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A margam of finesse and grace - Satish Suri e-mail: satishism@yahoo.co.in December 17, 2014 The Kalakshetra bani lends itself to an innate grace and finesse both in its movements and content of choreography. Bharatanatyam dancer Sukriti Ananth amply justified her qualifications as an alumni of Kalakshetra when she presented a margam at Nayana Auditorium, Bangalore, on 19th November. A shloka and a tisra alarippu followed by a devarnama “Jaganmohanane Krishna” heralded the opening sequence of her presentation. The tana varnam “Chalamela” in Nattaikurunji was punctuated with shringara rasa and Karuna bhava, a composition of Moolai Veedu Rangaswamy Nattuvanar set to choreography by Late Rukmini Devi Arundale wherein the devotee pleads with Lord Ranganatha to understand her predicament. Sukruti explored the artistry of the composition with crisp movements and measured grace in the delineation of the jathis and the mukthayas and finesse in the expression of  the sancharis -  the lord saving Gajendra from the clutches of the crocodile and the modesty of Draupadi. The devarnama “Jagadhodharana” had the vatsalya bhava come to the fore. This was followed by a javali “Telise vagalella bagayara”, a composition describing  a khanditha nayika angered by her beloved’s  behaviour towards her. Bragha Bessel’s choreography added value and inherent emotive appeal to the depiction by the artist. Sukriti concluded with a delightful and graceful thillana in true traditional Kalakshetra style in raga Hindola and khanda eka tala, dedicated to Kanchi Kamakshi, followed by a mangalam. An engineer by profession, Satish Suri is a life member of the International Music and Arts Society, an alternative healer and therapist through energy management and a spiritual guide for meditators.