Anjana: Mother of Hanuman
An insight from the concept of Anjaneyam: Hanuman’s Ramayana Hanuman was born to the humanoid creatures called the vanaras. His mother Anjana was an Apsara named Puñjikastalā, who was born on earth as a vanara princess due to a curse from sage Durvasa, and she married Kesari, a vanara chief. She was redeemed from this curse on her giving birth to a son. The Valmiki Ramayana states that his father Kesari was the son of Brihaspati and that Kesari also fought on Rama’s side in the war against Ravana. Anjana and Kesari performed intense prayers to Shiva to get a child. Pleased with their devotion, Shiva granted them the boon they sought. Hanuman, in another interpretation, is the incarnation or reflection of Shiva himself. Hanuman is often called the son of the deity Vayu; several different legends account for the Vayu’s role in Hanuman’s birth. One story mentioned in Eknath’s Bhavartha Ramayana (16th century CE) states that when Anjana was worshiping Shiva, the King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was also performing the ritual of Putrakama yagna in order to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding (payasam) to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. King Dasaratha gave the pudding to Kausalya and Kaikeyi. However as Dasaratha was about to hand over the pudding to Queen Sumithra, a bird snatched the payasam and flew away from there. Both Kausalya and Kaikeyi immediately gave a portion of their own pudding to Queen Sumithra, because of which Queen Sumithra gave birth to twins – Lakshmana and Shatrugana. Queen Kausalya gave birth to Ram, the hero of Ramayana and Queen Kaikeyi gave birth to Bharat. The bird which stole the payasam also has a story. The bird was actually an Apsara – Suvarchala. Suvarchala was very impulsive and often acted without thinking. Once because of her impulsive behaviour, Lord Brahma got very angry with her and cursed her that she would become a bird. Suvarchala promised Lord Brahma that she had repented her ways. Lord Brahma said that his words could not be taken back and that Suvarchala would have to go to earth and stay as a bird. Lord Brahma however modified the curse and said that Suvarchala was to be freed from her curse if she touched the pudding given by Lord Agni to Dasaratha. Eager to have her curse lifted, Suvarchala snatched the pudding from Queen Sumitra. Immediately she changed form and became an apsara. The payasam fell from the bird’s claws and was falling to the ground when Vayu, the Wind God following the orders of Lord Shiva, blew the pudding softly without spilling it to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as a result and was named “Anjaneyan, the son of Anjana. Birthplace of HanumanThere are multiple places in India are claimed as the birthplace of Hanuman 1) According to one theory, Hanuman was born on Anjaneya Hill, in Hampi, Karnataka.This is located near the Risyamukha mountain on the banks of the Pampa, where Monkey King Sugreeva and Lord Rama are said to have met in Ramayana Legend. 2) Anjan, a small village about 18 km away from Gumla, Bihar , houses ANJAN DHAM , which is said to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. The name of the village is derived from the name of the goddess Maa Anjani, the mother of Hanuman. Aanjani Cave, 4 km from the village, is believed to be the place where Mata Aanjani once lived. Many objects and items of archaeological importance obtained from this site are now held at the Patna Museum. 3) The Anjaneri (or Anjneri) mountain, located 8 km from Trimbakeshwar in the Nasik district, is also claimed as the birthplace of Hanuman. One has to trek around 6 kms up from the base of the trek to reach the birth place. 4) A cave in a hill near Gokarna, one of the oldest temple towns of India, is also said to be the birthplace of Hanuman. This cave has had a Hanuman temple for a long time. Gokarna, situated in west coast of Karnataka, is known for Atma Linga of Shiva, installed by Ganapathi to save it from the hands of Ravana long before Ramayana days.
Anjaneyam: Hanuman’s Ramayana
Synopsis For centuries, the ancient Indian epic The Ramayana has captured the imagination of Asia with its universal themes of righteousness, love, loyalty and frailty. One of the most beloved characters in the story is the monkey god Hanuman, who plays a crucial role in Prince Rama’s quest to rescue his wife, Sita, from the 10-headed demon king Ravana. Follow the life and adventures of Hanuman, from the time of his birth, to his meeting with the exiled Prince Rama, and to the heroic battle against Ravana and his forces. Watch the story unfold through dance and music, and bear witness to the birth of The Ramayanawhen Hanuman encounters its author Maharishi Valmiki. Conceptualised by Apsaras Arts, this cross-cultural production puts together a creative team from around Asia including Era Dance Theatre (Singapore), Kalakshetra Repertory Theatre (India) and Bimo Dance Theatre (Indonesia). It features an arresting juxtaposition of Indian and Southeast Asian depictions of the epic, told through bharatanatyam and Javanese dance and set to a stirring, original score. Creative Team Concept, Script and Artistic Direction: Aravinth Kumarasamy Research: Dr Sudha Sheshyan, Dr Pappuvenugopla Rao, Dr Charu Madhavan Music Composition: Dr Rajkumar Bharathi Music Co-Direction and Sound Design: Sai SharavanamChoreography: Mohanapriyan Thavarajah, Jayanthi Subramaniam, Hari Padman and Osman Abdul HamidDramaturge: Lim How Ngean Costume Design:Mohanapriyan Thavarajah Lighting Design & Projection Mapping Design Concept: Gyan Dev Singh Projection Mapping and Animation:Knownsense Studios Rehearsal Master: Renjith Babu Gallery Reviews Anjaneyam: Hanuman’s Ramayana brought to life once more. Cultural ties that bind India and South East Asia at PBD 2018 (Read more) – Connected to India, Garima Kapil “I laud the efforts of the whole team, in producing a show, given a limited time frame, without a dull moment, and with enough showmanship to keep the audience engaged for three hours – ” (Read more) – Narthaki, Lakshmi Vishvanathan “Carrying forward the narrative, flashback was used, and imaginative use of chorus, a la Greek theatre, reflecting what the main character is thinking. Such a large scale production deserves to be seen in other cities, where Ramayana is known to everyone and its performances are a living tradition” (Read more) – Narthaki, Padmashri Dr. Sunil Kotari “Apsaras Arts ‘Anjaneyam – Hanuman’s Ramayana’ staged at Singapore recently stood out for its cross-cultural appeal” (Read more) – The Hindu Padmashree, Dr.Sunil Kotari “It was heartwarming to see the impact of Anjaneyam on the excited crowd, their eyes completely locked on the action unfolding before them. Anjaneyam is completely deserving of the standing ovation it received at the end of the performance, a testament to the incredible talent we witnessed tonight from Singapore, India and Indonesia. This is precisely what a cross-cultural event at the Esplanade should feel like; a melting-pot of cultures and abilities coming together to produce an epic show that will live on deep in our hearts and minds, one we won’t be forgetting anytime soon.” (Read more) – Backchormeeboy “Mega dance-drama Anjaneyam — Hanuman’s Ramayana stood out with stunning visuals, exquisite dancing and excellent story-telling” (Read more) – Tabla Singapore, Padmashree Dr.Sunil Kotari Tour Performance Book the Show Anjaneyam is available for tours. Please contact apsaras.arts@gmail.com / kumarasamy.aravinth@gmail.com for more information
European Tour
Mohanapriyan Thavarajah from Apsaras Arts will be on an European tour during September 2017 performing a collection of thematic solo Bharatanatyam performances, including “Dances of Divinity”, “Tamizh Bharatha Maalai” and “Tandav”. Mohanapriyan will be conducting a workshop for Milapfest on Saturday 22nd at Liverpool.Please find the following details of the shows and ticket details. Paris Centre Mandapa Saturday 16/09/17 at 8pm For tickets: www.weezevent.com/dances-of-divinity-mohanapriyan-tavarajah Netherlands Scagon Theatre Sunday 17/09/17 at 3pm For tickets: www.scagontheater.nl London Nehru Centre Wednesday 20/09/17 at 6.30pm For tickets: www.nehrucentre.org.uk/events/details/article/shiva-tandava-h3bharatanatyam-h3-h3mohanapriyan-thavarajahh3.html
Navarathri
Following the tradition being followed in the past many decades, dancers from the Apsaras Arts Dance Company and dance students from Apsaras Arts Academy will be performing for the annual Navarathri celebrations across Singapore. Please see details below Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple 555 Serangoon Rd, Singapore 218174 on Friday 22nd September, 2017, 8:50 pm Sri Mariamman Temple 244 South Bridge Rd, Singapore 058793 on Sunday 24th September, 2017, 8:50pm Sri Thendayuthapani Temple 15 Tank Rd, Singapore 238065 on Wednesday 27th September 2017, 9:00pm Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple 19 Ceylon Rd, Singapore 429613 on Friday 29th September 2017, 7:30pm
Vijayadasami
On Vijayadasami day which falls on the tenth day of Navarathri, it is a tradition to pay respects to your Gurus and to partake in the Vidhyarambam observation where very young children and anyone who wants to pick up a new art from are initiated in to the learning. Please find the following details on the Vijayadasami celebrations at Apsaras Arts. Saturday 30th September 2017, at Apsaras Arts studios, Block D #01-24, Goodman Arts Centre, 90 Goodman Road, Singapore 439053 7:30am to 9:00am: Homam and Pooja 10:00am to 12:00pm :Initiation to new classes
Apsaras Arts at UTSAV
Apsaras Arts Academy students at UTSAV 2017 Street Parade, heralding in the Deepavali festivities with cultural performances by local and international artistes. The performance by Apsaras Arts Academy students was themed as “Apsaras in the Gardens” and featured Kathak and Bharatanatyam genres of Indian classical dance. Dance students as young as 4 years were part of the 45 member strong team from Apsaras Arts Academy.