Vision-Aid’s 2022 Annual Event - "The Jewel of Justice" set to dazzle audiences on July 31st, 2022 at 4 PM US EST

Vision-Aid’s annual dance productions have become a New England tradition of their own – a remarkable event that the entire community looks forward to with anticipation. This year’s show comes to audiences in a hybrid mode - allowing viewers to choose watching the show in person at a live screening or virtually from the comfort of their homes on July 31st, 2021 at 4 PM US EST, while still preserving the creative, dazzling flavor which have set these shows apart in a category of their own.

While COVID-19 continues to pose challenges, the innovative team leading this year’s effort is finding creative ways to make the show as memorable and vibrant as ever.

The event also aspires to raise much-needed funds for the visually impaired in India – a community which has been especially hard hit by the fallout from the pandemic, at all levels.

For more details of the show, to buy tickets, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.VisionAid.org/event

Following in the footsteps of 14 brilliant sold-out performances, Vision-Aid is delighted to present Guru Madurai R. Muralidaran’s "The Jewel of Justice – the saga of Kannagi" - another stellar, mega production, bringing to life a vibrant choreography inspiring one and all based on the timeless Tamil epic - Silapathigaram!

This dazzling show is produced by renowned choreographer Kalaimamani Guru Madurai R. Muralidaran, assisted by Artistic Directors Jeyanthi Ghatraju, Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy, Marishakthi Muthuswamy and Aishwarya Chakravarthy, pulling together over 50 talented dancers from the New England area. The Artistic Directors are ably supported by talented dance mentors Shruthi Lakshmi Narayan, Subha Kannath, Chitanya Gopu, Kalaimangai Anbalgan and Shilpa Narayanan.

For more details of the show, to buy tickets, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.VisionAid.org

In the words of the Founding Co-Producer of Vision-Aid productions, Jeyanthi Ghatraju, “A strong team can take any crazy vision and turn it into reality. – John Carmack

The craziest and wisest visionaries of the world know that to make their dreams come true, they need a strong and loyal team to work with.  When people combine their skills and motivate each other, any crazy vision becomes reasonable and possible.

Please come watch this marvelous Broadway style musical unfold with over 50 dancers and artists telling the compelling story from the earliest epic poem from 5th century, clad with ancient traditions, stupendous accounts of folk dances and martial arts, strikingly dynamic scenes of love and tragic death, all under the meticulous guidance of the world-known director, Kalaimamani Madurai R. Muralidaran.”

Vision-Aid Artistic Director Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy added “Nearly 50 dancers have brought their passion for dance in support of Vision-Aid’s mission to make an impact on the daily lives of so many visually impaired people throughout India.  Kalaimamani Madurai R. Muralidaran’s music and special effects are guaranteed to bring this classic story to life.  Please come be entertained, support the efforts of so many budding dancers and make a real difference in someone’s life.”

Special thanks to the Videography Team of Krish Velmurugan of KrispFotos, Kanth Ghatraju and Maneesh Shrivastava who worked tirelessly with the creative genius of Madurai R. Muralidharan to bring this production to life. Thanks also to Meyyappan Meyyappan of Kolam Media Creations for the photo collage of the amazing dancers in this production.

The Producer

The concept and choreography for this production are by Madurai R Muralidaran of Chennai, India, a renowned dance choreographer, composer, and musician, who has won critical acclaim for his creations in Bharatanatyam. He has composed over 120 varnams, produced several dance dramas, composed Pushpanjalis, Alarippus, Jathiswarams, Mallaris, Varnams and Thillanas in all the 35 thalams and Jathiswarams in all 72 Melakartha ragas, unprecedented in the field of Bharatha Natyam. He has over 300 compositions to his credit. He is ably assisted by his talented wife and acclaimed choreographer- Smt. Chithra Muralidharan.

His productions in support of Vision-Aid, Krishna (2009), Justice of the Anklet (2010), Slaying of the Demons (2012), The Dancer's Pledge (2014), The Iconic Avatar (2016), Charmer, Warrior, Guide (2017), Golden Armor, Golden Heart (2018), Invincible Spear (2019), Shakthi – the Essence of the Empowered Woman (2020),  and The Seven Selfless Sovereigns (2021) still has audiences in Boston talking!

The Artistic Directors

The Artistic Directors for this amazing production are:  Jeyanthi Ghatraju, Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy, Marishakthi Muthuswamy and Aishwarya Chakravarthy.

Jeyanthi Ghatraju is a Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer with a mission to perform for charity and the Founding Artistic Director of Vision-Aid productions since 2009. She is the Founder of Natyanjali dance school in Westford, MA which celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2019!  It is affiliated with the Alagappa Performing Arts Academy, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India and offers Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs in Performing Arts online.  Jeyanthi was awarded the coveted US Presidential Gold Service Award in 2013 and again in 2018 for her community service and is the recipient of Massachusetts Cultural Council grants in 2019 and 2020.

Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy is a dancer, teacher and choreographer. She has been actively involved in several Vision-Aid productions since 2010, serving as an Artistic Director for the past four years.  In 1999, she co-founded MIT Natya, one of the first collegiate Indian classical dance organizations in the nation. She pursues advanced training under Guru Madurai R. Muralidaran and is Founder Director of Abhinaya Natyashala in Framingham, MA.

Mari Shakthi Muthuswamy, is the artistic director of the Bharatanatyam school, “Anvita Natyalaya” in Newton, MA. She received training in Bharatanatyam from Guru Sri Kalaimamani S.K.Kameswaran & Natya Tilakam Smt. Saroja Kameshwaran and has performanced in many fundraisers, productions and temple festivals in India and in the US.

Aishwarya Chakravarthy is the founder and artistic director of Natyakshetram in Connecticut. She is a student of Koothambalam and trained under the Aravindans. She is a recipient of several prestigious awards and recognitions including a dance scholarship from the Central Govt of India (CCRT).

Senior Dancers and Mentors

Shruthi Lakshmi Narayan is a Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer. Trained by her mother Smt. Jayashree Narayan and Gurus Smt.Supriya Komandur, Sri Kiran Subramaniam & Smt.Sandhya Kiran,she has performed at several prestigious dance festivals and organizations and is also trained in Carnatic music. Shruthi is also a designer by profession, a visual artist and an avid Sanskrit enthusiast. 

Subha Kannath, a dancer by passion and an IT leader by profession, is trained in the Indian classical dance forms, Bharathanatyam and Mohiniyattom, in the Kalamandalam style. She has collaborated with artists to deliver performances that benefit various charitable organizations, including Vision-Aid, MSS, etc. An ardent believer in the spiritual essence inherent in this artistic genre and the physical/mental resilience it imparts, her focus is to influence younger talents to develop and sustain zeal in the practice of this art form.

Chitanya Gopu, completed her Master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University and is working in environmental engineering. She completed her arangetram in 2013 with Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy and is now an assistant teacher at her dance school Abhinaya Natyashala. She has been involved with Vision-Aid productions since 2010, and is excited to be a part of the production as well as mentoring younger dancers and taking an active role in teaching and organizing the pieces.

Kalaimangai Anbalgan, an accomplished dancer and artistic director of AmudhaSri Dance School, Shrewsbury MA, has featured in major dance festivals in Asia and South Africa. She has won several awards for “Excellence in dance” by ISW, Worcester & Power Global Award by Shrewsbury Town Cultural Council. She has organized many fundraising dance productions for institutions such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Adyar Cancer, Genesis Foundation, UMass Pancreatic Cancer Research and others. 

Shilpa Narayanan works as a clinical research coordinator at Sage Therapeutics. She completed her arangetram in 2013 and continues to learn from Guru Sujatha Meyyappan, and is also assistant teacher for Kolam Academy of Dance. Shilpa began her Vision-Aid journey in 2012 and has performed at several events and competitions around the New England area.

The amazing dancers in this show by ensemble and location as well as order of appearance in the show –

Ensemble Group 1 – Connecticut –

Anushri  Sandeep, Eepsitha Muppasani, Jyotsna  Venkat, Shreeya  Gomathinayagam

Spriha Dharan, Sreenidi Bala

Ensemble Group 2 – Central A –

Aarya Atale, Amal Balachundhar, Anika Kagalavadi, Arineemal Kaul, Dhruthi  Kondamareddy, Kavya Krishnan, Sarayu Gadam, Sonia Lakshmanan, Viritha Reddy

Ensemble Group 3 - North A – 

Anusha  Sambangi,  Arthi Vithiananthan, Divya Vijayakumar, Janani Shanmugam, Kaviya Vijayakumar, Medha Bashyam, Oviya Inian, Pavaani Ganeshkumar, Shriyaa Anandakumar, Shriya Bala

Ensemble Group 4 - South A -

Anushka Diddee, Ananya Kumar, Ashmita  Boopathy, Hamsa Shanmugam, Karthiayani Harikrishnan, Katya Scaria, Praksitha Rajasekaran, Vaidehi Moorthy

Ensemble Group 5 - Central B - Anvita Venkatesh, Bala Muthukaruppan, Dyuthi Prashanth, Gauri Ajay Dani, Shreya Kalavur

Ensemble Group 6 - South B -

Akshadha Ghantasala, Anika Nambiar, Avantika  Nair, Harini Jeyaraman

Ensemble Group 7 – North B -

Abinayya Appusamy, Chetana Yella, Deepthi  Bharath, Aanya Challuri, Aarna Mahadevan

Vision-Aid warmly invites sponsors and Advertisers

Why Sponsor?

·       Enable the visually impaired to gain independence. Meet Ankit, who just landed his dream job at Goldman Sachs!

• Educate the visually impaired to learn advanced skills. Meet our recent Digital Accessibility Testing graduates
• Empower the visually impaired to communicate better with skills in spoken English. 
• Support COVID relief programs for the Visually Impaired
• Provide an assistive device for the visually impaired. See how a portable digital magnifier can help persons with low vision read easily
• Create a new center! Every donation helps, and no gift is too small, but if you REALLY want to think BIG and create a lasting impact - Help to create a new Vision-Aid center. See our recent new centers in Chennai, Delhi , Hyderabad, Madurai and Pune

For more details of the show on Aug 1st, to buy tickets, or to become a sponsor, please visit www.VisionAid.org/event

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