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 Kapardhini Dance Festival- Vijay Shankere-mail: vijaydance@gmail.com Photos: Madhukar / Universal Rasikas April 15, 2026 Kapardhini School of Divine Dancing, Bengaluru, presented the fifth edition of Kapardhini National Dance Festival with the theme "Hara" - the destroyer, at Seva Sadan auditorium, Bengaluru on 5th March with the participation of brilliant dancers in different classical dance styles. The dancers featured were Darshan Shankar, Rama Koundinya, Debasish Pattnaik, Deepak Kumar and the Svarita ensemble with three dancers. Kapardhini School of Divine Dancing is headed by acclaimed Bharatanatyam exponent and mentor, Darshan Shanker. The dance scenario in Bengaluru is really quite encouraging and exhilarating. Senior dancers and young dancers too take the initiative of organising festivals with hardly any corporate support, which is creditable. There are hardly any platforms for young dancers, hence it is not easy to make a headway as a classical dancer. Darshan Shankar says, "This is the fifth edition of Kapardhini Dance Festival. Initially I was worried as to how I will get it organised with hardly any financial support but dancers have been quite cooperative, hence there are more local dancers and hardly anybody from out of Bengaluru, in order to curb extra expenses of travel and hospitality etc. I am glad the response has been quite encouraging with better turnout of audience. I hope for better response in the years to come. Actually, I had planned for an exclusive male dancers festival, as male dancers are normally not invited that easily, but after knowing about the Svarita ensemble. I decided I would move a step further and am glad they performed quite well."  Darshan Shankar The festival commenced with the scintillating Bharatanatyam by Darshan Shankar. Darshan's involvement and devotion to the art form is impeccable. He has completed a choreography course at the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography, under the able guidance of the legendary Kathak guru Maya Rao, and also holds a Masters degree in performing arts from the Annamalai University. As guest artiste, he has performed with some of the leading dancers like Nirupama Rajendra, and for some of the prestigious festivals in India. Darshan commenced his brief performance with the invocatory number 'Pillayar Stuti' in praise of the Lord, followed with the piece-de-resistance of the evening, "Pradosha Samayadhi" describing the sacred twilight form of Pradosha and the glory of the Lord, the soul's longing for Lord Shiva that forms the spiritual essence of this number.  Rama Koundinya Rama Koundinya is an accomplished Kuchipudi exponent and is the disciple of Guru Raghupatruni Sreekanth from Srikakaulam (AP). Besides performances in India, he has performed overseas also and is the recipient of the Ugadi Puraskar. Rama performs in Stree Vesham and his performance is a fine combination of both elegance and technical command of the dance style. Rama commenced his performance with "Koluvai Unnadi Devadevudu" that interprets the boundless power of the Lord and his serene quality, followed by Shivoham that demonstrated the Ananda Tandavam of Lord Shiva, as he merrily dances along with Parvati, while Lord Brahma maintain the tala, Vishnu plays the mridangam and Lakshmi sings and Lord Indra maintains the melody and harmony of the celestial performance as everyone rejoices.  Deepak Kumar Deepak Kumar is an accomplished Bharatanatyam exponent and is the son of Guru Bhavani Shankar and Shashi Prabha from Puttur (AP) and heads the Mookambika Cultural Academy. Deepak commenced his performance with a composition of Patanjali Maharishi that describes the cosmic dance of Lord Nataraja at Chidambaram in Lathanapriya ragam and khanda chapu talam, followed by another number 'Mahadeva' wherein the Lord is described as "karunakara murthy" and also portrays the episode when Ravana tries to lift Kailasha and is unable to do so. Ravana demonstrates his devotion for Lord Shiva by removing his intestines to play the veena. This was well enacted by the devoted dancer.  Debasish Pattnaik Odissi dancer Debasish Pattnaik is the recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Akademi and is the disciple of Guru Durga Charan Ranbir. He performed "Om Dhyaya Nityam" describing the varied facets of the Lord, followed by the eight manifestations of the Lord in Shiva Ashtakam, a composition of Guru Debaprasad Das and directed by Guru Durga Charan Rambir. It was a pleasure to watch Debasish dancing with effortless ease, combining elements of both elegance and vibrancy.  Svarita ensemble It was refreshing to watch the three female dancers of the Svarita ensemble, dancing with lot of vivaciousness and enthusiasm. The dancers were Nikitha Manjunath, Madhumita Venkat and Viyaneeta Ramesh, disciples of Guru Sathyanarayana Raju. They performed "Saambha Shivayannave", a Swarajathi combining elements of svaras, jathis and sahitya in praise of Lord Shiva. The next number was a Tyagaraja composition "Naada Tanumanisham" describing Lord Shiva as the embodiment of sound and harmony, and how total surrender to the Lord could elevate your state of supreme bliss and consciousness. With choreography by Dr Soundarya Srivatsa, this number formed the grand finale to the Kapardhini festival.  Vijay Shankar is a Kuchipudi and Kathakali exponent, teacher, bilingual journalist, arts critic and actor. |
