Vijana Kala Vedi Cultural Centre

Rangoli · May 17th, 2008, 22:45

I just saw the website for the Vijnana Kala Vedi Cultural Centre in Aranmula (near Kottayam), Kerala.

They offer courses in a variety of cultural subjects like music, dance, painting and languages.

Has anybody been there? I would love to hear from anyone who has any experience with this organization, I am seriously thinking of going, but would feel better hearing about other people's experiences first.

Rangoli · May 17th, 2008, 23:01

Sorry, I see there have already been some posts on this, I did a search but misspelled the name.....Actually to be honest, I copied the name from the Rough Guide, where they had misspelled it :-)

Anyways, I am always glad to hear more viewpoints, although from what I have seen it looks very positive (I just have to decide which of the courses to take- they all look interesting!)

capt_mahajan · May 17th, 2008, 23:09

You have probably seen the first two visible when you scroll down the page, under 'Similar threads'

There is another one, too, but no replies- and it is dated 2003 anyway.

theborg · May 27th, 2008, 22:23

hello i stayed there for 4 months and wouldnt recommend it, i think its more interesting to find a city you like, find a place to stay then research a good teacher you'll save alot of money and have more chances meet and socialize with indians, its all abit too easy at VKV and not very authentic and the owner is a nutter! but it is a lovely area and i do recommend the ayurvedic hospital nearby!

Nick-H · May 28th, 2008, 00:11

Sounds like there are stories you could tell us!

Rangoli · May 28th, 2008, 13:07

I am also interested in hearing some stories....

I suppose I should have been more specific and said that we don't have more than a week or two to spend there. I can see that if you spent 4 months there it might have been more efficient to spend time searching out a private teacher and studying with him or her.

It does look surprisingly like a summer camp at the Vijnana Kala Vedi! On the other hand I know absolutely nothing about karnatic music and/or dance and would be embarrassed to seek out a teacher for such a short general introduction.

Now, when you say "nutter" do you mean "marching to the beat of his own drummer" or "may harm himself of others"?

I would also love to hear more about the ayurvedic hospital....

vandy · May 28th, 2008, 14:05

Hey Rangoli,

Did you see my reply to your request for Contact
Information for Malayalam Lake Resort.

vandy

theborg · May 28th, 2008, 15:44

haha yeh i have some stories, well if your going for a short time then i guess its good as you'll get a good introduction into various art forms,
but the woman who owns it has been here too long over 30 years i think and manages to drive all her staff crazy, so i got very sick of the atmosphere there,
i also went back recently to stay at the hospital for some treatments which was great i would have highly recommended the ayurveda course there because of the doctor but he is leaving to germany soon, so i think the course is abit of a mess now, but definetly go and stay in the hospital if you want a no frills authentic ayurvedic experience!

Nick-H · May 28th, 2008, 21:23

Rangoli; if you are a complete beginner, and you need some sort of taster or intro, I think it is a must that you choose a person or institution that is used to dealing with and serving up bite-sized chinks to foreigners with no previous experience. The majority of traditional music teachers will not be, and will take students that they expect to be long term.

May 17th, 2008, 22:45	#1
Rangoli Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Israel Posts: 7	Vijana Kala Vedi Cultural Centre I just saw the website for the Vijnana Kala Vedi Cultural Centre in Aranmula (near Kottayam), Kerala. They offer courses in a variety of cultural subjects like music, dance, painting and languages. Has anybody been there? I would love to hear from anyone who has any experience with this organization, I am seriously thinking of going, but would feel better hearing about other people's experiences first.

May 28th, 2008, 00:11	#5
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 26,924	Sounds like there are stories you could tell us! __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

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May 17th, 2008, 23:01	#2
Rangoli Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Israel Posts: 7	Sorry, I see there have already been some posts on this, I did a search but misspelled the name.....Actually to be honest, I copied the name from the Rough Guide, where they had misspelled it :-) Anyways, I am always glad to hear more viewpoints, although from what I have seen it looks very positive (I just have to decide which of the courses to take- they all look interesting!)

May 17th, 2008, 23:09	#3
capt_mahajan (in charge of navel affairs) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 10,113	You have probably seen the first two visible when you scroll down the page, under 'Similar threads' There is another one, too, but no replies- and it is dated 2003 anyway.

May 27th, 2008, 22:23	#4
theborg Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kerala Posts: 29	hello i stayed there for 4 months and wouldnt recommend it, i think its more interesting to find a city you like, find a place to stay then research a good teacher you'll save alot of money and have more chances meet and socialize with indians, its all abit too easy at VKV and not very authentic and the owner is a nutter! but it is a lovely area and i do recommend the ayurvedic hospital nearby!

May 28th, 2008, 13:07	#6
Rangoli Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Israel Posts: 7	I am also interested in hearing some stories.... I suppose I should have been more specific and said that we don't have more than a week or two to spend there. I can see that if you spent 4 months there it might have been more efficient to spend time searching out a private teacher and studying with him or her. It does look surprisingly like a summer camp at the Vijnana Kala Vedi! On the other hand I know absolutely nothing about karnatic music and/or dance and would be embarrassed to seek out a teacher for such a short general introduction. Now, when you say "nutter" do you mean "marching to the beat of his own drummer" or "may harm himself of others"? I would also love to hear more about the ayurvedic hospital....

May 28th, 2008, 14:05	#7
vandy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: perth-australia Posts: 673	Hey Rangoli, Did you see my reply to your request for Contact Information for Malayalam Lake Resort. vandy

May 28th, 2008, 15:44	#8
theborg Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kerala Posts: 29	haha yeh i have some stories, well if your going for a short time then i guess its good as you'll get a good introduction into various art forms, but the woman who owns it has been here too long over 30 years i think and manages to drive all her staff crazy, so i got very sick of the atmosphere there, i also went back recently to stay at the hospital for some treatments which was great i would have highly recommended the ayurveda course there because of the doctor but he is leaving to germany soon, so i think the course is abit of a mess now, but definetly go and stay in the hospital if you want a no frills authentic ayurvedic experience!

May 28th, 2008, 21:23	#9
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 26,924	Rangoli; if you are a complete beginner, and you need some sort of taster or intro, I think it is a must that you choose a person or institution that is used to dealing with and serving up bite-sized chinks to foreigners with no previous experience. The majority of traditional music teachers will not be, and will take students that they expect to be long term.

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