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REVIEW / REPORTLayaangikam Nrityakatha Samwad- Tapati Chowdhuriee-mail: tapatichow@yahoo.co.in Photos courtesy: Layaangikam August 6, 2026 Layaangikam Nrityakatha Samwad was held from 27th to 29th May in Mumbai. It was conceptualized by Rajendra Gangani and Nandkishore Kapote and organized by Archana Anuradha in collaboration with Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai, and Sanskar Bharati at Rambhau Malgi Prabodini, Uttan, Mumbai. It was an all comprehensive venture where both seminars and performances were held.  Speakers of the seminar The topic of the seminar on the very first day was "Nritya Kala kya hai?", with speakers Bharatanatyam Guru Geeta Chandran, Indian-Australian choreographer Ashley Lobo, and yours truly. On the second day, Sonal Mansingh, Sandhya Purecha, and Guru Chetana Joshi spoke on the same topic, giving their valuable views in the morning session, while in the afternoon session the speakers were Guru Ramlal Bareth, Guru Jayantimala Misra, and Guru Prerana Shrimali. On the third day, budding dancers expressed their thoughts on Kathak. In the forenoon session, Swapnokalpa Dasgupta spoke on opportunities and challenges for artistes who take up dance as a profession. In the same session, Yatindra spoke on Kathak in Bollywood. This all-comprehensive seminar-cum-performance tried to explore all aspects of the art of Kathak. Archana Anuradha is a pioneer in holding this celebration in the heart of nature in the fashion of our ancient gurukuls.  Mamta Maharaj On the first day, Ganesh Vandana and Vasant Taal Chaturang were choreographed and composed by Pt. Rajendra Gangani. Both compositions were specially created for Layaangikam students. On the second day, there was a Kathak solo by Neha Bannerjee. The session titled "Gharana" featured four artistes belonging to the Jaipur, Lucknow, Benaras, and Raigarh gharanas, presented by Sujata Gawade, a disciple of Archana and presently a disciple of Rajendra Gangani. Anushka Samant and Samrudhi Kulkarni, disciples of Dr. Nandkishore Kapote presented a beautifully choreographed piece by him in Lucknow Gharana; Anushka Mazumdar and Suyesha Bajaj presented an excellently choreographed item by Jayantimala Misra of Benaras Gharana; Bhupendra Bareth performed a self choreographed piece solo in Raigarh Gharana respectively.  Kathaka group On the final day, Yatindra Mishra's session on Kathak and Bollywood consisted of "Naache mann more," an old song originally choreographed by Gopi Krishna, and "Kaahe chhede," an iconic composition by Pt. Birju Maharaj, both presently choreographed by Archana and performed by Sanika Apte, Ira Kuwlekar, and Anushka Kulkarni. The seminar ended with Ardhanari Nateshwar Vandana, "Champey gouraaya," composed by Adi Shankaracharya. Archana Anuradha holds a Kathak Nritya Alankar and an M.A. in Kathak from the D. Y. Patil School of Liberal Arts. She is the Founder and Director of Madhurita Sarang School of Kathak, an institute based in Pune that has been nurturing and shaping Kathak artistes and performers for over 20 years under her value driven guidance. Having trained and worked under Pt Rajendra Gangani, she successfully conceptualized and organized a five-day residential workshop conducted by him, which has been running continuously for the past five years. While she may downplay her expertise, Archana particularly enjoys sharing her perspectives on women's issues and various social and cultural matters. As the editor of 'Kalatma' magazine and the author of thought-provoking articles, she contributes significantly to the exploration of these topics. Under the guidance of Guru Pt. Rajendra Gangani, she continues her Kathak journey and strives to pass on the torch.  Tapati Chowdhurie trained under Guru Gopinath in Madras and was briefly with International Centre for Kathakali in New Delhi. Presently, she is a freelance writer on the performing arts. She is the author of 'Guru Gopinath: The Making of a Legend.' Tapati received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2024 for Art Critique in Performing Arts. |
