Manu

Born and bred within a Kirtan environment under the expert guidance of senior kirtan leaders such as Yamuna Devi, Aindra Prabhu, & Sacinandana Swami, Manu has always been engaged in Kirtan. For more than 10 years he is coordinating the annual Radhadesh Mellows festival which is Western Europe's largest Kirtan event gathering thousands of enthusiasts from across the globe. With Surabhi and a few others he is daily practicing Kirtan in the Radhadesh temple every evening with many guests, residents and yoga groups who attend regularly. He established and designed the Kirtan Course together with the Bhaktivedanta College which is successfully running for several years now.

In addition to being the Course Coordinator, during the Kirtan Course itself Manu will be assisting the students in bringing together the different elements of kirtan, the instruments & vocals, in "Ensemble Classes" which will allow students to lead a call and response kirtan with skill and self confidence as well as in the right mood of humility and togetherness.

He looks forward to serving the enthusiastic Kirtan lovers who will make their way over for a summer of education and profound spiritual deepening.

Krishangi Lila

Krishangi Lila holds a BA in Western Classical Singing from The Norwegian State Academy of Music (2000), and BA in Vaishnava Theology from Bhaktivedanta College, University of Lampeter. She has complemented her vocal studies with different techniques and teachers from various traditions. She has studied with Orlanda Cook at Pantheatre in Paris, dhrupada singing with Gundecha brothers in Bhopal, kirtan and harmonium with Master Pankaj and Hari Murari prabhu from Mayapur, India.

She has been working as a vocal coach since 2000. Since 2014 she is engaged as a Kirtan Course teacher in harmonium and vocals at Bhaktivedanta College, Radhadesh, Belgium. Last few years she has focused more on the practices of nada yoga and shares the essence of this practice in her voice workshops. She has been travelling around the world giving workshops in Estonia, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand and India.

From 2004-2014, she was member of Radhadesh community during whichshe was also engaged in service of singing kirtan to the visitors of the Radhadesh Tour programme in the Museum of Sacred Arts. In 2008 she released the album “Divine Love” together with Kalindi dasi, that is based on the holy texts from Shrimad Bhagavatam and has a touch of western medieval and Indian music.

Krishna Das

Krishna Das who was raised in Mayapur, the original land of kirtan, and had the privilege to study mridanga for 10+ years under the esteemed Radha Govinda Pal, a teacher within a long lineage of traditional kirtaniyas. He also had the opportunity to study harmonium, kartals and various other percussion instruments. After moving to Europe for four years to study, he felt that an excellent way to maintain his personal practice was to share his knowledge with others, with the blessings and go-ahead from his own teacher. This experience led to a deep love for teaching in general and encouraged him to become a teacher by profession.

Krishna Das has continued to teach mridanga for the past 11 years at various retreats internationally, group classes, online lessons and privately at home. His emphasis is not only on the technical aspect of playing mridanga, but also in developing a deeper understanding of being a harmonious participant in kirtan together with other instrument players.

Surabhi Kunja

Surabhi kunja is a resident of Radhadesh and together with Manu started the evening kirtans which have now been steadily going for about 10 years. Next to the evening kirtans she also studied music in Codarts Conservatory of Music for two years, specialising in Indian Classical music. For over 5 years she has been under the tutelage of Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia for Bansuri (indian bamboo flute). Surabhi has been karatal and supporting harmonium and singing teacher since the start of the Kirtan Course.

Sacinandana Swami

MODULE: The Theology of the Holy Name Based on Harinam Cintamani by Sacinandana Swami

Subjects include:

• - The best type of sadhana and how to perform it for best results
• - The secrets of attentive chanting
• - Shadow chanting (namabhasa) and how to move on to the next stage
• - Entering a substantial relationship with the Holy Name and the Holy Named
• - The eigth offense and its remedy
• - The difference between belief and faith
• - Tasting ecstasy - a guideline to ecstatic nama-bhajan
• - Srila Prabhupada's amazing relationship with the Holy Name and lessons we can learn from that

Mahendra Das

MODULE: Kirtana as Sadhana and Sadhya by Mahendra Das

When instructing Tapana Misra about the goal of life (sadhya) and the process to attain it (sadhana), Lord Caitanya explained that the basic principle of success is to chant the holy name (nama sankirtana). In this module we will review the usage of “kirtana” and related words in the core Gaudiya Vaisnava scriptures (Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta) with the aim of understanding the theological underpinnings for the essential practice of chanting the holy names of Krsna. The goal will be to enrich the students’ personal appreciation of and commitment to kirtana, and to enable them to comprehensively present the method of chanting to a broad audience. Additional resources will be the Vaisnava acaryas’ commentaries and related articles from the Journal of Vaisnava Studies.

Jahnavi Harrison

MODULE: Prayers of Bhaktivinoda Thakura by Jahnavi Harrison

The songs of Bhaktivinoda Thakura are a wellspring for thirsty travellers on the spiritual quest. Though he worked full time as an Indian high court judge during the time of the British Raj, he was a prolific writer, composing hundreds of songs - many of which have become standard prayers in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. Srila Prabhupada said of the power of these songs: "...there is no need of understanding the language. It is just like a thunderburst. Everyone can hear the sound of thunder-there is no misunderstanding. Similarly, these songs are above the material platform, and they crack like thunder within your heart.

In this module, we will connect with Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura through prayer, through studying his life, and most importantly, by learning and singing some of his most powerful songs. This experience can be a revelation for any aspiring kirtaniya. In a short time, you will discover how his devotional prayers are like both the road map, the food and the best friends on the journey of the spiritual seeker - providing guidance, nourishment and hope. They also enrich every kirtan experience, revealing a whole new dimension to chanting the maha mantra.

Gopal Anandini

My name is Gopal Anandini. I grew up in Saranagati Village which is located in British Columbia, Canada. Saranagati Village is an off grid community where we practice Bhakti-yoga on a daily basis. During my formative years I had the good fortune of learning kirtan from Yamuna Devi and her close friend Dina Tarini Dasi, who emphasized having an attentive, intentional and meditative mood. I relish chanting and seek to be with like-minded people who dive deep into the mellows of kirtan.

You will find me assisting, accommodating and supporting students and teachers throughout the course in a variety of roles. I am looking forward to taking part in the kirtan and sharing in this amazing experience with you!