A Tribute.
KUMUDINI LAKHIA
The Legendary Kathak Dancer & Guru
I came across the profile of Kadamb Centre on Instagram and was instantly mesmerized by the presence of The Artist who had woken up the souls of many not only through her art but also by being who she was. I remember watching her videos and photos for almost an hour that night. An intense desire had risen inside me – I wanted to meet her.
If I had acted on that desire on time, I would have had a wish fulfilment experience.
She passed away on 12th April this year (2025). In one of her interviews, I heard her saying that she didn’t like to be called a Guru. I hope she knows that even in her passing away she had taught someone she had not even known, a very powerful lesson – Things can wait but people may not. If you want to see someone or express yourself, this is your moment. Just do it!
It’s not only her artwork that holds our attention and makes an impression on the soul but also who she was as a person and the way she lived her life – so powerful and high vibrational.
Dear Guru Kumudini Lakhia Ji, your personality was unfiltered expression of the power you held in your beingness. Even a drop of it is enough to raise the consciousness of many today and tomorrow. Thank you!
Photo Credit: Kadamb Centre for Dance founded by Legendary Kathak Artist Padma Bhushan Smt. Kumudini Lakhia.
To learn more, visit https://kadamb.net/
PARAMHANSA YOGANANDA
FATHER OF YOGA
One of the greatest piece of artwork is created when a brave person demolishes all the boundaries that try to limit him by the power of his will and determination. Then whatever he lays his hands on becomes art. Paramhansa Yogananda was THE ARTIST who used his creativity, intelligence and power to raise the vibration of the world by infusing it with God consciousness when it needed it most – the times of World War II.
Yogananda is known best as Father of Yoga in the West. But if we do not know the true meaning of Yoga, we do not know the power of Yogananda at all. His power was to make Yoga instantly with whichever idea he placed his attention on.
He had a very powerful voice and yet soft enough to melt the heart. He wrote many poems and converted some of them into songs. If you have heard him singing, you have already received the call of The ONE SOUL residing in all of us and you know that his voice had power to awaken the SOUL that lives in your body.
Yogananda was awarded the title of Paramhansa as he progressed on his spiritual journey. His book, Autobiography of a Yogi was the only book that Steve Jobs had on his iPad and that he would read daily.
In one lifetime, Yogananda had achieved everything he had set his eyes on, and everything while keeping his values intact. All his wishes were granted by God, be it helping seekers on their spiritual journey through Self Realization Fellowship and Yogoda Satsanga Society or uniting with God himself. He was a realized Master, no, my apologies, he was a lover of God who could become one with The All Transcendent at will.
The personality of such artists doesn’t only reflect CREATIVITY, INTELLIGENCE AND POWER but also SAT CHIT ANAND.
(God is understood as the ultimate reality in Sanatan religion and is named as Sat Chit Anand: Infinite Existence, Infinite Consciousness, Infinite Bliss.)
Photo Credit: Self Realization Fellowship (SRF) / Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS)
To learn more about Swami Paramhansa Yogananda, his work, teachings, books and audio recordings, please contact SRF/YSS at following websites:
https://yogananda.org/
https://yssofindia.org/
APJ ABDUL KALAM
THE MISSILE MAN
If I am to explain what I mean when I say the word – the artist – and show by example what all this term encompasses, I am not sure if I can find someone as appropriate as The Missile Man.
Our former President APJ Kalam’s treasured possessions were a copy of Quran, a copy of Bhagavad Gita, A Veena, a CD player, a laptop, some clothing and books. A simple man who dedicated his life to grounding values like integrity, honesty and hard work; was as artistic in grasping and implementing technical knowledge as while creating art in the form of teaching, writing and playing musical instrument.
Kalam’s art was rooted in his inner truth and existence. His personality is one of the best creative expressions of The Artist – The Ultimate Creator. Through him, The Artist has demonstrated that intellect is the active creative force of the existence that works in stillness – answer to even the most complicated questions can be received by the mind if it is still and in tune with the eternal moment. To draw knowledge, process it to convert into information, then structure the ideas to communicate it using the available tools; is a work of art.
All of his life, Kalam encouraged youth to believe in their ideas and stay persistent by giving example of his own life. He would say that – If a boy from a background as simple as mine can achieve his dreams, then it only shows that anyone who makes his mind and supports it with hard work and dedication, can do it too; nothing is impossible!
