Spring Kirtans.

Our March and April kirtans were resplendent with jars of golden daffodils, tastefully arranged by Shyama.

Jahnavi and Tulasi Harrison (golden-haired) were our guest kirtaniyas in March, delighting us with their musicality and sweet, meditative chanting. Everyone seems to have got the hang now of clapping along in rhythm, so it was a rousing kirtan.

Jahnavi spoke a little about her experiences last year on the Mantralogy tour, bringing kirtan to five continents. After chanting with all kinds of people, from all kinds of cultures, from the very poor to the very rich, the whacky to the highly respectable, the young and old, she came to the conclusion that "kirtan is for everyone"; everyone likes it and everyone can feel it's beneficial effects. Jahnavi has just left England again for New York, to spend some months there with Gaura Vani and his kirtan band, As Kindred Spirits. We'll keep you posted of any interesting developments there.

For April's kirtan, our own local, home-grown, organic kirtaniyas, Shyama, Rembert and Meru, led us in a variety of chants, including the very ancient "om namo bhagavate vasudevaya". It was the fourth anniversary of The Kirtan Experience in Oxford and we celebrated with cake.

Speaking of Pumpkins...

Look at these beautifully carved ones, by Jahnavi! She carved them for a Mantralogy Kirtan in Australia at the end of October. Vastly superior to our humble efforts - she can come and carve ours next year!

The top one is a lotus flower, and the bottom is 'Om' in Sanskrit character.

Jahnavi - a favourite amongst Oxford kirtaniyas - has been touring for many months now, with Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits, holding great kirtans in many far-flung parts of the world. I know that, although it has been a wonderful time for her, it has had it's difficulties, being apart from home and family for so long. So Jahnavi, we're routing for you!

Exuberant Kirtan

Kirtan comes in many shapes and sizes, from the slow and meditative, through to the rip-roaring, drum-pounding, dance-til-you drop. There's a kirtan for every occasion! And it doesn't in the least matter how you chant - the effect is always the same - an unburdening of the heart and mind and a lasting upsurge of bouyancy. The ancient texts concerning kirtan state that there are no hard and fast rules for chanting - chant wherever, whenever and however you like. But chant!

As we've been following Gaura vani in recent months, on his mantralogy tour, here's a sample of the more exuberant style of kirtan, recorded in the UK in August. Click here.

Above: Traditional kirtan in India.

Ten Million Moons

Click on Picture!

We posted about Gaura Vani - the young American kirtaniya - in January, when he organised the great Kirtan-Fest, Chant4Change in honour of the new President's inauguration. Now, he has released a new CD of kirtan and Indian sacred songs - Ten Million Moons. We were lucky enough to be sent a copy for review and have solicited a couple of responses from two young musicians, which you can read below.

For myself, the CD was full of surprises. I was astonished at the energy and passion which comes through in each track and the variety of moods and styles throughout. By the middle of the second song I was in tears at the moving rendition of a Sanskrit poem, describing the power and beauty of kirtan.

Gaura-Vani and his band As Kindred Spirits, are all young and energetic and maybe this CD will particularly appeal to people of their own generation. But even as a middle-aged listener, I find it engaging and heart-stirring. If you'd like to buy a copy, you can do so here: Ten Million Moons. And read the two reviews below.

Ten Million Moons - Review No 1.

by Chris Diamond - student of Hindi and Music, at SOAS. (Plays tabla and sitar).

At ease in the village temples of India and the chic yoga studios of London or New York, Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits, in their new album Ten Million Moons, prove that kirtan comes in all shapes and sizes. The trendy, upbeat, and smooth world music style is equally matched with featurettes of every major musical style of India that has influenced modern kirtans.

To classic Vaishnava tunes, Gaura Vani and his team add a cool, vibrant, jazzy edge. The polished corners of traditional, spontaneous kirtans, might make this a best-selling album amongst the many Americans and Europeans who frequent yoga studios and meditation groups.

This album contrasts with the last album from As Kindred Spirits, Nectar of Devotion. Whereas the last album had a fairly uniform feel and style, the new album, Ten Million Moons, has almost as many styles as moons. We skip from yoga chic with tracks such as the very soothing Moods of Kirtan (Siksastakam) to the bouncing-off-the-walls ecstatic Pirate Song (Dina Dayal).

Gaura Vani & co take some leaps of faith as they explore the uncharted territory of bhajan fusion. We hear a Gospel version of the Bengali classic Jiva Jago; an American folksy tune inspired by the ancient philosophy of India more akin to Bob Dylan, and a Sufi Persian poem of Amir Khusrau. For the purists out there, traditional Indian Bhajans in Hindi (Meera’s Song) and Bengali (Worship the Golden Lord) can also be found.

Overall this album stretches the imagination of both hardcore kirtaniyas and World music buffs. I don’t envy the record shop owners who have to find the right label to put this album under on the shelves!

Ten Million Moons - Review No 2.

By Jahnavi Harrison - violinist, kirtaniya and student.

Nearly a decade after the success of their debut CD ‘Nectar of Devotion’, Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits have released a new album of kirtan and devotional songs, entitled ‘Ten Million Moons’.

The album presents kirtan through a variety of musical styles, from the traditional mridanga and karatal arrangements on ‘Bhaja Gauranga’, to the bassline driven beats on ‘Stop and Talk (Hey Natha)’. Instruments and vocals that span cultures are richly layered throughout, giving a sound that is both timeless, and refreshingly modern. This is particularly so on the energetic opener ‘My Body Is A Temple’, and the moving, strings driven ‘Moods of Kirtan’. There are some unexpected surprises too, such as the gospel choir and Hammond organ on ‘Sleeping Soul (Jiv Jago), which work surprisingly well!

Listening to the CD, it becomes clear that these are more than just musicians. Most of the performers on the album, like vocalist Acyuta Gopi, and multi-instrumentalist Vishvambhara, have lived and breathed kirtan since the day they were born, and the devotional moods they express are tangible and sincere. Combined with their natural musical talent, this makes for vibrant and inspiring listening. Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits aim to inundate the world with the sound of kirtan, and if their current success is anything to go by, they are well on their way.

Crowd goes wild in Washington, D.C.

While crowds went wild yesterday, at Barrack Obama's inauguration ceremony, people danced and chanted "Obama, Obama!"

The previous day, thousands gathered at the Church of the Holy City, within sight of the White House, and burst into exuberant chanting and dancing to ancient, sacred mantras - "O Rama, O Rama"



The first "Inaugural" kirtan, Chant4change, was a huge success. Tickets were sold out days in advance, and to facilitate those who hadn't managed to get one, there was a live webcast. All the most famous American kirtaniyas appeared and sang, such as Jai Uttal, Krishna das, Gaura vani, Shiva Rea, David Stringer and more.

From the very young to the quite elderly, everyone there felt it to be a tremendous occasion. Gaura vani who conceived the idea and orchestrated the event is a young kirtaniya of extraordinary energy and dedication - he has a website here. from which you can buy his CD. I have it and it is excellent!

Chant For Change...

This jovial cartoon was designed for Chant4Change. Chant4Change, an intrepid group of chanters in Washington DC, have organised a prestigious kirtan event for the inauguration of the new president, next week. You can read about it and even buy a tee-shirt here. If any of our readers live in Washington, there are still some tickets left. And Mr Obama, if you are reading this - why not go along too! All proceeds to charity.

I like the way the cartoon shows chanting as transcending the differences between so many designations and bringing all into a consciousness of harmony and delight. And the inference in the name chant4change that the change so many people are hoping and longing for can only come from a purified heart, free from the negative qualities of greed and selfish desires.

The inspiration for the cartoon must surely have come from the episode pictured below of the medieval saint Sri Chaitanya, chanting and dancing with wild animals in Jarakhanda forest.