Berlin braves showers to enjoy Indian music, yoga

Thousands of people, including Indian tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahai and BJP president Nitin Gadkari, braved showers and chilly winds in the German capital of Berlin to attend yoga performances and riveting Indian music and dance shows as part of the World Cultural Festival, celebrating 30 years of Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation.
Held at the historic Olympic Stadium — built by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in 1936 — the function saw devotees and spectators pouring in despite incessant rains and chilly weather with the temperature settling at around 10 degrees.
The function started with playing of the nadaswaram, a south Indian musical instrument, by artistes from India and Sri Lanka. The beats of the barrel-shaped drum filled the stadium with energy as people clapped along, forgetting the chilly winds.
The stadium turned into a grand yoga park as 800 people from around the globe came together to perform a brief sequence of yoga. It started with suryanamaskar (sun salutation) accompanied by chanting of Sanskrit slokas, honouring different qualities of the sun, and ended with a global prayer for peace.
The cultural festival then took the spectators through a journey of classical music from India and US, contemporary music from Malta, traditional flutes from Turkey, folk dances from Russia and Bulgaria, Shaolin monks from China and a variety of performances by Germans.
The stadium was left mesmerised by the Grand Guitar Ensemble for Peace — an enchanting symphony of 2,000 guitarists, 30 grand pianists and 3,000 choir singers. Apart from German and other European countries’ anthems, the Vande Mataram was also sung.
“The guitar ensemble filled the stadium with energy and I felt as if I was moved to a different world of music and ecstasy. I can’t tell you how I felt,” said Rama Shakar, an Indian settled in the US.
Spectators were left spellbound by the peace meditation of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with flautists playing in the background. The 20-minute meditation session calmed the atmosphere in the stadium. The colourful evening came to an end with the song The call of ancient love, spreading the message of peace and love in the world.
Courtesy:The Asian Age