After more than a year of no live performances it was lovely to be able to go to an in-person performance. I was happy to have been invited by the lovely Lakshmi and Venki and family for their daughter Adhithi’s Arangetram, which was delayed by a year thanks to the pandemic. The event was held at Andover High School. A nice venue with good acoustics and a view no matter where you sat. Adhithi’s beautiful day came on July 17^th,2021 under the guidance of my friend and her Guru Smt. Sujatha Meyyappan. 

Before I start talking about the performance, I do have to give kudos to Adhithi, Suja and the family for making it through this crazy year despite all the challenges and putting together this event. It is no small feat to keep the energy and momentum and to work on getting through senior year. Adhithi her family and Suja did it all. Congratulations! Now on to the actual event!

Adhithi started her performance by singing the opening invocation song, which is usually done by the live musicians. But instead, she got to showcase her singing talent, and made her Guru Priya Anand proud. The next item was Pushpanjali in Raga Gambeera Nattai set to Adi Tala composed by Sri Madurai R Muralidaran. The fact that it is Suja’s choreography and Muralidaran Sir’s composition Adhithi started the Arangetram off with verve and energy.

The following two pieces were a Ganesha Stuthi in Raga Vasanthi set to Adi Tala and Shiva Stuthi in Raga Kalyana Vasantham set to Adi Tala both compositions of Sri Madurai R Muralidaran. Adhithi maintained the energy that she had started off in the Pushpanjali. Her aramandi (I know I know I am picking on this!) was beautiful! Oh, can I also say her costume was lovely and suited her very well.

The next item was the Varnam, one I am happy to say that I had never heard before, so I totally enjoyed it. It was in Raga Malika set to Adi Tala and a composition of Sri Madurai R Muralidaran. This time I got to see how strong Adhithi is as a dancer as she maintained her composure and skill and not to forget her aramandi! The parts that needed abhinaya or expression was flawlessly executed. I could see Krishna in his various manifestations through her portrayal. Well done!

Second half of the event is the fun part of the program and Adhithi and Suja did not disappoint! Kali Nadanam in Raga Malika set to Khanda Jathi Triputa a composition of Sri Madurai R Muralidaran was an interesting piece to watch. A worthy point to mention here, there was a technical glitch a minute into the performance and music stopped playing (yes, the joys of recorded music), like a seasoned dancer Adhithi didn’t miss a beat but left the stage as though the music ended and re-started the dance when the music was fixed and completed it without a hitch. Now that shows that she is ready to take on the world! That is what an arangetram training is all about, not just dance, but life skills.

Charanam Charanam in Raga Suth Sarang set to Khanda Chapu a composition of Sri Madurai R Muralidaran was probably my most favorite piece of the entire arangetram. Adhithi did a brilliant job on this piece, and one am not going to forget for a long time. The fluidity of the piece along with the soulful singing combined with the choreography was truly well done, Adhithi added the perfect amount of abhinaya every place needed, and it left me mesmerized. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hanuman himself was moved by that performance.

That piece was followed by a fun peppy piece Maadu Medikkum in Raga Chenchurutti set to Adi Tala a composition of Oothukadu VenkataSubbier. It was all the fun you needed and some.

The finale was the Thillana followed by Mangalam in Raga Chandrajyothi set to Khanda Jathi Matya Tala a composition of Sri Madurai R Muralidaran. The choreography was different and interesting and Adhithi did not loose her energy till the very end of the performance doing every step with grace and smile.

The master of ceremony for the entire event were Ananya Venkatesan and Saravanan Meyyappan who provided Tamil translation for the dance pieces. Adhithi is surrounded and supported by amazing family and friends which made this event a success. It does take a village to raise a child and it was proven today to show that it takes a village to put together an event of this magnitude. We were well taken care of with snacks between breaks and dinner after the event in to-go boxes.      

PC: Jeyakumar Sathyamoorthy (JK)

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