| Shanti Shanti: The story
of Sanskrit comes alive in two American girls March benefit concerts set in Twin Cities to support Iraqi schools by Cathy Smith Andrea and Sara Forman were two normal American girls growing up in a Catholic family with parents who were musical and open-minded. Father Robert has performed, produced and recorded music for years, and mother Linda, a certified Ayurvedic specialist, has been a writer, teacher and speaker. Little did they know that their daughters would prove to be incredibly gifted -- in a way they could never imagine. After exposing their daughters to the ancient Pujas and Yajnas done by priests from India, Robert and Linda Forman watched as their 9-year-old daughter Andrea fell in love with the sound of Sanskrit. Andrea began borrowing her mother's Vedic books, and she became obsessed with the ancient language. "It wasn't so much that I was trying to learn a new language," Andrea says, "as it was that I was remembering one I already knew." As the family relates on their website [www.shantishanti.com], Andrea sought someone to chant the ancient texts with her, and she turned to her younger sister Sara, 7, who could read the ancient Devanagari script almost immediately. The rest is history. Within a few years, the sisters were performing to sold-out crowds as Shanti Shanti, sharing their love of Sanskrit's powerful resonance with the public with the assistance of their father's production and talents. They have just recently released their fourth CD, Dreaming in Real Time, inspired by their mother's recently released book that chronicles the Shanti Shanti story. Shanti Shanti will perform in the Twin Cities during the weekend of March 6. They will be at the Central Presbyterian Church, 500 Cedar St., in St. Paul at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available through the websites www.shantishanti.com or www.fm107.fm. The cost is $15 in advance, $18 at the door and $40 for a family. Other appearances, as well as smaller concerts and a booksigning, are planned. Their appearance is a fund-raiser for the Kid to Kid Organization to build and supply schools in Iraq. The EDGE conducted an interview with Andrea, Sara and their mother Linda Forman, by e-mail. What can the attendees expects to experience at your show? Andrea and Sara Forman: Well, first and foremost, they are going to enjoy rockin' out to the music! The Sanskrit will provide a wonderful feeling of "exhilarated peace" that will last long after the concert is over. Shanti Shanti combines uplifting rock music with Sanskrit chanting to give the audience the best overall effect possible. Please explain Sanskrit, its nature and origin and how it affects our lives today? Andrea and Sara: Sanskrit is a 5,000-year-old spiritual language that originated in India, and it is currently enjoying a surge of popularity as more and more people discover the incredible effects of listening to, and studying this magical language. Studies have shown that Sanskrit contains very pure tones when chanted properly, and it can have a very healing and invigorating effect on our bodies and minds. When did you first realize your interest and knowledge of the Sanskrit language? Andrea and Sara: Sara and I first realized we loved Sanskrit when we heard an ancient ceremony of thanksgiving done by some priests from India. We were about 7 and 9 years of age when we fell in love with the way the language sounded and with the way it made us feel. Andrea and Sara talk about "the Sanskrit buzz" What is it and can you explain why it comes from the experience of hearing Sanskrit? Linda Forman: The Sanskrit "buzz" is the exhilarated sensation one experiences while listening to Sanskrit. It is both relaxing and enlivening, at the exact same time. One always experiences the sensation of enhanced clarity on both a physical and a spiritual level. Linda, the most amazing part of the Shanti Shanti story is Andrea and Sara's ability to know Sanskrit without being taught. How do you explain this phenomenon? Linda: There really isn't just one aspect of the girls' ability to "know" Sanskrit that stands out as the most amazing. Truthfully, it has affected our lives on so many levels, and from so many different vantage points that there is no one thing that resonates above the rest. I will say that our ability as a family to "roll" with things, and not feel as though we have control over every (or any, for that matter) event that occurs to us. Having one's children be fluent in an ancient, dead language that they have never been taught, and that you do not understand, definitely shakes up one's perception of the boundaries of life. As to how they explain the phenomenon, they don't attempt to offer a "this is why we can to this" type of explanation. They talk about the fact that because Sanskrit is the oldest intact language in the world, it is possible that some aspect of these ancient tones exist on the level of our own DNA, and when we hear Sanskrit chanted, it is like being reminded of our own ancient origins. There are many people who feel this experience to be a clear example of "past life" knowledge. But the truth is we don't have an exact explanation of this phenomenon. It is just one of those things that "is." What is the message that Shanti Shanti is trying to convey through the music? Andrea and Sara: Shanti Shanti is not so much trying to convey a message as we are attempting to share the "magic of the Sanskrit experience" with as many people as possible. On a global level, it is our fervent hope that the re-immergence of this ancient, spiritual language will have very far-reaching effects on humanity. You have done many performances nationwide and in Europe. What is the overall response been to your music? Andrea and Sara: The overall response to our music is extremely positive and seems to really give people a sense of the experience of something wondrous beyond the normal happenings of everyday life. Over and over again, we receive countless letters, e-mails and phone calls from people who want to share the experience of spiritual "enlivenment" that audiences worldwide receive through listening to the Sanskrit. How did you choose the name Shanti Shanti and what is the meaning of it? Andrea and Sara: The name Shanti Shanti was chosen by our mother one day, pretty much out of the blue. About a year before we ever recorded anything, she said, "How do you say 'peace' in Sanskrit? If you were ever going to be a music group, you should call yourselves 'Shanti Shanti.' " How is your family involved in Shanti Shanti? Andrea and Sara: Our father is our music producer, as well as the writer of all of our songs. He also performs with us in our concerts, and acts as overall support for our many endeavors. Our mother wrote our family's autobiography in the book Dreaming In Real Time and she lectures and gives presentations to audiences who want to know "how all of this started!" My little brother Micah is a budding musician, and he is also our videographer, and is working on a behind-the-scenes video of Shanti Shanti. What can readers expect to discover by reading your mother's book, Dreaming in Real Time? Andrea and Sara: Readers can expect to have the feeling that they have been on this thrilling journey with us for all these many years. My mom lets the reader access the "fun crazy" and sometimes just plain crazy (!) aspect of this wondrous spiritual journey that our family is sharing. What kinds of activities do you enjoy when you are not practicing and performing music? Andrea and Sara: We enjoy hiking and ice-skating. We love to go to the movies, and going out dancing with our friends. I (Andrea) enjoy ballet, and Sara is taking up fencing this year. I understand that Sanskrit professors have challenged Andrea and Sara's ability to know Sanskrit. What have they experienced in this regard and what conclusions have been reached? Linda: The professors are, at first, very skeptical, but then after they realize how much grammatical and structural understanding the girls have of the Sanskrit language, the professors usually then get caught up in the "how is this possible" mode. This is the point in the conversation where the girls explain that they didn't learn Sanskrit so much as the knowledge was just given to them. The professors are generally inclined to believe this explanation, as Andrea and Sara's knowledge is more than what a Ph.D. student in Sanskrit would know. The girls have been invited to speak and perform at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles this spring, and maybe this is one way the academic world is trying to help explain the phenomenon. Your family is Catholic, yet you undoubtedly receive inspiration from the Vedic tradition. How has the experience of Sanskrit affected your understanding of Catholicism and vice versa? Linda: The Vedas are universally spiritual poetry and enhance one's faith system, whatever it may be. Sanskrit seems to have the effect of "opening" one's heart, and in this regard this ancient language has a very profound impact on one's religious or spiritual experiences. There has never been any conflict for the girls with regard to their Catholic faith and chanting Sanskrit. As a very wise priest once said to the Forman family, "It's all sacred, and this is clearly your family's ministry." For more information on Shanti Shanti, visit www.shantishanti.com Cathy Smith is a Sales Manager for the Edge newspaper. Contact her at cathy@edgenews.com, at (763) 757-5665 or toll-free 1 (888) 246-9221. Copyright © 2004 Cathy Smith |
||
|
Feb 2004 |
|
