Gurukulam

In vivid and sensuous detail, ‘Gurukulam’ follows a group of students and their teacher as they confront fundamental questions about the nature of reality and self-identity at a secluded forest ashram in southern India. Daily chores, meditation, rite and rigorous study are woven together, connecting the natural and spiritual worlds in moments of surprising revelations. The richly layered soundscape by Ernst Karel (‘Sweetgrass’, ‘Leviathan’), the intimacy of images recorded by J.P. Sniadecki (‘Iron Ministry’, ‘Foreign Parts’), the seamless editing of Mary Lampson (‘Harlan County U.S.A., ‘Kimjongilia’) combine to bring us into a place of extraordinary beauty and simplicity. From Swami Dayananda’s first lesson: ‘Saying is only an expression of what you see’, ‘Gurukulam’ is a rare invitation to look, listen, and experience a contemplative rhythm of life as old as the Bhagavad Gita and as new as present-day India.