I
am very pleased to tell you about a great evening kirtan taking place the
auspicious night of the Venus Transit with Upahar Anand
Upahar, originally from the UK, now divides the year between Italy and
Tiruvannamalai in south India, site of Ramana Maharshi ashram, sacred
mount Arunachala and a town of spiritual pilgrimage where the transformational energies are strong.
I was blessed to attend his kirtan several times during my recent trip and always achieved a wonderful feeling of connection and
love.
Our paths kept crossing. We first met over idlis at the Sheshadri Bhavan in Tiruvannamalai, introduced by Lillah, friend and fellow Glastonbury yogini who I was visiting. Then I attended two evenings with Upahar in Auroville where I was a long term guest.
Sea of souls - Tiruvannamalai
Upahar was excited to know that I was from Glastonbury as he had played the ashram in 2010 and was keen to return, Would I hook him up? Of course!
I hold such strong and positive memories of Sunday morning kirtan, sitting cross legged in Upahar's house, knees touching my neighbours as the room was so full of people, including several familiar faces from Glastonbury.
Many people I did not know, nonetheless we were sharing a powerful experience. One morning in late January felt particularly strong, I witnessed an ecstatic sensation something like being part of an ocean, the congregation of singers rising and swelling as a single entity as my heart surged in my chest, carried by the sacred songs. Utterly moved, to tears, several times and I looked around the room and saw that I was not alone.
Fortune also gifted me the blessing of an afternoon session in a temple, the day of my birthday, when I had travelled to Tiruvannamalai, having left Auroville after two months, I surrendered to the lure of the town.
Upahar is an accomplished and experienced multi-instrumentalist, adept on harmonium, guitar, drum, vocals and flute.
He has an extensive repertoire of chants and songs; well known
bhajans and some interesting less familiar material. Upahar is strong on
Shiva and Shiva energies and also weaves sufi influences and poetry into
his sessions.
Unmissable! Come, share and participate in a field of divine love at a time of amplified celestial vibrations.
Kirtan with Upahar, Shekinashram, Glastonbury Weds 6th June 2012 7pm
The gig opened offically with the chanting of three aums, by which time a high vibrational aura of incense, raw chocolate, spring water, breastfeeding babies and bare feet was well established. The clean, pure and spiritually inclined of Glastonbury gathered to celebrate life, music and the divine connection last night at United Reform Church on the High Street.
I enjoyed being able to saunter into town into such a modest venue and be entertained and uplifted for a very reasonable fee by a master musician whose commitment and creativity greatly inspire. Shimshai's music is profoundly important; he is an outstanding lyricist whose talent lies in precisely and succinctly identifying the spiritual truths of our time; creating fresh, memorable songs celebrating our reconnection to nature and spirit, consciousness awakening and emotional healing.
I found myself surrounded by numerous friends, many of whom compose, perform and lead devotional song in their own right. Supporting was the much loved local collective Avalon Roots, headed by Green Bean, laying out soulful, funky smooth grooves. Green went on to provide percussion for Shimshai who was also joined on flute by Harmony (Hilary Davies) highly accomplished Cambridge music graduate who is very active within the community, teaching, holding singing groups and gigging with her latest band Tatterdemalion locally and on the alternative festival circuit.
Shimshai flowed his material together and is clearly a practiced a performer. Many of his compositions have become instant classics; spiritual anthems of the new age. He travels extensively with an enviable international itinerary of festivals, retreats and sacred sites. Further info on his website. If you are quick, you can catch him at Sunrise Celebration this weekend in Somerset.
I have added a link below to my current favourite Shimshai track, performed at the Dead Sea, how amazing is that?
I am thrilled that Goma will be returning to Glastonbury this Bank Holiday weekend. They will be performing sacred chants and mantras from India, inspired by their devotion to their guru, Babaji. I find their music utterly mesmerising and uplifting, from the opening notes one finds oneself absorbed into bliss. Highly recommended.
Event details as follows:
8pm Saturday 2nd May 2009, West Pennard Village Hall nr Glastonbury, Somerset
Last Saturday I attended a concert by the family group Goma. Goma are talented spiritual musicians who offer their work in the name of their guru (teacher), Mahavatar Babaji. The programme consisted of mantra (prayer) and bhajan (song); both aspects of Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion. Music flowed seamlessly for 2 hours, the singing accompanied by traditional musical instruments played by Gopal Hari & Ambika (pictured) and their sons. The evening was well attended by friends and familiar faces from Glastonbury; it was an uplifting and rewarding experience and I look forward to their next local appearance. Below is a link to Goma's schedule, hosted on the main Babaji UK website, where you also can find further information about Babaji. Audio CD's of Goma's music are available for purchase from Hemp in Avalon, Marketplace, Glastonbury.
Tuesday evening I attended a wonderful and uplifting concert at the Shekinashram in Glastonbury. Kavi is a soulful singer and musician and for a little over an hour he delivered a beautiful and intimate acoustic set of his songs. The themes of his work are divinity, bliss, self-knowledge and love. I would recommend that you check out his work. I was particularly touched by his humility and grace.
This is a link to his MySpace page : www.myspace.com/kavihockaday Enjoy!
