The Global Harmony Concert – Sankara for Katrina Relief in Fall 2005
When we work selflessly for the welfare of the less fortunate and the poor, we are truly meditating on God.
~Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma)
When Hurricane Katrina struck and devastated much of LA, I was glued to the television and also to telephonic updates from my uncle in Baton Rouge. Hearing details of people struggling to put together their lives again from scratch struck a chord in me, especially when I heard about the refugee camps from Br. Dayamrita’s email accounts of his visits. Initially there was news of refugees coming to Portland but when this did not happen, the only way I felt I could contribute was with a substantial monetary sum. Thus began the search for possible ways to do this.
I began talking to friends and colleagues who had done fundraisers before and asked them for details of what they had done. Some mentioned bake sales, others dinners, etc. Not being familiar with any of this, I turned to the one thing I have always banked on – music – and thought, “Why not do a musical fund raiser?” Thus, the idea took root and I began talking to my music guru about possible artistes we could approach. As it turned out, Sri Subhash Chandran, the ghatam (clay pot) virtuoso was coming to the US in October and would be available in November for performances. By this time, Amma had announced her pledge of one million dollars to Hurricane Katrina Relief and so the desire to support Amma in Her efforts became stronger.
Sri Subhash Chandran, when approached, agreed immediately saying he had met and played for Amma before and would be more than happy to be part of this endeavor. He put together a group of brilliant musicians from various styles and genres of music with the link between all of them being a mutual interest and knowledge of the Classical music and culture of India. Well known jazz saxophonist George Brooks, John Wubbenhorst, a student of Hariprasad Chaurasia and a flautist himself, Ganesh Kumar, brilliant kanjira (frame drum) player, Steve Zerlin on the Bass guitar, Ramakrishna on the violin and Shankar Viswanathan on the mridangam came together to perform The Global Harmony Concert – Sankara, a fusion extravaganza.
Right from the start, planning for the concert was plagued with problems. I was unable to get the Portland venue as the artistes were already committed to another local organization and so the only option was to do the concert in Seattle. Without any notion of the difficulties involved, I decided to take the plunge with the thought being uppermost that Amma would guide me through this endeavor. From the impossible booking of a central hall only 6 weeks before the concert to support from several local organizations in Seattle, the concert came through literally at the last minute and with support from sources that were totally unexpected.
On November 13th, at 6pm at the Theodore Roethke auditorium at the University of Washington, Seattle, the evening opened with a short speech by Br. Dayamrita who was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule and support our venture. He spoke with moving detail on what he had encountered in his visits to the various camps for Katrina refugees.
The concert began with Ragam Hamsadhwani and the theme instrumental –Sankara and was greeted by spontaneous applause. The music was a blend of East and West with a combination of Hindustani, Carnatic and Western melody supported by the mathematical wizardry of Carnatic percussion. Carnatic music’s bhakti rasa combined with the rich rhythms of vocal percussion to provide a unique sound. The performance netted over $15,000 - an amount more than any of us had ever imagined we would achieve. The net profits of $10,000 were donated to MA Center for Amma’s Katrina Relief Efforts.
-Arunima
Click here to go learn more about Amma and her organization's Tsunami and Katrina relief efforts
Click here to view the concert poster.
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