Janak Khendry Dance Company

presents

PRINCESS MEERA DANCING

Choreographed by Janak Khendry

Music by Ashit Desai

Vocals: Ashit Desai, Hema Desai, Alap Desai

Janak Khendry Dance Company is in production of a unique presentation containing 3 works, to be offered at the Robert Gill Theatre, for 2 nights: Friday May 24th and Saturday 25th, 2019.

First, we are proud to create and premiere: PRINCESS MEERA DANCING. Meera is a very important character in Indian history and literature. Meera, a princess of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, was born in 1555 AD. From an early age, she became an ardent devotee of Lord KRISHNA – one of the Hindu Gods and started singing devotional songs in His praise. At age 13, Meera was married into another royal family of Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. Because of her devotion to KRISHNA, her in-laws disliked and mistreated her from the beginning.

We have selected seven most beautiful songs of Meera and based our presentation on these songs. Our purpose is to present the details of Meera's life through her songs which she sang every day to help her through her torments. Through this method, we tell the story of maintaining one's ethics and ideals through the devotion towards a higher being by focusing on the life-journey of Meera, as she renounced the royal kingdom to follow a spiritual quest.

We will use these seven songs to express Meera's love at seven different levels. Each song expresses different emotions – love, compassion, devotion, humbleness, sacrifice, trust and aloofness from the world. The theme is emotionally complex and rewarding.

Our second piece will revisit an often-requested favorite from past repertoire called Chandrakauns created in 2006.

Chandra Kauns is the king of Ragas and my favourite of Indian Ragas. Chandra means moon. This Raga has the gentleness, calmness and brilliance of the full moon. The moon, because of its beauty, is the envy of all gods. The moonlight is his beautiful wife, the moon rays, his children and the link between heaven and earth. They carry his light, filling the space between heaven and earth. At night, they illuminate the earth. The lovers dance and enjoy themselves on earth, and before dawn, the rays come back to the sky to merge with the moon. It signifies a connection between the Gods and humans, made manifest by something tangible, in this case, the moon and the moon rays. In this abstract work, the characters of the moon, moonlight and moon rays are developed through musical emotions.

Our third piece will revisit an acclaimed piece entitled Surrender last seen in Toronto in 2005.

Sometimes we have to release what we hang on to, to allow love and the divine to enter in.

This day I shall cease to identify with my external conditions, successes, failures, sizes, shapes and forms.

This day I shall say “NAMAS” – not mine, not mine, not mine.

This day I shall say “SARVAM TAVA” all thine, all thine, all thine.

Robert Gill Theatre

214 College Street

Toronto, ON M5T 2Z9

(Entrance on St. George, Elevator to 3rd Floor)

Artistic Director’s Note

We are proud to create and premiere: PRINCESS MEERA DANCING. MEERA is a very important character in Indian history and literature. MEERA, a princess of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, was born in 1555 AD. From an early age, she became an ardent devotee of Lord KRISHNA – one of the Hindu Gods and started singing devotional songs in His praise. At age 13, MEERA was married into another royal family of Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. Because of her devotion to KRISHNA, her in-laws disliked and mistreated her from the beginning. I became aware of MEERA almost 70 years ago when my music teacher taught me a Meera Bhajan (Song). He also told me of MEERA’S history, which has forever fascinated me.

It was always at the back of my mind to create a dance work on MEERA. With the passing of time, I have become very aware that there is right time for things to happen. Now is the time for our MEERA presentation. I have always made it my purpose to visit the places connected with the great souls I am planning to create. To understand MEERA’S soul, I went to Vrindhavan as I was advised by many friends to visit Meera Mandir (Temple), which was a small palace where MEERA lived for almost 15 years.

I visited the temple with a friend Harish Uppal. As I entered the building, I was absolutely amazed with the positive energy and vibrations. Even after hundreds of years, the energy and vibrations are still strong, and gave me energy to create with a much better feeling and understanding of the conditions surrounding MEERA’S life. We met the Pujari (Priest) of the temple, Sri Praduman Pratap Singh and for three and a half hours he gave us an enormous amount of information on MEERA, her childhood, her tortured life, the mistreatment by her inlaws, and how throughout it all, her devotion to Lord Krishna sustained her existence.

Our purpose is to present the details of MEERA’S life through her songs which she sang every day to help her through her torments. Through this method, we tell the story of maintaining one’s ethics and ideals through the devotion towards a higher being by focusing on the life-journey of MEERA, as she renounced the royal kingdom to follow a spiritual quest.

We will use these seven songs to express MEERA’S love at seven different levels. Each song expresses different emotions – love, compassion, devotion, humbleness, sacrifice, trust and aloofness from the world. Enjoy !

Janak Khendry

- Artistic Director

Janak Khendry with Pujari Sri Praduman Pratap Singh

at Meera Mandir Temple in Vrindhavan

PRINCESS MEERA DANCING (2019)

1. Mhara re Girdhar Gopal (raag CHARUKESHI)

Dancer: Kalaimathy Vageesan

I have seen all the people, but there is no one else.
Associating with saint and sages, I lost my
prestige in the eyes of people.
Looking at devotees, I felt happy; looking at
worldly people makes me sad.
I churned the milk, saved the milk and discarded
the remainder.
Rana sent a bowlful of poison; I drank with
devotion and felt one with God.
Meera is attracted towards the divine Krishna,
come what may.

2. Main Hoon Teri Prem Diwani (raag TODI)

Dancers: Kalaimathy Vageesan, Rugsha Sivanandan, Lucksijah Selvanayagam Pillai

I am a mad woman (crazy) in love; No one knows my pain.
Only an injured person knows what an injured person feels.
What is the situation of a woman who has attempted self-sacrifice?
I am having my bed adorned with deathly implements; How to sleep on that?
And the bed of my lover is in the skies above;
How to meet him?
Hit by pain I am wandering forest to forest but I find no doctor.
O Lord my pain will vanish only when Saanvariya
(here for Krishna) himself will be the doctor.

3. Mahi Mahi (raag MAANDH)

Dancers: Kalaimathy Vageesan, Harikishan S Nair, Vinusha Thiravi

Friend, I dreamt I married Krishna;
there were five hundred and sixty million men
in the marriage procession,
and Krishna at its head;
festoons decked
the gay pavilion.
He took my hand in his
making me his bride.
It’s only because of my good work, friend,
in past lives
that I could even in a dream
become Krishna’s wife.

4. Paga ghoongharu baandh meera nachi re (raag MALKAUNS)

Dancers: Kalaimathy Vageesan, Shakaana Karvannathasan, Lucksijah Selvanayagam Pillai, Rugsha Sivanandan, Vinusha Thiravi

Tying anklets to her feet, in abandon Mira dances.
She says, I have become a slave to my Narayan.
The king sent a goblet of poison as a gift.
Mira drank it all in one gulp, and laughed.
Tying anklets to her feet, in abandon Mira danced.
People say, Look! Mira the crazy woman.
Relatives say, Look! Destroyer of clan's respect.
Mira says, I have become a citizen of Giridhar's city.
What is sanity there, what is clan's respect!
Tying anklets to the feet, in abandon Mira dances.

5. Baso More Nainan Mein (raag JANASAMMOHINI)

Dancer: Kalaimathy Vageesan

The Son of Nand lives in my eyes.
His statue is attractive, his dark complexion face
with big beautiful eyes.
On your lips there is the melodious flute, in
your neck lies “the garland of victory”.
Small bells are beautifully decorated in your
belly chain, the voice of your anklets is melodious.
The God of Meera (God Krishna) bless the saints
and resides in the heart of his devotees.

6. Chalo Mana Ganga Jamuna Teer (raag PAHADI)

Dancers: Kalaimathy Vageesan, Shakaana Karvannathasan, Lucksijah Selvanayagam Pillai, Rugsha Sivanandan, Vinusha Thiravi

Oh, Mind, go to the shores of Ganga and Yamuna.
The body becomes cool in the stainless waters
of Ganga and Yamuna.
There, Krishna is playing his flute and singing,
accompanied by Balarama.
Krishna's crown of peacock feathers and yellow
garments suit him.
And from his earrings, diamonds glitter.
Meera says that her head is on the lotus like the
feet of her Lord who held up the mountain.

7. Mat Ja Mat Ja Jogi (raag BHAIRAVI)

Dancer: Janak Khendry

O Yogi,
I am your humble slave,
and I clasp your lotus feet.
Do not go away, stay my Lord, stay.
I am lost in love’s maze.
Hasten to my side
and show me the way, and be my guide.
Yogi, I have made a pile of sandalwood.
Please ignite it and in its flames
I will immolate my body for your sake.
With my ashes, smear your limbs
so that my light may unite with yours
forever and ever.

CHANDRAKAUNS (2006)

Choreography: Janak Khendry

Music: Ashit Desai

Dancers: 

Shakaana Karvannathasan, Harikishan S Nair,

Lucksijah Selvanayagam Pillai, Rugsha Sivanandan,

Vinusha Thiravi, Kalaimathy Vageesan

CHANDRAKAUNS, the king of the Kauns family of Ragas, is one of the most beautiful Ragas in the Indian music system. The word Chandra means the moon. Chandrakauns has the gentleness and the brilliance of the full moon. We have given the Moon, the Moonlight and the Moon Rays, human characters and presented them in a dance work. The Moon, because of its beauty, is the envy of all gods. The Moon Light, his beautiful wife and Moon Rays his children, are the link between heaven and earth. They carry his light, filling the space and earth.

Photography: Zhenya Cerneacov

Choreography: Janak Khendry

Music: Ashit Desai

Dancer: Janak Khendry

Sometimes we have to release what we hang on to,

to allow love and the divine to enter in.

This day I shall cease to identify with my external conditions,

successes, failures, sizes, shapes and forms.

This day I shall say “NAMAS” – not mine, not mine, not mine.

This day I shall say “SARVAM TAVA” all thine, all thine, all thine.

Photography: Zhenya Cerneacov