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 The eight Praana Sakhis of Lord Krishna- Vijay Shankere-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com Photos: Gokul Centre for Cultural Education October 23, 2025 The Gokul Centre for Cultural Education of the BSKB Association, as part of the 100 glorious years of the Association, organised a unique programme in the Bharatanatyam format. 'Praana Sakhi' incorporating the eight Praana Sakhis whose life and devotion revolves around Lord Krishna and Radha Rani, was conceived and directed by noted scholar and presenter Dr Usha RK. Eight classical dancers along with the lone male classical dancer, who donned the role of Lord Krishna, performed to the delight of the audience at the Saraswati auditorium in Sion, Mumbai on September 13.  Arundati and Sagarika Patwardhan Erudite in the 64 Arts, every thought and action of the Praana Sakhis is solely aimed towards the happiness of Lord Krishna and Radha Rani. The eight Praana Sakhis are Chitra, Sudevi, Lalita, Tungavidya, Champakalata, Rangadevi, Vishakha and Indulekha. The first number was the Kautvam, followed by the amazing "Swagatham Krishna" performed by Arundhati and Sagarika Patwardhan and Lord Krishna was enacted by Mumbai's leading male classical dancer, Pavithra Krishna Bhat. The mother-daughter duo performed well incorporating Chitra and Sudevi, while celebrating every moment of the divine presence of the Lord and their devotion towards him. Chitra is adept at playing with musical pots that is filled with varying degrees of water; she has knowledge of astronomy and astrology and enjoys the intimacy of birds, animals and nature too. In the spiritual realm, the Gopis of Braj enjoy a position higher than that of the creator Brahma and the protector Vishnu. The five main characteristics of the Gopis are, they possess intimate knowledge of the divinity of Lord Krishna but they do not reveal it. They adore Krishna as their beloved, they surrender everything including their self, selflessly. They completely reject the value of self-happiness and most importantly, their happiness and actions revolve around Lord Krishna and Radha Rani.  Vaidehi Rele and Trusha Panchal  Kavya Kasinathan and Sneha Bhagwat 'Leela Vinoda' with the two episodes were compactly delineated. The reaction of the Salvis in Kaliya was superb, the Kaliya Thillana recitation and performance was noteworthy. Shringara Leela from Sakhya, teaching the mridang and elevating Radha's musical sense to match Krishna in order to enhance their togetherness was a beautiful idea, followed by the ashtapadi. "Sa Virahe" was more than magical, the expressions struck numerous chords and the icing was "Priye Charusheele" in which Krishna completely surrenders to Radha. It was interesting to watch the transition from sringara to sringara bhakti culminating with the Maha Raas. The preparation of Maha Raas, especially the inner cleansing and associating each chakra with the specific jewel was unique. The Dandiya set the stage for the Thillana which represented the "one for each" concept perfectly matching with the "naama sankirtanam" and concluded well.  Keerthana Ravi and Sayani Chakravarthy Kavya Kasinathan and Sneha Bhagwat appeared as Champakalata and Rangadevi and were among the best performers. Keerthana Ravi and Sayani Chakravarthy appeared as Lalita and Tungavidya. Vaidehi Rele and Trusha Panchal portrayed Vishakha and Indulekha.  Vidya Harikrishna rendered commendable musical support and musical compositions too. Sujesh Menon lent vocal support appropriately, with mridangam by Prajesh Nair and flute by Raghunandan. On the whole, it was unusual and unique with a fine set of dancers.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
