came
for the kids’ night. Many good ac vi es
here. We like this place very much because
so many people are coming here. Our children are learning about god and culture. We are interac ng with different
people of our culture. Our kids are also learning Hindi on Sundays .
TesƟmonials for VCC
Bhanu Jaiswal and Shikha Porwal:
We have come 4 -5 mes and live in Bellevue. Temple is good. We feel at peace here.
The outside architecture of the building and
the inside atmosphere with the dei es, worship and cultural ac vi e inspires us to come
back.
Bharat and Rajni, Advay, Amrapali,
Ishanvi
We have been coming here 2 years. We like
the way events are conducted. The dei es,
children’s performances, and preaching are
very good. The whole community feeling is
good. Pujas are done well. Gatherings are
good. We like that importance that is given
to children and cultural programs.
Ritesh Garuodia and Preethi and
Vanshi:
We have been coming here for 2 years. We
come during the ara and it is soothing to
hear the chan ng. We come for the peace
of mind.
Rohit Naik, and Arthi Naik, and son
Atrey
We have been coming here for the last 5
years. We live in Issaquah. I feel the atmosphere here is very serene and a er a tough
day it gives us a feeling of serenity and
peace of mind. Coming to the temple has
helped us as a family as well. Atreya enjoys
the music on Friday evenings. We want our
kid to sing like that. I like the cultural ac vies here which remind us of India. The VCC promotes strong es to cultural
values.
TesƟmonials for VCC
Nagesha Kannadaguli and Monika, Arghya, Mayukha
We have been coming here since 2004. We
purposely bought a house close by the VCC.
The environment is so soothing and peaceful. It is a home away from home. We feel
connected to this place. All the programs
and kids’ ac vi es are great. Vedic and yoga
courses are good. The VCC gives us the opportunity to feel connected and
serve others. I like the fact that everyone on the Sammamish Plateau knows
VCC’s Pink Vedic Building. We conducted Des na on Imagina on and Math
Olympiad classes that the VCC graciously hosted for the benefit of many outside children.
Ramanand Tadepalli and Sumana, SahiƟ
We have been coming for past 5 years. We like the fes vals
that are done here and the cultural awareness for the new
genera on. The prasadam is very good and healthy. We
like par cipa ng in the Vedic University course ‘Science of
Self Realiza on’. VCC is the best place for our kids to learn
about Vedic culture.
Birthdays Celebrated at the Vedic Cultural Center during April, 2010
The VCC is a popular venue for birthday celebra ons. In fact every Sunday we
celebrate from 2 to 6 birthdays by which the celebrants get the mercy of Sri
Sri Radha Neelamadhava. The following are pictures of several birthday pares that took place in the VCC.
On the occasion of Eshaan’s first birthday his parents offered to make a tes monial “It was an awesome experience celebra ng Eshaan’s birthday. We
have great support from all VCC volunteers”.
From le to right: Aswin, Shefali, Krishna, Vibha, Neha, Paresh, Puja, Rishabh,
Shitanshu, Shweta, Eshaan, Anant, Rashmi, Gopal, Gayatri, Tanisha, Pranav.
TesƟmonials for VCC
Ankit Parikh and Prashat Singh
Ankit: I began coming to VCC over a year ago
when I shi ed to Sea le. The best thing I like
is the peaceful atmosphere. We come with a
group of friends and sit as long as we want
enjoying the prasadam and congenial atmosphere. There is no pressure. We can commune with God as we like. I like the discourses of the temple president.
Prashant: I recently came to the US and have previously visited ISKCON temple in Delhi. I feel at peace here.
Raji Krishnan, Sriram Krishnan and Advait Krishnan.
It is a nice organiza on for the Indian community to come together and introduce kids to culture and good things associated with it. It increases sense of
bonding for the community. It is like a filler – especially since we don’t have
me to visit India o en. It fills that void.
ChiƩabrata Ghosh, Suprita Ghosh – from
SeaƩle Lake City way
We have been coming here for a year. We
liked the teachings of the speaker we heard
when we came (Romapada Maharaj) and we
like vibrancy of ara . We have been to Sridham Mayapur, north of Kolkota. We look
forward to coming again to find out more.
NiƟn Goel, Sudheer Kumar, Rahul Kumar
Rahul: You get to meet a lot of good people
here and pray to God. The temple building is
really good.
Sudhir: It makes me feel I am in my country
and can prac ce my values. Ambience is so
nice and peaceful and very spiritual.
NiƟn: This temple came to my knowledge a bit late. Most temples are like a
house with no prasadam. I want a temple to look like a temple. My friends
referred me to this temple. My concept is to get mental peace and prasadam
which is served to everyone’s sa sfac on here. I am looking forward to the
many fes vals that take place at VCC.
TesƟmonials for VCC
Amarendar BilapaƟ Shobha, Sindhu and
Siddhu.
We started coming to the temple from 2009
August star ng with Kumbhamela. We
were living in Bellevue and then we came to
admit our daughter in the Sunday school.
We moved from Bellevue to Sammamish
just to be close to the temple. Amarendarhow I developed over last 35 years is different than what I see now in myself. My parents were totally devoted to pujas and I was fed up. So I got frustrated with
religion. I used to be close to workplace and be on call 24/7. Now I try to be as
close to the temple (VCC) as possible. My daughter asked me to come and sit
in her Sunday School class at VCC. The change started to slowly happen in me.
My two year old son now sings Hare Krishna songs and he likes the temple.
Now we dedicated to spend one day a week for cleanup in the evenings.
Namapriya Devi told us to come to the course Science of Self Realiza on. Earlier we could not pass on the message of Vedas to our kids because we did not
know it ourselves. Now we have introductory knowledge that we can explain
to them. We like the open discussion without any stress.
Gaurav Ahuja and Sonia Ahuja: We were ini ally coming to the temple doing
chan ng and ea ng prasadam. We did for almost 3 years. We came to
Kumbhamela and volunteered. Gaurav: I see a behavioral change in me a er I
started coming to VCC. Previously I had lots of anger – I now stopped drinking
and the occasional meat ea ng without anyone specifically asking me to do so.
We were very excited to know about the course Science of Self Realiza on.
Earlier in India we a ended a lot of Satsang programs however did not get a
clear picture of spirituality. I was lost with some many demi-gods, gurujis, and
hypocrisy. The SSR course is conducted by engineering minds to engineering
minds. For the first me in my life I was able to connect all the dots. We are
thankful to Murugesh (Madhava Candra dasa) and Veda Narayana dasa from
the bo om of our hearts. Now we are able to put all these pearls on a string.
The course gives nice examples to comprehend what happens in spiritual
world. These sessions should be conducted more extensively to benefit all
people who do not know these subjects.
Best Wishes From
Anjan Chakraborty
Sona Chakraborty
Ashmi Chakraborty
Let there be love and peace in this world
Jai Sri Krishna
Best Wishes From
Kaushik Pushpavanam
Revathi Pushpavanam
May everyone’s heart be a reservoir of
compassion and love
6975 176th Ave NE Ste 360 Redmond WA, 98052 - (425) 558-4251
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