Mumbai: As part of the annual cultural events, a four-day dance festival was held at the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha in Mumbai.
The festival opened with a musical tribute, ‘Naman’, dedicated to the Kathak queen Sitara Devi. This was followed by a Bharatanatyam dance recital, ‘Para voices of Ramayana’, and an adaptation of Thirukutrala Kuravanji, ‘Vasantavalli’. The festival concluded with a performance by Guru Geetha Venkateswar’s 40 Bharatanatyam Kalalaya students, who took the audience on a memorable pilgrimage across the country in ‘Bharat ki Bhakti Yatra’, a journey that engaged the audience and provided a rich cultural experience, honouring the traditional dance forms of India.
The Bhakti Yatra started with Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Mandir, a significant Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh, which has a sprightly composition in the traditional Nattai. Next up was a traditional alarippu interspersed with popular Ganesha Pancharatnam, immortalised in the voice of MS Amma; following this was a Marathi abhang ending with “Ganpati Bappa Moriya”, giving a local flavour to the presentation. The next stop was Pandharpur, a town known for its Vithoba temple, with a traditional song fused with the famed Majhe Maher Pandari, giving a taste of the Varkari – complete with costuming. Then Shirdi, one of the most important kshetras in Maharashtra, with a bhajan “Deepavali”, highlighting the miracle where lamps were lit with water instead of oil through Baba’s grace.
The journey then took the audience down South to Guruvayur, where the episode of Prahlad was depicted as a dance drama, bringing out the unique dance drama aspect for which Geetha Venkateswar’s Guru Smt. Rajalakshmi Venkateswar and Paramaguru Padmashri KN Dhandayuthapani Pillai are well known. The onlookers were next transported to the Panchabhoota kshetrams, where each sthalapuranam was brought out in a succinct fashion. The next stop was Tirupati, depicting various glories of Lord Vishnu, including a composition by Sri Annamacharya, who is synonymous with the region. The travel then moved up north to Dakshineswar, where the Kali Kauthuvam and padam Sri Jagadishwari were performed with great gusto, culminating in a thrilling depiction of Mahishasura Vadham and a Dhunichi Nach. The stunning background visuals, beautiful commentary and live orchestra with Padmini Radhakrishnan, Shankaranarayanan and Ravi Anantharaman made the journey very impactful.
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Yet another evening highlight was Vrindavan, a town in Uttar Pradesh known for its association with Lord Krishna, where Adinaye Kanna was skillfully interwoven with Mohanakalyani Thillana. This was followed by a Meera Dance Drama segment, highlighting key incidents to the tune of famed Meera bhajans such as ”Paga Ghunghroo, Mere To Giridhar Gopala”, Hari Tum Haro and Mein Hari Charanan ki Dasi. It was a delight to watch the well trained dancers excel in traditional pieces as well as the dance drama segments, bringing a good mix of the traditional in alarippu kauthuvam and thillana alongside abhangs and light classical genres.
Illustrious Ayodhya with the Ragamalika Maasil Ayodhiyil took us through various key incidents in the Ramayana. The Yatra culminated at Kashi, also known as Varanasi, with a vibrant Ganga Arti, a ritual of worship to the Ganges River, leaving the audience spellbound by the visual treat that was.
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