BY JYOTHSNA HEGDE
Atlanta, GA: Swami Dayananda Saraswati had a dream vision. With the mission to transform society through a network of seva, of caring, to help each child contribute to the progress of the nation, he founded All India Movement (AIM) for Seva in the year 2000. The vision of AIM for SEVA is to bring value based education and health care to the least privileged children of the Indian society.
AIM for Seva addresses the fundamental challenge in educating rural and tribal children in a unique way through the concept of Student Homes (chatralayas) which are located in close proximity to Government run schools, thereby leveraging already existing school infrastructures. At no cost to parents, the chatralayas provide the accommodation, clothing, medical care, after school tuition, field trips and academic supplies.
In nearly 11 years since its inception, AIM for Seva has gained national momentum, constructing and managing 100 chatralayas across 14 states. This has touched the lives of over 20,000 students and 100,000 families. Visit www.aimforseva.org for more details.
Recognizing the need for sustained financial resources to run the chatralayas, Eashwar Money, Atlanta Representative of AIM for Seva & Bhavini Rajan, Director, Samarpanam School of Fine Arts will present a dance program, “Spanda”, with script, concept and choreography by renowned Bharatanatyam artist, Padmashri Leela Samson from India and her team of professional dancers. The fundraising event is scheduled on April 28th, 2013, 4 PM at the Ferst Center of the Fine Arts, Georgia Tech Student Auditorium in Atlanta.
Padmashri Leela Samson is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, instructor, writer a sensitive interpreter of the nuances of Bharatanatyam. Leela Samson is an alumni of Kalakshetra.
As a soloist she is known for her technical virtuosity and has taught Bharatanatyam at Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra in Delhi for many years. She is the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (1 April 2011), Sangeet Natak Akademy (2010), and was Director of Kalakshetra (April 2005 – 2012). She is the recipient of many honors including Sanskriti award by the Sanskriti Foundation (1982), Padma Shri award by the government of India (1990), Nritya Choodamani award by the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha Foundation (1997), Sangeet Natak Akademi award by the National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama, government of India (2000), Kalaimamani award by the Tamil Nadu State, India (2005). Two significant documentary films have been made on Leela Samson – ‘Sanchari’ by Arun Khopkar and ‘The Flowering Tree’ by Ein Lall.
‘Spanda’, (a vibration) is symbolic of the enduring and perpetual energy that is the life force of the universe. “Spanda” seeks to establish a more relevant dialogue between dance, music and stagecraft.
Sponsoring a child is $450 per year which also gets you preferred 4 seats in $100 ticket category. You can also sponsor a child for 6 months for $225 with 2 $100 tickets or 4 of $50 tickets. Tickets are available at denomination of $100, $50 and $25 besides the Sponsorship. Tickets can be purchased online at www.addate.com/aimforseva2013.
AIM for Seva invites everyone to enjoy “SPANDA” the vibration, by eight talented dancers along with Leela, who will display a charismatic performance and also will help benefitting all the underprivileged children in India.
