Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 266

PROGR
Monday, December 7, 2009
8:00-9:00am MORNING OBSERVANCES
Kirit C Daftary is President of Anuvibha of North America and past President of the Federation of Jain Associations in North America, which represents 67 Jain Centres and over 150.000 Jains in North America. He is the alternative representative to the United Nations of Anuvrat Global Organization, Mr Daftary regularly lectures on Jainism and Hinduism at several universities and participates in many interreligious dialogues. He is a member of Melbourne Shwetambar Jain Sangh and will be the narra. tor for this program.
The Torah through Paintings and Poetry Victor Majzner Helen Light Deborah Masel Rosemary Crumlin Room 218 Artistic Performance and Panel Discussion For the first time in the history of art, all of the 54 parshot (weekly readings) of the Torah have been depicted visually from a specifically Jewish perspective. Victor Majzner accomplished this feat with his exhibit at the Australian Jewish Museum in Melbourne in July 2008. This illustrated lecture on Majzner's work will be divided into three parts. First, Majzner will discuss a number of paintings from this series and illuminate their Jewish content. He will also discuss some comparisons between his Jewish imagery and Christian images of similar subject matter. Second, poet Deborah Masel will read poems she has written based on the same sections of the Torah. Masel has recently published a book entitled 'In the Cleft of the Rock'. The third part will be devoted to a panel discussion with Victor Majzner, Deborah Masel, Rosemary Crumlin and Helen Light focusing on the visual depiction of the Torah. Dr Victor Majzner is an artist with more than fifty solo exhibitions in Australia and New Zealand. He was the Head of Painting at Victoria College (Prahran Campusl and The Victorian College For The Arts. Macmillan published a major book about his artwork titled "Earth to Sky, the art of Victor Majzner (2002). His original artwork is inspired by a personal commitment to developing a Jewish Art that is relevant to a contemporary context. Dr Helen Light, AM, has worked at the Jewish Museum of Australia since 1983 and has been Director/Curator since 1991. She has curated and overseen over 120 exhibitions as well as the four permanent exhibitions at the museum. Helen is a Churchill Fellow, a recipient of a Centenary of Federation Medal, a Museum Achiever of the Year Award, an Honorary Associate at Museum Victoria, and Adjunct Associate of the Centre for Jewish History at Monash University. Deborah Masel is an author and teacher with a special interest in Jewish mysticism. She lectures regularly for Jewish and interfaith groups and organisations and writes on aspects of Jewish mystical tradition for various publications. Her most recent book, 'In the Cleft of the Rock: Writings on the Five Books of Moses, is a compilation of prose poems and essays based on her teachings. Dr Rosemary Crumlin RSM, OAM. is an art curator and historian with a special interest in modern art and spirituality. She is a member of the Art Committee of the new cathedral in Parramatta and has recently published a small book on Klaus Zimmer's windows in the cathedrai, and another on Phil Cooper's carved Stations of the Cross. Dr Crumlin has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Melbourne College of Divinity and the Australian Catholic University.
Gurbani Kirtan: Sikh Sacred Classical Music Kultar Singh Bhai Sawarn Singh Bhai Manmohan Singh Room 220 Artistic Performance Music has the unique power to take us to different emotional elevations, just as a word of wisdom from a true teacher also has power to take us to different spiritual elevations. Over 500 years ago, Guru Nanak combined these two super-powers' to create a unification of spiritual wisdom with the emotional values of mankind. This type of sacred music sought to eliminate emotions without wisdom, which will always result in an incomplete human being. The entire Bani (Word of Wisdom) of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh Sacred Book) was initially sung to the various Raagas (musical measures) by the Gurus and compiled later, in the current form, by the fifth Guru. It also contains the Bani of Bhagats (Saints) from different religions. Gurbani Kirtan (also known as Gurmat Sangeet) is the music of Sri Guru Granth Sahib sung to the musical measures originally introduced by the Gurus. This performance will take the form of the kirtan, a style which was Sung by the Gurus and composed some 400 years ago. Kultar Singh is the son of Bhai Avtar Singh Ragi, an 11th generation kirtaniaa. His musical training began under the guidance of his father, who merged with infinity in 2006 and passed the torch to this living treasure. He carries on the tradition of about 500 original Gurbani Kirtan compositions from the time of the 5th Guru, which have been preserved by the kirtaniaasa (performers of Sikh sacred music) for the last 400 years Bhai Sawarn Singh is a percussionist who plays jorree, a set of 2 drums. originally designed by the 5th Guru. He commenced his training at the age of 9 years, under the guidance of Bhai Jwala Singh Ragi lof Thhatta Tibba, Kapurthala, Punjabl. Today, at 73, he is the only musician to have played jorree for the last 62 years Bhai Manmohan Singh is a professionally trained vocalist who joined the group a few years ago. He now serves as an accompanist and plays harmonium.
262 PWR - Parliament of the World's Religions Jain Education International