Southern California Concert covered in India Journal

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Sachchidananda Swami Heals and Calms at So Cal Recital

 

LONG BEACH, CA - The Center Theater at the Long Beach Convention

Center was the venue of a mystical and ethereal musical experience on

July 19 as Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji cast a spiritual spell

over a packed auditorium with his own special brand of devotional

music at a spiritual healing and meditation concert organized by the

Datta Yoga Center of USA. Sitting behind a horseshoe of baskets with

colorful flowers Sri Swamiji set the mood for the evening by letting

the soothing strains of the tampura to soak the consciousness of the

listeners. He said he chose the synthesizer as his instrument as it

provides such a range of sounds which he could tap to produce the

necessary vibrations for maximum effect. His music he explained was

different - neither North nor South Indian, neither classical nor

light but a mixture of rhythmic and non rhythmic sequences to bring

calm and peace to the mind of the listener. Thereafter for over a

couple of hours Sri Swamiji proceeded to fill the auditorium with his

special variety of mesmerizing and haunting music. The structure of

the concert was along those of a South Indian classical performance

with each piece commencing with an alaap type introduction followed

by melody with swara phrases ending with a crescendo not unlike one

in the North Indian classical tradition. The ragas Sri Swamji chose

to use for the evening were drawn from the South Indian version

starting with Rishya Ketupriya. In Kalyani which is reputed to induce

sleep he vocalized a bhajan " Jai Jai Ganapathy " asking the audience

to let the mind drift into slumber. He then elaborated on Gaanamurthi

which helps in the healing of sinus and skin problems. The raga of

the evening was the captivating Abheri in which Sri Swamiji used

English lyrics in the refrain " O Mother Mary Bless your children."

It was in his presentation of Charukesi that he brought forth his

total mastery over the synthesizer producing effects of crashing

waves of the ocean and extraterrestrial sounds of space. It had the

spectacular effect of an orchestral overture in a film extravaganza

with sounds engulfing the entire auditorium and gripping the audience

in a cosmic trance. The piece ended with an appropriately resounding

percussion interlude during which Sri Swamiji walked through the

aisles of the auditorium audience blessing the listeners . The music

of Sri Swamiji seemed to have different effects on the audience which

was a mixture of local American and the North and South Indian

communities. The Americans were seen totally submerged in sound, some

with eyes closed with a peaceful countenance while others swayed with

the music or nodded their heads to the rhythm or tapped their feet.

Due to familiarity with the basic music construction the South Indian

section in particular appeared to be following the music rather than

permitting the sound effects to set in. Sri Swamiji was provided

vocal and cymbal support by Swami Manasa Datta and Mani Narasimham on

vocal and keyboard. The rhythmic percussion effects and tempo were

provided by Shankar Ramesh on the mridangam and Mahesh Bhat on the

tabla. From a very early age Sri Swamiji was musically inclined it

was not long before he was recognized as a Siddha Nadayogi who can

transmit spiritual energy through sound. Over the years he has

spontaneously produced thousands of bhajans and other compositions ,

each filled with beejaksharas or subtle seed letters which allows

each piece to be as potent as a powerful mantra. In a brief

introduction Sri Swamiji explained the healing and meditational

qualities of music.

 

 

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