Ekatva, a journey of oneness featuring 16 children from the slums of India
The message of Mahatma Gandhi to be shared by children from the slums of Gujarat through dance and music in 10 major US cities
Ahmedabad, India, March 22, 2012 – EKATVA (www.ekatva.org) is an experiment to touch the lives and spirit of 16 underprivileged children ages 11 – 15 through dance, music and art, while inspiring the souls of thousands across the world. Sixteen children from some of the largest slums of Ahmedabad, Gujarat were selected through a nine month audition process, and have been trained and developed by mentors from Manav Sadhna (www.manavsadhna.org), a non profit based at the Mahatma Gandhi Ashram, and teachers from Darpana Academy (www.darpana.com) to perform a 90-minute dance-drama production sharing Mahatma Gandhi’s message of ‘Oneness’. After a successful tour throughout India, The EKATVA show and tour will begin touring the United States on May 6, 2012. The show will be performed by the children in the following cities/venues (visit www.ekatva.org for event registration and ticket information):
May 6, 2012 Sunday – Chicago | The Athenaeum Theater
May 12, 2012 Saturday – Chicago | Glenbard East High School
May 16, 2012 Wednesday – Washington, DC | Preston Auditorium
May 17, 2012 Thursday – Washington, DC | American University
May 20, 2012 Sunday – New Jersey | Montclair State University
May 25, 2012 Friday – Palo Alto, CA | Stanford University | Cubberly Auditorium
May 27, 2012 Sunday – Berkeley, CA | Zellerbach Hall
June 2, 2012 Saturday – Los Angeles | John Muir Middle School
June 3, 2012 Sunday – Orange County | Fullerton College
June 8, 2012 Friday – Houston | Stafford Center
June 10, 2012 Sunday – Austin | Long Center
June 16, 2012 Saturday – Atlanta
The concept of the EKATVA tour is to share with the world the power and potential that exists in our underprivileged communities. The EKATVA children and show are examples of what happens when we provide love and opportunity to the children of our world,” says Nimesh Patel, EKATVA Director and Manav Sadhna volunteer.
The concept and choreography of EKAVTA is based on a similar experiment conducted over 10 years ago, called EKTA (“Unity”). In 2000, Manav Sadhna trained 14 slum children in partnership with Darpana Academy, to develop a theatrical/dance drama show that toured across the USA. Half of those children are now teachers at Manav Sadhna. Ten years later, over 250 children were auditioned at Manav Sadhna: 8 boys and 8 girls were finally selected to form EKATVA.
Over $150,000 in funds have been raised worldwide to support the tour, with major contributions coming from Project Ahimsa (www.projectahimsa.org) and Compassionate Chefs Café (www.compassionatechefscafe.org), two San Francisco based non profits committed to serving underserved children worldwide. “EKATVA represents the power of art and music to transform the lives of children everywhere. For each of the children involved with EKATVA, art and music have provided a means and a path to build self-confidence, self-reliance, and compassion…all central to the spirit and message of Mahatma Gandhi,” says Robin Sukhadia, Project Ahimsa International Grants Program Director.
For more information, tour schedule and event registration, visit www.ekatva.org.
About Manav Sadhna (www.manavsadhna.org)
Founded in 1990 at the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, India, Manav Sadhna today serves more than 8,400 children and women daily through over 38 projects. Manav Sadhna’s philosophy is “love all, serve all”. In executing this mission, Manav Sadhna is guided by Mahatma Gandhi’s unshakable beliefs in peace, truth, non-violence and compassion. Manav Sadhna is a 501c3 non-profit organization registered in Chicago, Illinois.
About Project Ahimsa (www.projectahimsa.org)
A registered 501c3 non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California, Project Ahimsa is a global effort to empower youth through music. Since its inception in 2001, the organization has reached nearly 10,000 children around the globe through music education grants and musical instrument donations.
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