Rupasena

Rupasena was born in Styria in 1964. He took up meditation in 1988, is married and has pursued varied careers. His original profession was that of a farmer, complete with his own farm that he is currently leasing. He went on to do an apprenticeship as an electrician, afterwards he learned the profession of a masseur and spa attendant, and later trained as a medical engineer. Driven by the desire of forever learning something new, he then caught up on his high-school diploma by attending evening courses. Years later, he finally earned a medical degree. In between, he has worked as a freelance, as a sales representative for an Internet company, as an insurance broker and as a consultant for food supplements, vitamins and other health products (www.happylonglife.at). We don’t claim that this list of his jobs is exhaustive, though.

His life’s biggest success, however, was when he managed to introduce the clarinet to our group – a distinctively “western“ and “classical“ instrument. After all, Arthada & Friends are an ensemble influenced by Indian music who vowed to use nothing but instruments that sound meditative. But Rupasena simply convinced those members who were all too critical of western instruments with his technique, sharpened by years of playing in a brass band, and with the meditative consciousness he puts into playing the clarinet. As he was drilled for the semi-professional performances of his brass band to strictly sound the exact duration of notes, he too tried to drill the ensemble Arthada & Friends in note values. His undertaking was nevertheless doomed from the outset and just earned him the nickname of “professor”. Despite his numerous activities, Rupasena somehow always manages to join the group for concerts and tours. Today, his clarinet has become indispensable for the sound of the ensemble and has gained him friends worldwide.