Taken from Bhagavata-Sevarpanam

(a glimpse of TD Singh Achievement in Serving his Spiritual Master)

In the numerous conferences and festivals that Dr. T. D Singh had organized and attended all over the world, he introduced the divine principle of the Vedantic culture through the medium of arts. He did this through the literary, culinary and performing arts at a myriad of venues ranging from urban schools to the most prestigious universities, from senior citizen centers to the Kennedy Center, from South America to Singapore and to audiences from elementary school students to heads of states.

Dr. T. D. Singh founded the Ranganiketan Manipuri Cultural Arts Troupe in 1989 in order to introduce the Culture of Manipur to the world. “Ranganiketan”, which means “House of Colourful Arts”, is a diverse group of dancers, musicians, singers, martial artists, choreographers and craft artisans. Ranganiketan began its first international tour in 1990, with engagements in Europe and North America and has since then toured all over the world on a regular basis.

When arranging Ranganiketan’s world tours, Dr. T. D. Singh placed a special emphasis on educational programs. More than half of Ranganiketan’s performances take place before young audiences. Carefully created instructional materials prepare students for the performances, and lectures and demonstrations help them to further understand what they have seen. In 1993, Dr. T. D. Singh wrote a section for the Los Angeles County Music Centre’s Artsource, a teacher’s guide, and for the McGraw-Hill Textbook Series/ Performing Arts Audio- Visual Units. The materials written by Dr. T. D. Singh were descriptions of the Rasa Lila pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna and of the beautiful nature of Vrindavan.

As director of Ranganiketan, Dr. T. D. Singh had, through approximately 600 performances at over 300 venues in over 15 countries, introduced this divine Manipuri Vedantic Culture to millions of people. Some of the Prestigious places where Ranganiketan has performed are: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,

Washington D.C.; EPCOT Center, Walt Disney World: The World Music Institute, New York: Los Angeles Music Center: Seattle International Children’s Festival, and Singapore National Arts Festival. Ranganiketan is the largest, most frequently booked, cultural arts troupe hailing from India.

The Government of India sent Ranganiketan on a mission of goodwill to Syria, Egypt and Iraq in 2001. Ranganiketan participated in the Bosara International Folk Dance Festival, which had an audience of over 10,000 people. They performed in Damascus, Homns, Cairo and at the Babylon international Festival in Baghdad and at the cultural functions organized at the Indian Embassy and the Indian Cultural Centre in Iraq. Many of the people who witnessed the performances were convinced that within the Vaishnava music, song and dance of Manipur there were common roots that could make the whole world united in peace, friendship and prosperity.

In 2000, the Malaysian Ministry of Culture invited Dr. T. D. Singh and Ranganiketan for an international drumming festival in Kuala Lumpur. The Minister of Culture, after witnessing Dr. T. D. Singh sing during some of the performances, in the spirit of cross cultural exchange, gave special permission for Dr. T. D. Singh to visit the Masjid Sultan Salhuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, one of the world’s largest mosques. The Tok Imam Besar in charge of the mosque received Dr. T. D. Singh with great honour and respect and gave him a grand tour of the mosque. In this regard, Dr. T. D. Singh said, “Cultural art is a very significant part of life. People from various corners of the world will come much closer to each other, in friendship and understanding, through the universal language of art and Culture”.

Along with presenting Manipur’s culture throughout the world, Dr Singh also brought representatives of the world’s cultural traditions to Manipur. Dr Singh, as a scientist and a saint, used to say, “I am doing the chemistry of culture”. Martial arts, drumming and Rasa Lila dance dramas constitute the major part of a Ranganiketan performance. The martial arts tradition of the Manipur people is inherited from their forefathers who had to defend themselves from the attack of neighbouring countries. In the spirit of Chitrangada, the famed warrior princess of Manipur, women also participate in martial arts presentations.

The main drums of Manipur are the dhol, dholak and pung. Among them the two-headed classical pung drum, made from the seasoned woods of the jackfruit and wang trees, is an indispensable part of the lives of Manipuri Vaishnavas because it is used during the Hari Nama Sankirtan which is performed at all religious and social ceremonies. In Manipur, drumming is a graceful art form, involving dynamic movements of the head, legs and entire body. The musical pung is characterized by its

ability to create sounds ranging from a soft whisper to a thunderous climax. The virtuosic and acrobatic drum dances of Manipur are a powerful blend of complex talas or rhythms with the devotional mood of Vaishnava saints like Narottama Dasa Thakur.

In Manipur, Rasa Lila performances can last up to eighteen hours and can feature 216 dancers. Although shorter in duration and smaller in size, Ranganiketan’s performances evoke the same devotional emotions in those who witness them. T. D.

Singh said, “The purity and innocence of children’s depiction of the Lord’s pastimes can captivate the minds of everyone and gives us a glimpse of the Divine Realm”

for more on Ranganiketen Travel Troupe please visit www.ranganiketan.com

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