Renaissance journal, Sri Aurobindo Society, Pondicherry & Sri Aurobindo Integral Life Center (SAILC), Auro University, Surat have joined hands to launch a year-long project titled ‘Kala evam Adhyatma’ (Art and Spirituality).
Under the auspices of this project, the team began by organising an online series of Discourses on Art and Spirituality. Through this weekly online series, the registered participants are able to dive deep into the spiritual foundations of Indian art as described by Sri Aurobindo. Scholars and researchers of Sri Aurobindo’s works, artists, art enthusiasts, heritage enthusiasts and others interested in arts and spirituality are being invited to share their thoughts and perspectives.
Future events in this project will include artists’ workshops, residencies, art fairs and more.
The study circle began on March 29, 2023. Each of the invited speakers has been bringing interesting and important dimensions to the relation between Art and spiritual development as well various expressions of the spiritual basis of art in India. Around 15-20 people participate in these online sessions.
The following themes were explored by different speakers. These online sessions are being recorded and slowly uploaded on Sri Aurobindo Society’s YouTube channel.
Check out the full playlist HERE.
Session 1: Introduction to the Spiritual Foundations of Indian Art in the Light of Sri Aurobindo
Speaker: Dr. Beloo Mehra
Dr. Beloo Mehra is Senior Academic Mentor, AuroBharati and editor of Renaissance. She has deep interest in Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s vision and work on Integral Education, Indian culture, social-cultural evolution, yoga and spirituality. She writes regularly in various journals dedicated to Sri Aurobindo’s vision and works.
Session 2: Sri Aurobindo’s Writings on Indian Art
Speaker: Dr. Beloo Mehra
Dr. Beloo Mehra is Senior Academic Mentor, AuroBharati and editor of Renaissance. She has deep interest in Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s vision and work on Integral Education, Indian culture, social-cultural evolution, yoga and spirituality. She writes regularly in various journals dedicated to Sri Aurobindo’s vision and works.
Session 3: Sri Aurobindo’s Writings on Indian Art – 2
Speaker: Dr. Beloo Mehra
Dr. Beloo Mehra is Senior Academic Mentor, AuroBharati and editor of Renaissance. She has deep interest in Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s vision and work on Integral Education, Indian culture, social-cultural evolution, yoga and spirituality. She writes regularly in various journals dedicated to Sri Aurobindo’s vision and works.
Session 4: Indian Art and Spirituality
Speaker: Dr. Narendra Joshi
Deeply interested in Sri Aurobindo’s and Swami Vivekananda’s works, Indian culture and spirituality, yoga and Indian philosophy, Dr. Narendra Joshi teaches a course on Indian Culture at Auro University, Surat.
Session 5: Spiritual Foundations of Indian Culture and Indian Art
Speaker: Dr. Narendra Joshi
Deeply interested in Sri Aurobindo’s and Swami Vivekananda’s works, Indian culture and spirituality, yoga and Indian philosophy, Dr. Narendra Joshi teaches a course on Indian Culture at Auro University, Surat.
Session 6: Spirituality and Indian Literature
Speaker: Dr. Vladimir Yatsenko
Dr. Vladimir Yatsenko is Director of Research at La Grace Sri Aurobindo Integral Life Center, USA. He has deep interests in Sanskrit, Vedic scriptures, Sri Aurobindo’s yoga and philosophy, and Linguistics.
Session 7: Indian Sculpture in the Light of Sri Aurobindo
Speaker: Dr. Pranjal Garg
Dr. Pranjal Garg specialises in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, and is currently teaching at the Department of History, Central University of Tami Nadu, Thiruvarur.
Session 8: Painting as an Expression of Inner Truth
Speaker: Ms. Bindu Popli
Ms. Bindu Popli is an award-winning artist who has been for the last 3 decades immersed in creating art that comes from a place deep within her. A graduate from Delhi College of Art, she currently works as the Head of the Art Department at a leading public school in Delhi.
Session 9: An Overview of Temple Architecture in the Light of Sri Aurobindo
Speaker: Dr. Beloo Mehra
Dr. Beloo Mehra is Senior Academic Mentor, AuroBharati and editor of Renaissance. She has deep interest in Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s vision and work on Integral Education, Indian culture, social-cultural evolution, yoga and spirituality. She writes regularly in various journals dedicated to Sri Aurobindo’s vision and works.
Session 10: Spirituality and Performing Arts
Speaker: Ms. Krishnapriya Ramamoorthy
Ms. Krishnapriya Ramamoorthy is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer and an art producer and founder of Paallam Arts CIC, a multicultural arts management company based in Wales, UK.
Session 11: Āgamic Insights into Temple Architecture
Speaker: Mr. Sivasankar Babu
Mr. Sivasankar Babu is a temple heritage enthusiast who runs a youtube channel @Babu4Heritage to spread awareness about Indian temple architecture. As a certified Incredible India Tourism facilitator, he regularly speaks about Indian temple architectural and sculptural heritage and conducts guided tours on behalf of Tamil Heritage Trust.
Session 12: Temporal Rhythm in Aesthetic Experience of Architecture
Speaker: Ms. Ranu Singh
Ms. Ranu Singh is a US-based architect, urban designer and planner working on holistic architecture and urbanism projects.
Session 13: Imaging Bliss, Creating & Knowledge in Literature: A Spiritual Interpretation
Speaker: Dr. Ravi Bhushan
Dr. Ravi Bhushan is a professor of English literature and language at Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Sonipat, Haryana. His research interests include cognitive semantics, oral literature and comparative literature.
Session 14: Saptaswaras and Us: Indian Classical Music for Healing
Speaker: Ms. Ruma Chakravorty
Ms. Ruma Chakravarty is a certified Executive Coach and a passionate music therapist practising for more than 14 years. She has published several research articles on the potential of Indian classical music for healing and therapy.
Talk 15: Akriti se Sanskriti Tak: From Form to Culture
Speaker: Dr. Ashima Arora
Dr. Ashima Arora is an Assistant Professor at the School of Design at AURO University. Her areas of teaching and research include Fashion & Textile Design, Draping & Pattern Making, Garment Construction, Costume Creation, Sustainability, Design Management and Fashion Merchandising.
Talk 16: Kala ek Sadhana: Transformative Power of Art
Speakers: Sahana Uppar and Usha Arvind
In this session, Sahana Uppar and Usha Arvind speak of their journey of inner growth through painting. They share their experience with Savitri Art Project at Auroville, and how it transformed their approach to life, art and sadhana. Sahana Uppar has a PhD in psychology and is currently working on developing an online course on Integral Psychology for the youth. Usha Arvind is an artist and has experimented with various mediums, and has a deep interest in art as a means for spiritual progress.
Talk 17: Fundamentals of Indian Iconography
Speaker: Sneha Nagarkar
In this session, Sneha Nagarkar focuses on the spiritual foundations of Indian iconography. Drawing upon Sri Aurobindo’s writings on Indian art, she highlights through various examples across time and region to bring to the surface the deep connection between spiritual aspiration and thought and the diverse yet unified tradition of Indian murtishastra. Sneha Nagarkar is currently working as an Assistant Professor of Archaeology at the Centre for Extra-Mural Studies, University of Mumbai. Her fields of specialization are Ancient and Medieval Vaisnavism, , Mathura and the Vraja region, Ancient Indian Art and Architecture, Ancient Indian Religious, Political and Economic Histories.