Sai Nrutyotsava series-6
- Mysore B Nagaraj, Bangalore
e-mail: articulateindia@gmail.com

November 23, 2009 

 
On the first day of every month, Bangalore witnesses the Sai Nrutyotsava at Seva Sadhana, showcasing the talented disciples of well known gurus and established dancers of the city. November 1st became special for the reason the state was celebrating Kannada Rajyothsava. This series 6 was exploited by all the dancers of the fest by presenting Kannada compositions through the medium of Bharatanatyam.

Guru Sumana Ranjalkar presented her young disciples in a sequence of 5 dance numbers. The dancers began with a Pushpanjali in Nata raga, followed by Ganesha Stuti. The presentation continued with an alaripu in Charukeshi, a devaranama in Raga Durga and concluded with a Jathiswaram in Abhogi. Shreelatha Bhatt, Gauthami, Meghana, Hamsika, Bhumika, Sheetal Shenoy, Krishne Tanneerbhavi and Master Pratham comprised the dance ensemble.
 

disciples of Sumana Ranjalkar
Kavyashree Jayaram

Disciple of Guru Pulakeshi Kasthuri of the Kasthuri Trio, Prasanna-Pulakeshi-Sushma, Kavyashree Jayaram chose to commence her performance with an interesting composition Kavyanjali. A verse from Simha Bhoopala's Lasya Ranjana, praising the grandeur of dance art, was followed by a string of selected prayers to Ganesha, Saraswathi, Vishnu and Shiva by well known Kannada poets Paramadeva, Kanakadasa, Lakshmisha and Kumara Valmiki. The item concluded with pranams to the Ashta Dikh Palakas. The devaranama "Eenu Maruladeyamma" delineates on the single pointed aspiration of Rukmini to wed Krishna, in spite of constant discouragement by her maid. She chose a Shiva Stuti in Chandrakouns, composed by Bellary Raghavachar to close her act.

Madhavi, Archana, Pushya, Kavyashree, Divya Chandra, Shamika, Shweta, Sindhu, Somashekar, Nishant, Pawan and Sharath Sharma were presented by Guru Suparna Venkatesh in a well knit, seamless dance feature "Sapta Ratnagalu," based on the works of the seven Gnana Peetha Awardees hailing from Karnataka. The work put together theater art, classical dance, folk arts and ritual celebrations in translating into movement the lyrics "Jaya Bharatha Jananeeya Tanujathe" of KV Puttappa, "Yelli daaritappi yellibandeyo Krishna" of Masthi Venkatesh Iyengar, "Sooryodaya Kavana" of Vinayak Krishna Gokak, Dr. Kota Shivaram Karanth's "Kisa Gowthami" episode from Buddha’s life, Girish Karnad's "Hayavadhana," Dr. UR Ananthamurthy's "Sri Tulasidala" and the famous song "Kuniyonu bara Kunionu ba" of Dr. Dattatreya Ramachandra Bendre.
 

disciples of Suparna Venkatesh
Sadhanashree

Sadhanashree, disciple of her mother/guru Jyothi Raghuram, presented a Padavarna in Bharatanatyam. Sadhanashree left the often trodden path of depicting a nayaki with shrungara bhava in a varnam and plunged into the unparalleled relationship Draupadi fostered towards Krishna. Her surrender unto Him, her faith in Him made Krishna come to her rescue at several points of crisis in her life. Divinely penned by Shatavadhani R Ganesh in chaste Kannada, she performed each sanchari effectively.
 

disciples of Veena Shreedhar Morab

Guru Veena Shreedhar Morab presented her disciples Shruthi, Kruthika, Sanjana, Charitra and Abhishruta in Ganesha Kauthvam, Swarasahithyabhinaya, Devarnama of  Purandara Vittala before closing the day's utsava with a composition of Jayadeva describing the ten manifestations of Lord Vishnu.
 

Mysore B Nagaraj is a Kathak dancer/guru and the artistic director of Articulate, that takes social responsibility of the visually challenged.