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 Azadi Ki Amrith Mahotsav - Shashank Kiron Nair e-mail: nandashashank3@gmail.com Photos: Ravi Shankar November 6, 2021 Azadi Ki Amrith Mahotsav celebrating 75 years of India's independence, was a two-day dance festival organized on the 23rd and 24th October 2021 by National Gallery of Modern Art in collaboration with ICCR Bangalore and the Saraswathi Educational and Charitable Trust at the NGMA Auditorium, Bangalore, curated by the city based Kathakali exponent Prabal Gupta. The festival was inaugurated by Nazneen Banu (Director, NGMA, Bangalore), P Venugopal (Senior Regional Director, ICCR) and Dr. C.K. Gariyali (Chairman, Saraswathi Educational and Charitable Trust). Performances on day one started with 'Natyamrutha,' a confluence of Kathak and Bharatanatyam, by Somashekar Chudanath and Sowmya Somashekar. They began with a "Swara Guccha" and then moved on to an ashtapadi "Priye Charusheele." Keeping with the theme of the festival, the couple concluded their recital with a patriotic piece "Namo Bharathambe," followed by a sprightly Tarana, both in raga Jog.  Somashekar & Sowmya Somashekar  Smitha Srinivasan The second segment for the day was a vibrant Kathak recital by Smitha Srinivasan and her disciples. The intricate rhythmic footworks and charming presentation captivated the audience. Smitha Srinivasan's attractive stage presence with beautiful recitation of the padants amidst the "teen taal" piece showed her perseverance and hard work for the dance form she specialises in. She concluded with an evocative bhajan where the poet says that when compared with Sri Rama 'the ideal man' himself, Devi Sita's credibility weighed much more, leaving the rasikas stirred. The final segment was a solo thematic Bharatanatyam production by Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy: 'Kshatra Draupadi' which explores the story of Draupadi, highlighting instances where she displays courage and boldness as well as compassion and gentleness. The production was a dedication to all women, conceptualised by Dr. Jyothi Krishna. The performance was a visual treat and was received with a standing ovation from the full house audience. Dr Vasundhara concluded her performance with "Vande Matharam," a befitting finale to the successful first day of the festival.  Vasundhara Doraswamy  Peesapilly Rajeevan & Prabal Gupta Day 2 inaugurated by Dr. Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma (Chairman, Karnataka Sangeetha Nrithya Academy) started with a Kathakali presentation of'Narakasuravadham', written by the playwright Sri Karthika Tirunal. Prabal Gupta essayed the role of the demoness Nakhrathundi in the guise of a damsel Lalitha and Peesapilly Rajeevan, the role of Jayanthan, the handsome son of Indra. The presentation entailed the scene where Lalitha tries to seduce Jayanthan to engage in the game of love but fails and ends with Jayanthan cutting off her nose and breasts.The attakatha began with a beautiful "sari nrittam" in the Keezhupadam style of Kathakali; a pure dance sequence traditionally used by the heroines to entice the hero. The entire padam monologued by Lalitha delineated the dancer's control on the complexity of the 16 matra Chempada tala and mukhabhinaya entailing this "paddiniya chitta padam". Rajeevan, a senior Kathakali exponent, was superb in his portrayal of his character as well. "Vaishnava Janatho" by Narasinh Mehta specially composed for the festival by Kalamandalam Mohan Krishnan Poduval in the sopanam style of music for Kathakali Streevesham choreographed and performed by Prabal Gupta was the cherry on the cake.  Sai Arts International The second segment was a Bharatanatyam recital by Sai Arts International, 'Prapanna' directed by Dr. Suparna Venkatesh. They began their recital with a traditional vibrant Mallari. Following that, a Pada varnam "Devar Munivar thozhum paadam," a composition of Lalgudi G Jayaraman, beautifully choreographed by Suparna Venkatesh and skilfully rendered by four of her senior disciples was a real treat to the eyes. The ensemble moved on to present Ardhanariswara thillana in ragam Desh. Their concluding piece 'Mythrim Bhajatha' was the perfect end to the two day festival. Bharatanatyam dancer Shashank Kiron Nair is a disciple of Mithun Shyam. |
