Co-founders Vidyasagar and Hima Vankayala have witnessed the organization’s growth from a small gathering of friends to a leader in cross-cultural musical exchanges.

“We started when there was not a really organized presentation of South Indian classical arts,” Vidyasagar recalls. “We have now musical reach into pretty much every community in Vancouver.”

Honouring a musical saint

Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana celebrates the Hindu saint composer Sadguru Tyagaraja Swami (1767-1847) who was extremely well trained in music but chose only to perform for his chosen deity.

“Through his life, there were many playful songs, which are musically easy, but contain a lot of depth in the lyrics,” Vidyasagar adds. “Towards the middle part of his life, he became very introverted musically, so the music became super dense, in terms of content.”

Tyagaraja’s music also turned “more spiritual and philosophical,” focusing on examining life’s meaning. In his later years, Tyagaraja became a monk — common during the time for those approaching death. The saint had many followers.

“He was not a teacher in the traditional sense,” Vidyasagar adds, noting the saint did not conduct classes. “[His students] heard him sing, and they preserved it mostly by listening and remembering what was sung.”

It wasn’t until much later that these compositions were written down. The saint also collaborated with two other Carnatic composers—Sri Shyama Shastry and Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar. According to Vidyasagar, the trio represents the “blossoming of this music” which has very old roots.

“The music still lives on,” he adds. “Even today, there are modern composers […] although the roots are very, very old to the 12th and 11th centuries.”

Vidyasagar himself is a classically trained musician and composer of Carnatic music. Through Vancouver SaPaSa, the Vankayalas and their team have inspired younger generations to carry on these traditions. Daveena Ambalawarner, director of strategy, and Rohan Devraj, vice- president, are both musicians who have been trained by the organization; they joined at the age of four.

“Carnatic music is very devotional, very passionate art form,” Ambalawarner shares. “There’s a big cultural component to it; you are learning about the history of the place where people are creating this music.”

Hima notes that the songs also involve different languages. Devraj adds that Carnatic music includes “many styles inside of it” as musicians represent their teachers’ styles.

A living tradition

The organization was formed in 1999 by four couples—including the Vankayalas—who saw a need for an avenue expressing South Indian arts. Each of the four couples had at least one individual who was a performer. Hima herself is a classically trained dancer.

“When we started, we didn’t have any traditional instrumentalists or rhythmic instrumentalists,” Hima. “We started reaching out to people within the community, whether they were part of Carnatic music or not.”

It was then formally registered as a non-profit organization in 2003. Their collaborations have since included musicians from the Persian, Chinese and even jazz traditions.

Jared Burrows, music instructor at Capilano University, has been instrumental in forming these connections. For him, Vancouver SaPaSa is not just about preserving a classical art, but supporting that music “as a living, growing art form.” Burrows has connected his students with the organization—creating opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue.

“Learning about music and dance from another culture is a really important way of understanding how other people think,” he says. “[Vancouver SaPaSa] is a model for the way we should be interacting with each other in a multicultural society—it’s about really deep learning.”

For the instructor, building these “authentic connections” is not an easy feat; it involves deep engagement with each other. Hima’s artistic expressions have also benefited from these cross-cultural exchanges; she recalls how dancing to music put together by Burrow’s team elevated her performance.

“The whole thing just lifted it up so much more, as a dancer, my expressions were coming naturally just because of the music,” she says. “The music was so deep and strong; it was a beautiful experience to dance on that stage.”

Passing on the torch

What started out as “an experiment” for the Vankayalas became a lifelong community building initiative—one that has inspired younger generations to learn Carnatic music. They now look forward to passing on this tradition to the younger generation. 

“I feel it is in very safe hands,” Vidyasagar says, adding that he sees Ambalawarner and Devraj as his musical children. “Just like how the music continued from the 17th century, after me and Hima, there will still be music coming from Vancouver SaPaSa.”

The new leaders will continue this tradition with more regular and frequent programming and plan to increase awareness of the organization, primarily with digital marketing. 

“Throughout the years, I’ve really grown to appreciate what it means to have a community like this, as a child growing up in the diaspora,” Ambalawarner adds. “The amount of fulfilment that you get in your cultural identity when you have something like Carnatic music does wonders for figuring out who you are.”

Ambalawarner sees the organization as creating its own distinct music—one with roots in Carnatic traditions but is also influenced by the West.

“The highlight [has been] getting to see how new talent and new musicians who are from different backgrounds and different styles are coming together,” Devraj adds. 

Newcomers like Harshini Karthik have also found their way to the organization despite its low profile. After attending a Vancouver SaPaSa concert, she was “mesmerized” by its quality of music; Karthik is now the organization’s director of marketing. 

This past summer, she ran their children’s programming, called “Carnatic Music Playtime,” which includes teaching the life and work of Saint Tyagaraja. She commends the organization for its practice of collaboration, inclusivity and openness.

“[The teachers and members] are open to any kind of collaboration and experimentation and giving equal opportunity to anybody who wants to be a part of Vancouver SaPaSa,” she says. “It’s nice to see South Indian Carnatic music flourishing in the West, at this rate and at this quality.”

For more information on Vancouver SaPaSa, see https://www.facebook.com/VancouverBCSaPaSa.