About
02
Who are we
The Temple of Fine Arts
The Temple of Fine Arts is a not for profit cultural organisation, dedicated to the promotion of the Arts. With 14 centres located in 7 countries, TFA’s core belief is in an innocence and universality in dance and music, one which transcends religious, racial, cultural and geographical boundaries, while embracing the raw spirituality of the Arts.
Since its inception in 1981 by Swami Shantanand Saraswathi, a Hindu monk originally from Rishikesh, India, the Temple of Fine Arts Malaysia and its group of companies have contributed significantly in enriching the nation’s cultural wealth, by educating and exposing several thousand people to dance, music, culture, heritage, cuisine, fashion and the like.
TFA has staged elaborate dance and music productions, such as Swan Lake, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lady White Snake, The Ramayana (incorporating various genres from the Asian region), The Legend of Mahsuri, Butterfly Lovers, and The Naad Brahma and Tryam Indian Orchestras. These productions have been staged in Malaysia, India, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Australia over the last 20 years. Every production was created to enchant and enlighten both performer and spectator. Each performance created unlimited opportunities for our youth to learn, acquire new skills and work selflessly together for a common goal.
TFA has always strived to follow a principle of ‘Arts for the Arts’ sake’, by making Arts education accessible to all by offering free or partial scholarships for those who cannot afford to pay a fee for classes, and also by not charging a standard ‘ticket’ price for our productions and shows, with the firm conviction that one’s economic standing should not be a barrier to enjoy and partake in the Arts.
Apart from serving through the Arts, TFA also serves by providing free medical aid to underprivileged sections of our society. This has been achieved over the years through the Temple of Service, or Klinik Derma SivaSanta. These clinics, situated in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Penang, operate six days a week. In addition, medical camps are conducted each month at various rural parts throughout Malaysia, attending to the health problems of about 400 underprivileged people at each camp. The clinics are funded through The Temple of Fine Arts, and supported by caring members of the public who give financial assistance and in kind.
Located in four countries, Annalakshmi, the vegetarian restaurant, is the culinary arts wing of TFA, and contributes towards sustaining the artistic and charitable activities of The Temple of Fine Arts. In the last year, Annalakshmi adopted the concept of “Eat as You Want, Pay as You Wish” – a concept which results in a co-operative endeavour that allows one to give according to their capacity and consume according to their needs. The idea is based on TFA’s core mission – to serve, to love and to give.
As the visual arts centre of The Temple of Fine Arts, Lavanya is perhaps the only selective repository of Indian Art outside the sub-continent. With artifacts representing the length and breadth of India – from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Maharashtra to Bengal, Lavanya is indeed a veritable treasure trove for any serious connoisseur. But there is more to Lavanya than just rich variety – there is expertise behind the counter, who will serve you with the desire to satisfy your tastes in the Visual Arts.
Money is not our primary objective. We are driven by the joy we hope you experience when you are at one of our musical or dance productions; when you are treated by a doctor whose only worry is to make you feel better; when you acquire an artefact knowing that you have contributed to an artisan’s livelihood; or when you are served with love, respect and dignity that you deserve not because of your social status but because ultimately we are all the same.
03
The Festival
Shantanand Festival of Arts
The Shantanand Festival of Arts ( SFA ) personifies Malaysia’s vibrant spirit and cosmopolitan character and is aimed to emerge as a meeting platform for all artists and art enthusiasts.
The aims of SFA are :
- To create interest, spread awareness and sustain Malaysia’s rich and diverse cultural heritage in the fields of Performing Arts, Visual Arts & Culinary Art.
- To present Malaysian art lovers the opportunity of witnessing spectacular performances by renowned national and international artists.
- Inspire and motivate the Youth of today to delve into the realm and richness of the Arts by providing insight and interaction with the creative artistic process.
- To contribute to the efforts of the Malaysian Government to make Malaysia a major Cultural and Tourist destination.SFA presents a myriad feast of Classical & Contemporary Music, Classical Dance, Visual Arts, Performing Arts & Culinary arts performed by renowned national artists as well as talented local & regional artists.
To make the Festival truly participative and encouraging young talents, the Festival hosts Workshops on music, dance and other art related events.
SFA has been undertaken with a different theme to be able to illustrate the varied appeal of the Arts to different cultures, professions and people generally.
SFA 2016 was held with the aim of exposing the youth of Malaysia to the varied forms of arts of our culture in Malaysia with a view to developing a Malaysian Arts Identity.
SFA 2015 saw the participation of renowned international artistic groups from 5 different countries, namely India, Pakistan, Philipines , Singapore and Malaysia. A truly international event which definitely increased the profile of the Festival to a regional level.
The 1st edition of the SFA was launched in Dec 2014 as a multicultural event of dance and music which brought together local and foreign artistes together. The event comprised of workshops and performances of various arts forms which greatly enriched the experience of those who attended.
The success of SFA 2014 was the catalyst that motivated Perbadanan Kesenian Malaysia to commit to hosting SFA on an annual basis to bring together Malaysian art lovers from all walks of life.
SFA 2017 was held in conjunction with the 60th Independence Day celebrations of Malaysia celebrating cultural diversity within the country.