Desikachar Interviewed on Indian TV, circa 2003

Last week's post, featuring a 1995 video interview of T.K.V. Desikachar was very warmly received, which is a good thing, because there's a lot more where that came from.  In honor of the upcoming 10th anniversary of my teacher's passing on August 8, 2016, I am continuing my deep dive into video I've archived over the pat few decades.

This week, I’m pleased to share a half-hour interview that Desikachar gave circa 2003 to Rajiv Mehrotra, the Indian author, broadcaster, and longtime host of the acclaimed In Conversation television series. Originally broadcast on India’s national public television network, the exchange offers one of Desikachar’s clearest and most thoughtful introductions to his approach to yoga, emphasizing - as he always did - the importance of individualized teaching, the teacher-student relationship, and the practical application of yoga in everyday life.  You will even hear him briefly  demonstrate some Vedic chanting.

Speaking of Vedic chanting, when preparing this post, I was reminded of the very first event we produced shortly after we incorporated The Breathing Project as a non-profit. On Thursday, May 30, 2002, Desikachar and his family were in New York as part of a tour of America during which several large-scale Vedic Chanting events were organized.  The studio bearing the name "The Breathing Project" was nearly a year away from opening, yet Eddie Stern, Lydia and I were able to pull together a team to put on an event that drew a sold-out crowd to the Advent Lutheran Church on NYC's Upper West Side.  Below is the postcard Lydia produced to promote the gathering.

The studio opened officially the next year, on my 45th birthday, March 13, 2003. A few months later, we had a lovely visit from Desikachar, during which he conducted a brief ceremony to bless our undertaking.  The low-res photos below of my sons Jai and Alex sitting with me and Desikachar are sadly the only record that remains of that event.  For whatever reason, whenever we were together in that pre-selfie era, it never occurred to me to pose for photos with him.

Next week, stay tuned for something extremely rare and exclusive from 1996 that has a great story attached to it.

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