Music

YM: Where did you come from?
SURA: I was born in Mobile, Alabama and spent my school days in Chicago. I've played guitar and piano ever since I was eight. I would perform in local coffee houses when I was a teenager.

YM: When did you start chanting and why?
SURA:I starting chanting after I read the Autobiography of a Yogi and Be Here Now. I really thought it was special to meditate and chant and actually got initiated into TM when I was in High School.

YM: Who did you learn from?
SURA: I learned chanting originally from the books and songs of the 60's, but when I met Bhaktivedanta Swami and his followers I was moved by their sincere chanting. I later learned to play harmonium and mrdunga and have been playing kirtan all the time since 1973.

YM: Who and what is the Temple Bhajan Band?
SURA: In 1999 we formed the Temple Bhajan Band out of a group of devotional chanters. The band consists of persons from Siddha Yoga, Hare Krsna, Self Realization Fellowship and Swami Vishwananda.  We play kirtan music and frequent Yoga Studios, interfaith events, and festivals all over the country.

YM:Kirtan has become very popular, very recently. Can you tell us about the changes and shifts in Kirtan since you started?
SURA:When I started chanting kirtan, it was considered a nuisance in the downtown streets. Thanks to the Yoga community in part and several kirtan musicians it has become accepted as World Music and people actually pay to come out and attend a kirtan concert.

YM: Do you practice yoga?
SURA:I practice Yoga with the Iyengar practitioners and sometimes Vikram Yoga.

YM: Would you say that kirtan is mainstream?
SURA: Kirtan may not be mainstream yet, but we are getting invitations to Interfaith Events and Unity Churches everywhere and the people tell us that they really like it. Sometimes we play at Episcopal Churches and Catholic Churches and the folks come up to us afterwards and say that they really enjoyed the chanting and dancing. Of course we have been playing at Burning Man for 3 years and other festivals where there is an underground movement that is growing into mainstream. And Yoga has become mainstream, so kirtan seems to be following the yoga pattern. The yogis and yoginis usually like kirtan as part of yoga.

YM: Do you have a favorite mantra?
SURA: We love to chant Govinda Jaya Jaya Gopala Jaya Jaya and have people dance.

YM: What do you love?
SURA: I love my guru and saints, I love to chant and encourage others to chant and dance. I love travelling as the Temple Bhajan Band and seeing people very happy to be chanting. I love my kids and oh yes I love YogaMates!

YM: What was it like raising children and singing?
SURA: I was a single parent raising my two kids from the time they were 5 and 3 years old. So going out to gigs was a little bit of a problem when they were really young. I spent most of my spare time at Taekwondo tournaments, being a soccer mom, Little League pitching coach and General Manager for Culver City Pop Warner Football. As the kids got a little older, it was easier to go do kirtan around town and my daughter, Sita, would sometimes come and sing with us. In sanscrit, dad is called Pita, so we were the Sita and Pita band. By the Time they were in High School I was able to travel with the band on weekends more, but always had to be at the Football games to watch Rama Nomi play and watch Sita cheerlead. It was quite a juggling act to go from the games to kirtan shows and balance both sides. Now she's graduating UC Riverside and he's a sophomore at west L.A. College. I've gone from being the cook, laundryman, chaffeur, and cleaner to just being the bank. It also gives us an opportunity to now travel to N.Y., San Francisco, Seattle, Sedona and all over whenever we want. But I wouldn't have traded those years in for anything. Not one day.

YM: What does your meditation practice look/sound like?
SURA: I get up at 4 AM every morning and do sadhana. That is, devotional practice. I do japa meditation, puja, and study of the vedas during that time period. The hours of 45 minutes before sunrise and 45 minutes after sunrise are said to be the most important time for spiritual activities. It's called the Brahma Muhurta.

YM: What simple thing(s) can people to do raise consciousness?
SURA: I trully believe that if people would chant kirtan more and lead a yogic life they could raise their consciousness.

YM: Where can we find out more about you and the band?
SURA:

Please checkout our website:
 
www.templebhajanband.com
 
and our downloads
 
www.cdbaby.com/templebhajan3
 
as well as www.myspace.com/templebhajanband