Neera

Yatro writes: "Neera left her body not long after dawn on Sunday 12th April. She had spent the night, surrounded by her partner Dinraj, family and friends – with music, silence, laughter, love, being held. She left very peacefully, her breath simply stopped. And she looked radiant." Her Death Celebration will be held on Friday 17th April 2009 7pm in Scorriton. Details...

The beautiful singer, who many of you will know, or will have heard, was diagnosed with cervical cancer over a year ago...

Neera, travelling light... (click on pictures to zoom in)

Neera, 47, took sannyas in 1983. Although she always enjoyed singing, it was on the ranch in Oregon that a shift happened. Shortly after participating in the Tantra group, she was on the truck farm listening to the radio, when she opened her mouth, and found with amazement a voice emanating from her belly in a way like never before. This stayed with her, she found herself singing all the time and from then onwards singing became her path.

She travelled between Poona and Japan for 18 years. She sang in the music for the Evening Meeting in the Resort and was part of Oshoba. You will hear her on the beautiful recording made in the Resort of Osho Gurdjieff’s Sacred Dances and on the Heart Dance recording Wild Dances and Silent Songs. She has also recorded with Prem Joshua (No Goal but the Path), Ravi, Chinmaya, and Pramada (Terra Incognita), with Satyadharma (Travelling Light) and with her band in Japan (Baul Essentials), as well as Milarepa (Lotus Paradise), with whom she toured many times. She has travelled "with music" over the world.

Neera posing for the CD cover of The Thread Runs Through It (click on pictures to zoom in)

She says, "What I’m into is the ‘isness’ of it – the way the voice touches the very core of being. What has fascinated me is to bring that ‘isness’ of meditation into singing. There I find the truth of it. Osho has been my song master as well as my meditation master. Who could wish for better? Ultimately it goes beyond all of that. I’m intensely grateful for that journey. I don’t know where else on the planet you could have such a mystic journey with singing – or indeed any field. I’m eternally grateful that that’s been my path. I can’t think of a more beautiful one."

Since moving to Devon in July last year, she has entranced the local sannyasin community and friends at gatherings, sharing her being and voice whenever she was able.

Raj, her partner (also a gifted musician – plays guitar and sarod) who has been with her for seven years, recently sent out an update on her health, which you can read here. Or read Punya’s article: How would apple blossoms sound? Read Rashid’s words about Neera’s send-off on 17th April 2009.

Neera’s albums:

The Thread Runs Through It is available for download on Apple itunes and Amazon
Baul Essentials available from Dhinraj (pay through paypal button below) – £11.99 including shipping in the UK, £13.99 outside the UK
Lotus Paradise is an album with Milarepa and is available on oneskymusic.com

Neera on YouTube:

text by Yatro – March 2009