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The Aseema Trust , Chennai was founded to bridge arts and education, to link rural and urban schools through folk performing arts, to use performing arts as tools of empowerment , teaching and to bring the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi in respect for diversity and dignity of labour projects through spinning on Charkha. Founded by V.R.Devika and run by her team of coordinator and finance manager Vasantha Parthasharathy and several freelance artists and associates, the Trust is nourished by the connections it has made with other NGOs, educational institutions and artists, locally, nationally, and internationally.
Aseema blogs at http://theaseematrust.blogspot.com/
Featured News and Events
January 2010
| News and Events |
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. 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.
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. 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.
Shiva, Nataraja and Orion
 V.R.Devika gave an illustrated talk on Shiva, Nataraja and Orion at the literary club of Gymkhana club of Chennai on 12th December 2009. It was organised by club member and Chennai favourite gourmet cook and cook writer and textile expert Sabitha Radhakrishna. more pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/trustaseema/20091213GymkhanaTalk#  Ahimsa Devi
http://picasaweb.google.com/trustaseema/AhimsaDevi# Ahimsa Devi The Aseema Trust is very happy with the success of the performance of "Ahimsa Devi" a dance on attributes of non violence choreographed by V.R.Devika and Premnath with the students of Avvai Home. This choreography was a part of discourse on non violence along with a project on reproductive health, sex and sexuality and HIV Aids that we are doing in parternship with World Education. Sessions on HIV and Aids were done by Nalamdana and on sex and sexuality by Raviraj of Kalanjiam, our partner organisations. Bombay Jayashri sang the sixty Sanskrit names of Ahimsa Devi's attributes with Ananthanaryanan on Mridangam and Ganapathy on percussion. Music direction and recording was by Sai Shravanam A Tamil translation of the words written and tuned by Lakshmi, music teacher at Avvai Home was sung by the girls before the performance. The girls also enacted a play on HIV and AIDS and sang a song on health and empowerment from their sessions with Nalamdana.
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Gnanasamudhra award to V.R.Devika
More pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/trustaseema/AGnanasamudhraAwardToVRDevika# Samudhra magazine for the arts awarded "Gnanasamudhra" title to V.R.Devika for her work in linking arts and education during their 7th anniversery celebration on 15th November 2009. The award was presented by philonthrophist Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetty and Mrs.Y.G.Parthasarathy, dean and director of Padma Sheshadri Schools. Dr.Srinidhi Chidambaram inaugurated the function by lighting a kuthuvilakku and Mr.Natarajan, former director of Doordarshan and Mr.Nagai Muralidharan participated. The citation reads "Samudhra is proud to confer the title "Gnana Samudhra" on V.R.Devika art educator, writer and critic during its 7th anniversary celebration in recognition of her innovative approach in linking art and education and using it as an effective tool especially among children. May God Almighty bless her with long life and strength to continue rendering service towards the cause of fine arts" signed by Dr.Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetti, Patron and Dr.Radha Bhaskar, editor.
 Tamil heritage group talk and video
Mr.Badri Sheshadri has put V.R.Devika's talk on traditional performing arts in education on video in his blog. See it in this link
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