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CALENDAR  Festival Of Colors March 15 BY CARU DAS  USA, Mar 6 (VNN) — HOLI, The Festival of ColorsWhen: March 15, Saturday 4 pm Where: Krishna Temple, 8628 S Main St., Spanish Fork, Utah Contact person: Charu or Vai Contact Numbers: 798-3559/787-1510 www.iskcon.net/utah The Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork invites all members of the public to celebrate the festival of Holi on Saturday, March 15th, from 4 pm. Festivities will begin at 4 pm with a flute, percussion and violin concert by respectively, Nikhil & Nirmal Narayan, and Divya Ramachandran*. Shreelata Suresh**, head of the Visvwa Shanthi Dance Company of San Francisco will present the stories behind this festival in a classical Indian dance format. Other elements of the festival will be observed with storytelling, musical interludes, the building of a bonfire, and the throwing of dry colors on friends and foe alike. The dry powders supplied by the temple are non stain, but still guests are cautioned not to wear their Sunday Best. Throughout, guest can enjoy a sumptuous vegetarian feast. If possible, guests are asked to bring a small offering of fruit, flower, or even a cooked vegetarian preparation to augment the huge feast. In India Holi announces the arrival of spring and the passing of winter. It is a festival that breathes an atmosphere of social merriment. People bury their hatchets with a warm embrace and throw their worries to the wind. Every nook and corner presents a typically colorful sight. Young and old alike are drenched with colors (red, green, yellow, blue, black and silver). People in small groups are seen singing, dancing and throwing colors on each other. Holi has long traditional links with several legends. According to one popular legend, the word Holi is derived from the demoness, Holika. She was the sister of Hiranya Kashipu (the name meaning love of gold and a soft bed), a demon king, who having defeated the Gods, proclaimed his supremacy over everyone else in the Universe. Enraged over his son, Prahlad's ardent devotion to Lord Vishnu, Hiranya Kashipu decides to punish him. He takes the help of his sister, Holika, who is immune to any damage from fire. Holika carries Prahlad into the fire but a divine intervention destroys her and saves Prahlad from getting burned. Thus Holi is celebrated to mark the burning of the evil Holika. It is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. Holi is celebrated with special importance in the North of India. It solemnizes the love of Radha and Krishna. The spraying of colored powders recalls the love sport of Lord Krishna and His devotees. The color, noise and entertainment that accompanies the celebration of Holi bears witness to a feeling of oneness and sense of brotherhood. No other festival brings home the lesson of spiritual and social harmony as well as the festival of Holi!! To help the temple construction fund, a suggested donation will be asked for the full course meals served throughout, and bags of colors will be given for a small donation. For more information, call (801)798-3559/787-1510/www.iskcon.net/utah *Nikhil Narayan: Nikhil is a disciple of Flute maestro Sangitha Kalanidhi Dr. N. Ramani for the past 10 years. Nikhil began his training at the age of 6 under Sri P.V. Ananthakrishnan and later came under the tutelage of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Padmashri Sri. N. Ramani. Nikhil had his arangetram in Madras in 1997, to an audience filled with musical stalwarts and music critics alike. Nikihl has given solo concerts in Madras regularly, including during the December Music Festival. He has performed under the auspices of many prestigious music organizations in India. He has also been accompanied by such accomplished musicians as violinist Delhi P. Sunderrajan and Kanjira Vidwan V. Nagarajan, just to name a few. Nikhil has performed extensively throughout the United States giving concerts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Cleveland in the prestigious Tyagaraja Aradhana in 2001 and 2002. He has given solo performances as well as accompanying his guru. He participated in the well received 25 flutes concert of Ramani and disciples in the Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana in April 2002. Nikhil is currently in his third year of Law School at the prestigious Columbia University in New York. Nikhil is born and brought up in the US; however he has his ancestral roots in Royampettai, a village half a kilometer from Thiruvaiyaru, where he visits almost annually. Divya Ramachandran Divya is a disciple of Sri. Mullaivasal Chandramouli. Divya was trained in Western classical music for several years before switching to training in Carnatic music under Dr. Susheela Narasimhan with an apprenticeship grant from Utah Arts Council. She later came under the tutelage of Sri. Mullaivasal G. Chandramouli. she had her arangetram in 2001. Divya is familiar to Utah music scene during the past five years. She has performed in many festivals in Utah both as a soloist and as accompanist. She is a regular performer in annual events like Rama Seva Music festival, Living Tradition, India Fest of Radha Krishna Temple of Spanish Fork. Divya grew up in Salt Lake City. She is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Utah. Nirmal Narayan: Nirmal is a disciple of mrudangam maestro Padmasri Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman for the past five years. Nirmal had his arangetram in Madras in 1995, presided by Padmabhushan Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, under the tutelage of Poovalur Srinivasan. He accompanied Rudrapatnam Brothers and Mysore Nagaraj and won excellent reviews from many stalwarts of Carnatic music who were in attendance. Nirmal has participated in the Madras Music Festival in 1997, 2000, 2001, and 2002 under various prestigious organizations in India such as Narada Gana Sabha, Kartik Fine Arts, Indian Fine Arts accompanying various artistes such as Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. N. Ramani, Malladi Brothers, O.S. Arun, and Bhooshany Kalyanaraman just to name a few. Nirmal has also accompanied in USA for many professional artists. He has performed in numerous cities in North America. He has also played concerts in the prestigious Tyagaraja Aradhana Festival in Cleveland in 1997, 2001, and 2002 Nirmal graduated in December 2002 from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Economics. He performed in Berkeley for charity shows aimed to raise money for Earthquake relief in Gujrat, as well as performing in other jugalbandis and cultural programs. Nirmal is born and brought up in the US; however he has his ancestral roots in Royampettai, a village half a kilometer from Thiruvaiyaru, where he visits almost annually. **Shreelata Suresh - The Dancer The clean geometry of her dance lines commands the attention of the most jaded of audiences - writes a critic about Shreelata's performance. Praised not only for the purity of form and style but also for the immaculate rhythm of her fleeting footwork, Shreelata Suresh, an exponent of Bharatha Natyam and Kuchipoodi, has risen to be one of the leading dancers today. Her performances are marked by freshness, dynamism and vigor and are outstanding in terms of both learnt material and her own input. Shreelata commenced her training at the age of six under Vyjayantimala Bali, the famous dancer and actress. After her arangetram in 1981, she studied under the illustrious Guru Kalaimamani K. N. Dakshinamurthy Pillai. Presently she is under the tutelage of Guru V. Krishnamoorthi, whose unique and innovative choreography has encouraged her to create a distinct style of her own. Shreelata has also mastered the dance form of Kuchipoodi from Guru Krishnamoorthi. Gifted with a slim figure and an attractive stage presence, Shreelata has captivated her audiences in India and around the world. She has given over 150 stage and TV performances in over 20 countries including India, North and South America's, France, Republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan in former USSR, Australia, southeast Asia and East Africa and has shared this rich cultural heritage of India with the local people there. Shreelata has participated in premier dance festivals held in the different states of India. She played the lead role of 'Ardhanari' in Lalgudi Jayaraman's dance drama, 'Jaya Jaya Devi' that toured 25 cities of USA and Canada. Her attractive style, expressive movements and fleeting footwork have won her many awards and titles. Bharat Kalachar, Madras, awarded her the title of 'Yuva Kala Bharathi' in 1996. She was adjudged the finest young dancer in 1991 and again in 1993. In recognition of her talent she has also been awarded the titles of 'Natyananmani' and 'Natyaratna'. Apart from being an active performer in the dance circuit, Shreelata is also a contemporary teacher of Bharatha Natyam in the pure classical style. She has founded 'Vishwa Shanthi', a dance school and an organization that promotes peace through dance and other allied arts. Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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