LIGHT EURYTHMY ENSEMBLE IN INDIA, JANUARY 2016 Report by Dilnawaz Bana and Aban Bana
After a break of two years, the twelve member Light Eurythmy Ensemble from Dornach was back in India in January 2016, with a Eurythmy programme which promised to delight audiences in the cities of Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi. We accompanied the Ensemble throughout their two week journey, and had the privilege to witness the grace and the spiritual beauty of their Eurythmy to music, verses and the Indian legend “Bhakta Dhruva”.
When the Ensemble arrived in the city of Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu state, the seminar on Curative Education by Dr Ruediger Grimm, leader of the Section at the Goetheanum, was coming to an end. This seminar was a great success and had almost a hundred participants. It was held in V Excel and at the Theosophical Society premises in Adyar. Our friends from the various Anthroposophical groups in Chennai, who had organised this seminar, had also organised the stay and the performance of the Eurythmy Ensemble. Even though Chennai had been ravaged by floods just a month before, the Chennai Group had risen to the occasion with courage and fortitude for which we express our heartfelt gratitude. They also arranged a trip for the Ensemble to visit Mammalapuram, a seaside place with ancient stone temples and carvings. Needless to say, the excellent Eurythmy performance was received with great appreciation by the audience.
From Chennai we took a bus to Bangalore, capital of the state of Karnataka, a journey of almost nine hours with breaks, giving us a good chance to admire the view. Here the friends from the Steiner school and other Anthroposophical institutions received us warmly and gave us hospitality in their homes. We had a city tour which included the Bannerghatta National Park, where we saw many Indian animals like the white tiger and elephants. The Eurythmy performance was very well received and the audience was delighted.
Our next city was our own hometown Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra state, where the group had performed two years ago. Like in Chennai and in Bangalore, the venue was the auditorium of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Indian Culture Institute), where the performance was once again received with great enthusiasm. The highlight in Mumbai was the visit to the Elephanta Caves, a Shiva mystery abode, reachable by a one hour boat ride. On our way back to mainland, we saw the sunset and moonrise over the sea. The Swiss General Consul, Mr Martin Bienz, and his charming wife Mrs Bienz, invited the entire group for an excellent lunch at their residence. The performance in Mumbai was yet again very well received by the Mumbai Waldorf parents, children and teachers, as well as members of the general public.
Finally we flew to New Delhi, capital city of India, where the Aarambh Waldorf School parents and teachers hosted us in their homes, and then at Zorba the Buddha, a centre for Spiritual renewal. Here the highlight of our stay in Delhi was the visit to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, probably one of the most spectacular monuments in the world, followed by a visit to the Agra Fort. The Eurythmy performance in Delhi was in a circular theatre at the Zorba venue and it was once again very well received. The following day, our Light Eurythmy Ensemble returned to Switzerland after having touched the hearts and minds of thousands of people. India is very grateful to the Ensemble that through the Eurythmy they have brought so much light into the etheric of this ancient and wisdom- filled land. Thank you, Dr Rudolf Steiner, for blessing this world with the Divine Being of Eurythmy.
An indian Fairytale Bhakta Dhruva – the Northstar – child with music by Claude Debussy
Light-Eurythmy Ensemble Arlesheim – Switzerland Tel. +41 61 703 94 17 Mail: Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!