Nritya Ananda Lahari Festival

- Vijay Shanker
e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com
Photos: Sunil Jhangel, NK Arts

November 3, 2025

Nritya Ananda Lahari Festival was conducted at Rangamandira in Raipur from 2 to 12 October. The 11 day festival attracted the congregation of some brilliant classical dancers in different styles, particularly youngsters who catered to varied styles, tradition, interpretations with evolving aesthetics of Indian classical dances. The colourful festival was organised by All India Dancers Association (AIDA) with support from the Ministry of Culture, Govt of India.

The festival commenced with folk tradition of Chhatisgarh, revealing their ethnic flavour and music, performed by the group of dancers and musicians in the rustic style with lot of enthusiasm. The only Mohiniattam dancer to perform was Swapna Rajendrakumar from Bangalore who is taking advanced training from Kalamandalam Kshemavathy. Swapna commenced with Ekadantam in praise of Lord Ganesha, with music by MK Vasudevan and choreography by Kalamandalam Kshemavathy. The ashtapadi "Sa virahe tava deena" conveys the anguish of Radha, separated from her beloved Krishna, through her Sakhi. The fragrance of sandalwood, the cool rays of the moon or the soft bed of flowers, do not soothe her anymore, as it enhances her misery and suffering. Swapna is an accomplished dancer who could interpret the sancharis and the emotional intensity with complete involvement and rasanubhuti, thereby revealing viraha bhakti, where yearning becomes worship. Swapna concluded her brilliant performance with Bhoopalam Thillana, with lyrics by Maharaja Swati Thirunal and music scored by Dr. M Balamuralikrishna.

Swapna Rajendrakumar

Dr Tina Tambe

Dr Tina Tambe is an accomplished Kathak dancer from Mumbai and her performance had fine combination of complex pure dance patterns and the story telling concept with the dramatisation of Dashavataram and the pathos and suffering of Draupadi as she pledges to take revenge. Tina excelled in taal Dhamar with precise and impressive execution of complex rhythmic patterns. Tina's performance revealed her mastery over abhinaya and her command over the technique of Kathak.

Bhairavi Venkatesan, disciple of Guru Sheela Unnikrishnan of Sreedevi Nrityalaya, created a fine impression with the dramatic presentation of Dashavataram and ashtapadi. Her performance was noteworthy for the clarity of movements, precision and subtle expressions.

Rajendra Kumar

Talented young dancer Rajendra Kumar of Naveen Sangeet Vidyalaya is the disciple of Dr Medini Hombal, His interpretation of Shiva Panchakshara Strotam "Na Ma Shi Va Ya" and Nandi Chollu was striking and powerful, revealing the glory and the grandeur of Lord Shiva. His natural grasp of fine movements and expressions was much appreciated. He is indeed a promising dancer. The evening also blossomed with the thematic Behag Tana Varnam "Vanajaksha" by the students of Nrityathi Kalakshetram, which was impressive for its fine synchronisation and sparkling movements.

Incorporating the concept of both sringara and spirituality in the Annamacharya kirtana "Yemuo Chigurutadhara", actress and Kuchipudi dancer Himansee Katrageda from Warangal (AP) danced with professional ease and elegance. Himansee also revealed her dexterity in the Sringara Shiva Tarangam while dancing on the rim of the brass plate with rhythmic accuracy and confidence.

Himansee Katrageda

Swapnokalpa Dasgupta

Rajashree Das is an empanelled artist of ICCR from Bangalore, whose Bharatanatyam performance in the depiction of the Padavarnam revealed her mastery over technique and expressions. Swapnokalpa Dasgupta, Odissi exponent from Mumbai, presented an enthralling version of Kali Tandavam with captivating expressions that dramatized the virile aspect of the goddess as the destroyer of evil. Swapnokalpa also performed the Nayika Bhedas depicting the varied nayikas caught in different moments of love.

Mrunmayee, daughter and disciple of Dr G. Ratheesh Babu, rendered a powerful interpretation of the Bhairavi Varnam "Mohamana en meedil", a timeless composition of the illustrious Thanjavur Quartet, a masterpiece that seamlessly interweaves nritta and abhinaya, in a soulful portrayal of a nayika longing for her beloved, Lord Shiva, who resides in Chidambaram. "Mohamana" itself means enraptured or captivated, reflecting the heroine's state of mind as she yeans for divine union, pleading with the Lord to grant her a vision of his celestial form. Through the intricate jathis and the emotive sanchari bhavas and the choreography by Guru Ratheesh Babu, the item explores both the aesthetic and spiritual dimensions of the composition. The nritta passages bring out the grandeur and the rhythmic vitality of the varnam, while the abhinaya captures the depth of the heroine's emotion - her anticipation, devotion and ultimate surrender. A sublime confluence of bhakti (devotion) and sringara (love), the performance was a fine combination of precision, elegance and spiritual intensity.

Mrunmayee

Vinay Tiwari

New Delhi based brilliant, young Bharatanatyam dancer Vinay Tiwari is the disciple of Guru Rama Vaidyanathan. He performed Vasanta Varnam, set to mishra jhampa talam (a ten beat rhythmic cycle). This composition originally written in Telugu by Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar with jathis composed by Karaikudi Shivakumar and choreographed by Rama Vaidyanathan, portrays the Sakhi who pleads with Lord Srinivasa to meet the nayika as she is suffering from the pangs of separation. She is waiting to meet her Lord and sees the lord in every lotus and every being as she is smitten by the cupid arrows and converses with him in solitude too. It is always a pleasure to watch Vinay dance, as he gets involved and does justice to his performance with emotional intensity and technical finesse.

Bhadra Sinha and Gayatri Mishra

Bhadra Sinha and Gayatri Mishra, disciples of Guru Ratheesh Babu, presented Lanka-Mandodari, a captivating portrayal of the arrogance and conceit of Lankapati Ravana as he fails to listen to his wife Mandodari and faces his downfall and doom. Lucknow based Anshika Katharia impressed the audience with her brief portrayal of Ramayana in the Kathak style with impeccable intricate footwork that attracted the applause of the packed audience.

Nandakumar Unnikrishnan

On the concluding day, AIDA bestowed the title 'Sangeethashree Kalanidhi' on musician Nandakumar Unnikrishnan (Bangalore) for his global service to classical dance music. The soul of AIDA, Dr Ratheesh Babu said Nritya Ananda Lahari 2025 was not just a festival, it was "a testament to unity through diversity, a living bridge between tradition and evolution, evidently proving the point that Indian classical dance is shining bright in youthful hands. I am also extremely grateful to the Ministry of Culture, without their support, a festival of such a magnitude cannot be organised".

Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor.