The
Temple
Our Story
The Temple of Fine Arts sprang forth as the visionary idea
of Swami Shantanand
Saraswathi, disciple
of Swami
Shivananda and
mentor/guru of the Shiva family. In 1981, with the help of his
devotees, Master
Sivadas and
wife Vatsala,
Master Gopal Shetty and
wife Radha,
who were all dance teachers, Swamiji inspired the beginnings of the
Temple of Fine Arts. Music, art and dance, he taught, have their
origins in the Divine, hence, the word "Temple".
Here the divine is worshipped through the fine arts and art is
taught just for the love of it. Today, TFA teaches different
classical and folk dances and music of South as well as North India
and has become a government recognised non-profit institution in
all its centers.
Our
Roots
Music, art and dance, have their origins in the divine, hence, the
word “temple”.
At the temple of fine arts, the divine is worshipped through the
fine arts, and art is taught simply for the love of it. A genuine
aspiration to learn is the only prerequisite. Even though nominal
fees are charged for classes, a deserving student is never refused
for want of money.
So it is from these roots that a detailed treaties on dance was
intuitively expounded by Sage Bharata some 5000 years ago—
the Natyashastra. The revival and reintegration of the fundamentals
of the Natyashastra into the present day world that has formed the
basic syllabus upon which an institution, The Temple of Fine Arts
was founded in 1981 in Australia. Today the Temple of Fine Arts is
well recognised and established in Malaysia, Singapore, India, USA,
Canada, Sri Lanka and Australia.
The Temple of Fine Arts is a cultural and service oriented
organisation with centres in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Chennai
(Madras), Coimbatore, Singapore and Perth. Today we are a
well-known organisation in our respective countries, recognised and
respected as an institution whose primary motive is that of
service.
Our
Mission
The Temple of Fine Arts
aspires to be an institution that would promote the promising young
citizens of character having faith in themselves and love for the
arts, so that they are not left without an avenue for artistic and
personal development merely for want of funds.
The Temple seeks to be formative more than informative, and does
not have for its end mere acquisition of knowledge. Its legitimate
sphere is not only to develop natural talents but also to shape
them and to enable them to absorb and express the permanent values
of culture. It strives to take into account not only the facets of
the students' personality but also the totality of their relations
and leads them to the highest self- fulfilment.
The
Result
The result is a co-operative
endeavour that allows one to give according to his capacity and
take according to his needs. It fosters continuity and change in a
way that's as bold as it is exciting. It moves away from the
comfort of dogma by combing the tradition with the modern. And it
does it with an abandon that can only come from fearlessness, faith
and fortitude. It is an idea that works towards an ideal as it
builds a future on the very best of the past.