The Art of Living's BHAAV-Expression Summit brings together legends of Indian classical arts

Bengaluru: Moving performances by legendary artists, heartwarming retelling of mythological stories based on the lives of Krishna, Devaki, Kaikeyi and emotive portrayal of Ramayana by Ayodhya Ram Mandir Kala Sewaks led by Pt. Ayodhya Sharan Mishra and revival and celebration of dying art forms marked the second edition of BHAAV- Expression Summit, a melting pot of India’s finest cultural talents, legends and budding artists.

Curated under the guidance and inspiration of global spiritual master and humanitarian, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, organized from 25th to 28th January at the scenic and peaceful Art of Living International Center, created just the right ambience for a rich celebration of culture and art, infused with spirituality.

On a question about how the emotional state of an artist should be, Gurudev shared, “Artists are emotional by nature. In an attempt to make the audiences happy, artists often forget themselves, forget looking within themselves. And we don't have just one type of emotional expression. There are navrasas (nine forms) of emotions-anger, courage, grief, separation and others.

We need to go beyond _Bhaav_ to have stability in life.” By going beyond our emotions, we gain strength.

A unique platform for the novices to perform, listen and gain priceless insights from the Indian maestros in an intimate gathering, ‘BHAAV’ summit featured baithaks, performances, masterclasses and panel discussions woven around 75 modes of Expressions featuring 153 artists including the eminent torchbearers of Indian art- Padmavibhushan Sudarshan Sahoo, Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, who has been honored with Padmavibhushan this year, Padmashri Dr. Shovana Narayan, Padmashri Dr. Puru Dadheech, Padmashri Darshana Jhaveri, Ustad Fazal Qureshi, Sudarshan Pattnaik, Uma Dogra, among others.

At BHAAV we witnessed the centuries-old tradition of Warkari Yatra or Thyagaraja Aradhana by the stalwarts of Carnatic music; watched in awe as Paulomi Mukherjee brought alive the persona of Devaki Mata in a moving performance as she returned to her screen character immortalized by Ramanand Sagar for the first time after so many years; dove into the Nathdwara Haveli Sangeet traditions with the exceptional Pt. Brijbhushan Goswami and Pt. Rattan Mohan Sharma.

“When we talk about the spiritual quotient of this summit, we go back to the ancient times where the artist would perform for the divine and the viewer would merely be a spectator to that experience,”shares Srividya Varchaswi, Director, World Forum for Art and Culture, “So in this summit, for example, we invited performers from the temples in Ayodhya who have been doing that for more than like 7000 years. That essence was imbued in all the performances at the summit.”

The magic of Ustad Fazal Qureshi’s tabla recital, (legend and brother of tabla maestro Zakir Hussain) and Pt Kalinath Mishra on one side with the resonant Chenda of Kerala by Irrangapuram Babu left audiences wanting for more. Worth a mention is the unique heart-warming dance offering by Uma Dogra, Chairperson, Kathak Kendra, where she performed the story of Shabari. Subliminal notes of the flute played by Pt. Nityanand Haldipur and Sikkil Mala took viewers on an inward journey. Dr. Komaravolu Sivaprasad, the Whistle Wizard mesmerized the audiences with the sweet notes of whistling music. 95-year-old Mohrsing artist S V Narayanan performed with finest nuance; graceful performances by actresses Prajakta Mali and Prachi Saathi were widely appreciated too.

Three generations of Kathak Dancers Padma Sharma, Gauri and Tarini performed together in a rhythmic unison, showing how women are taking forth the heritage of art and cultural traditions.

Rang Gandh was another remarkable offering from a team of visually impaired and specially-abled artists.

Kalasarthi awards were presented to noted artists who have dedicated their lives to their artforms and taken it to all corners of the world. The awardees included Bhai Baldeep Singh, stalwart in classical and Sikh music; Kalamandalam Saraswathi, an eminent Indian classical dancer from Kerala, recognized for her mastery in Mohiniyattam, Bharatanatyam, and Kuchipudi; Sri Abhay Manke; Smt. Kalpana Zokarkar; Shri. M S Parameshwaran; Smt. Indumati Raman; Pt. Brijbhushan Goswami; Dr. Komaravolu Sivaprasad, the Whistle Wizard, among others.

A special feature of the summit was Antaranga Sadhana,a retreat where artists got to experience the bliss of meditation, yoga and breathing practices, in a peaceful Ashram premises.

Around 50 musicians and 100 dancers came together to perform pieces of obeisance to mother divine, mother earth and the tradition of masters. On the last day, artists Kartik Raman, Hardik Dave, along with Parth Somani, Meet Dave took the audiences along to the beat of their uniquely spiritual music.

The prestigious Jhankriti awards instituted by the World Forum for Art and Culture (WFAC) in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, were also presented to the 144 winners of Jhankriti an all-India competition aimed at preserving and promoting Indian classical and folk performing art forms across 25 categories, with more than 100 jury members. 24 among the 144 recipients of awards are international citizens.