Kirtan Festival - June 30th

We are  pleased to announce that we will host a Kirtan Festival - six hours of sacred chants, mantras and melody  - on Sunday 30th of June, at Gosford Hill School, Kidlington. Encouraged by the success of last year's event , the Bahl, Desai and Ward families are planning and sponsoring this wonderful opportunity for chanting together, including some of the best of Britain's kirtan leaders, a vegetarian lunch and agreeable company!

Please come and contribute your presence and your voice.  Doors open at 9.30 a.m. and you are welcome to drop in for an hour or six - at your convenience!

The festival and lunch are free of charge, though you are welcome to donate if you wish.

You can visit our Facebook event page for more details at: https://www.facebook.com/events/148097225371257/

Podcast 12 - Chakrini sings the Mahamantra

Our third offering from Chakrini, recorded in 2011, as she chants the mahamantra. Our thanks to Vasu for his recording skills.

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Podcast 11 - Jahnavi Leading Kirtan

The second session recorded at our February 2013 kirtan, led by Jahnavi Harrison. Pitch perfect and wonderful if present on the day, or listening afterwards.

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Jahnavi chanting in Oxford, March 2011

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Ananda in Oxford for Daffodil Kirtan

We are delighted to invite you to a kirtan with Ananda Monet, our Russian born friend with the beautiful voice. This is also our Daffodil Kirtan, our annual homage to the yellow trumpets of Spring. Feel free to bring a bunch of these delightful flowers to add to the bright display Syama and her helpers will arrange on the day.

Sunday, 17th March, 16:00 - 18:00, the Friends Meeting House, 43 St. Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LW. Enquiries: oxchant@gmail.com

As advance notice, our next kirtan will take place at the same time and place, on Sunday, 21st of April. We look forward to chanting with you in the company of Daffodils this Sunday.

Podcast 10 - Jahnavi Harrison leads the Mahamantra

Recorded at our February kirtan this year, a mere few weeks ago, we are very happy to present a kirtan from Jahnavi, who has regularly visited kirtans since 2007. We have had a spectacular lack of success recording her kirtans in Oxford and are indebted to Vasudeva who came all the way from East London to be our technical wizard at this session.

Jahnavi in Oxford in 2008

I found this write-up on Jahnavi on the web, where she is highly praised by two of the giants of the US kirtan circuit:

"Jahnavi Harrison was born and raised in a family of English bhakti yogis at Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire. She is a multi disciplinary artist, trained in Western classical violin, South Indian dance (Bharatanatyam) and Carnatic music, as well as writing and visual arts. She aims to practise and share the rich culture of bhakti yoga as taught to her parents by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Since 2009 she has been travelling internationally with sacred music bands 'Gaura Vani and As Kindred Spirits' and 'Sita and the Hanumen', and regularly collaborates with kirtan artists like Krishna Das, Shyam Das, Wah!, Shantala and Jai Uttal and Shiva Rea. She frequently features articles on bhakti yoga and the arts for publications like Pulse magazine, Elephant Journal, as well as her own blog - 'The Little Conch'. She offers workshops in mantra music, harmonium and sacred movement and currently helps to share kirtan with a broad range of Londoners through the Kirtan London project.

‘When she sings and plays one feels that one is eavesdropping on the music of the Gods. She needs no recommendation, one only has to have ears to hear her and one knows immediately that we are in the presence of grace.’ - Krishna Das

‘Jahnavi Harrison is a being of total devotion. Listen to her sing and let the doors of your heart fly open.’- Jai Uttal

For a glimpse on YouTube see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSMKAXv_9w4


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Podcast 009 - Chakrini sings Om Namo Bhagavate

Chakrini released her first kirtan recording when she was just fifteen years old, on cassette tape in those days. Since that time, and a number of albums later, she has been recognised as an important voice in the kirtan community.

In this podcast we hear Chakrini sing Om Namo Bhagavate, in Oxford, in 2011. Visit her website for more http://www.chakrini.com

 

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Podcast 008 - Rasasthali sings the Maha Mantra

This is a recording of Rasasthali Devi singing the maha mantra at an Oxford kirtan in 2009.  Rasasthali, an Oxford DPhil student at the time, was a regular kirtan leader in Oxford. She is an accomplished musician and her tunes often hinted at her Polish origins.

She gained her doctorate in Oxford and moved, with her husband to the great state of Mississippi, USA, where they are both in University employment. They have expanded the population of the world with the birth of their baby boy. Happy chanting to them all.

Rasasthali at one of our Oxford kirtans in 2008

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Beat the Winter Blues! February Kirtan

We are joyfully anticipating our February kirtan  with Jahnavi Harrison.  Jahnavi belongs to a family of talented kirtaniyas, and some of you will remember her sister Tulasi who led our December session.  Jahnavi is well-known, both to our regulars here in Oxford, and in countries all over the world, for her heart-felt singing and inspired violin accompaniment.  As she is so much in demand and is never in the country for long, we are honoured to have engaged her and hope you can join us for chanting on 17th February.

If you like chanting and live in or near London, you may be interested in Kirtan London, of which Jahnavi is a founding member.  There are regular and vibrant kirtan programmes taking place there, including a whole day of chanting coming up on 16th February.

A New Year for Chanting

We wish you a thoughtful and good year, filled with the challenges we need to grow, and the happiness we need to get up in the morning.

As our image shows how we can sing and dance our way through this year, in ecstasy, or we can crawl through it painfully. Every day of this year we have the choice, and remember chanting nurtures dancing. So, happy chanting to one and all, and we look forward to meeting you at an Oxford Kirtan soon.

And, By the way, the fact that we are now in 2013 - thirteen being a number which is often a cause for concern - may be auspicious, as thirteen is a lucky number in many Eastern traditions. Being always reminded these days how we live in a global community we can thus reap the benefit.

Podcast 007 - Tulasi sings 'Krishna He'

Tulasi Harison sings 'Krishna He' at our December Kirtan. Just the chant to ring in the new year. Happy 2013 everyone, and may you be blessed with auspicious sounds to hear, peace in your hearts, inspired thoughts, and action that pleases everyone..

Tulasi chanting in Oxford, May 2011

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Podcast 006 - Vrindavan Kirtan

This kirtan podcast was recorded last week at our monthly kirtan at the Friends Meeting House. Our kirtan leader was Krishna-ksetra, a renowned musician and singer. The style of this short but very jolly piece is that of Vrindavan, the birth place of Krishna, in North India. It has a lively and spontaneous mood, engaging the emotions in its pace and peace.

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Oxford's Longest Kirtan

Blissful Chanting!

  By Lucy Barton

At first, Wheatley Park School looked like any other school building would do on a Sunday morning. Silent, almost lonely, as it awaited the return of its throngs of children and staff to repopulate it come Monday. But this Sunday, it would be witness to the longest continuous kirtan ever held publicly within the county of Oxfordshire. As we walked through the double doors of the main entrance, we were struck by the transformation that had overcome the school hall. 

The walls were hung with richly coloured tapestries and the air was filling with the sweet smell of incense. But the crowning glory of the decorations was the beautiful altar, where Kirtan Krishna stood, flanked by beautifully arranged floral displays and illuminated by tea-light candles. It was certainly a spiritually uplifting environment. The floor, making optimal use of the school’s resources, was spread with blue gym mats, which made surprisingly comfortable seating; and the hall was arranged with the musicians seated in the centre encircled by the respondent chanters.

Lucy, the author of this piece, relaxing at home

The kirtans began with a melodious invocation by Ranchor Prime, a familiar voice of the Oxford kirtans. Many more of our favourite visiting kirtaniyas (kirtan leaders) were present, such as the sisters Jahnavi and Tulasi, and some new faces, such as Amala Harinam, a very well-reputed travelling kirtan leader. The mood was both meditative and dynamic; the kirtans would start gently, and then gradually mount to frenzied tempos, spurring everyone to clap their hands, and some of the more energetic to dance. The rhythm was augmented by the widely distributed kartal-cymbals and shakers, and the melodies embellished by the beautiful playing of Nadiya Mani and the other flautists.

 

The kirtans were continuous, but water, strawberries and yoghurt, and a sumptuous vegetarian lunch were provided for chanters who needed replenishment. It was an enlivening and uplifting occasion for all; perhaps the most impressive aspect was that, even on such a large scale, one hundred and fifty people through the day, the kirtan managed to preserve the same atmosphere of sanctuary and focus that is so unique to the Oxford kirtans. It is a real tribute to all those who were involved in the preparation of this event and to all the participants.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to Dev & Rachna Bahl, and Nimesh & Anita Desai, and their families, who acted as organisers, helpers, and sponsors, and a special thanks to all those who came to give their hearts and voices to the kirtan for making this event such a success.

Suitable for all age groups...

Six-Hour Kirtan - first shots

These are the first photos to emerge from the very successful kirtan we had last Sunday, which actually lasted seven hours, and attracted 150 people. Respect to the organisers. More to come, as well as recordings to be podcast.

Kishori Jani leads kirtan

Young and old, brown and white, rich and poor (I think I saw a poor person) chant together

Oxford's First Six-Hour Kirtan

We are very happy to announce Oxford's first six-hour kirtan. A mini chanting marathon for our kirtan community in Oxford.

On Sunday July 15th we invite you all to join us in chant at Wheatley Park School, Holton, Oxford OX33 1QH, 10am – 4pm. See our Facebook event page @ http://www.facebook.com/events/476641199017625/

Our chanters will include many who have previously led us in chant at our gatherings Oxford, and some kirtan leaders who, although new to the Oxford scene, are Kirtaniyas of repute.

There will be food served, inspiring music and song, wonderful company, and a warm atmosphere – well, it will be summer.

Come for the whole day, or pop in for a part, bring a friend or family but don't miss this great opportunity to chant your cares away.

If you can – so we can inform the cooks of numbers expected – please feel free to drop an aknowledgment to oxchant@gmail.com. And also feel free to copy and distribute the poster above.