Everyone who knows Karthiyayeni Mahendrakumar is always struck by the dedication, responsibility and loving heart that she brings to all she does—and indeed, these fine traits shaped the excellent solo debut Bharatha Natyam performance she gave during her arangetram at Daniel Webster College Collings Theater, Nashua, NH, on June 18, 2016.  Karthi, the third graduate of Kolam Academy of Dance (Tyngsboro, MA and Andover, MA) brought focus, unflagging effort and a positive energy that delighted the audience.  Karthi dedicated the arangetram to her grandparents, two of whom passed away this past year while she was furiously preparing for this program.  Clearly, their blessings were there for her as she completed the program with energetic and graceful style.

Following a stirring rendition of the familiar invocation “Sri Ganesha Charanam” by the orchestra, Karthi entered the stage to eager applause, presenting a pushpanjali in Ragam Arabhi set to Adi thalam, a composition of Guru Madurai R. Muralidharan, mentor and guru of Karthi’s own guru, Smt. Sujatha Meyyappan.  From the start, her glowing smile, energetic leaps and strong footwork were on display.  Karthi maintained her poise as a dancer for every second on stage, from each deliberate entrance, to the sharp turn and precise nadai (walk) as she walked off after each demanding piece.  Her second selection was an invocation to Lord Ganesha, “Prananva Swaroopam,” another composition of Guru Madurai R. Muralidaran, also in ragam Arabhi, set to Adi thalam.  This piece was punctuated with fast, dynamic jathis that Karthi handled deftly and energetically.  The distinctive head and eye movements and lithe body bends she displayed here and throughout her other pieces clearly bore the mark of her guru.

Karthi continued to do her guru proud in her jathiswaram, in rangam Kalyani set to Roopaka thalam and a composition of the Tanjore Quartet, presenting the characteristic energetic movements of her dance school with precision.  Each of her kicks reached above her shoulder, each of her leaps took her high above the floor, each lifted knee came to the height of her waist.  She ended steps with a beautiful, deep aramandi and during bending steps, she stretched fully until her hands nearly brushed the floor.  The consistency of her form was commendable.  The choreography also had a pleasing blend of graceful (lasya) and strong (tandava) movements, and Karthi handled both equally well.  The audience erupted in spontaneous applause as she finished her last korvai with a soaring leap and fast theermanam step, pulling out an extra burst of energy from somewhere deep within despite the demanding nature of the first three pieces.

After a quick costume change during which the eminent orchestra was introduced to the audience, Karthi returned with unflagging energy to perform her varnam, the centerpiece of a Bharatha Natyam recital (margam) that incorporates pure dance (nritta), expressive miming (nritya) and character acting (natya).  It also demands sheer stamina to complete a piece with ten pairs of verses alternating steps and expression, lasting nearly half an hour.  The half an hour sped by to the audience.  This varnam, a composition of Guru Muralidaran in Ragam Simhendra Madhyamam set to Adi thalam, praises Goddess Parvathi in various forms, such as the regal Meenakshi, fierce Durga and compassionate Mother Goddess.  It was a perfect selection for Karthi, who with her inborn grace and a good heart that shines naturally through her eyes and smile, brought the Mother Goddess’s presence to life.  She depicted the story of Mahishasura Mardini in which Goddess Parvathi takes the powerful female form of Durga to destroy the demon Mahisha, who could not be killed by any man.  She moved comfortably between showing the various characters, displaying a range of emotions—anger, arrogance, fear—in quick succession.  The jathis were fast and performed joyfully, in tune with the spirited rendition of the jathis by her guru Sujatha Meyyappan.  Again, instead of becoming weary as the demanding piece went on, Karthi seemed to grow in energy with each subsequent verse, finishing the last swaram, a particularly long and demanding one, with thorough, complete dance movements and powerful poses, expansive arm movements and deep lunges that completely conveyed how Goddess Parvathi is omnipresent, from ground to sky.  It was a powerful ending to a beautiful piece, feminine yet strong—just like the dancer herself.

After a brief intermission, Karthi returned for the second half to present a trio of expressive pieces.  The first, the keerthanam “Natanam Aadinar” in Vasantha Ragam set to Ata thalam, was enlivened by Karthi’s succession of well-executed, strong Shiva poses, energetic adavus and spectacular kicks.  The second, a padham in praise of Goddess Saraswathi, “Kan Thirandhu Yennai Paar,” in Ragam Hamsanadam set to Adi thalam and a composition of Guru Muralidharan, was notable for its dynamic yet delicate choreography that was particularly well-suited for Karthi’s natural elegance and her steadiness with poses.  The third was the standout performance of the program—the kaavadi chindhu “Maadu Meikkum Kanne,” in Ragam Chenchurutti set to Adi thalam and a composition of Sri Oothukadu Venkata Subbaiyer, an energetic and comedic piece in which Yashoda tries to keep Krishna from going outside with various bribes and threats, and he comes back with clever rejoinders each time.  Karthi’s expressions were strong as both mother and son, and she charmed audiences with her rapid changes of character, showing the disgusted face Krishna makes turning down sweets, the exhausted sighs of an exasperated Yashoda running out of ideas to control her son, the youthful confidence of Krishna demonstrating how he will cut any attacking thieves into tiny pieces and the charming smiles and glances of Krishna cajoling his mother to get his own way.  The ending was especially sweet, with Krishna finally asking for and getting his mother’s permission before running off.

The culminating thillana, a composition of Sri Muralidaran in Ragam Shanmughapriya set to Adi thalam, was another excellent selection for Karthi.  She entered stage alternating sharp poses with energetic leaps, both strengths of hers.  The sahithyam (verse) on Lord Muruga was uniquely presented, with Karthi emoting during instrumental interludes after each short phrase was sung.  She continued to dance with full and complete adavus despite the demanding nature of the piece.  Karthi was greeted to an enthusiastic and well-deserved standing ovation following her mangalam, “Vande Mataram”.

Karthi received musical and moral support from an exceptionally talented orchestra.  Karthi’s guru, Smt. Sujatha Meyyappan, director of Kolam Academy of Dance, rendered joyful, richly varied and precise jathis.  Her encouraging nods and smiles for Karthi made apparent the guru’s pride and affection for her student.  Sri E.P. Sudev Warrier’s deep, sonorous voice brought out deep emotion, especially in a stirring delivery of the varnam, including a celebratory inclusion of “Mahishasura Mardini” during the pallavi and a deeply moving rendition of the charanam.  Sri K.S. Sudhaman on the mridhangam was phenomenal, enhancing each moment with just the right percussion to set the mood, and appreciating each instance that Karthi successfully executed a complicated passage.  Sri Ramani Thiagarajan’s flute was mesmerizing, and the quick notes he played in the introduction to the kavadi chindu truly invoked the mood of Krishna’s legendary flute.  Sri Surya introductory elaborations of each ragam on his lovely violin perfectly set the mood for each song, especially for the varnam.  Master of ceremonies Rajkiran Pattanam was exceptionally clear and well-spoken.

The congratulations offered by Karthi’s guru, family and friends all described a young woman with a generous heart who is kind without expectations of anything in return and who brings a tireless responsibility to all that she does.  Clearly she brought a selfless love, dedication and determination to the task of completing her arangetram, and these qualities earned her the well-deserved praise of an appreciative audience.  Karthi was humble in her accomplishment, delivering a thank-you speech filled with gratitude to God, her guru, family and friends, especially her proud and caring parents Girija and Mahendrakumar, and sister Preethi, for all their support through her journey.

To an audience, it often appears that a dancer’s daily practices and hours of preparation are all for one marathon performance, but an arangetram is much more than that a single three-hour dazzling display.  The process prepares a dancer to enter the next stage of her dance career, one where she can approach each performance and piece with deeper knowledge and poise.  The dancer should emerge with a self-confidence that she can carry with her even outside dance.  And indeed, although Karthi has always been a dedicated and passionate dancer, the glorious, beaming smile as she leaped into her final thillana pose made it clear that she had moved on to a new level of confidence through this experience, and it was a privilege to witness this transformation during her debut!  As her guru Suja wished her, “May Lord Nataraja bless you with harmony and joy in fostering this art form.”  We definitely hope to see her continue to excel in this pursuit, and with all her other aspirations; she will be attending the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences as part of the 4+4 Early Acceptance program affiliated with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.  She has the positive attitude, sincerity and talent to achieve all her dreams.

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