JOIN USEffortless gestures take centre stage
The twelfth edition of Kala-Nadam, a festival of classical dance and music, ended with two exquisite recitals in bharatanatyam and kuchipudi.
Organised under the aegis of Narthan Academy for Dance and Music (Nadam), run by kathak duo Nandini Mehta and Murali Mohan, Kala-Nadam treated Bangaloreans to two varied classical forms on all the eight days.
On the concluding day, Renjith Babu and Vijna performed a bharatanatyam duet and Vyjayanthi Kashi and Prateeksha Kashi presented a kuchipudi recital. Bharatanatyam guru Bhanumati was the chief guest on the function.
The event saw a grand opening with a dance duet by Renjith Babu and Vijna whose first piece was an invocation to lord Ganesha called Gajavadana Paliso.
For the alaripu, they had chosen verses from Subramanya Bhujangam composed by Shankaracharya in khandagati. It was followed by a bhakti varnam presentation by Srirangam Rangaswamy in raag Naatakurinji set to Aadi Taal.
Their performance to Puchat Shyam Kaun Tu Gori, a Surdas bhajan, described Krishna and Radha in all their glory. The duo created a divine atmosphere in the auditorium.
The couple was accompanied by Nandakumar Unnikrishnan on vocals, Prof C V Chandrashekhar on nattuvangam, Ramesh Babu on mridangam and Vivek Krishna on flute.
After their performance, the mother-daughter duo Vyjayanthi Kashi and Prateeksha took the stage. With their efficient foot movements and elegant poses, they stole the hearts of the audience.
They began with Vande Vande, an invocation to Saraswati, composed by Vedantam Parvateesam in raag Abhogi set to Ek Taal. The piece described the beauty and richness of Balatripurasundari who is the presiding deity of Kuchipudi form of dance.
After this, Vyjayanthi showcased her talent through a piece called Pahi Pahi Jaganmohana Krishna taken from Krishnaleela Tarangini and written by Saint Narayana Tirtha. She effortlessly brought out the nuances and complex rhythmic patterns of kuchipudi through this piece, which was in raag Amrita Varshini.
A format of Kuchipudi Yakshagana called Kubje taken from Krishna Charitam offered a new experience to the audience. They were supported by Rama on vocals, Vidya on nattuvangam, Janardhan Rao on mridangam and Dayakar on violin.