Sunday, January 31, 2010

January 2010

The Aseema Trust ended January with the Sarvodaya Day commemoration at the Central Railway Station, Chennai. A wonderful collaboration with D.K.Oza's Gandhi Mission and Anusuya Foundation and with the enthusiastic participation by G.Rammohan, the event was memorable.
see more pictures here http://picasaweb.google.com/trustaseema/SarvodyaDay30thJan2010#
We had spinning on charkha by girls from Avvai Home lead by the warden Mrs.Jeyaraj and Bharathanatyam dance on Ahimsa Devi (sung by Bombay Jayashri) by the students of Rukminidevi Natyakshetra run by Premnath our ever sincere resource person and songs liked by Gandhi sung by Sowmiya Madanagopal and students. We projected still images and video clippings of Gandhi on a screen. Passengers waiting in the concourse said they had a most satisfying day. Bemikalamba, on her way back to her Madhubani village in Bihar after visiting Rameshwaram had to spend ten hours in the Chennai station due to the late arrival of the connecting train to Patna. She rushed in when she saw the spinning wheels and began to spin furiously getting very fine thread. This was just what we wanted.. connection with the masses. She joined in when we all sang Raghupati Raghava Raja ram at the end. As we were coming out, the police men and women at the gate told us that they had the most moving time in their entire career watching this.
January has been hectic. Sowmya Balakrishnan has joined us and we are very happy with her enthusiasm and her expertise. She has been conducting the dance sessions at Avvai Home school and teacher trainees. Sessions were held by her on 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th. Raviraaj and Mansadevi of Kalanjiyam did sessions on evaluation of impact of these sessions.
V.R.Devika gave a ppt presentation on Gandhi and Khadi at Premnath's Rukminidevi Natyakshetra on 2nd and was the guest of honour with Vasantha at the valedictory of their cultural week on 10th.
On 13th and 14th, V.R.Devika guided two couples from the US at Mamallapuram and Dakshinachitra's Pongal festival. We participated in full measure at Prakriti Foundation's annual Dennis Hudson memorial lecture and the release of Vaikunta Perumal temple an interpretation by Dennis Hudson. 4th - 8th.
On 8th V.R.Devika was asked to do a face to face with dancer Priyadarsini Govind for Deccan Chronicle newspaper.
V.R.Devika attended the Mamalla heritage group talk sessions every Sunday. She also interviewed usha Rajkumar, an entrepreneur extraordinary for Eves Touch magazine.
V.R.Devika gave a ppt presentation on Gandhi and spinning to the children of Yellow bus school on 22nd more pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/trustaseema/AtYellowBus#

and participated in Prakriti Foundation's Gharana Dhrupad festival 22, 23, 24.
SOS children's' Village mother's day celebrations on 25th.
V.R.Devika gave an illustrated talk on Gandhi at the Martin Luther King jr day of Indo American Society at Stella Maris College. on 28th.
V.R.Devika gave a ppt presentation and told stories of Gandhi as part of Prakriti Foundation's tree of life festival at AMM school on 29th.
Sarvodaya day on 30th.