A bharatanatyam dance recital was presented by Subhashini Vasanth under the able guidance of legendary dancer and actor Vyjayanthimala Bali recently.
The event was held as a part of the 10th anniversary of Vasantharatna Foundation for Arts at Chowdiah Memorial Hall.
With its vision to reach out to the families left behind by the martyred soldiers, the foundation aims to create a support system and help rehabilitate these families.
Vasantharatna Foundation for Arts was started by Subhashini in the memory of her late husband Col Vasanth Venugopal, Ashoka Chakra awardee of the Maratha Light Infantry, who laid down his life, fighting terrorists in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir in 2007.
The event ‘Salute to Heroes’ was a tribute to war heroes who sacrifice their lives in order to protect the nation.
General Joginder Jaswant Singh (Retd) was present at the event.
The programme was inaugurated by Sri Sri Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Narayana Ramanuja Jeeyar Swamiji along with Vyjayanthimala. This was followed by an invocation to Lord Ganesha.
Subhashini cast a spell with her graceful moves as she started her performance with the ‘Alarippu’. This was followed by ‘Sivakama Sundari’. Subhashini’s rendition of ‘Varnam’, composed by Swati Thirunal, was truly an amalgamation of grace and expression.
‘Devaranama’, the devotional piece composed by Purandara Dasa, was next in line and then she presented the penultimate piece, ‘Thillana’ which saw exquisite footwork.
She concluded her recital with ‘Mangalam’ by seeking the blessings of Goddess Meenakshi.
She was accompanied by Gayathri Sasidaran on nattuvangam, S Girija Shankar on vocals, Guru Bharadwaaj on mridangam, B Ananthakrishnan on violin, Sai Narsimhan on flute and Vyjayanthimala Bali
on nattuvangam and vocals.
The evening came to an end with the screening of a film about the vision of the foundation which saw actor Amitabh Bachchan giving his voice.
The book launch of the Kannada version of ‘Forever Forty’, a biography of Col Vasanth AC, co-authored by Subhashini Vasanth and Veena Prasad, was a significant conclusion of the programme.
