REVIEW / REPORT

'Nivedanam' by Soumen Palit

- Esha Banerjee
e-mail: eshabanerjeedance@gmail.com

October 10, 2026

On 6th September was the solo recital 'Nivedanam' of Soumen Palit at Satyajit Ray Auditorium, ICCR, Kolkata. The evening started with Ganesha Dhyana choreographed by Soumen's Guru Vandana Alase Hazra in chatusra ekam. Soumen came on stage with a maroon saree worn as dhoti and a yellow dupatta tied around the waist, with minimalistic makeup and ornaments. Later he mentioned that over the last few months, he had worked on his body and did not want to rely much on aharya. The smart choreography and rhythmic beats instantly captured the minds of the audience. The movements have been chosen not to overpower the music but to create a sense of harmony.

He continued with Khanda Alarippu choreographed by Guru T.S. Kadirvelu Pillai and Saberi Jatiswaram in rupaka talam, composed by the Thanjavur Quartet. Then came a Sanskrit stuti on Goddess Saraswati in ragam Vijayasaraswati followed by a Varnam in Purnachandrika, rupaka talam choreographed by Rukmini Devi Arundale. Soumen mentions that performing a piece choreographed by Rukmini Devi Arundale was a fanboy moment for him and he did a brilliant job. The perfect aramandi and crisp adavus with correct hand gestures were cooling to the eyes. The Varnam was cut short to make it relatable for the audience, however Soumen's command over abhinaya did make most of us crave for more. The Varnam was a delight to watch as the performer moved from subtle pallavi to far more intense charanam. He did justice to the composer's yearning for Shiva. Chopping off parts of choreography to better suit audience's capacity to accept art is no news in today's world but we as artistes must be conscious and aware of our actions. This was a clear reminder that art and artiste will cater to audience's demand not just to survive but to thrive.

Soumen Palit (Photo: Abhi Clicks)

The second half of the performance was a buffet of languages. Soumen is a Phd Scholar at Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata, and is working on 'Different languages used in Bharatanatyam.' The items selected emphasizes his Phd work. His guide Guru Mahua Mukherjee was present as an esteemed guest and did praise Soumen's effort to blend academic theories with practical performance. The curtain raised for the second time with a Bengali song by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore - "Basonti hey bhubano" (in raag Vasanta Pancham, kaharwa taal). This was the performer's tribute to his janmabhumi - Bangla. Later Soumen mentioned that he wishes to use the skills and traditions that he learned from his Guru as a student of Bharatanatyam to enhance his creativity as an artiste from the land that has produced innumerous artistes. Shreekhol (by Subrata Bishal) along with ghatam (P.V. Sairam Iyer) and mridangam (S. Venkat Raman) was a soul nourishing combination. The percussion along with Akash Mukherjee's voice made this particular song an enchanting experience. Next came a Nrityapadam - Ananda Natamaduvar thillai (Tamil) in ragam Poorvikalyani set to talam rupaka followed by a Dasarapada (in Kannada). With the fragrance of Janmashtami still lingering, this item was quite welcomed by the rasikas.

Composer Purandaradasa gives us a glimpse of the conversation between a mother and a son that is eternal. Yashoda's love for little Krishna and Krishna's innocence is something that all of us can identify with in our own life. Choreographed by Vandana Alase Hazra, Soumen's nuanced abhinaya made this performance a real treat. Violin by Nataraj Radhakrishnan and flute by Garv Khati added to the experience. Next came an Abhang in Marathi, "Vrindavani venu" set to ragam Bhimplas set to talam chaturasra ekam composed by Bhanudasa and choreographed by Vandana Alase Hazra.

By the time Soumen started with Thillana, most of us in the audience were checking the watch. However, the rhythmic beats of Tillana (in praise of lord Murugan set to ragam Hindolam and talam adi, composed by T.S. Kadirvelu Pillai) did hold them back. The last piece was a Mangalam in Telugu composed by Purandaradasa in ragam Suruti.

Soumen's attempt to showcase so many items in one evening was exhausting but he did manage to hold back the audience with his inspiring abhinaya. The items selected were crisp. The performer emphasised that his work is on different languages and this evening was an extension of his Phd. Turna Das, Soumen's Phd guide, mentions that she is extremely proud of Soumen's work and believes this kind of comprehensive work is rare in Bengal.

Esha Banerjee is a performer, teacher and organiser based in Kolkata. She completed her Arangetram under the guidance of Guru Rajalakshmi Venkateshwara. She has been trained in Kathak from her maternal aunt Guru Mira Dasgupta, and completed her initial training in Odissi from Anindita Mukherjee. She is a recipient of Junior Fellowship from CCRT. Currently Esha organises competitions, workshops, seminars and festivals under the banner of Nrityashree.