artslifeeducationgurukul@gmail.com
+61422000691
ARTS & LIFE EDUCATION GURUKUL LTD (ALEG)
MEDIA RELEASE
Sharing their Dance of Life with young people in hardship
Nirmal Jena and Chitrita Mukerjee are passionate about creativity, diversity, humanity and sustainability. After founding the Odissi Dance Company in Sydney, Australia to promote their unique Odissi Indian classical dance and music, they recently established the Arts and Life Education Gurukul Ltd (ALEG), an Australian charity. ALEG’s core program is Odissi: Dance for Humanity.
It is a unique arts and life skills education program for young people who are financially disadvantaged. They will be professionally trained in Odissi Indian classical dance and music (vocal and drums) by Nirmal Jena, artistic director of the Odissi Dance Company and a director of ALEG. They will also receive training in life skills, including financial literacy, arts and event management (including sound, light, stage and set design), cross-cultural communication, marketing, sustainable living, resilience and leadership. The aim is for graduates to present, perform and teach throughout Australia, India and the world and also set up arts-based social enterprises. They will be global ambassadors for ALEG’s core values of creativity, diversity, humanity and sustainability. Our practice and teaching of Odissi is not linked with any religion, only universal values.
Odissi: Dance for Humanity will begin when ALEG has secured more partners, resources, a venue and funding. Watch this space!
If there was ever a time when this was necessary, it is now, when the world is rife with uncertainty and chaos…Odissi: Dance for Humanity has much to offer in this period of collective reflection and search for new avenues of creative exploration that redefines creative practice in contemporary, intercultural and international ways. (Ausdance NSW)
In a time when diversity and intercultural connections within our communities are increasingly important, the support for this project will have far reaching effects on the performing arts industry and importantly the lives and potential of the young individuals engaged in this rigorous learning. (Gavin Robins, Head of Movement in Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art)
Nirmal is a skilled instructor, teaching from his heart, and focusing on development of mind, body and soul, which are core to his values and practices as a guru. The Indian term “guru” is an expansion of the western notion of “teacher”. The guru/student relationship is however much more sustained, close, and personal, with development of skills and insights taking place over time, layer by layer, rather than via a short-term course. Being Nirmal’s student is a transformative experience, facilitating growth through both inner and outer experiences. (Student)
Though I was born in India and spent my early years there, I felt uprooted when I first arrived in Australia, like so many migrants and refugees, and longed for a deep connection to the spiritual and timeless elements of humanity and my own identity. Guruji gave me hope and optimism from my first lesson. Effortlessly and in the most authentic way, he guided me to a place within myself that felt connected with my heritage and also the deep history of this land, protected and nurtured by First Nations peoples for thousands of years. (Student)
We commend Chitrita and Nirmal on founding the Arts and Life Education Gurukul Ltd (ALEG) charity and its Odissi: Dance for Humanity program. They have invited us to be involved in the training elements of the program. We will support them all the way and particularly by mentoring and sharing our wisdom teachings with the young participants in the program who we understand will come from different areas in Australia and from India and who will be of financially disadvantaged backgrounds. Our teachings will help build their resilience and give them proven insights on how to live with respect, impact, community and integrity in a world that is hurting and urgently needs healing. (Gamilaroi Aboriginal Elder & Mentor)
Nirmal and Chitrita have dared to dream big. If they are supported and their dream turns to reality, the primary beneficiaries will be young people and young artists in Australia and in India, their families and communities. Each participant in their Odissi: Dance for Humanity program will come with their untold story of challenges and adversity. All the stories combined will surely compel many across Australia, India and other countries to support and sustain ALEG’s Odissi: Dance for Humanity, its purpose and social impact. (S Shakthidharan, Director, Kurinji)
Nirmal Jena teaching in NIDA Photos: Rudolf Rindler
Arts & Life Education Gurukul Ltd (ALEG)
artslifeeducationgurukul@gmail.com
+61422000691
artslifeeducationgurukul@gmail.com
+61422000691
ARTS & LIFE EDUCATION GURUKUL LTD (ALEG)
MEDIA RELEASE
Sharing their Dance of Life with young people in hardship
Nirmal Jena and Chitrita Mukerjee are passionate about creativity, diversity, humanity and sustainability. After founding the Odissi Dance Company in Sydney, Australia to promote their unique Odissi Indian classical dance and music, they recently established the Arts and Life Education Gurukul Ltd (ALEG), an Australian charity. ALEG’s core program is Odissi: Dance for Humanity.
It is a unique arts and life skills education program for young people who are financially disadvantaged. They will be professionally trained in Odissi Indian classical dance and music (vocal and drums) by Nirmal Jena, artistic director of the Odissi Dance Company and a director of ALEG. They will also receive training in life skills, including financial literacy, arts and event management (including sound, light, stage and set design), cross-cultural communication, marketing, sustainable living, resilience and leadership. The aim is for graduates to present, perform and teach throughout Australia, India and the world and also set up arts-based social enterprises. They will be global ambassadors for ALEG’s core values of creativity, diversity, humanity and sustainability. Our practice and teaching of Odissi is not linked with any religion, only universal values.
Odissi: Dance for Humanity will begin when ALEG has secured more partners, resources, a venue and funding. Watch this space!
If there was ever a time when this was necessary, it is now, when the world is rife with uncertainty and chaos…Odissi: Dance for Humanity has much to offer in this period of collective reflection and search for new avenues of creative exploration that redefines creative practice in contemporary, intercultural and international ways. (Ausdance NSW)
In a time when diversity and intercultural connections within our communities are increasingly important, the support for this project will have far reaching effects on the performing arts industry and importantly the lives and potential of the young individuals engaged in this rigorous learning. (Gavin Robins, Head of Movement in Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art)
Nirmal is a skilled instructor, teaching from his heart, and focusing on development of mind, body and soul, which are core to his values and practices as a guru. The Indian term “guru” is an expansion of the western notion of “teacher”. The guru/student relationship is however much more sustained, close, and personal, with development of skills and insights taking place over time, layer by layer, rather than via a short-term course. Being Nirmal’s student is a transformative experience, facilitating growth through both inner and outer experiences. (Student)
Though I was born in India and spent my early years there, I felt uprooted when I first arrived in Australia, like so many migrants and refugees, and longed for a deep connection to the spiritual and timeless elements of humanity and my own identity. Guruji gave me hope and optimism from my first lesson. Effortlessly and in the most authentic way, he guided me to a place within myself that felt connected with my heritage and also the deep history of this land, protected and nurtured by First Nations peoples for thousands of years. (Student)
We commend Chitrita and Nirmal on founding the Arts and Life Education Gurukul Ltd (ALEG) charity and its Odissi: Dance for Humanity program. They have invited us to be involved in the training elements of the program. We will support them all the way and particularly by mentoring and sharing our wisdom teachings with the young participants in the program who we understand will come from different areas in Australia and from India and who will be of financially disadvantaged backgrounds. Our teachings will help build their resilience and give them proven insights on how to live with respect, impact, community and integrity in a world that is hurting and urgently needs healing. (Gamilaroi Aboriginal Elder & Mentor)
Nirmal and Chitrita have dared to dream big. If they are supported and their dream turns to reality, the primary beneficiaries will be young people and young artists in Australia and in India, their families and communities. Each participant in their Odissi: Dance for Humanity program will come with their untold story of challenges and adversity. All the stories combined will surely compel many across Australia, India and other countries to support and sustain ALEG’s Odissi: Dance for Humanity, its purpose and social impact. (S Shakthidharan, Director, Kurinji)
Nirmal Jena teaching in NIDA Photos: Rudolf Rindler
Arts & Life Education Gurukul Ltd (ALEG)
artslifeeducationgurukul@gmail.com
+61422000691