We were all set for another repeat of June’s fantastic street kirtan, and assembled as planned in Union Square on a Friday night. The front part of the square was already filled with dancers, grooving away to loud reggaton music.

As the first few began to gather, and instruments arrived, light rain began to patter down – sending the dancers and all the onlookers running for cover. We stood our ground a little ambitiously, as the drizzle turned to a furious downpour. Undeterred, we began to serenade the crowds gathered under the overhang to the subway entrance. When the rain fell still harder, we escaped to the dry subway station, where the acoustics were perfect. Passersby stood for quite some time, and we even picked up some dancers that stayed with us for hours later!

We were blessed to have so many join us for the first time, and were touched by the comments of people that stayed and sang with us until the end. One girl had heard kirtan before when she was at university in Florida, and remarked how she didn’t understand the words, but just listening and trying to sing along made her feel so full and satisfied.

In the days since posting up some videos of our street kirtans, we’ve received so many words of encouragement and inspiration. So many people have loved seeing the exuberance and joy that kirtan out in public brings, and have been excited to see a whole new generation of people getting to taste that for the first time.

We do hope that this inspires you to do some kirtan out on the street where you are. It’s so simple, but it’s the quickest way to start a revolution, within and without. All you need are a few voices, some feet that work, and perhaps a percussion instrument or two. The most important thing is enthusiasm, and the mantra. We chant the Hare Krishna – maha (great) mantra. This mantra is especially meant for the modern age we live in, and was popularised by Shri Chaitanya, who took street kirtan to a whole new level.

If you happen to be in the New York area, please join us for a street kirtan! If you would like to find out when the next one will take place, or would like to join in with the fantastic new Kirtan Camp in the East Village, where you can learn more of the music, history and practice of kirtan from none other than kirtan legend, Acyuta Gopi, please contact Jason.

Acyuta Gopi - 'The Voice'

Enjoy these MP3s from the 24 Hour Kirtan brought to you by Mantralogy and The 24 HK.

• 00 24 Hour Kirtan 2011 – All MP3s .zip (1.33gb) (2609)
• 01 HH Bhakticharu Swami (634)
• 02 Agnideva (545)
• 03 Amala Kirtan (840)
• 04 Acyuta (426)
• 05 Ramdas (300)
• 06 Subhadra (274)
• 07 Rupanuga and Rina Mahapatra (208)
• 08 Rasa Chaitanya (213)
• 09 Pariksit (200)
• 10 Gauramani and Param (850)
• 11 Vani and Kishori Yatra (287)
• 12 Thakur (242)
• 13 Prema Hara (259)
• 14 Jagannath Kirtan (307)
• 15 Bhakti Lata (674)
• 16 Aksh (198)
• 17 Jahnavi (343)
• 18 Ananta Govinda (270)
• 19 Gauri Priya (238)
• 20 Gopal Trivedi (166)
• 21 Acyuta (287)
• 22 Gaura Vani (2192)
• 23 Ayush (2082)
• 24 Abhay (935)
• 25 Jamuna Jivan (1435)
• 26 Ekendra Tulsi Priya (1476)
• 27 Hari Kirtan (1633)
• 28 HG Mahatma (1584)
• 29 Krishna das (2010)
• 30 Agnidev (1873)

In the kirtan tradition, the power of mantra music is never underestimated. Sacred sound affects the mind, body and heart on the deepest level for a transformation of consciousness. For this reason, kirtan has been taken outside of temples and homes into the street for centuries. This is often called ‘nagar sankirtan’ – meaning singing of the divine names together in public.

British indie band, Kula Shaker, sang about the practise of taking kirtan out in the streets in their song ‘Sound of Drums’ – ‘I hear the sound of drums, and a melody, I hear the sound of drums. Singing the names above in the city, yeah revolution for fun!’

There has never been a more desperate need for a spiritual revolution. In cities and towns, the pressures of modern life seem to only rise day by day. Street kirtan offers a solution, by calling to water the root and affect change on the deepest level – at the heart.

We’re attempting to start a new wave of people who love to chant in this way – yogis, hipsters, kids, dancers – all are welcome. Our first event was held last week in Union Square, and it was a fantastic success. Hundreds gathered to take part in the electric kirtan with the Mayapuris and Ananta, plus local breakdancers and capoeristas. A good chunk of them followed us as we danced and sang through Chelsea to end at the Donut Plant, where blueberry donuts and lemonade were sponsored by the owner, Mark, another kirtan fan!

So here’s where we want your help. We’re trying to come up with a great name for this new wave of street kirtan. Something to really catch people’s attention and put kirtan firmly on the NYC radar. We’ve come up with a lot, but we’re still searching for that elusive catchy tag. If you have any suggestions, please comment below.

Last Saturday and Sunday we held the 24 hour kirtan in New Vrindaban, West Virginia. 86,400 seconds of kirtan bliss in one of the most beautiful spiritual communities in the USA.

Starting with a special puja to invoke auspiciousness, the kirtan began at 11am on Saturday morning. Renowned spiritual teacher, Bhakti Charu Swami was also present to bless the occasion and share his deep insight about the power of mantra music. Before everything kicked off, he gave a lecture that explained the importance of chanting, and shared a poem from Bhaktivinode Thakur – one of the most prolific writers in the bhakti yoga tradition. The poem told of his personal experience, being aware of the sound of the kirtan entering his ears, showering like a rainfall on the plain of his heart, then rising involuntarily to his mouth to dance on his tongue.

Throughout the day, many tasted this sweetness as chanters rotated by the hour, from old time favourites like Agnideva, to up and coming young leaders like the teenage girls from the Kishori Yatra summer tour. The kirtan all took place within the magnificent temple room, before the altar of Radha and Krishna, also known here as Vrindaban Candra (the moon of Vrindavan). A live streaming webcast was watched by hundreds around the world, tuning in at different times through the day and night.

Vani (L) and Gopal (R) lead during the 'Kishori Yatra' slot

Krishna Das (L) and Gaura Vani (R) during the penultimate kirtan on Sunday

Kirtan took place under the stained glass skylight of the beautiful temple room.

Agnideva's final kirtan had everyone on their feet!

Of course, if you weren’t there, you’re probably wondering when the recordings will be posted up. We can’t give a date yet, but please be sure that we’re working on it as fast as we can. Our beloved Rasa Acharya gave his first few photos for this post, but captured many more over the weekend that we’ll be able to share soon too. Keep an eye out, and as always, leave us a comment or write to us – it’s the best encouragement that what we’re doing serves you in even a small way.

–Jahnavi

The 24 Hour Kirtan is right around the corner! Here’s some detailed info on the schedule of events. The singer scheduled will be posted shortly.

All participants must register (register in advance here) and wear a wristband to receive the free prasadam. No charge for participation or registration, but donations are suggested. Special thanks to Jagannath Misra Das from Toronto for his generous donation towards the meals. Continue reading »

We are excited to join Gary Goldberg on the “In The Spirit” radio show this Thursday from 1pm to 3pm EST. Gaura Vani will also be in studio speaking about life as a traveling Mantra Musician and Mantralogy. The webpage for hearing it directly is www.wrpi.org/listen.

About the show:
Gary Goldberg is the host/creator of the program “In The Spirit” on Thursdays from 11 am to 4 pm EST. It has been airing on WRPI-91.5 fm, Troy, NY since June 1999. Gary has interviewed hundreds of authors, musicians and spiritual practitioners. His specialty is in the Kirtan Genre. Everyone from Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Snatam Kaur, Gaura Vani, SRI Kirtan, Prema Hara and just about everyone one in the kirtan scene has been on his show. Often playing ‘live’ in the studio.

Gary also has the program, “Gary’s Music Show” on Mondays from 6-8 pm. This show covers all genres of music. Musicians play ‘live’ and ‘new’ and classic music is played.

People can hear these programs via 91-5 fm or streamed ‘live’ on www.wrpi.org.