Gurukul | Junoon

THE JUNOON GURUKUL

If great importance is attached to the search for knowledge in India, there ought to be a system that duly honours this give and take, this exchange of it and in doing so, facilitates it.

This is a Gurukul.
A system of education that is an immersive and wholesome learning experience for the students that choose to attend such an establishment and inhabit this ecosystem.

The students are versatile yet focused.
Their education: painstakingly thorough yet profoundly fulfilling.
Their futures: Full of promise, whatever way they choose to go.

The path to knowledge of any subject is crucial - the journey significantly more important than the destination - in all the wisdom amassed along the way.

A Gurukul is that path. Its emphasis on the performing arts takes every shishya through a vital process of transformation and instils a deep-rooted sense of self, spirit and responsibility. A practitioner is accountable to her Art - in practice and perpetuation.

In the realm of performing arts, this search for knowledge, is better described as a quest for beauty. For the purpose of all Art is to add more beauty into the world.

A Gurukul is a place where beauty is allowed to breathe and burgeon.

This search to know more and give more is a journey of faith, hope, tolerance, humility, acceptance, discipline, obeisance, surrender and patience. In the presence of these, the relationship between teacher and student - Guru and Shishya - two individuals of unequal knowledge, is established, strengthened and possible. This bond proves vital in keeping both centred through life. For the Art, in its passage from generation to generation, will always be larger than the artiste.

It takes great sensitivity to learn and teach, to give and gather knowledge. A Gurukul is the home of the curious, hardworking, perceptive and humble - the truest servants of a subject of learning, the purest practitioners of an Art, the most passionate beings on earth.

JUNOON.

As the mysteries of the Arts unfold,
Literature, movement and metaphor;
Poetry, rhythm and cadence;
Sculpture, poise and posture;
Painting, strokes and colour;
Music, melody, grace and movement;
Expression, written, verbal and facial;
Theatre, technique, spontaneity and emotion
And ultimately, the Dance,
Is better understood, better executed, more open than it ever was.
And open to any and all.

Here, at,
THE JUNOON GURUKUL.

THE JUNOON GURUKUL
at AVASARA

VISION

To provide our girls with an Arts education centred on Classical Dance that is immersive, holistic, promising and fulfilling.

PROGRAM CONTENT

TECHNIQUE

The students are trained primarily in the Classical Dance forms of Ballet and BharataNatyam for an understanding of both Western and Indian Classical Dance. Derivative dance forms such as Lyrical, Contemporary and Jazz will also be incorporated as a diversion.

THEORY

They will garner a general literary appreciation, be introduced to Art appreciation and criticism as well as understand and formulate their own opinions on how Art can be an instrument for social change.

FITNESS

Since artists who practice Classical Dance are athletes in their own right, our girls will also be put on an intense fitness regimen that incorporates Yoga, Athletics, Calisthenics, Pilates and Other Stretching, Strengthening and Flexibility Drills.

HOW THIS ADDS TO THE
AVASARA EXPERIENCE

A training in The Junoon Gurukul instils an instant awareness of Classical Dance and art and culture that has existed and been passed down for centuries. The students therefore feel responsible to carry it to more people thereby enabling a diffusion and promulgation of the very heritage they have received. How they choose to extend the privilege – professionally or otherwise – is something they will be able to make an informed choice about since they have participated in an immersive artistic learning experience outside of a general academic curriculum. The objective is to allow history and culture to build their artistic identities and then, give them the freedom to contemporize this knowledge so they may hold their own in an ever-changing world.

DEEP WITHIN THE GURUKUL

A feature from The SHOUT! Network

Our ideal of a Gurukul, formulated by ancient Art beheld in paintings, murals and other canvases, resides in our imaginations as differently positioned Banyan trees, thatched huts and roofs, sage-like Gurus mentoring keen Shishyas rapt in attention and wild and designed arenas where different arts, interests and subjects are striven for.

That ideal is beautiful, dreamy, transporting and traditional. And some traditions just don’t need updating. For a start, what it does deserve is a sincere appreciation of the ideals it stood for and furthered, the very evolved process of teaching and learning it engendered, the austere but versatile pathway of study and exploration it established and the thorough education it therefore made possible and accessible to its disciples.

Aeons ago, the learned met young learners and reared them in faraway, raw yet functional surroundings that allowed the latter space from the material comforts of home and therefore, the focus to master multiple disciplines.

An invaluable, unsaid and unfathomable bond developed between Guru and Shishya, Sage and Disciple, Teacher and Student. This eternal bond was characterized by an exchange of respect for deference. The Guru knows, shows the way, tells you what to look for but never what to see. The Shishya listens, follows and then, discovers for herself. Somewhere in the process of the Guru giving and the disciple receiving, a thread of trust, faith, loyalty, love, devotion and surrender is woven. The Guru gives, wholeheartedly, rightfully, respectfully. And the Shishya receives with passion and vigilance, fully submitting to the direction, wisdom and keener sense of the Guru. And even in this equation of unequal knowledge, age and experience, there exists mutual respect and enormous consideration, care and concern for one another.

Gurus gave unreservedly of themselves from the many different realms they had inhabited and imbibed –
The Arts – Classical, Martial, Performing, Fine, Sports, The Sciences – Life and Social, Philosophy, Mathematics, Yoga and other physical and spiritual practices and of course, Academia – ancient texts, treatises, rituals, studies and the literature we know today as "Classical".

Classes were conversations. They were often tests of tolerance, endurance and capabilities, on either side. Talents were unveiled, encouraged and refined. Discipline was ingrained, second to no organ of body or mind. Confidence was built, shaken, rebuilt and secured, once and for all. Shishyas competed healthily, outdid one another, constantly raising the bar, but more importantly, outdoing themselves. An emotional intelligence was further cultivated in those whom it was perceived and every attempt was made in making every Shishya perceptive, receptive and sensitive. Paired with their dexterity in plentiful pursuits, a Shishya of a Gurukul was quite simply beyond compare. Gifted, enormously grateful and very aware of their identity, purpose and what they’d like to give back to the world, these Shishyas were dynamic, necessary and ever-evolving additions to the world.

As the shishya journeyed along this path laid down by the Guru – embedded in the very establishment that is a Gurukul, she had an immersive learning experience across the spectrum; in seemingly unrelated areas even, if she chose to. She could be an athlete, an artiste, an academician, all rolled into one. She could see the physics of dance or the emotion in the natural sciences or intrigued by the history and theories of mathematics or the geometry in painting and sculpture or the rhythmic patterns and melodic structures of music and definitely, the beauty, artistry and versatility of all things in nature.

A Shishya’s definition of beauty was broad, all-encompassing, inclusive and most significantly, subjective. This flexibility allowed her to be rational, compassionate and keen, all at once. To know more, to be more, to see more, to feel more and to do more.

She found happiness and inspiration in a cooling breeze, in fresh fruit often stolen from swaying or still trees, in the gallop of a horse and the gait of a gazelle, in dreaming of the dances of Sati and Shiva, in believing that every raga she heard came straight from the Gandharvas, in a mama beast putting her cub to sleep, in swimming in open waters and the marine life encountered, in the colours of an evening sky, in the sound of rain and the delight of sunshine.

There was something in the air back then: A likely medley of curiosity, respect, joy in the little things (that we know, ultimately, amount to the big things) and an innocence that drove one to wonder and wander. When coupled with the aroma and smoke of incense, the Guru’s exhale of wisdom and a Shishya’s inhale of knowledge, seated across from one another in a grove with an oak or an elm or a willow for a backdrop, the setting was not only conducive to the give and take of a strong and sublime education that instilled a sense of responsibility but a paradise that enabled growth, empathy, mastery, clarity, courage, ambition and agency.

When the smoke clears, it brings us back to today. And yet, in our most heightened state of pragmatism, nothing above seems unattainable.
The Gurukul – as a concept, an institution and an ideology – was built to stay.
Will we go deep within? Or will we keep ourselves from the most evolved system of education that kept us rooted and gave us wings to fly.

We just have to journey back.
The path is laid.
To the beginning. To the progressive.
And then, forward, forward, forward.

LETTER EXCHANGES within
THE JUNOON GURUKUL

Read what we write to and receive from our girls.

Tuesday, September 6th, 2022

September 9th, 2022

September 13th, 2022

THE SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2022 SET

September 20th, 2022

THE SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2022 SET

September 25th, 2022

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

September 25th, 2022

Hello my little artists-in-the-making,

Your messages and your wishes were so warm and encouraging that I'm pretty sure they were the very reason why the opening night of our play, THE GOOD DOCTOR, absolutely rocked!

Being on stage, to deliver any performance of any sort - Dance, Music, Theatre or simply a speech even, can be pretty nerve wracking! There's only ONE take to give it your all!

But, when, after repeated rehearsals - ones that push you beyond what you thought were your limits - emotional, physical and psychological - you're able to put on display all of what you can possibly give, the experience is fulfilling and quite like no other and the result, pretty brilliant.

This play was tough particularly because it is a comedy. And making an audience of varied sensibilities laugh is actually one of the toughest acts one ever has to throw on and see through.

But thank god and through the coordinated efforts of the cast and crew - everyone involved in production, direction and technicalities - we pulled it off and our performance was very well received.

Theatre is the real act, as they say. A recreation of the real world, in a more focused setting. And I felt that. The fact that we were simply reproducing stories from real life, in a more entertaining or noticeable format; drawing attention to details that are often ignored or taken for granted.

What I learnt along the way was that acting was really about putting all my joys, sorrows and craziness out there, into creating a story - any story!

You too will learn and experience live Art and you too will come to learn, as you perform it or behold it, that it is larger than life, although inspired from life, and it is every bit worth preserving, furthering and appreciating.

The part I am most grateful for is being able to go back to working with the person - our director - who put me on stage when I was 9 years old. A man who recognized the potential in me back then and hasn't stopped fleshing it and more out of me ever since. I think that's what the best teachers can do - make you get out of yourself - larger, beyond your own wildest imaginations.
And even after all these years, make me feel like the little girl I was when I began - just as nervous and just as excited.

Performance Art or the practice of any Art for that matter is a constant upgradation exercise. One is constantly learning, bettering, fine tuning and correcting. You're basically a Work-in-Progress and that's what keeps you grounded and striving and makes you better each time.

It helps to know that the sky is the limit.

That's it for now. And I will sleep peacefully, knowing and believing that you are practicing and doing your best; dreaming of bringing some of that lived, theatrical experience to you very soon.

Love,
Myth

THE SEPTEMBER 25th, 2022 SET

October 5th, 2022

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

October 5th, 2022

Hello Gurukul-ers!

I want to tell you straight up how thrilled I was to read some very keen bits in the writings and takeaways of those of you who chose to send across your reflections on our Literature-centric class this past weekend. Thank you. They will help us and you persist with effective communication as we learn and teach!

Your reflections have been edited and compiled and will soon be live for you to hear under the "Sound Bites" section on The Junoon Gurukul page.

I am currently in the village of Dhasa in Gujarat with the girls who have come a long way since we first began working with them over a year ago.

Navaratri is an exhilarating time to be in Gujarat, as you would imagine. And given that Folk Dance is an integral part of any Junoon Program, we have been having a ball dancing Garba and balancing it with our training in Classical Dance.

The October heat certainly doesn't help. Not in this part of the world anyway. It's remote, it's extreme but to me, it's also the place I return to to feel the warmth and perseverance and grit of my girls who work so hard, amid hardship, with a smile.

I'm constantly learning from my students. Perhaps, the biggest lesson is the gratitude reflecting off their faces and demeanour when they are in class to dance, to train or outside even.

We're playing a gamble on our bodies, with some passionate, fun-filled Garba dancing through the night and practicing some more through daytime classes. But the joy of dancing with the villagefolk, the women and men and children (a lot of whom are training with me currently) is unparalleled, especially because this is after all the heartland of the Folk Dance of Garba - its birthplace and breeding ground.

This, aside from the fact that Garba is my favourite dance form in the whole wide world, outside of pure Classical Dance.

I know, when I'm there this weekend, I'll have some more to tell.

Until then, practice! It's the only way we can be better and dance our hearts out, with the grace we already have hidden away in our bodies and hearts.

Love to you all!
Myth 🙂

October 11th, 2022

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

October 11th, 2022

Hi Girls,

Writing to you after a pretty solid practice session myself, that has come after a while. I usually have to squeeze in time to practice basis Junoon's and other commitments, but today was different, like I was in training, all by myself, all over again.

And all through, I couldn't help but think how grateful I am to you all for this past weekend's session.

The sensitivity, empathy and perceptivity you displayed in response to the depressingly dark story of a bright, talented, capable 14 year old village girl in Dhasa being engaged to be married, made me feel supported, strong and above all, certain that our Junoon is a collective movement and the soul of a burgeoning girl gang, poised to change the world through our Art, one step at a time.

I was deeply touched by your words, in discussion as well as on paper. Thank you for teaching me, in your words, that "Art can be a weapon as well as a bridge". More than anything, it needs to be a weapon you wield responsibly, tactically, sensitively and sensibly for the overall good and progress of humanity, just as well preserving traditions that help us move forward. It's a critical "balance". But surely dance can and will teach you that! ;)

Thank you, above all, for sharing our shock, grief and beginning to tend the fire within you to make change happen, in mindsets, through Art. Yours, being a Performing Art, is a particularly powerful form of expression that can very effectively transmit thought, feeling and action to an observer.

As emerging Classical Dancers, continue to read, to write, to think, to feel and to believe you can change the world with compassion and purpose. Your practice of Dance will teach you structure, discipline and how to portray and channelize your emotions effectively.

I await all 21 letters, within the format, with the feeling and the plan of action we hoped to put into them.

I hope this week apart will make us look forward to next week's session more!

Love always,
Strength and Junoon to you,

Myth :)

THE OCTOBER 12th, 2022 SET

October 28th, 2022

THE NOVEMBER 2nd, 2022 SET

November 10th, 2022

November 30th, 2022

December 6th, 2022

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

December 6th, 2022

Hello Girls,

I imagine you are all well into preparations for forthcoming exams and eagerly looking forward to Christmas.

There's something about December that just makes the overall feeling celebratory - the end of the year, the weather in our part of the world, the fact that something ends and a new thing begins and that we have so much to look forward to, change and begin anew.

December, to me, is a month for reflection (always has been). How did I do this past year? What can I do better? Can I invest more meaning into the things I do? Could I have done some things, handled them differently?

The answers are a mix of encouraging and disappointing albeit ones that teach you how to be better, kinder, more considerate, focused as well as balanced.

The Art you put into the world is often a reflection of oneself - the thought, effort and tremendous heart and soul you put into it. If I had one resolution to make, I would tell myself to be more intentional about my Art, when I practice, when I perform or when I study for it.

Intention is a much more powerful concept than motivation even. It requires an honesty, a resolve, a discipline to respect your choices and be earnest with them despite how pumped or sure you feel of them.

When you do things with purpose, you suddenly feel yourself performing them better. Perhaps this can trickle into every aspect of your life (over and above the Classical Art you have so openly accepted and chosen to practice).

December is also a month for reconnection with those you may not have been able to see through the year. It's like we're all trying to compete with time to see everyone we can before the year runs out!

And this December, is a special one for sport. For those of us that love Football and the intensity of feeling that it (like any other team sport) generates, we are in the midst of our biggest spectacle in four years - The Men's World Cup. It comes not many months after the English Women's Team took home the crown in the Women's World Cup.

We dance, we play and so we know the ups and downs and sheer capacity it takes to pull off and pull through a game like Football.

As with dance, your endurance, grace and talent are all put to the test.

My heart races as the teams take on one another every night and somewhere, it breaks for the dark horses that have gotten this far and have to exit despite putting their best "foot" forward.

And yet, it fills me up to watch the most unassuming teams clinch the most unprecedented victories in the history of this sport; to watch everyone finally play in a Cup that has been the most even and equal thus far - in terms of team combinations, quality of play and the potential of players.

Artists are no different from athletes. The feelings of defeats and wins are so similarly felt and the reasons, as is the case with the Cup this time round, are so tiny and more to do with how each team or artist plays to the situation, there in that moment, how intuitively we respond and how much intention there is in that response.

This is the truest test of creativity, adaptability and spirit! And I wish this for you all, as artists, athletes, working together for the brightest future.

I will be playing a lot of highlights from the games for my girls in the village next week, as they enter into more advanced levels of Athleticism and artistry on this stint of Junoon's Rural Outreach. And all along, I will be highlighting just how hard and with just how much honesty every team has fought to ultimately treat us to some amazing football.

It is always about The Sport. It is always about The Art. Over and above us small vehicles who choose to take to it and thereby, propel it forward.

Enjoy the month, enjoy the games, enjoy the exams and prep hard to play hard, anywhere you go, anything you do! Dancing, included.

Love and action!

Myth :)

January 4th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

January 4th, 2023

My Dearest Girls in Grey,
Tonight, I had the rare privilege of watching "The Nutcracker" at The Royal Opera House, here in London, with my mentor. It was a gift, a treat - magical, dreamy and enlightening to say the least.

There isn't a known experience in the world like the stage - lofty, moving and humbling. And there is no learning like seeing. I could see just how much Ballet needs, how much it has to give and how efficiently it can express. I could see lines and length my body is yet to find, I could see curves and precision and technique I am yet to discover, I could see how much my arms and toes and chin have yet to reach for and above all, I could see the emotion every performer puts into every movement - raw, true and natural. I could see a respect for and redemption of every rhythm, I could see the thrill and joy of dancing on every face that graced that stage. Like they were born and belonged to it.

It is intimidating, a reality check. And yet, as my coach says, a necessary step to learning - knowing just how far there is to go. Hence, with every class with her, as John Neumeier put it, I "learn how to walk again".

How I wish for this experience for every little girl, every lady, every artiste who has ever aspired to unmatched artistry, elegance, grace and energy. How I wish every girl that aspires to it, witnesses, strives and eventually performs this magic.

Here is an Art form that can only be done right. This is Classical Dance - theatrical, technical and (with stars in my eyes and fear in my heart) a miracle. I can't thank her enough for hand holding me through this most unparalleled, nerve racking, backbreaking, encouraging, discouraging but always bettering journey. It gives me goosebumps, brings me to tears, makes me want to stop and strike and sulk and then, from all that stubborn hope in my very human heart, it also makes me break into a smile, believe and give it another try.

Happy New Year my little beauties. I wish you joy, success, health and movement - in mind, body and soul. With every hope that the New Year will give us a chance to be enchanted by Ballet again,

Yours always,
Myth.

January 16th, 2023

January 21st, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

January 21st, 2023

My Dearest Girls in Grey,

I was smiling ear to ear for many hours after I spoke with a beautiful pair from the Gurukul lot earlier this week. I wish it was all of you on camera but I did tell the two I chatted to to pass on fat and long hugs and loads of love.

In keeping with the tradition to keep you informed of the goings on at my end - dance, head and heart-wise. Here goes:

Junoon will be kicking off an additional Outreach Program in Pondicherry in the coming week. We begin working with Sharana, a social and developmental organization that provides shelter, relief, education and guidance to women and children who are victims of abuse or sadly, come from violent backgrounds.

I have worked with women in distress in the past but this is going to be a first for me in taking Classical Dance in a therapeutic sense to children. It is going to be key to work, in tandem, with their caretakers and guardians and create a zone of comfort so they will be able to move with me, freely and gradually.

We all know that movement is medicine. But making Classical Dance a means for release, catharsis and expression for this very unfortunately distressed, underprivileged and disturbed demographic is going to be a very new challenge for me; for us all at Junoon.

I think and know that the experience is going to teach me plenty and sensitize me further to the realities and insufficiencies in society as well as make me feel purposeful and driven to make change and help, in every small way we can, to even out the imbalances.

Outside of the shelter in the city, the women are also based in a village named Angalakuppam which borders Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. So, I will be carrying our dance therapy to where they are. I'm told they may be a little more reticent than the children but we'll see how soon we can break the ice.

I'm also preparing for a performance in an Art Gallery in Pondicherry for the Arts society there so it will be deeply rewarding to perform Bharata Natyam, in a somewhat Contemporary sense, given that I will have to work and experiment with the space. My performance is a tribute to Guru, God and the Sun and I'm looking forward to exploring those themes, in performance!

I will most definitely write to you once it has all passed to keep you up to speed and share my reflections.

I hope you are all in the best of health. And, fingers and toes crossed, I will see you in Gurukul soon!

Love,
Myth.

January 31st, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

January 31st, 2023

My Dearest Girls in Grey,

Riding to the airport from a very jubilant, copious and fortunate performing spell in and around Pondicherry. One performance snowballed into Five and Junoon began its first Outreach for Release with Sharana - a social and developmental organization that shelters, supports, educates and empowers victims of abuse. As it happens, they also come from less privilege.

I was meant to perform "The Sunlit Staircase" - an ode to Guru, God and Sun at Aurodhan - an Art Space that doubles up as an Art Gallery - once. When, after the first performance, I was asked by curators to perform the same or a similar set for varied audiences. This was also a result of the degree of responsiveness to its first showing. Sometimes, things just happen. Hence, the multiplication from one to five.

Sharana mainly runs two large operations - One, a Community Centre in the village of Angalakuppam, bordering Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu, where women and young girls who come from distressed backgrounds are encouraged through social entrepreneurship into having and making a livelihood in addition to giving them medical, mental and moral support. And Two, a Social Centre in Pondicherry itself, that caters to the needs of children from similar circumstances.

Junoon took Classical Dance to them in a therapeutic sense where we hoped movement would move them in many other ways. Both the women and young girls and children in both places were so incredibly receptive and palpably moved. We saw release and relief and most importantly joy and satisfaction all over them. To our surprise, they even picked up the initial sequences of fundamentals in Bharata Natyam most spiritedly and readily. These are typically a challenge for most but they took to it so fluidly!

As a surprise for them at the end of all sessions, I even performed for them. Watching, after all, is the easiest means to aspire or learn. Just so much can be understood by observation. I do think they were delighted to have their one and only access to the Classical Dance that is often performed in elite constructs that are inaccessible by and unavailable to them. Junoon is humbled to have begun something that has been a continued conversation with Sharana for years and therefore, in planning and preparation for a while.

It was also our first time working with children by carrying Dance Movement Therapy to them. And we are so grateful that we all came through like we did. This will be a continued association. And a constant impetus for us to actively conduct this Outreach for Release.

As far as the performances go, I was most grateful to have the opportunity to perform for young dancers, a general audience and significantly, some very evolved and influential people in the world of Art and Culture whose appreciation, valued feedback and constructive criticism gives me so much to think about and take home with me.

The high of performing is obviously counter-balanced with my own assessment of what I can do better, more efficiently and make crisper and I know and hope I will soon be re-energized and ready to go right back into Riyaaz!

Lots of love to you my lovelies,
And see you sooner now!

Myth ;)

February 7th, 2023

March 5th, 2023

March 14th, 2023

THE MARCH 22ND, 2023 SET

March 28th, 2023

April 7th, 2023

April 17th, 2023

April 25, 2023

May 1st, 2023

May 2nd, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

May 2nd, 2023

My Dearest Girls in Grey,

You must all be home and catching up with family, friends, rest and reeling from all the goodbyes at school. Summer is such a beautiful time to recalibrate what the past year has been for you. I hope you will all spend some time thinking of the year gone by fondly and thinking also of all the things you'd like to do differently when you are refreshed for the year ahead.

I wanted to share this with you all,
When my Ballet mentor (ex-choreographer at the Royal Opera House, London) looked at all the photographs of your LOVE LETTER TO NATURE and everything you have come through over the past year, this is what she wrote to me:

"Wonderful. You are doing super work. The Arts are so important. I learned when I was teaching doctors about medical leadership that lack of teaching Arts in school has effects in many ways. The consultants (senior doctors) whom I taught said that the current bright students - all with A* star marks - now often lack fine motor skills because not enough dance/drawing etc. was taught in school. But you need these to become a neurosurgeon for example, or any kind of surgeon! This requires great coordination and balance as you operate. Tell your girls. An Arts education will stand them in good stead wherever they go."

I needn't say anymore on that front! But I must thank her for all the wisdom she lends me so I may pass the same over to you.

I also have to share that I was most pleased to receive an email from Akshata yesterday. She wishes to familiarize herself with and practice Barre and incorporate it into her everyday routine (to the extent that is functional, possible and workable). I wrote back to her with suggestions. If any of you wish to follow that course, then please do get in touch with her for all the details on my email reply to her.

Besides, conducting The Junoon Arts Fellowship - which is a program to further secondary school students' inclinations in pursuing the Classical Arts in a higher education, here in Bombay, at my alma mater - The B.D. Somani International School, which is teaching me so much more about Dance-Music-Theatre and the sheer effort putting on a Broadway/Westend-styled Musical entails, every single day, I have been actively working on my own practice - something that is so crucial to the life of a performer, as we all know. My mentors are pushing me incessantly. And I am giving it my all to be able to show up to performance opportunities and other interesting projects as well as to come back better for all of you.

My own research led me to this video that we may all take influences from or even just enjoy watching!

(Mind you, I do not think the movements are clean but I appreciate the variation and innovation in choreography. We will have sharper movements, of course! One always risks compromising the cleanliness of movement when the choreography is too busy. We have to aim for a balance. That is Classical Dance.)

Practice when you can. Do your Yoga - Surya Namaskaras. Do your stretches. Read, Play, Watch, Make friends, write to me. Keep your bodies and minds healthy and happy. And have a beautiful, blissful, gorgeous Summer!

Sending you loads of love,

Myth

May 2nd, 2023

May 9th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

May 9th, 2023

Hello Girls,

Greetings from a very sultry, chaotic and yet, comforting Bombay. I say "comforting" because, this is the one long phase I have been able to give to continuous, conscientious (never mind backbreaking) and some very detailed personal training in my Art form.

It is difficult, to find a spell in my current life, where I can focus simply on getting better and my own practice and performance life, but the reality of being stationed in one place - geographically - allows that luxury; focus and impetus.

This has, in no way, been less tiresome. The Fellowship with secondary students here in Bombay takes a lot out of one. These students are really aiming to put on a never-before-seen spectacle and the work is testing and true.

Last week, I had the rare honour of filming with the Sky News Network. Their Middle East extension is creating a documentary on the beauty, progress and prospects of post-colonial India and I was happy to showcase our Art and Culture through shots of Classical Dance set to patriotic songs that are reflective of the beat of the nation. I've attached some glimpses for you to check out.

Filming is a unique experience. And I was shocked to learn how specific it can get. From running tests on locations to knowing the exact space dimensions one's choroegraphy has to fit to the time of day one shoots (if shooting outdoors - which we were) to also curating your artistic display exactly to the needs of the storyline, I could swear my world view on how dance can be showcased is definitely more opened up!

What has also been incredible is the interactions on set and off. The crew was a mix of people from Abu Dhabi, Morocco, Russia, Syria, Delhi and Bombay. And it was simply exciting to have a cultural exchange of this sort.

I am preparing for a performance next week and continue to chase the children to do their best on the Fellowship and am trying to keep my body in ship shape for it all (a very tall task given the weather, given the expectation of my mentors and given, perhaps, the expectations I have of myself).

And amid all of this, of course I miss you all. Those of you practicing, I'm proud of you. Those of you thinking of practicing, I know you will get there eventually. Those of you simply chilling and taking the holidays in, trust me, that's also fine!

Here is a link to The Royal Opera House's Rehearsals for the most loved Ballet production ever: Swan Lake. I've been rehearsing moves and routines from Swan Lake myself, hence obsessed with the process of it coming into being. Watch it when you can:

Lots of Love and Stay Cool (despite the temperature outside),
Myth :)

May 9th, 2023

May 17th, 2023

THE MAY 18th, 2023 SET

May 19th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

May 19th, 2023

Hello soon and again my Girls,

I thought I would write to you all a tad descriptively of my performance last evening.

It was overwhelmingly emotional and surprising how all the emotion surged out of me when it was all over.

The rehearsals were such a joy; so many laughs. I was performing in the very space that The Junoon Arts Fellowship is being conducted in and I was performing at a school premise that has been the beginning of my Artistic journey altogether. So, home turf, in a sense, yes! But also, memories, expectations, sentiments galore!

My Opening Act which opened the Tedx at BDSIS show - the theme of which was Youth, Zeitgeist "The Spirit of Our Times" was supported by (or rather I was the supporting artiste to) two wonderfully talented, young cellists.

My second act after the interval was a solo set to the very poignant song (rendered by the piano), "You Raise Me Up". This song historically brings everyone to tears because we all have moments in life where we feel we need to be raised up and we think of the divine souls and support systems that do so for us.

It was right after this performance that all the tears came rushing out of me, of people in the audience, of everyone who has been part of building the ethos of our school, recognizing the sheer effort it has taken us all to get to this juncture in life.

Our erstwhile Dean, Mr. Gardner, who retired a few years ago, was so fondly remembered, because this was his vision for school all along - a meeting place for artists, intellectuals, thinkers and feelers. It is only because he prioritized the Arts that we are all who we are and were brave enough to make some tough choices.

As far as the performance goes, I did my very best and heard some very nice things. I feel most satisfied to have done my mentors proud. I am a product of their efforts and guidance and every performance is an ode to them first.

My favourite reactions, however, were hearing things like, "We can watch you forever..." and "Your performance showed the years and years of rigour you have put into this..."

I think it is evenings and experiences like these that bring you home to yourself. It did that for me. And may be that's why the tears came, for long after, for a lot of us. It was life coming full circle. Being able to do this where I began.

Anyhow, onwards and hopefully, upwards. I only know how hard I want to continue working to give every day my best shot. But to also know that my body has come through a lot and to give it care, time, rest and attention so it may continue to be resilient.

Sending you some glimpses, of course.

I now get into technical and refinement rehearsals with The Junoon Fellowship students who will be showcasing their production next week. And like you all did, I hope they show up to the challenge before them.

Love to you all and thank you dearly, from the bottom of my heart for all your words of encouragement. They mean the world.

Myth :)

May 27th, 2023

May 29th, 2023

June 13th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

June 13th, 2023

My Dearest Girls in Grey,

I am writing to you from a very stormy Dhasa. Our village falls in the direct line of the trail the cyclone is currently taking. It is expected to travel onwards to Kutch and Karachi. Nevertheless, the impact is one we have been and will be feeling the rest of the week.

Conducting an Outreach stint in extreme weather isn't alien to us. However, this time round, the whimsicality of the weather is turning out to be a whole new challenge altogether.

We have barely had any electricity and therefore, connectivity. The fierce winds have caused electricity poles to collapse, which the village folk themselves are coming together to fix and rewire.

Junoon perseveres despite such conditions. The girls have been walking to and attending class, rain, sun, shine, winds or storm. Although we have restricted Outdoor activities (to ensure safety since we are on a high alert), we have been working with the girls indoors and they are showing up strong to all their dance prep and practice.

We have plenty of new girls auditioning, since it is the start of their academic year after the rough Indian Summer. So, it is exciting and encouraging to add to our existing talent pool.

Although, we considered it, our Outreach couldn't be postponed until the cyclone had passed. And sometimes, Art simply helps us find the strength in those seemingly impossible moments. We are making the most of it and we are finding ways to cope. In the absence of music (because of low or no power), we are working with beat cycles and verbal instructions. Some of our girls are even singing to help the situation! On the brighter side, it is such a delight to widen the scope of their skills!

We don't know what the week ahead will bring, but the girls are so strong and so persistent, that it gives us hope! We are learning to dance in the storm, we are learning new dance movement, genres, technique and getting better at the things we have come to know as Classical Dancers, over time.

I believe you resume school soon. Go into it with all the positivity and purpose you can. A new school year is so full of possibility!

We will be dancing together soon, if the Gods smile!

Sending you love, strength and loads of Junoon to go get it all, no matter what!

Myth :)

June 13th, 2023

June 15th, 2023

June 19th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

June 19th, 2023

My Dearest Girls in Grey,

I received a rather heartwarming response from Akshata to my previous letter. I have to concede, especially after the life-changing week that I have had in the village and around, that it is my girls (you and every one of the others) and their Junoon that has kept mine strong and growing ever since we began.

Dhasa was dramatic in its weather fluctuations, in the resolve of our girls depsite the nasty weather and in my understanding of the people of rural India. I think the word "resilience" may have been created for them; for people like these, in situations like these.

We were in the eye of the storm. With cyclonic winds blowing around us, dynamic weather patterns (to the extent that the weather was turning on us every twenty minutes) and we pulled through a week in training that may forever be described as our toughest Outreach stint. We have run in the wind, with the wind (thank heavens, we weren't blown away by it 😜), at times under rainbows and in others under a merciless sun. We have shivered in the night and everytime the weather got moist and lied awake trying to make sense of breeze and cyclonic gusts of air just to hope and pray, it passes and passes soon.

A natural disaster is hard enough. However, navigating a natural disaster in a remote village in Western India which happens to be the region of impact of this natural disaster is a whole different learning curve.

I have seen electric poles collapse like dominoes and the village folk themselves come together to fix the cables. I have seen the women, men and children of Dhasa go about every activity - farming, housekeeping, cooking, cleaning, odd jobs, real jobs - with low or no connectivity and electricity. And I have seen, above all, our girls train like nothing else matters!

It took me over 14 hours to make it home (exactly triple the time it usually does) at the end of the week. But never for one second did it cross my mind that "I don't want to do this ever again." In fact, my experience with our tough, unrelenting bunch of girls this time has deepened my resolve to only make the experience on Junoon go many notches higher.

Needless to say, I wish the same for you.

As I write this to you, I am at the gate from which I shall board my flight to London. I have a fresh training opportunity in addition to existing ones and I am keen to see where that will lead. Remaining in training and constantly upgrading is such an essential aspect of an artiste's journey and I hope to keep with it, so that I can keep giving my girls better.

At this point, I have no clarity on the exact date that I begin with you, but I thought these letters are a brilliant means to keep your minds engaged, keep us connected and constantly striving on The Junoon Gurukul, no matter where we are.

I'm looking forward to sharing my recovery, training and artistic experience in London over (their) Summertime, with you. Meanwhile, here's some "food" for thought for you:

You will remember that we had focused on Nutrition and its indispensability to a Dancer in one set of our sessions. I recently found an image/a quote that spoke to me so loud that I wanted to shout it out to you all. It reads, "Eating well is a form of self-respect".

I cannot emphasize this more. For those of us practicing such a heavily physical Art form - Classical Dance - food matters abundantly. (Frankly, even if we don't.) We have to feed our bodies and feed them well. As growing girls, the biggest service you will ever do to yourselves and your well being is feeding yourselves right. It sets you up for the rest of your life and will keep your energies up, help you make the right choices, make you foundationally strong and engender a very different respect for the human body within you.

Food is so crucial to mental and physical health. Give yourselves the gift of nutrition and hydration and you will be surprised by what your body will become capable of.

Think about the quote. May be you will have more to add. May be you will have questions. Share them here, copy us all on your response and we will discuss it like we always do.

Stay healthy my girls, stay happy and dance together, dance by yourself, dance until we meet again,

Just keep moving in body and mind,

Love,

Myth :)

June 19th, 2023

June 20th, 2023

June 27th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

June 27th, 2023

Hello Girls,

How is school, life, Dance?

It's a beautiful time of year to be in London. Training in the Summer is a treat because you get to enjoy the outdoors just as much as the studios. And I have been moving under the Sun as best as I can.

I began training at the places and with the people I usually do save for this one new opportunity that seems to have added to the fairytale. I'm at The Ballet School, London (TBS) to work with and alongside 1.5 to 18 year-olds (Yes, that's 18 months to 18 years) on Ballet technique and my own refinement.

It's like Disneyland in there - such an enchanting ambience enveloping little babies with their frilly tu-tu's and leotards on, beginning to learn the wonderful Art form of Ballet, through storytelling and drama.

The children, across ages, are simply enthralled by the immensity, history and tradition of Classical Ballet.

I'm sending you a picture of the charming, imposing, ancient structure that is the Centre. It is noteworthy how painstakingly this part of the world preserves and continues to put to use their architectural marvels.

How can one not be inspired to dance in such a marvellous setting?!

Ms. Sophie, my mentor, is a magical lady and she has begun to make me feel and believe, everytime I dance, that I must transport anyone watching into a different, dreamy realm altogether (myself, just as well!).

Having entered a fresh spell of training, I put down my thoughts in a piece yesterday that I want to share with you all. It describes moments of discouragement and then encourages us to keep going anyway:

SNAKES AND LADDERS

The more I Dance, the more I begin to realize how much I can’t.
Every session brings a recognition of my vulnerabilities, deficiencies and incapacities. Yet.
The beauty is that there is always another session not far behind to jump right into and refine.

Classical Dance could be nature’s most physical game of ‘Snakes and Ladders’.
We think we’re climbing up the ladder of movement, through movement,
Only to constantly and mercilessly be forced to slip and snake our way back down,
Because we aren’t good enough. Not just yet.

You learn something new – a fresh routine, an unimagined variation.
It makes your head spin, while you simultaneously spin.
It’s too fast – the music, the magnitude of movement expected to keep with that music.
There’s a time to hold and a time to flow that you haven’t quite figured out. Yet.

And so, you find yourself excited and haunted at the same time.
High and low. High and low.
And then, your love of the Art form oscillates just as well.
Climbing determinedly, exponentially up the ladder one minute.
And when you’ve failed to keep time, music, technique and balance,
Slithering dejectedly down a slippery slope.

Well, you still have to keep rolling that dice.
Hoping that your body will get the combination right.
That the choreography will sit in your dreams, in your mind and finally, find utterance through your body.
There are Snakes waiting on every higher plane.
But then, so are Ladders.

Whatever it is that you're doing at the start of your new academic year, be sure to keep dancing. Your magic awaits you in every movement.

May you continue to climb those "Ladders..."

Love and Stardust,

Myth 💫

June 27th, 2023

July 05th, 2023

July 06th, 2023

July 14th, 2023

July 16th, 2023

July 28th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

July 28th, 2023

Hello Girls,

Feels so good to have finally met you all! You look so fresh and ready for the year ahead!

I could feel nothing but gratitude and excitement for all that we have and all that we will build in and around THE JUNOON GURUKUL going forward.

Akshata has already summarized and documented the immediate discussion we had upon meeting and I'm glad we all have some structure to work with. Thank you Akshata! I'm sure our heads will be brimming with ideas over the next few days and we will eagerly explore these once we are together again.

It has become increasingly important for me to communicate and make those of us that are willing to know aware of the challenges and sheer grit that pursuing the Arts involves. I want us to constantly tell ourselves that it is a pain we have chosen to embrace because it makes us better and helps uncover some of the greater gifts this world holds and at times, hides. We have to really strive to discover them. But when we do, we have a new appreciation of the world and our place in it.

Art is a doorway to a higher humanity. Classical Dance is the doorway to a greater respect for our bodies and what they can do when they are well trained, well nourished, challenged, given freedom and space and allowed to feel.

I feel deeply for our Gurukul. I feel it can create wonders and put something magical out there that can and will touch people's hearts because these creations come from a place of purity, conscientiousness and commitment.

We will be creating, feeling and working like never before...

When Khushi gave me that Origami Bird before we began our orientation/session, I could think of nothing but how Junoon gives us wings to fly, with our Dance, with our Art. And this flight of freedom is something I want each one of us to feel when we come together and do our best. Wings sprout from hard work and determination. And they can make us scale heights we have only ever dreamed or even been unaware of.

May be we can challenge Khushi to create some dance figurines with Origami! What say?! Go for it, Khushi!

As we enter into a new year, a new journey, with the friends you have danced with this past year and the new additions to our Arts program, I urge you to dream more, to think more, to dance more, to do more...it is only then that we will ALL, be more...

Enjoy the heartfelt social media shares I'm sending you. Those of you I didn't see were sorely missed but I'm keeping every hope that I will see you soon!

Love always,

Myth

August 07th, 2023

August 09th, 2023

August 17th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

August 17th, 2023

Hello Girls in Grey,

I hope you're all set to go because Gurukul sessions kick off this Saturday! I will be at Avasara, conducting auditions first thing in the morning following which we get right into Level 1 - Advanced classes. I hope you will all try and be present from beginning to end. Some of the little ones auditioning might feel more supported with you all around.

Expect to dive right into plans and our collective vision for "Tapasya". I'm eager to hear your thoughts, mind maps, doubts (if any or many) and expectations of yourselves as we aim to stage this mega production over the course of this year.

Expect also to get physically and verbally into the "Language of Gestures" which is the vocabulary of Indian Classical Dance illustrated by the body. I am taking you back in time, exactly how I learnt these gestures from my Guru. It is going to be fun to see how much better, faster and more insightful you are likely to be than I was all those years ago. Hahaha!

Please practice all the warm-up and body conditioning drills known to you in the lead upto Saturday. As you all know, it will be far easier working with carefully and well tuned in bodies than otherwise.

I have just come through a manic week in the village with your sisters there. They attended a Sports Camp conducted by visiting Coaches from Bombay which involved being on a consolidated training regime in every known Track and Field and Endurance Running event - a variety of Runs, Jumps, Throws coupled with Co-ordination, Control, Core, Strength, Conditioning and Stamina Drills.

In a shocker of a moment during time trials, one of our Junoon babies, Kaajal, outran the fastest boy (also one of the participants out of all the children attending the Camp from in around Dhasa).

The Coaches have seen so much promise. We just need the girls to focus and stay on course!

Additionally, besides their regular practice and preparation on our Rural Outreach sessions for Classical Dance, Athletics, Team Games, etc., they even rehearsed and performed a Dance and Music Recital for a massive audience from in and around the village in celebration of the 76th Indian Independence Day.

It was in no way easy to pull through a time as physical as this one. The girls also participated in a Contemporary Dance and Freestyle movement session for the very first time. We watched Football - the Women's World Cup nearing its finale - and artistic scenes and productions to familiarize ourselves more with the processes and playing out of both the realms they so enthusiastically inhabit - Sports and The Arts.

वतन - Their performance was utterly moving especially because of their clarity of movement, co-ordination, grace, smiles, energy and the choice of music (pieces they sang as well!) they complemented so beautifully with choreography. We have never witnessed so many people tear up and swell with pride, all at once. May be it also had something to do with them dancing an ode to their nation, their वतन। It always brings out both emotion and strength from within (not two separate things, one could argue).

Something shifts in the village and inside us, with every visit. More girls want to be a part of Junoon. More gifted children come to the fore. More structure emerges as to how we can better train, inspire and support these little-large glimmers of talent, hope and potential.

My emotions are as high as my confusion at how I can be better for my girls everywhere - what can I keep doing to give them more, give them better, constantly give them the best of all I can be - as artiste, athlete and human being?

The answers always come when you are before me. I know they do...

Love and see you Saturday,

Myth :)

August 25th, 2023

August 26th, 2023

August 27th, 2023

Septemebr 01st, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

September 01st, 2023

My Dearest Girls in Grey,

This letter is specifically addressed to the Level 1 - Advanced batch.

My heartfelt apologies for not being able to be amidst you despite scheduled sessions this weekend. It has weighed me down to think I can't be with you because of road construction and repair on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The temporary shutdown of the road (which is the route I take to reach you), no alternative route and the possibility of me being stranded mid-highway and not making it in time to you anyway made us make a collective call to postpone our in-person session. I'm sorry again. I guess the Universe has its reasons and we follow along and discover new possibilities.

On the bright side, I'm happy they're doing what they need to in order to fix the road and make it a better and safer driving experience for us all.
I also see this as an opportunity for us to work together, even from afar, as though we were in session anyway.

As I let you anticipate what I'd be bringing into session this time round, in an earlier letter,

Here is the link to an understanding of Raga Yaman. Very simply, melodiously and sweetly told by a musician who has taught me much, literally via her YouTube channel:

Please watch this and then, hear Raga Yaman raw at this link and let me know how you feel. What emotions does this elicit from you?

This legend, Ustad Rashid Khan, takes a while to warm up but as he gets into the Raga, it will touch your soul.

The Samyukta Hastas (Double-Hand Gestures) - I would like to take you through when I am with you. Meanwhile, I hope you will keep with your practice of Yoga and Stretches, the Bharata Natyam Namaskara, Beginner Adavu steps and Ballet Barre work. You could also begin to use the Barre to strengthen your Ayatam and Tatta Adavu in Bharata Natyam.
Please please please send me pictures and videos (the videos do not download easily but send them anyway). I love to see you girls in action.

Which brings me to the meat of our session this time - TAPASYA.
I want you to watch the entire series on this Playlist.
It deals with the subject of creation - everything that has ever been created in the Universe. And involves the TAPASYA of Parvati in enabling this creation.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE7cQxhg5ITOJGG2KiWszneZ0eDi8oe2u

Where can you draw parallels between this and your practice?
Can we come up with a reflective piece that combines your understanding of TAPASYA, your commitment to your dance and Goddess Parvati's TAPASYA, oath and significance to the Universe?
This will certainly help structure our eventual showcase.

Let's make this happen Girls.
I can't wait to read and share your reflections.

I will call later tonight and we can discuss this all further. If you have some notes ready or replies to this letter, that will only help!

Love and forced to be afar,

Myth :(

Septemebr 02nd, 2023

september 02nd, 2023

September 03rd, 2023

September 12th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

September 12th, 2023

Dearest Girls in Grey,

Once again, this letter is addressed specifically to the Advanced batch as also Ms. Kritika, Ms. Mandeep, Ms. Dimple and Mr. Puneet (whom I am yet to meet in person but I extend my wishes and welcome to) so as to keep them all in the loop of our exchanges and the tasks assigned to you.

I trust you have had a chance to recharge after what seemed like an exhausting weekend. Once again, I want to let everyone and especially the Girls know that your decision to be a part of The Junoon Gurukul will invite phases where you will feel overwhelmed and tired. My sincere advice to you is to pull through these as gracefully as you can. What we are doing here, on a parallel Arts curriculum, is by no means or measure easy but it is worth it - as we have all come to see over the past year.

1. I want to see a bit more resolve and initiative amongst the Advanced batch. Nobody should be chasing you to complete tasks that are assigned to you to ensure continuity and practice - physically and mentally. If we have a presentation to make in the near future, you will have to take the lead and ensure you are ideating to better structure your practice and performance and physically staying in shape with the routines taught to you.

2. Forgive me for reasserting myself in furtherance to our call on Sunday evening, but I will absolutely NOT be accepting excuses in any form or format of tasks "not being understood or misunderstood". We have clear discussions of the roles you must play and the assignments you must complete when we are together in person, with adequate time denoted to discussion and clarification. Clear communication has been the essence of Gurukul and we cannot have it any other way - even when you are lazy, tired, bored or plain brain dead. I have been a student and practitioner of the Arts, Academia, Sport simultaneously not very long ago (and still am!) and I have tried every trick in the trade to get away from work/practice (so been there, done that!). It has only cost me and I have always ended up in a pressure cooker eventually. I respect and recognize the sheer volume of things that require your attention and focus at school and outside, however, over time, we have built a strong culture of honesty, commitment, leadership and getting the job done despite it all. And I hope we will keep with that. It is a challenge we have accepted and a challenge we must rise to.

3. With reference to the summary email, accounting for the work done and the work to be done, that I sent across right when we concluded our session this past weekend, where are you at with Segment Three of TAPASYA? Has it been drafted? Have you finalized the structure after discussion? Where is the flow of events that you would like in your showcase, as Hema had mentioned? Does it incorporate the suggestions of Akshata, Khushi and Yogini and any others who have developed a point of view in the last two days?

4. Have you had a chance to look intently at the Barrework video to understand the basic framework of a typical beginning at the Barre - involving Plie, Tendu, Glissade, Jete, Grand Battement and Stretch? We have to get more familiar with Barre to move into Centre work.

5. Have you looked through the publication: SA and found any inspiration and relevant parts to your journey; your TAPASYA? Have we been able to track down the other publication, MARG? Perhaps, Ms. Kritika can help you here.

6. As we have discussed in session, every single Hand gesture in Indian Classical Dance has a meaning and multiple uses. Keeping in line with this thought, I am attaching a screenshot from one of my practice sessions yesterday. It is one for you to keep and think about.

7. I hope photographs of your physical practice will reach me this week. Please get help from Ms. Mandeep or Ms. Dimple to photograph you as you practice.

8. So far, we are somewhat settled with what the Indian Classical bits of our showcase will show and tell. Do we have any ideas for what the Classical Ballet story and division of TAPASYA is likely to be? I am thinking and researching and you please do so too.

As always, sending you love, even if it's a bit tough this time round.

And thank you to everyone reading and enabling the above.

Myth :)

September 12th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

September 12th, 2023

Hello Ms. Mythili,
I apologize for the previous mail. I thought the image would be enough because we discussed the structure in the classroom previously. I hope you are having a relaxing time. We would be more responsible and accountable.

Here is a detailed version of the structure that I think we could follow keeping the idea of Tapasya in mind.

1. The introduction to the performance - give an overview of our performance and talk about what is Tapasya by term. Leave the audience with a statement to think about while they are watching the performance. The raw story of Sati (we will choose a small segment that resonates with Tapasya)
2. We would perform the segment we chose from the introduction- this way we get a chance to dance to a story that is in the form of literature. We become Parvatis here so we can show the audience a story clip. 3. Talk about our Tapasya connecting to dance- dance is our Tapasya that we dig deep and connect with our hearts. (Building the connection between tapasya and dance here)
4. We will now perform a piece presenting our dedication and passion for the art- showcasing our learning from all the classes till now. The person indulging themselves in art learns plenty of skills and gains power from the art. We have to show this power and strength we gained. (The song that we listened to in the session previously reminded me of the power that can be shown in this dance segment)
5. Towards the end the talking and dancing would happen at the same time- we divide ourselves into two groups- one as Parvatis and the other as tapaswinis. We end with the last impactful phrases. 'I am Shiva and Shiva is Me' + 'I am Art and Art is Me'.! This will be the beautiful ending of our performance.

Please let me know your thoughts and clarifications or any questions that help me think more. I hope the structure is doable and sticks to our theme.

Again I apologise for the delayed mail. I would make sure that this would not happen again. Thank you.

Warm Regards,
Hemadevika
Junoon.

September 12th, 2023

September 19th, 2023

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL

September 19th, 2023

My Dearest Girls,

Writing to you bright and early at the start of Ganeshotsav to wish you a happy, blessed time in the days and festivities ahead. This is the very first letter addressed to the Beginners' batch and I am so thrilled and thankful to welcome the Beginners to these letter exchanges as Alisha, Jiya, Shilpa and Ruchi take the lead in relaying all this correspondence to their fellow Gurukul sisters. Thank you indeed Girls!

(It would be great if you can manage to bring the entire batch together and read the letters aloud so that everyone hears it all, collectively and at the same time.)

Last night, before the Ganeshotsav kicked off in Bombay, I had the privilege to perform before a magnificent idol of Lord Ganesha at a popular pandal in the city. Classical Dance has been a form of worship (as you all know from our discussion on Devadasis in session this past weekend) forever and for me, Dance is my prayer, an offering I make to the Universe, to divinity and to my dearest girls on Junoon so that we may pass on the love, beauty and power of this Art form to as many as we can.

I am sending you some pictures and will upload a video of the performance as well to a Google Drive link that we can all begin to access for practice and reference.

It truly was surreal but also very rewarding to perform in a divine setting before the Lord himself. I think these are the moments we live for, as Dancers, as artists. It is also a chance for you to see how and where Art and Festivity meet. It is a space where culture thrives and an added opportunity for artists to create and share so that more people become aware of Art and are encouraged to pursue it. Dance is an offering, a celebration; a spiritual experience and one through which we earnestly connect with society.

Moving on to Gurukul things.

1. Our exchanges on Raga and Rasa made me come away with quite a few questions of my own. So, I did some more reading and asking and listening and came up with a written piece that hopefully, encompasses our learning of the concept of Raga, Tala, Rasa and other aspects and effects of Classical Music. (The images of this written piece are attached here.) I was introduced to a lovely set of Ragas at the link below. You too can listen in when you need to hear something beautiful and meditative.

You will notice how the Sitar and Tabla - Raga and Rhythm - come together to create soulful music.

2. For the Advanced batch, it will be interesting to know that the Sivamanaspooja (the track for your TAPASYA showcase) is a combination of Raga Hamsadhwani and Raga Bilawal. I am yet to delve into both these Ragas. May be you can do so too for a better understanding and connect with your music piece.

Our other selection for TAPASYA, as you all know, is titled "Raga Khamaaj" so that explains it! Here is the link to it:

3. I hope you will all continue to practice and research the areas that are of interest to you. Find your curiosity, your motivations, your love of the Art and write to me about anything you find. For the Beginners, if those of you that don't have emails have something to say to me in response to this letter, perhaps a consolidated letter of all replies can be prepared and sent to me by one of the four that do.

4. The link to our Google Drive folder called, "THE JUNOON GURUKUL", is below:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CRvlORAnXt2bbjRLRntUqKfxzmrcexAW

5. Send me pictures and videos of your practice, please!

Stay smiling, stay dancing, stay thinking and I will write to you all when I have more.

Love always,
Myth ❤️

September 19th, 2023

September 21st, 2023

SOUND BITES from
THE JUNOON GURUKUL

These are some valuable exchanges when we're in session, worth saving and sharing!

THE JUNOON GURUKUL

THE JUNOON GURUKULat AVASARA

VISION

PROGRAM CONTENT

TECHNIQUE

THEORY

FITNESS

HOW THIS ADDS TO THEAVASARA EXPERIENCE

DEEP WITHIN THE GURUKUL

A feature from The SHOUT! Network

LETTER EXCHANGES within THE JUNOON GURUKUL