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Emphatic presentation by Rachita Ravi - Supriya Rajan e-mail: supriya.dancer@gmail.com Photo: Vipindas June 29, 2014 As part of the efforts by Kerala Sangeeth Natak Academy to promote the performing art forms of Kerala, Rachita Ravi presented Mohiniattam at Changampuzha Samskarika Kendram, near Kochi on June 27, 2014. The venue has of late been witness to several programs and has become a bustling arena where residents of the locality take their evening walks and nourish their mind watching various programs organized by Edapally Nrithaswadaka Sadas. Enchantingly bedecked, Rachita Ravi, after a short salutation to Ganesha through her dance, presented Cholkettu in Raagamalika. With her pleasant and delicate moves she had the rasikas at ease. She then moved on to a varnam on Meera, asking Krishna why He isn’t coming to her. Rama, another avatar of Vishnu had appeared before Ahalya and Sabari. “Why don’t you, Krishna, give me a vision of you and make my sweet bhakti towards you attain fulfillment,” says Meera Bai. With her evocative abhinaya she had the audience engrossed in the piece. After the action packed varnam in Simhendra Madhyama ragam was the ashtapadi, “Yahi Madhava” wherein she effectively portrayed the khanditha nayika. By citing the example of Pootana, the nayika tells Krishna that he has a history of destroying ladies. Rachita’s enactment of Pootana Moksham was dramatic. She concluded her recital with Sreeman Narayana in which she depicted the Narasimha avatar and ended the piece on a very spiritually note. The dancer’s brilliance was seen in many parts; however, better choreography with a more focused story telling would have raised the evening’s recital to another level and probably appeased the rain gods too to send down the much awaited monsoon rains. The dancer is a disciple of Prof. Kalamandalam Leelamma and is doing research in Mohiniattam in Kerala Kalamandalam.