Well known Boston area Bharatanatyam dancer, Soumya Ramanathan, presented a performance on Sunday March 8th afternoon at the Jewett Auditorium in Wellesley College. Titled “Resilience”, this was a benefit dance concert organized by the Wellesley College Chapter of Acid Survivors Trust International.

While Soumya structured her performance on the lines of the traditional margam (‘path’) format, the pieces she had chosen were all centered on the theme of womanhood, given the unfortunate fact that the bulk of acid attack victims are women and children. She opened with a powerful Kali Kauthuvam where the striking images of the Mother Goddess as the vanquisher of evil were rendered with deep feeling and dignity. Kauthuvams were ceremonial procession pieces and the choreography that Soumya showcased used expansive, vigorous movements that gave the recital a strong start.

Next, Soumya performed a lovely varnam – a contemporary composition in Sri Ranjani ragam by Shri Papanasam Sivan whose 125th year is being celebrated by the artistic community all over the world this year. This varnam is one of the vintage pieces choreographed by Rukmini Devi Arundala, founder of the Kalakshetra organization in India. The protagonist of the piece is a young maiden much like many other varnams and the twin themes of devotion and love were portrayed very convincingly by Soumya in the emotive sections of the piece. The jatis or pure dance sections were demanding and Soumya’s neat execution with chiseled lines and a deep araimandi (half-seated stance) were admirable. She is an extremely poised dancer with a captivating stage presence and the audience responded enthusiastically with applause at several junctures during this elaborate piece.

Soumya concluded her performance with “Sri Chakra Raja Simhasaneswari” – a well known ragamalika piece invoking the blessings of the Mother Goddess and a vibrant tillana composed by violin maestro Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman. It was a pleasure as always to see Soumya perform in the area and uphold the best values of traditional performing arts here.

The performance was ably compered by Anu Chitrapu who helped the audience connect with each piece through her lucid introductions.

Acid Survivors Trust International is the only international non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating acid violence on a global level, working to aid survivors in their physical and mental rehabilitation post-attack. To find out more information or give to this cause, visit www.acidviolence.org or contact Sarita Ballakur at ASTIwellesley@gmail.com.

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