Nada Abhinayam Festival

- Vijay Shanker
e-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com

January 18, 2026

Bangalore's premier cultural centre, Flute and Feet Academy, organized a two day international dance festival known as Nada Abhinayam at the Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore, on 22nd and 23rd November with the presentation of five accomplished dancers in the Bharatanatyam style - Bengaluru based Praveen Kumar, Shankar Kandasamy from Malaysia, Aishwarya Iyer S from USA, Mithra Naveen from Mysuru and Bhuvana G. Prasad from Bengaluru. It was a pleasure to watch the seasoned dancers revealing their expertise with utmost devotion and professional expertise.

Praveen Kumar

Leading Bharatanatyam exponent and mentor of Bangalore, Praveen Kumar, commenced the performance with a Keerthana composition of Papanasam Sivan, "Ka va va" in praise of Lord Murugan in which the devotee pleads to save and protect him, when in distress, as the Lord is the son of Lord Shiva and also the consort of Valli and Devayani. Praveen is such an involved performer with complete submission to the theme depicted, which was also revealed in the Dhanyasi Varnam "Ye moguva bodinchera" in which the nayika questions prince Krishna Rajendra as to why she is being ignored and as she is aware that he is smitten by another women and pleads with him not to go away as she is completely devoted, in spite of his distractions. The concluding number was the ashtapadi "Kshana madhuna Narayanam" in which Radha says she is unable to live a second without her love, Krishna. Besides the commendable abhinaya, what was most striking was the long and complex teermanams, executed with expertise, with the fine support of the commendable orchestral team with Jagadeeshwar Sukumaran on nattuvangam, Eshwar Iyer for vocal, Vidyashankar N on mridangam and Vivek Krishna on flute.

Shankar Kandasamy

Acclaimed Bharatanatyam exponent from Malaysia, Shankar Kandasamy created a lasting impression with his mesmerizing performance. Shankar is the leading Bharatanatyam faculty member of Temple of Fine Arts in Malaysia and has performed for several prestigious festivals. His interpretation of the number on Krishna and Kali revealed the satvika abhinaya while interpreting the divinity of Lord Krishna with the contradiction of the virile quality of the goddess Kali as the destroyer of evil and the universal mother as the protector of her devotees. Shankar's powerful expressions, spontaneous movements with distinct clarity were the highlight of his performance, which was further evident in the Varnam in praise of Lord Murugan "Velanai kaanbom" (Let us see Lord Muruga), in which a female devotee reveals her devotion for the Lord. Kandasamy concluded his brilliant performance with a Goddess Krithi with different 'viniyogas' pertaining to the usage of the alapadma hasta. He had fine orchestral support with Ananya M on nattuvangam, vocal by Nandakumar Unnikrishnan, mridangam by GR Senthil Kumar and flute by Vivek Krishna.

Aishwarya Iyer

Aishwarya Iyer is an accomplished Bharatanatyam exponent based in the USA. She follows the Pandanallur bani and is the disciple of Guru Sujatha Paneerselvam and Pandanallur S Pandian. She commenced her performance with Ganesh Anjali and followed it with the popular Varnam in praise of Lord Shiva, "Mohamana en meedil nee inda" which is inclusive of the sancharis of the cool breeze and the atmosphere that enhances the intensity of her heartbeat and her longing for her Lord, unable to bear the viraha tapam. In the verse "Nagarigamana nagaril" the nayika vividly describes the grandeur of the Thiruvarur chariot festival and wonders as to when she could catch a glimpse of the Lord. Aishwarya concluded her performance with the ashtapadi in which Radha is waiting anxiously for Lord Krishna on a moonlight night. Aishwarya's pleasing expressions and sparkling movements were well orchestrated with the competent musicians featuring nattuvangam by S. Pandian, vocal by Pazhakkudi GR Praveen, mridangam by GR Naveen and flute by Vivek Krishna.

Mithra Naveen

Mithra Naveen is the disciple of natyacharya K Murlidhara Rao and Dr Kripa Phadke. Along with reputed Carnatic vocalist husband Andagar Naveen, they established Nada Vidyalaya Academy of Music and Dance in Mysuru. Fruitfully functioning for almost two decades. Mithra is particularly credited for the choreography of socially relevant themes like climate change and women empowerment. After the shloka Hey Gopala, Mithra performed the Pada Varnam in Kannada, composed by Dr Geetha Seetaram, "Swamiya karetaare nee Venugopala" in which the heroine expresses her loneliness to her Sakhi in the sanchari. While at the river bank, she sees a pair of birds, fishes together, the creeper entwined with the tree and feels that she is left alone and wonders as to when she would be united with her Lord. The finale Devarnama "Neena doddavanu Hariye" in Revathi raga, elaborated the Narasimha Avatara of Lord Vishnu with impeccable abhinaya. She had commendable nattuvangam support by Harshita Subramanya, vocal by Naveen MS, mridangam by GS Nagaraj and flute by Vivek Krishna.

Bhuvana G. Prasad

The grand finale performer was Bhuvana G. Prasad, daughter and disciple of Guru Seetha Guruprasad and Guru B. Banumathi. Her interpretation was of Pulinda, the gypsy fortune teller and devotee of Lord Murugan who travels to various villages and the villagers are quite excited to know about their fortune and future prospects of marriage and other aspects of life. It was truly a pleasure to watch Bhuvana dancing the folkish jumps and steps with a classical touch, revealing the varied aspects of life and as to how wishes of the villagers could be fulfilled with her fortune telling.

Flute and Feet Academy has been established by the dynamic couple - Guru Aranya Narain, an accomplished Bharatanatyam exponent and mentor, and flute maestro Vivek Krishna - with the intention of popularizing and promoting classical music and dance on a larger platform by teaching and organizing festivals mainly to encourage young talent along with established performers.

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