Vol. 15. No.1. January - 2015

KARNATAKA

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WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS - 2015WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS - 2015WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS - 2015WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS - 2015WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS - 2015

12TH GLOBAL GITA CONFERENCELIVES UPTO EXPECTATION

HH Sri Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidanda Swamy, Avadoota Datta Peetham, Mysore, being honouredSri. N. Ramanuja, Chairman, BVB and Sri. H.N. Suresh, Director BVB, H H Sri Sri Sri JapanandaSwamy, Sri Ramakirshna Ashrama, Pavagada, Tumkuru, Dr. P.V. Nath, MBE, United Kingdom and

Justice Dr. M. Rama Jois, Former Governor of Bihar & Jharkhand, joins the celebration

The International Gita Foundation

has been conducting Bhagavad-GitaConference for the past 11 years onChapters 1 to 11 were held atdifferent parts of the globe under thestewardship of Dr. P.V. Nath. As a

follow-up, the 12th conference washeld jointly with the Bharatiya VidyaBhavan, Bengaluru. The 3-dayConference focussed on the 12th

Chapter of Gita corresponding to the12th year of its inception at BharatiyaVidya Bhavan, Bengaluru.

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Chanting of the Bhagavad Gita with meaning by the students ofSandipani Gurukula, Bengaluru

Lighting the lamp by HH Sri Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidanda Swamy,on the occasion of 12th Global Gita Conference. Also seen from left

Sri. H.N. Suresh, H H Sri Sri Sri Japananda Swamy, Justice Dr. M. Rama Jois,Dr. P.V. Nath, and Sri. N. Ramanuja

The conference commencedwith the chanting of shlokasfrom 12th Chapter by studentsof Sandipani Gurukula underthe direction Smt. RohiniChakravarthy.

This was followed by thechanting of Gita Saramu bymusicians of Datta Peetam,

Mysore. A song composed bySri Ganapathi SacchidanandaSwamiji of Avadhoota DattaPeetam, was also presented.This song was speciallycomposed at the request ofDr. P.V. Nath, combining all the18 Chapters in 18 Charanas.Sri. Mani and Sri. Mahesh

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Sri. H.N. Suresh, honouring Justice Dr. M. Rama Jois,while Sri Terry Rann United Kingdom joins him.

rendered the song with adequateaccompaniments

Sri Ganapathi SacchidanandaSwami in his benedictory addresshighlighted the role, importanceand relevance of Bhakti in thecontemporary age.

Sri N. Ramanuja, Chairman,Bengaluru Kendra welcomed thegathering. Jusitce Dr. M. Rama

Jois, former Governor of Biharand Jharkhand stressed howDharma was a common threadwhich should be understoodand practiced in daily life.Sri K.G. Raghavan, proposeda vote of thanks. The dignitarieswere honoured by Sri H.N.Suresh, Sri K.G. Raghavan,and Dr. P.V. Nath.

Of the three presentations inthe first academic sessionDr. P.V. Nath, narrated howBhakti was the common threadof Gita from Chapters 1 to 18 onthe basis of his publication on Gitaentitled ‘Tat-Tvam-Asi’ publishedby Motilal Banarasi Das.

IMPORTANCEOF ‘BHAKTI’IN CONTEMPORYAGE

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Bhakti as a Common thread byDr. P.V. Nath, MBE,

United Kingdom

Next session -His HolinessSri Japananda Swami of SriRamakrishna Ashrama, Pavagada,emphasised the role of Bhaktiaccording to Swami Vivekananda,stressing on the positive outlook.

Dr. A. Ramaswamy Iyenger,former Director of ChinmayaInternational Foundation,Kerala, with his traditionaltraining in the scriptures

coupled with modernityconvincingly depicted theTattvarthas of the words –Bhakti, Jnana, Karma andDhyana by taking recourse tothe multiple etymologicalderivations of the words andtheir usage as well as applicationby quoting the relevant passagesfrom Jaimini Sutras,Rig Veda, Bhagavad Gita,Brihadaranyaka Upanishadand its psychological dimensionin chaste English.

The post-lunch sessionhad three presentations,In the first a presentation -Prof. B. Mahadevan, of theOperations Management at theIndian Institute of Management.He quoted the managementprinciples and related them withselect verses from Gita,

Bhakti and Swamy Vivekananda byH H Sri Sri Sri Japananda Swamy,

Sri Ramakirshna Ashrama,Pavagada Tumkuru

Bhakti, Jnana, Karma, DhyanaTatvarthas of the words by

Dr. A. Ramaswamy Iyengar, Bengaluru

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Gita and Management byDr. B. Mahadevan, Bengaluru

Gita and Mahatma Gandhi byProf. N. Krishnaswamy, Bengaluru

developing it as a subject formanagement students.

This was followed by Prof.N. Krishnaswamy, a notedGandhian and former professor,College of Military Engineering,Pune. Author of “PrarthanaPravasa”, he prefaced his talkby singing a song and reading the

opinion of Gandhi on selectverses of Gita. He also narratedhis experiences with Gandhi,Vinoba and Jamanlal Bajaj,adding credibility to hispresentation.

The third paperwas by Dr. S. Ranganath,conference co-ordinator whoadumbrated his talk by takingthe first Dhyana-Sloka of Gitaand related it with the sixth verseof Bhakti Yoga. He quotedthe opinions of SwamiChinmayananda, SwamiRama, Swami Vivekananda,Shankaracharya and proved howin the very first Dhyana-Sloka theseeds of Bhakti Yoga have beeninstalled.

In the post-tea session -Sri Datta Vijayananda TeerthaSwamiji, in his bilingual

Dhyanasloka in relation to Bhakti Yoga by Dr. S. Ranganath,

Bengaluru

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Bhakti by HH Sri Sri Sri DattaVijayananda Teetha Swamy,

Avadhoota Datta Peetham, Mysuru

the meaning in Kannada andEnglish.

Vidhushi Dr. T.S. Sathyavathi,a well-known musician,highlighted the essence of Bhaktiin the background of not only Gitabut related it to Bhakti Rasa,convincingly developing theconcept as being enunciated byBhagavata, Ramayana,

Lecture and performance on ‘UddhavaGita - Lord Krishna’s last message by

Smt. Bala Devi Chandrashekar

benedictory address broughtout the importance of Bhaktirelating it with day-to-dayactivities and stressed thatBhakti is the easiest and surestmeans of emancipation.

This was followed by alecture demonstration ofUddhava Gita – Lord Krishna’slast message, by Smt. Bala DeviChandrashekar of New Jersy.The first day’s deliberations cameto an end with her enthrallingaddress and dance performance.

The second day’sdeliberation began with thechanting of the Gita by thestudents of Sandipani Gurukula.This was a unique programmewherein the children between theage group of 3-12 not onlyrecited the verses but also gave

Essence of Bhakti with reference to the12th Chapter by Dr. T. S. Sathyavathy,

Bengaluru

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Bhakti according to Edwin Arnold by

Dr S. Ramaswamy, Bengaluru

Bhopadeva Chaitanya, RoopaGoswami, MadhusudanaSaraswathi and others.

S. Ramaswamy, Fellow,Silliman College, Yale Universityand winner of Phi-Beta-KappaInternational Award, emphasisedBhakti according to EdwinArnold. He threw light on asother translations of Sanskritworks like Hitopadesha,Gita Govinda, Indian idylls fromMahabharatha and convincinglydemonstrated how EdwinArnold’s translation was superiorto other English translations byquoting different translations as asample survey. He also presenteda comparative analysis ofIsherwood’s translation with thatof Arnold to show that Arnold hadthe poetic muse which waslacking in other translations.

Sri K.G. Raghavan, in hisaddress dealt not only on theparables of Sri Ramakrishna,quoting from his parables, butalso circulated the full paper tothe audience. “We should be inthe world and world should notbe within us”, “The Lord looksinto a man’s heart and does notjudge him what he does or wherehe lives”, “Life is but a dream”,“God alone is real and all else isillusory” – Attention was drawnto these points by Raghavanwho took recourse to theSwan and Lotus episode andsuch other episodes. He quotedParamacharya of KamakotiPeetam and drew parallels toRamakrishna’s parables andproved how they were akin tothe Bhakti Yoga of Gita.

Parables of Ramakrishna bySri K.G. Raghavan, Bengaluru

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Concept of Bhakti According toShankara, Ramanuja and Madhwa by

Prof. Shantha Kumari Pondicherry

In the post-lunch sessionProf. Shanthakumari, Professorof Philosophy, PondicherryUniversity, elucidated theconcept of Bhakti according toShankara, Ramanuja andMadhwa, convincingly explainingthe topic in the ontological andepistemological background ofAdvaita, Vishistadvaita andDwaita. With her deep traditionalknowledge, she pointed outhow Western philosopherswere shallow when comparedwith our own philosophers byquoting relevant passages fromthe opinions of Western scholars.

This was followed by apanel discussion and questionand answer session whereinSri U. Gangadhar, Dr. LalithaKameshwari, Sindhura andBindu Venkata Dattasri sharedtheir opinions on Gita and alsohighlighted how Gita had inspired

them to mould their personalityand all of them thankedDr. P.V. Nath.

Chief Justice, on KolkataHigh Court, Dr. Manjula Chellur,honoured the participants.

Compositions onKrishna were rendered byKum. Lavanya, She selectedrare compositions ofMuthuswamy Dikshitar,Purandara Dasa for theconcert which was appreciatedby one and all. She was ablyaccompanied on Violin byVid. Sri T.S. Krishnamurthyand Vid. T.S. Chandrashekaron Mridangam

The last programme on thesecond day was a unique dancerecital by the artistes of Nupura,directed by Dr. Lalitha Srinivasanentitled ‘Purandara Namana.’The dance feature titled

Panel Discussion and Question &Answers by Sri. U Gangadhar,

Vijayawada

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‘Sulalitha Nrithya’ - (based ona suladi of Purandara Dasa) wasthe highlight of the entire show.

The artists participated in theabove programme were SumaKrishnamurthy, Ranjitha Vivin,Ajay Vishwanath, Manasa Raoand Asha Gangadhar.

On the last day, the firstpresentation was by SwamiSukhabodhananda of PrasannaTrust, (nickname : “CorporateGuru”.) He is the author of“O Mind, Relax Please”, “O Life,

Relax Please” which are bestsellers. Swamiji with his eruditionin English, Sanskrit, Hindi,Kannada, Tamil and Telugu,emphasised Bhakti in daily life inhis own inimitable style.He mesmerised the audience whohad gathered in large number.

Dr. Pavagada Prakash Raoof Satya Darshana fame relatedthe role of Bhakti by stating that inSankhya Yoga itself we have theroots of Bhakti and presentedBhakti as being presented in

Compositions on Krishna in Music by Kum. K. Lavanya,Violin : Vid. T.S. Krishna Murthy, Mrudanga : Vid. T.S. Chandrashekar

Bhakti in Daily Life by H H Sri Sri SriSukhabodananda Swamiji,Prasanna Trust, Bengaluru

Bhagavad Gita - Satya Darshana byDr. Pavagada Prakash Rao, Bengaluru

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Bhakti in relation to the lifeas Neurosurgeon by

Dr. Thimmappa Hegde, Bengaluru

Gita as I understand it bySri Terry Rann, United Kingdom

different chapters of Gita withfocus on 12th Chapter. With hiscommand over the language andanalytical abilities he delighted oneand all.

Dr. Thimmappa Hegde ofNarayana Hrudayalaya, a neuro-surgeon of international repute,with his powerpoint presentationconvincingly demonstrated therole of Bhakti and placed in thecontext of his neurologicaloperations.

He quoted Ramana’s saying:“KOHAM-SOHAM”. He drewparallels from various Upanishadsand showed how the modernmedical science only confirms ourtradition and does not contradictit. His humility impressed one andall when he stated “It is the patientwho creates a doctor”.

His presentation wasfollowed by Sri Terry Rann of

U.K. He highlighted the limitationof senses and limitations of humanintellect in his short speech.

Post-lunch session, firstlyVid. G.S. Natesh, Professor ofSanskrit from Shivamogga,spoke on “Gita and Kagga”.Having given more than 1500talks on Kagga, he has broughtout a CD as well as a book onKagga. He convincingly related

Gita and Kagga by Sri. G.S. Natesh, Shivamogga

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Katha Keertana by KeertanacharyaSri Lakshmandas Velankar, Bengaluru

the verses of Gita with those ofKagga and rendered the originalsin a stentorious voice which wasapplauded.

A “Quiz” on 12th Chapterby the students of SandipaniGurukula was conducted by Smt.Girija Ananth, She appreciatedthe children who answered thequestion quickly and correctly.

A Katha Keerthana – afading art was presented byKeerthacharya Sri Lakshmandas

Velankar – a disciple ofBhadragiri Keshavadas andBhadragiri Achyuthadas –He explained the importance ofBhakti in his Keerthana. He wasably accompanied on Hormoniumby Vid. Dattatreya Velankar andon Tabla by Vid. ManjunathBhatta.

The finale of the conferencesaw the staging of the play –Nanna Gopala of Kuvempu.Directed by Sri C. Lakshmana,the play was enacted to itsperfection, literally bringing tearsto the viewers who weretransported to Krishna Bhakti.

After the end of eachpresentation on all the threedays, the members of the GitaFoundation – Mr. Terry Rann,Mrs. Geetha Pillai, Mrs. ShobhaNair, Mrs. Shantha, Mrs. LeenaPardeshi, Sri Ramesh Babu andSri Sukumaran Nair honouredthe scholars.

A “Quiz” on 12th Chapter of Gita by the students ofSandipani Gurukula was conducted by Smt. Girija Ananth

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The programme wascompered by Dr. S. Ranganath,Co-ordinator of the conferenceand Director of R.V. Institute ofSanskrit Studies.

Drama- ‘Nanna Gopala’ - Written by KuvempuTeam : Rangakahale, Bangalore, Direction : Sri. C. Lakshmana

To sum up, the 12th

International Gita Conference wasa grand success with missionaryzeal and commitment of team tospread the message of the Gita.

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The indulgence in activities

that go against the tenets ofIndian culture is the reason forthe sudden outburst of atrocitiesagainst women and children,observed Justice Dr. M RamaJois, MP and former Governorof Bihar and Jharkhand.

Inaugurating a functionat the Shivamogga Kendra ofBharatiya Vidya BhavanonJanuary 6, Dr.Jois who isalso Chairman of the Centre, described the loose talk by somepeople of ‘Kiss of Love’ in theopen is not only unfortunate butdemoralizing. “There can’t beanything more damaging thanreferring to a private dialogue

CALL TO TOTALLY

UPROOT LOOSE,

DEMORALISING

TALK IN PUBLIC

between husband and wife onhouse tops”, he bemoaned.

Speaking on the subjectof Principles of “Trivarga”enunciated in Hindu religion,he opined that rather thanattempting to oppose suchactivities, it is better to totallyuproot them. The only way thiscan be achieved by creatingawareness of righteousness,he asserted.

Lighting the Lamp: Sri. M.Bharadwaj, Member KCM, Prof. N.R. Divakara Rao,Vice Chairman, Sri. T.V. Lakshminarayana, Hon. Secretary, Sri. Dr. M. Ramajois,

Chairman, Sri. S.R. Nagaraj, Hon. Treasurer, Sri. H.N. Suresh, Hon. Director,Smt. Indu. G.V, Principal of Shivamogga Kendra School.

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Referring to individualswho indulge in such heinouscrimes, Dr. Jois said societymust ostracize such individuals.Indeed, whatsoever punishment ismeted out to such criminals can’tcompensate the sufferings of thevictim for whom it is a life longordeal.

Dr. Jois declared thatthe absence of self restraint hasgiven rise to such demoralizingactivities. The only solution tothis increasing problem is toenforce the “Trivarga” principle

of practicing Dharma, Artha andKama. When one realizes whathe is doing is wrong, heshould eschew it altogether.The outcome then is Dharmawhich alone render human lifeon earth sensible and meaningful,he added.

Among the others whowere present at the function wereSri Diwakar Rao, Vice Chairmanof the Centre, Sri M Bharadwaj,member and Sri H N Suresh,Director of Bangalore kendra ofthe Bhavan.

Musical instruments

on display after theinauguration of

‘Kala Bharathi’

on

Dec 6, 2014.

Dr. M. Rama Jois, Chairman of Shivamogga Kendra being faciliated bySri. Divakara Rao, Vice Chairman, Shivamogga Kendra, Sri. H.N. Suresh

Hon. Director, Shivamogga Kendra and Sri. M. Bharadwaj Member are seen.

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“Prithvi’s Ritu Raag”a dance feature highlighted thefourth Annual cultural fest ofBhavan-BBMP School,Sriramapuram on December2 and 3, 2014.

The colourful choreographycomprised the depiction of thedifferent seasons covering an yearand the impact these seasonshave on mother earth.

To indicate the differentseasons dance forms that prevailin South, North, East and West ofthe country were drawn.

Lohri of Punjab, Holi ofRajasthan, Durga pooja ofKolkatta and Christmas of Goacompleted the Ritu Raag feature.

The artistic manner in whichthese festivals were celebratedwith suitable costumes and dance

movements by the participantswas as enjoyable as it wasconvincing. No doubt that theschool kids did a commendablejob.

It was evident that thebuddling dancers in the varyingstyles enjoyed every minute oftheir outing. The portrayal itselfwas so fully evocative that its joywas palpable on the faces of theirschool mates who filled theauditorium and who obviouslyshared the fulfilling joy of thepresentation. (see more picture on Page 18-19)

DANCE FEATURE

LIGHTS UP

BHAVAN-BBMP

SCHOOL ANNUAL

Children participate in the ‘Prithvi’s Ritu Raag’ a dance feature

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BHAVAN-BBMP PUBLIC SCHOOLANNUAL FEST HELD ON DEC 2 & 3, 2014

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ANNUAL FEST CONTD ......

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BHAVAN-BBMP SWACCHATA BHARATHASHALA ABHIYANA PROGRAMME

HELD ON DEC 22, 2014

Bhavan-BBMP School children participate in the Shala Swacchata Abhiyanaprogramme led by Sri. Suresh Kumar MLA.

School children along with school officials and dignitaries participate in the Shala Swacchata Abhiyana

BVB GAURI SHANKAR GUPTA ENDOWMENT :KATHAK SARITA - HELD ON NOV 30, 2014

‘Kathak Sarita’ being performed by the students under the direction ofGuru Anjana Gupta.

The programme was dedicated to Guru Maya Rao.

BHAVAN INFOSYS FOUNDATIONMUSIC PROGRAMMES ATINDIAN INSTITUTE OFWORLD CULTUREBASAVANAGUDI, BANGALORE

Devotional songs by

Sri. Shatharam Bhat on December 12, 2014.

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Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB) incollaboration with BharathiyaJyothisha Samsthan will commenceacademic course in Astrology fromthe first Saturday of January 2015.

The course, titled “JyotishyaPravesha”, will be held for tenmonths in English, on everySaturday and Sunday.

Interested may contact DeputyDirector, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavanover phone on 22201959 /22267421 / 22267421 or call9343055008

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Course in Astrology

JOIN NOW : LIMITED SEATS

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PROGRAMME :JANUARY - 2015

Sat 6.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall03. Bharathanatya recitalPratibha Natyalaya presentsRanga Namana : Kum. PoojaKum. Ruchika and Kum. Chandana Sat 4.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall

17. BVB - KalabharathiSouth Centre presents -Cultural programmeCarnatic Vocal :Direction - Smt. BhagheerathyViolin : Direction - Sri. ChandanVeena : Direction - Sri OmkariahMridanga : Direction -Sri. Vasudeva Rao MohiteHindustani Vocal :Direction - Sri. Anandraj GonvarKeyboard :Direction - Sri Anandraj GonvarBharathanatya :Direction - Sri. RohitDrawing & Painting :Direction - Smt. Tejasvini

Sun 10.30 a.m. - Khincha Hall 18. Bhavan’s Dr. K.M. MunshiInstitute of Art and CultureKaavya-Chitra-Geetha and Nritya.Shatavadhani Dr. R. Ganesh andSri. B.K.S. Varma

Fri 6.00 p.m. -09. Sugama Sangeetha bySmt. Supriya Thirumalesha Bhat(in association with InfosysFoundation)Venue : Indian Institute of WorldCulture, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru

Sat 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall10. Horizon series of

BVB-ICCR :Bharathanatya recital :Dr. Janaki Rangarajan(in association with Indian Councilfor Cultural Relations)

Sat 6.00 p.m. - ESV Hall10. Nanjangud SrikantaiahJanakamma Memorial EndowmentBhakthi Sangeetha :Smt. Supriya Thirumalesha Bhat

Sun 10.00 a.m. - Khincha Hall11. Sapthak presentsHindustani Classical MusicVocal : Pt. Nagaraj Havaldar andSmt. Ruchira Kedar

Vocal Support : Sri. Omkar HavaldarTabla : Sri. Gurumurthy VaidyaHarmonium : Sri. Madhusudhan Bhat

and Sri. Sameer Havaldar

Sun 6.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall25. Bharathanatya recitalPratibha NatyalayapresentsRanga Namana :

Kum. MamathaKum. RituKum. Anusha

Sat 5.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall31. Swaratarang -Sangeet Academy presentsClassical concerts :Sitar recital : Ustad Sahmid ParvezTabla : Pt. Ravindra Yavagal

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Reg.No. : KARENG / 2001 / 6498 / 29 APR 2002

January - 2015