Majuli Monks in Sylvanes

When twelve young monks from an isolated community on a far off continent arrived in Paris some ten days before, there was simply no knowing how it would all turn out. The monastery had never sent monks to perform in Europe and the last time they played outside the Subcontinent was over thirty years ago. Worries over food, the clash of cultures and public reaction were all uppermost in the organiser's mind. That however was then.  Now, well into their stride, they were enjoying it all immensely; happy and full of confidence that the month long tour had got off to such a good start. With little more than two days before the next scheduled event there was time to relax a bit, fine tune the act and visit the new venue.

The initial worries, that they would be tired and disorientated in an unfamiliar country far from home had long receded. Doubts as to how their unique style of music and dance would be received by European audiences had been dispelled. Their first two performances, one at an international music festival in Portugal and the other at the "Orientales" in Saint Florent-Le-Vieil, had been enthusiastically acclaimed. The public, seeing them for the first time, had warmed to their easy charm and the simple elegance and spiritual beauty of their show.  The monks in turn remarked on the friendly nature of the audiences and the volume and length of the applause. However, they could not quite grasp the concept of the encore and the demand for multiple stage appearances after they considered the performance to be over.

These Assamese monks, from the Hindu Vaishnavite tradition, are all natural performers who have been taught to dance from a very young age as part of their own divine expression. Back home in their monastery on the Island of Majuli the day is punctuated by devotional music and sacred chants accompanied by the sounds of symbols and drums. To mark special occasions and to celebrate religious festivals; music, dancing and drama are combined not only to entertain but also to symbolise the act of worship. Female roles are played by the monks and make up is liberally applied to complete the transformation. On occasions the monastery resembles an academy of dramatic arts with monks rehearsing together in discreet corners practising steps or sitting with their teacher learning sounds. Early morning rehearsals continued for three months to ready the group for this tour.

It was now with expectant excitement that the group anticipated opening the summer festival of sacred music with two performances at the beautifully restored 12^th century Cistercian Abbey of Sylvanes set amidst gentle tree lined hills on the borders of the Midi-Pyrenees and the Languedoc-Roussillon regions. To get a feel for the place the monks were invited to attend the Sunday morning service. Sitting attentively amongst the congregation uniformly dressed in crisp white dhotis, white t shirts and brown khadi cotton waistcoats their long black hair neatly tied up, they watched the wise old priest conduct mass flanked by burning candles beneath a large crucifix fixed to the wall. They registered all the religious symbolism; the painted icons, the ornate and intricate stained glass and the incense and the holy book and the large organ filling the abbey with sound. They must have been struck by the stark contrast with their own temple which is shorn of all clutter save for a smallish model of Gorunda mounted on a plinth; the hard bare floor leading to the doors on all four sides as a reminder that this religion is open to all. If the 16^th century founder of their faith, a man who embraced the concept of universality and equality, had been able to see his monks mingling with the catholic faithful then surely he would have readily approved.  As the priest wrapped up the service standing before the altar, where the stage would be set up for the performance in a few hours time, the monks all uttered a silent prayer to the Lord Krishna.

From the first note of the flute accompanied by the gentle beat of the drum and the rising spiritual incantation the audience was bewitched. The ethereal sound lilting upwards and outwards gradually filled the abbey. The stage lights brightened a touch intensifying the whiteness of the figures on the stage, then crash of percussion, cymbals and drums and the intricate movements signalled that the performance had really begun.