By Anangamanjari devi dasi
Srila Prabhupada’s desire for a travelling world kirtan party is now in action! Known as “The Mayapuris”, this kirtan group has become popular in the yoga and new age circles, because distinguish themselves as followers of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who embedded the root of Hari Nam Kirtan within the sacred dust of Sridham Mayapur.
Wearing Vaisnava dress, adorned with tilak, and armed with their mrdungas, harmonium, flutes and kartals, the “Mayapuris” have been spreading the Holy Names at various yoga studios, festivals, and other large gatherings around the world. Hundreds and thousands of people have been raising their arms and voices while dancing to the Mayapuri’s heart-throbbing beats.
Their kirtans are spiced with their own remarkable brand of transcendental cultural presentations. With their flying drum demonstration they show the true spiritual power of this great instrument. While they tell stories or sing Vaisnava bhajans, the Mayapuri girls express touching spiritual moods through their unique style of dance, which is a tasteful mix of Bharat Natyam, Odissi, Folk, and Jazz. By presenting the philosophy of Bhakti as Srila Prabhupada gave us, in such a, sweet, exciting, and entertaining way, they are capturing the hearts of many. Already some people are becoming serious Vaisnavas because of their experience with this trendy kirtan party.
The Mayapuris group is led by gurukulis Visvambhar and Vrnda Sheth, as well as Kishor Rico, all from Alachua, Florida. They are currently touring with Gaura Vani and his band, “As Kindred Spirits.” Visvambhar credits Gaura Vani with breaking into the kirtan scene and making their efforts successful.
Both “The Mayapuris” and “As Kindred Spirits” have already met with overwhelming success, chanting with famous performers of the yoga world, like Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer, MC Yogi, and Shiva Rae. These influential people are recognizing that the Mayapuris are bringing their kirtans to a whole new spiritual level. Shiva Rae requested them to attend her yoga workshops to do kirtan and to show her yoga students how to dance in bhakti. While performing together with Jai Uttal in the midst of a few hundred people, Jai remarked about their special spiritual energy, calling the Mayapuris the “Tigers of Kirtan”! At another performance, after hearing the Mayapuri’s kirtan, Krishna Dasa expressed his desire to associate more often with “the Krishnas.”
The goal of the Mayapuris is to create a whole lifestyle, a genre, around the holy names of Krsna, complete with prasadam diet, devotional dress, style of speech (Hari bol!), etc. At the rate they are going, there will soon be a huge gathering of souls who will have found their refuge in the Holy Names of Krsna and Srila Prabhupada’s books. As Jai Uttal has already noted, “We owe it all (the popularity of kirtan, etc) to Srila Prabhupada.”
There current tour includes performances at the “Burning Man Gathering,” Omega Institute, the “Bhakti Fest” in California, and other exciting venues along their way back to the East Coast. While in Washington D.C. they plan to produce their first C.D. through Mantralogy Record Label, established by Gaura Vani and Rasacharya. In October their second big tour begins, bringing them to Australia, Costa Rica, then India, to rock the other side of the world with their Hari Nama Kirtan!
For further inspiration and information, or if you would like to support this effort, go to www.mayapuris.com
www.gauravani.com
www.mantralogy.com