Fast forwarding through the calendar year 2011

Zambia diaries – updating my blog after ten months! Lots to write about. A lot.

Completing my MFA Thesis

After the workshop performance of “Shakuntala” at the Alliance Francaise, in Lusaka I took it to Towson for a video presentation during my short visit to Maryland all of which happened in February 2011. Then came the thesis writing portion; I would sit for hours at my computer in Zambia to churn out the 40-page paper. Those weeks of writing, re-writing, and editing involved linking my paper “Performing Identities: South Asians in the Diaspora” to the Shakuntala performance. To read my thesis, follow the link that I will post very shortly.

And finally defending my thesis in June at Towson. After a stressful period of final edits, I cleared the defense and officially received my MFA degree from Towson University! Whew! What a roller coaster three years of hard work it has been. Tough, but totally worth it.

Nritya Mala
My very young local students and I performed a dance recital in May 2011 at Hindu Hall, Lusaka which was a simple collection of bharatanatyam items. The entire program especially the contemporary finale “5 elements” was very well received. What with good press coverage and an attendance of about 300 people the show went better than we anticipated. I found a new collaborator in Rekha Chandramouli, a talented dancer and a creative person who has just moved into Zambia from South Africa.

Summer in the US!
After celebrating my Masters degree graduation I had to take care of other business such as my dance school Jayamangala activities (Annual Recital & Arangetram training and performances in June/July). Besides spending quality time with close friends and extended family members, a memorable aspect of that summer was attending Chinmaya Mission’s “Mahasamadhi” spiritual camp at Chicago July 29-Aug 3, 2011. Five full days immersed in yoga, meditation, satsang, Bhagwad Gita lectures by Swami Tejomayananda and partaking in the cultural programs by offering and enjoying dance performances with like-minded people, was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Of course any trip to the US is never complete without visits to some of our favorite hangout joints, shopping sprees and eateries. Especially more so because we had spent the last year in Africa. In deprivation, so to speak. So it was Olive Garden, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Macaroni Grill, Columbia Mall, Coldstone Creamery…um…the list is slightly long and endless. Road trips to New York City, Baltimore, Charlottesville were combined with visiting potential college campuses for Aishwarya for next year.

Fall 2011 – Back in Lusaka
After returning to Zambia in Aug, I had to re-adjust my mental thought processes to slow down to African standards. Which is great, if you’ve just returned from a whirlwind tour of the states.
Within a few days after our return from the US we welcomed Gayathri Ganapathy and family friend visiting from London who spent two weeks with us. Being a dancer herself Gayu was an ace addition to our dance team when we performed for the
1. Barefeet Theater Festival in Aug
2. Maharashtra Mandal’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in September
3. Kerala Association’s Onam thiruvathira dance in Sept.
Believe it or not, all of the above were events that happened in Lusaka. After Gayathri returned to UK, with the hubby and daughter settled in their respective work (office/school), I am left to myself. I spend a lot more time reading, praying, contemplating, cooking and doing social service – for everything, there is plenty of time and scope here! As mentioned earlier having a daytime domestic maid and a driver has made my life much simpler. Moreover, besides a shopping mall, a movie theater and a few small clubs, sources of recreation in Lusaka are few and far between. The scarcity of external sensory pleasures forces one to turn inward. That might be the reason why many of my fellow Indians who live here, turn extremely devout and religious - visiting temples, conducting regular pujas and havans at home. Which might only be the ritualistic aspect of religion, yet the importance of bhakthi margam as an approach to salvation cannot be undermined.
Personally though, I prefer the introspective approach of self-discovery. Among the books that have kept me engaged are “The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari” by Robin Sharma, “The Journey called Life” by Mananam series and Yogahasma Paramananda’s “The Autobiography of a Yogi”. Currently I’m leafing through a downloaded copy of MK Gandhi’s “The Story of my Experiments with Truth” which is a fascinating read! Our weekly satsangs in a small group on Sundays are also something I eagerly look forward to. If there is nothing else to do on a weekend, there is invariably a birthday party or a social gathering or ICC cricket match where a few families gather to wine and dine together.
In addition to teaching dance and music to a small group of south Indian girls at home, I have got roped into joining various executive committees of Lusaka Hindu Association (LHA) and Lusaka Indian Ladies Association (LILA). So when I am not teaching dance, I am helping organize fundraising or cultural events for these groups. One such big community project was the Diwali show “Yathra – Journey through India” in Oct 2011 at Lotus Grounds for LHA where I rounded up more than 150 local singers, dancers and models who came together on stage in a spectacular production attended by 3000 people. It was a tiring, daunting task to pull together. Not aesthetically satisfying like organizing one of my regular classical dance programs/festivals/conferences, but a different experience in my life. The hardest part was dealing with people, their complex personalities, and ego clashes. Been there, done that, not sure if I want to do that again!

Coming up next: Travels to neighboring countries
* Tanzania – beaches, boats and bananas
*Namibia – sunsets, sand dunes and safaris!