Pavitra Balachundhar, Lexington High School rising junior, had her formal ascending of stage solo recital, that every dancer dreams of. This arangetram has also been of a higher significance, considering that the student was presented by her own mother as her guru. Following her mother’s footsteps, Pavitra (Pavi) began learning Bharatanatyam at the age of 4, under her mother and Guru Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar. This art form has always been a large part of Pavi's life and has instilled many important qualities, such as perseverance, dedication, commitment  and confidence. Qualities that Pavi surefiredly demonstrated during her performance through and through. Pavi herself has cited that  Bharatanatyam has been a constant source of joy and has helped her develop love and appreciation for her Indian heritage. She showcased her first solo recital and made her mom/guru Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar proud, on Sep 11th, 2021 at J.Everett Collins Center for the Performing Arts, Andover, MA. 

Bharatanatyam, also known as ‘sadhir attam,” is one of the eight recognized Indian classical dance forms and has been codified in “Natya Shastra” by Bharata Muni. Bharatanatyam as a dance form is noted for its fixed upper torso, bent legs and knees flexed (Aramandi) combined with spectacular footwork, and a sophisticated and interpretive vocabulary based on gestures of hands, eyes, and face muscles. In this art form, the three categories dancers learn and exhibit are: Nritta, Nritya, and Naatya. Nritta is the abstract, fast and rhythmic aspect of the dance, while Nritya is the expressive aspect of the dance that attempts to communicate feelings, particularly with spiritual themes in Hindu dance traditions. The concept of Natya incorporates the elements of  Nritya and is typically a team performance but can be acted out by a solo performer. The dancer uses specific standardized body movements to indicate a new character in the underlying story.

Event started with a short but sentimental slide show of both the Guru/Mother’s and Pavitra’s dance journey in the last 4 decades by Mrs. Deepa Srinivasan. Emcee for the evening was Dr. Balachundhar Subramaniam, Pavitra’s dad, whose explanations regarding each item was presented with a deeper spiritual explanation and provided a different outlook. Right after the welcome speech, the recital commenced with an invocation song on Lord Ganesha by Pavitra’s younger brother Amal Balachundhar, student of Smt. Bhuvana Ganesh, accomplished vocalist in New England and the vocalist for the arangetram as well.

Pavitra grabbed onto the audience’s attention with her lively stage entry and pleasant smile, as she started her margam with a Pushpanjali in Ragam Saraswati. During this piece, the dancer offered flowers to god and the dance movements shown on stage depicted various musical instruments, further emphasizing a musical offering. Having already captured the audience, Pavi then followed her pushpanjali with a virutham and kriti dedicated to mother goddess, Devi. The item, “Yaarukum Adangaatha Neeli” in ragam Abhogi, had Pavi deliver the various forms of mother goddess, including the fierce Kali, the powerful Shakthi, and the graceful daughter of the mountain, Parvati. The song not only highlighted the different facets of Neeli, but also had crisp poses that Pavi held to truly differentiate between these forms of the goddess “who is not bound by anyone”. Next came the nritta (pure dance) piece, a Jathiswaram in ragamalika, which brought out her angashudham (clean execution) even in her fast movements.

There was a short music interlude by Amal Balachundhar vocal, Sushmita Ravikumar on Violin, Chethan Anand on flute along with the Gowrish Chandrasekar on Mridangam. 

The centerpiece of an arangetram, Varnam marks the arrival into the sanctum sanctorum core of the performance. Pavitra performed a varnam in ragam Sallapam, composed by Sri. Madurai R. Muralidharan. 

This varnam was an intense expression of divine love and longing for Lord Krishna, who preached Gita (path of righteousness), timeless yogic wisdom about life, death, and the oath to dissolution. Pavitra took the audience to a theater production effect while illustrating two significant stories surrounding Lord Krishna: The first in which Prince Arjuna is on the fronts of the Kurukshetra War but cannot find it in himself to fight those that he considers family and mentors. Having shown an emotionally distraught prince, Pavi then took to not only depicting Lord Krishna, but also his ultimate form (Vishwaroopam), preaching the dharma to be fulfilled by the warrior prince. The second story portrayed the conniving demon Bhoothaki, who sought to poison and kill a baby Krishna, but was alas no match for the Lord. The expressions combined with her strong vibrant footwork and extreme confidence kept the audience enthralled, as she held her command over the rhythm and her stamina for this 40 minute piece. Key shifts in lighting also emphasized the true form of Lord Krishna, as well as the downfall of Bhoothaki. It wouldn’t have been a piece on Krishna without the mesmerizing and captivating flute notes and conch sound provided by Chetan Anand, further highlighting the significance of Lord Krishna and his power.

Following an intermission, the second half of the margam began with Ardhanareeswaram, wherein Pavitra depicted the unique form of half-male and half-female. This dual representation illustrated both the masculine and feminine qualities in an equal and symbolic manner. Pavitra portrayed the beauty and elegance found in goddess Parvati, while also showing the ascetic and majestic presence seen in Lord Shiva. To further exemplify this dual role, the orchestra took to alternating jathis with the male voice provided by flutist Chetan Anand, and female voice by her guru. This piece also incorporated the significant story of Lord Muruga, declared as Swaminathan (the one(Nathan)  who transferred knowledge to his father (Swami), and the admirable characteristics of Shiva going on knees with humility to learn the meaning of Pranava Mandiram.

Next item was from Pavitra’s personal wish list ‘VIshamakara Kannan” in which she won the audience’s heart with her child-like expressions and depiction of the naughty acts of little Krishna. Everyone felt the childish antics that many would have experienced in their own home.

This Oothukadu Venkata Kavi classic found its footing with the vocalist’s Bhuvana’s folk and drama touch to her singing combined with Mrigdangist Gowrish’s creativity, alongside the magic and sound effects provided by Violinist Sushmita Ravikumar and Flutist Chetan Anand’s.

Pavitra moved to her next piece to her family favorite, Dr. M Balamuralikrishna’s renowned thillana in ragam Kadanakudhukalam. The Thillana celebrates the energy of dance with sculpturesque poses and complex rhythmic sequences. Pavitra’s energy and execution evoked feelings of excitement, contentment, fulfillment, and pride from both the audience and loved ones.

Adding a twist to the margam Guru Kalpana inserted a special piece she herself had performed 30 years ago, to demonstrate the flexibility of the dancer with complicated yogic postures and slithering movements. Through this Pambatti Siddhar’s composition ‘Nadarmudi Melirrukkum’ in the mesmerizing ragam Punnagavarali, Pavitra brought forth a flexibility unlike any other and embodied both the snake charmer and snake in this breathtaking performance. The audience for once got to see the competitive gymnast side of Pavi, making its way into this dance. 

The awaited dream evening of Pavi concluded with Pavi rendering the traditional Mangalam thanking and seeking blessings from God, Guru, musicians, and the audience. 

Following a spectacular margam and standing ovation, Pavi took the chance to thank everyone involved in her special day, especially her family. Having just danced to such an intense final piece such as the snake dance, Pavi maintained such an upbeat attitude while also showing an array of emotions seeing as how her arangetram was complete. She talked about how important and significant dance is in her life, how her brothers supported her in their own respective ways, and how her dad would encourage her and give her fun smoothies to keep her going. She ended by thanking her guru and mother, Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar, highlighting what a journey it has been for the two of them, and how both of them are in disbelief that the day finally arrived, and they did it! The occasion was also commemorated with a speech from her guru, and the presentation of a plaque to celebrate the well-earned honor of Pavitra completing this milestone in her dance career. In addition to the dancer’s performance, the show was also a treat with the beautiful sound of the orchestra, further evoking rasa with their music and the lighting changes emphasizing pivotal moments in the various pieces. 

On a personal note, as a fellow Bharatanatyam dancer, it always brings me joy to see another dancer’s dream arangetram day come to fruition. All the hard work, hours spent learning and perfecting, and endless practice sessions finally feel incredibly worth it for a dancer when they get to shine on stage and perform to the bests of their ability. Many months if not years are spent leading up to this day, and the effort put in is what the audience has the pleasure of getting to see. I’ve known Pavi for a few years, and I can attest that what I witnessed at her arangetram was pure dedication and passion executed with such a powerful presence. She took both me and the audience through a journey of various emotions with her repertoire, while also establishing a clean sync in her dance and footwork.