புளோரிடாவில் இந்து விழா

புளோரிடா இந்துக்கோவிலில் நடந்த இந்துபாரம்பரிய விழா கொண்டாட்டம் பற்றி மியாமி ஹெரால்ட் வெளியிட்ட செய்தி.

இறைவழியான இந்துமதம் பரவி மக்களுக்கு ஆன்மீக அனுபவத்தை அறிய வழி செய்துகொடுக்கும் என்று நம்புவோம்.

Hindu heritage is feted with musicThe South Florida Hindu Temple offers music, food and lots of information on Indian culture during Hindu Heritage Month.
BY LISA BOLIVAR
Special to The Miami Herald
Vishes Swaroop sat, legs folded, distant look of concentration on his face as his hands beat out a complicated series of rhythms on the ancient Indian drum known as a tabla.

Swaroop, with about 20 other Indian youths and five adults, performed during the Festival of Music of India on Feb. 10, part of a series of free events at the South Florida Hindu Temple in Southwest Ranches during Hindu Heritage Month.

First on stage were the children younger than 10, followed by a group of teens who played the various Indian drums. Then came Ganavya Doraiswamy, of Davie, a 15-year-old playing an ancient form of bell music known as Jala Tarang, or water waves.

The skill of hitting water-filled bowls with a bamboo stick is dying out in India, said music instructor and professional musician Sandeep Munshi, while introducing Ganavya and her brother, Vignesh, who accompanied her on drums.

''The degree of difficulty has discouraged many from learning this music form,'' said Munshi, who runs two music schools in Broward and one in Boynton Beach.

''I would not let my son take his classes for two years because he was always with those headphones listening to American music and that hip-hop stuff,'' said Dr. Narendra Upadhyaya, the temple's religious committee chairman and a local cardiologist, of his son, Shivam, who was playing a larger drum known as a dhol. ``But in one lesson he was playing very well. He is a natural.''

Ganavya seamlessly played a series of ragas, pausing occasionally to add ladles of water to this bowl, or take away a spoonful from that bowl. Her music brought children in the audience of about 150 to their feet to dance.

Other musicians played the vina, a stringed instrument shaped like a banjo. One of the temple's priests, Acharya Pundit Rajendra Joshi, an accomplished musician, ended the festival by playing his sitar, a guitar-like instrument that is the most recognizable sound of India.

Karen Viegas, 19, sat mesmerized, swaying to the music. A sophomore at Florida International University, she attended the event in order to write a report for her world religion class.

''I learned how disciplined they are and how they carry themselves,'' Viegas said. ``They're just very happy and peaceful and the music is amazing. . . . It was very moving.''

Reaching out to people like Viegas is what the month's festivities are all about, Upadhyaya said, adding that introducing Americans to the ancient culture and traditions as a part of the American mosaic is important.

''America represents all the different cultures and talents around the world, and when people come here for prosperity, with them comes their culture and their religion,'' Upadhyaya said. ``It's the binding duty of every person in America that we respect everybody's positive beliefs and religion because no matter what religion you favor, ultimately God is one.''

More events are planned this month, including Hinduism Beyond the Oceans, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. today, where Caribbean Hindus will talk about their origins and play music; a visit Friday from religious and spiritual leader Dada Vasvani, who will speak before a dinner of Indian food; and a speech Feb. 25 by Robert Arnet, author of India Unveiled.

Also on display at the temple is an educational exhibit on the origins of Hinduism and other religions in India that will travel the country. It is open for viewing from 9 a.m. to noon and 5 to 9 p.m. most days.

The South Florida Hindu Temple is at 13010 Griffin Rd., Southwest Ranches. Call 954-438-3675 or visit www.sfht.org.