April 21, 23014:  Musicians from India join in a concert with local talent

Vishaka Hari performs on stage last Saturday evening at Damascus High School as part of Sauramana Samvatsaradi Utsavam (New Year) and fundraising for the Sri Bhaktha Anjaneya Temple of Ijamsville.

World-class musicians joined regional talent in a jam session Saturday night at Damascus High School — only the music played wasn’t typical fare, like a marching band, jazz band or orchestra, often associated with high school performances. Billed as a fusion concert, the music combined the classical styles of northern and southern India.

Everything performed was completely improvisational, said Vishwanath Palamadai, who served as master of ceremonies. The musicians created music on the fly. They signalled each other with hand motions and nods of the head as they transitioned seamlessly from one rhythm to another.

Generally speaking, the southern genre, known as Carnatic, features intricate vocals and melodic scales. The northern genre, known as Hindustani, emphasizes instrumental music.

It is unusual to hear the two styles played together, Palamadai said. “It was a kind-of experiment to see how it goes. This worked out well.”

Organizers wanted to host something unique to attract Indians from neighbouring counties and states. Their goal is to raise money and interest in their efforts to build a Hindu temple in Ijamsville.

Currently, devotees use a temporary structure for worship. They plan to build a 55,000-square-foot temple in two phases. They broke ground March 21 on phase one. Temple leaders did not provide an exact cost for the project, saying that due to recent changes in design, they are still in the process of estimating its cost. The temple is known as Sri Bhaktha Anjaneya, named in honor of a Hindu god who is revered for his valor. When the temple is completed, it will include a 36-foot representation of Anjaneya on a pedestal.

The temple will be self-sustaining, said Rajan Natarajan of the Maryland Secretary of State’s office. Herbs and flowers used in worship will be grown on the same small farm where the temple will be located. And cows, considered a holy animal by Hindus, will be cared for on the farm.

Natarajan attended on behalf of Gov. Martin O’Malley. He read a proclamation from the governor declaring April 12 as a day of cultural integration commemoration. The proclamation congratulated SBAT for its unique approach in depicting Hindu traditions through religious rituals, music and dance.

Saturday’s event was held to coincide with Hindu New Year celebrations, said Murali Pathy, co-organizer. Depending on the Indian state in which they live, Hindus observe a new year on different days. Many of those celebrations fall between mid-March and mid-April.

Three professional performers journeyed from India to participate in SBAT’s celebration. All are international stars, Palamadai said; each could attract a large audience on his or her own, so it was wonderful to have them join forces to benefit SBAT.

Visaka Hari began the event by telling religious stories of Hinduism through music and spoken word. She was followed by a ceremony that honored state and county legislators. The evening concluded with a concert featuring Grammy Award-winner Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and movie vocalist Unnikrishnan. They were accompanied by talented local musicians playing bamboo flutes and traditional gadam and tabla drums.

Virginia resident Sahana Narawanan said she drove nearly an hour to attend the concert. She takes Carnatic singing lessons via Skype and was eager to hear a professional Carnatic singer perform live. Narawanan said she appreciates how SBAT encourages Indian musicians. The temple hosts monthly shows, allowing new singers and instrumentalists a chance to perform for an audience. She performed March 1 at the temple. “It gave me a chance to get feedback on what I do well and what I can improve,” she said.

The temple also provides a Frederick County location for Samskrita Bharati USA. The nonprofit organization teaches free classes in Sanskrit, one of the oldest known languages in the world.

“Sanskrit is the language of our heritage,” said Srinivasa Karri, the nonprofit’s Virginia coordinator.

There are 15 official languages in India, said Shivaprasad Bhuvanendran, Maryland coordinator. People in one region do not understand the language of those from another region. To communicate with one another, they typically use English or Hindi. Many ancient texts, however, are written in Sanskrit. And much of what is sung in Carnatic and other traditional genres is sung in Sanskrit. Ayurvedic medicine and yoga also use Sanskrit. “Asana is a Sanskrit word that means pose,” he said.

Abirami Thyagarajan, 16, said she participates in one-day workshops offered by Samskrita Bharati USA at the temple. She also takes classes via an Internet program for high school students. She said learning the language helped her during Saturday’s event, particularly during the first concert. Vishaka Hari used many Sanskrit words in her stories. Knowing what the words meant helped Thyagarajan to better understand the significance of the stories, she said.

SBAT founders said they strive to offer programs that will help Hindus in many areas of life. “We want people to see that here’s a place that you can go ... that supports lots of different types of activities,” Palamada said.

Nancy Hernandez is a former staff writer for The Frederick News-Post. When she isn’t writing, she is often reading, watching movies or bragging about her daughter.