Bharatiya Sanskriti Darshan Trust work in Japan

Through name Darshanam Dr. C. P. Sardeshmukh (Trustee, BSDT) and Dr. Pooja Sardeshmukh have been propagating and promoting the BSDT activities in Japan for last 16 years. Since the first visit by Rev. Sardeshmukh Maharaj in 1991 numerous Indian music and Ayurved programs have prospered in Japan . Last year 2007 was declared as the Japan India Friendship Year and hence Darshanam in Japan organized various events.

There are many Japanese who learnt from renowned Indian Gurus but have not much exposure in Japan , so we decided to celebrate this friendship year with Japanese artists collaboration. Similarly there are many Japanese who have studied Ayurveda and look for exposure. Darshanam supports the Ayurveda students / Teachers through its workshops and lecture series.

Darshanam organized a total of 35 events including 6 major concerts, 8 workshops, 16 healing music sessions, one week of Ayurveda Consultation, 3 Ayurveda lectures and 1 cooking class, all organized by Darshanam's Japanese team members, it was a year full of Indian Culture treat in Japan.

A team of 20 Japanese volunteers who love India organized the events. This team was lead by Dr. Pooja Sardeshmukh with Dr. Pandit Chandrakant Sardeshmukh (Sitar Player) and Dr. Sadanand Sardeshmukh (renowned Ayurvedic Doctor) as advisors.

With the total distribution of 40,000 informational leaflets containing Indian Culture introduction with information on events distributed all over Japan, so many Japanese understood more about the country.

In all these events thousands of Japanese actually experienced and enjoyed Indian Culture and Tradition in Japan . Several of them are already planning to visit India .

Concerts

We did major 6 joint concerts between Pandit Chandrakant Sardeshmukh on Sitar and other Japanese artists

with Fuyuki Enokido on Koto ( 15 Dec 2006 ),
with Yasujiro Asami on Harmonica ( April 5, 2007 ),
with Yuichi Sekiguchi on Sarod ( June 10, 2007 ),
with Mari Komuro on Santoor ( Oct. 26, 2007 ) ,
with Bharatnatyam dancer Kubota Yukio (Nov. 3, ),
and with Ghazal Singer Sakurai Hisami ( Dec. 2,2007 )

Workshops

This year we organized total 5 workshops with 3 on Mantra Chanting and one each for Group Song teaching and Indian Music teaching.

Healing Music Sessions

Darshanam Healing Music sessions with Sitar Music are very popular and we have already done several in past years. This year we did 16 more healing music sessions with 1 music session for people with special disability hosted by Tsurumi City in Yokohama .

Ayurveda Consultation

In addition to Music, Darshanam also promotes traditional Indian Ayurveda for long and healthy life. We organized Consultation session for Japanese people by Dr. Sadanand Sardeshmukh for 5 days in May.

Ayurveda Lectures

We also arranged 3 lectures related to Ayurveda – on Panchakarma by Sato Makiko on April 21, and How to eat healthy with Ayurveda in two parts by Sato Makiko and Neera Godbole.

Cooking Class

Darshanam also arranges Indian cooking class for Japanese. This year we organized one class with Kavita Kakde as teacher.

Collaborative Events

In addition to Darshanam hosted events, Pandit Chandrakant also performed for several India-Japan events throughout the year throughout Japan .
Taj Enterprise hosted Jewelry Festivals in Tokyo , Sapporo , Shizuoka , and Kyoto where Sitar and Tabla performances were performed mainly with Japanese Tabla players.
Pandit Chandrakant also performed jointly with Japanese artist on Violin in the Charity concert Wings of Love organized by Taj Enterprise.
Yamaguchi Prefecture hosted a traditional Indian Sitar and Tabla concert first time in Shimonoseki .
United Nations presented Sitar and Piano concert by Pandit Chandrakant with Rie Nishimoto on Piano (( 19 October 2007 ) in Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall.

We thank Indian Embassy, Indian Council of Cultural Relations and many organizations and Individuals in Japan who love and promote Indian traditions and culture.

Please visit websites www.darshanam.com and www.darshanam.org for more information about the BSDT activities in Japan .