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SOUNDS LIKE CHANGE: OVER A THOUSAND DEDICATE THEIR VOICES TO A NEW ERA

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — On the eve of Obama’s inauguration, anyone passing the Church of the Holy City, blocks from the White House, may have been confused at what they saw: an altar filled with Kirtan performers and dancers, a giant winged angel playing a sitar in the pulpit, and hundreds of self-described “conscious revolutionaries and sacred activists” singing and dancing. “Think praise band meets dance club/mosh pit in a church,” writes Melissa Garvey of Yoga Journal.

For more than five hours, the sell-out crowd of 400 clamored at the Inaugural Chant4Change Kirtan Festival. Over 800 more tuned into a webcast of the event. Internationally renowned yoga instructor Shiva Rea led an invocation and introduced Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer, Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits, Daphne Tse, Saul David Raye and a surprise performance by Grammy-nominated artist Toni Childs, whose soaring rendition of ‘America the Beautiful’ closed the evening. “I haven’t felt so much love, hope and energy in many years,” said Grammy-nominated Jai Uttal.

Kirtan is a sacred Indian folk tradition sometimes called the “music of yoga”. Steve Rosen, author of the Yoga of Kirtan, addressed the significance of the festival. “Kirtan changes people. It puts us in touch with our real essence. It reminds us that we are of one substance, all part of the same spiritual family. The things that Obama is trying to do have to start at that level. You can’t pour water on the branches and leaves and twigs of a tree and expect it to grow. Tonight is about pouring water on the roots of change.”

Interspersed with classical Indian dance by Bhakti Kalalayam and a riveting acrobatic drum performance by The Mayapuris, the eclectic evening generated an unexpected degree of interest with international media. Kirtan singer and festival producer Gaura Vani spoke about his intentions for the event. “This event is another example of how people are all coming together. A wave of transformational energy is empowering the new administration. The purpose of Kirtan is to transcend our differences and see ourselves as connected in service of the divine. Change is really happening.”

Chant4Change took place on January 19, from 6:30pm to 11:30pm, at the Church of the Holy City located at 1611 16th St. N.W., Washington, D.C.

ANCIENT INDIA’S GIFT TO OBAMA ON INAUGURATION EVE

“Chant 4 Change” Event Offers Eastern Spiritual Take on New Era of Hope

Washington, D.C. – Change is coming. Although it is a message that is most recently linked to President-Elect Barack Obama, the idea of a community championing change is as old as ancient India. On January 19 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the eve of Obama’s presidential inauguration– these worlds come together as the spiritual meets the political. “Chant 4 Change,” held within sight of the White House at the Church of the Holy City, is both an interfaith gathering of sacred chant and a celebration of a new era of promises to transcend political divisions.

The event features Kirtan, a folk music rooted in ancient India’s devotional traditions sometimes called the “music of yoga.” Prominent Kirtan artists, including Grammy-award nominee Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer, Daphne Tse, and local performers Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits, will lead the evening of chanting which is hosted by renowned yoga teacher Shiva Rea.

“There is special excitement about this event,” said Gaura Vani, owner of the sacred music website, GauraVani.com. “It represents a historical loop of reform that spans ancient East Indian spirituality, figures such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, President-Elect Obama and the millions of people around the world that participated in his election. The common thread is change, in a deeply spiritual sense.”

Brought into mainstream India in the late 15th century by the spiritual reformer Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, it was the first known non-violent social reform movement against India’s rigid caste system. Kirtan, with it’s interactive call and response format, played a significant role in rallying community-based reform movements in India and beyond.

In the 20th century, Gandhi praised the power of this practice to bring about social change. Gandhi’s influence on Martin Luther King Jr.’s passive resistance movement brought the same teaching to western shores, and King’s powerful example was very influential on Obama’s thinking. For the organizers of “Chant 4 Change,” the connection between the four men is not coincidental.

“All four men worked to change the status quo, and get back to the essence of community, inclusiveness, truth, justice,” Gaura Vani said. “It is a loop of history that has found its time again—a time of hope and energy and change.”

Chant 4 Change takes place on January 19, from 6:30pm to 11:30pm, at the Church of the Holy City located at 1611 16th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. Send inquiries to press@chant4change.com.

January 14, 2009; FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jay Clark (443) 742-1000; press@chant4change.com
Vineet Chander (201) 925-4973; press@chant4change.com

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