MUSIC REVIEWS
By Samir Sukla
Sanskrit mantras have been chanted for eons. On Mantras for my children...and yours, Ninakumari Patel, a.k.a. Mantra Mom, infuses contemporary music into ancient mantras. She believes these mantras, with musical accompaniment of moody new age, playful tablas, sitar, keyboards, and a touch of bhangra and hip-hop for 21st century kids, will help calm active children. Elements of yoga also play a part in these musical chants created by a Gujarati mom in Texas for her children. The recording is warm and the music is lifting and fits the flow of these chants. The mantras include "Hare Rama Hare Krishna,""Gayatri Mantra,"and "Gurur Brahma Gurur Vishnu." They are all chanted in Sanskrit by Chandrakantha Courtney along with Mantra Mom. The disc comes with a booklet that includes English translations and a message for parents on how to use mantra meditation in their busy lives. She was inspired to make the CD to give her children solace before bedtime and also enhance the connection to their spiritual heritage. For details visit www.mantramom.com.