Arangetram season is in full swing every summer in the Greater Boston Area and I always look forward to seeing the blossoming dancers shine on stage with their debut. I had the pleasure of attending the arangetram of Ananya Kumar, student of Smt. Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy at Abhinaya Natyashala  on August 13th, 2023. Ananya (Nannu) has been learning Bharathanatyam for the past 10 years, and through her training with her guru, as well as additional training from Kum. Kavya Muralidharan and Guru Madurai R. Muralidharan, she presented a dazzling margam, captivating the audience for the duration of her performance. Emceed by Ananya’s sister, Anagha, a dancer herself, the program began after a brief introduction with an invocation to Lord Ganesha - “Vaathaapi Ganapathiye” by Sri Paapanaasam Sivan, presented by the orchestra for the night, Sri. Srinivasan Raghuraman (vocals), Sri. Gaurish Chandrashekhar (mridhangam), Smt. Hema Balasubramanian (flute), and Sri Krishnan Parameshwaran (violin).

Ananya graced the stage with her first item, the pushpanjali (offering of flowers) in ragam Srothaswini and composed and choreographed by Madurai R. Muralidharan. Seeking the blessings of the Lord, her Guru, and the audience, Ananya’s radiant smile and agile movements covered the platform. Off to a fruitful beginning, the pushpanjali was succeeded by a piece in praise of Lord Ganesha. “Aanai Mugathone”, translating to “the one with an elephant face” Lord Vinayaka is notoriously known as the remover of obstacles, and his blessings are sought at the start of any event to ensure that the event goes smoothly under his protection. With Tamil lyrics composed and also choreographed by Madurai R. Muralidharan describing Lord Ganesha, Nannu portrayed the elephant-headed god who blesses devotees with strength and wisdom, in such a joyous manner. Having learned both these pieces from Kum. Kavya Muralidharan, Nannu emitted both grace and precision as she proceeded with the program.

            The margam continued with a Rama Shabdam composed and choreographed by Madurai R. Muralidharan, and set to a ragamalika. Much like the Nama Ramayanam is a condensed version of the Ramayana, Nannu depicted the whole epic of Lord Rama in this shabdam. Stories included that of Rama and Lakshmana accompanying Sage Vishwamitra to defeat Thatagai, Rama’s encounter with the cursed Ahalya and blessing her, the very sweet “love at first sight” moment shared between Rama and Sita after which he breaks the Shiva Dhanush and wins her hand in marriage. Nannu, though being the only one on stage, transformed into all of the characters seamlessly, and portrayed them with their distinct abhinaya and traits, conversing with herself as each character. A key scene where she demonstrated this ability was when King Dasharatha exiled Prince Rama, as part of a promise to Kaikeyi. Nannu not only showed the obedient son, following his father’s order with no qualms, but also the humility and loyalty of both Sita and Lakshamana, who gave up everything to follow Rama without even being asked. Of course no Ramayana retelling would be complete without the presence of Lord Hanuman, who aided in Rama’s rescue of Sita, and the final showdown between Rama and the demon king Ravana. Nannu showcased her storytelling talent to brilliantly chronicle this epic.

            Varnam is considered the peak of any arangetram, where the student exhibits all 3 elements of bharathnatyam: nritha, nrithya, and natya, and Nannu seamlessly delivered a beautiful Shiva varnam composed by Madurai R. Muralidharan, “Aadal Nayakan”, in the ragam Kalyani. Lord Shiva is commonly known as the lord of dance, but he is also the lord of yoga. Nannu has been both learning and teaching yoga, and the choreography of this piece by Guru Sripriya Moorthy intertwined dance and yoga in a very harmonious manner. The powerful jathis were matched beat by beat by the dancer, while also featuring various yogic poses elegantly weaved in. No stone was left unturned to show the flexibility and prowess of Nannu’s discipline in both dance and yoga, as even the arudhi included leaps to portray Lord Nataraja.

            Nannu depicted 3 sancharis, involving the majestic nature of Lord Shiva, his unity with Goddess Shakti, and the love for His devotees. In the first Sanchari, Nannu narrated the story of Shiva wanting to show his affection and woo his consort, Parvati in the form of Goddess Kali in the Thillai forest. They performed a thandavam together and are both impressed with another, with Shiva raising his foot all the way to the sky, and Parvati in awe of such a feat. The story ended with Nannu conveying the message as Shiva that the two are one and do not exist without each other. The union between Shiva and Shakti was further embellished upon in the second sanchari, where Nannu told the story of Meenakshi, another form of Parvati, raised to be fierce and powerful, going against the patriarchy. Lord Shiva falls in love with her, viewing her as the embodiment of beauty and strength, and marries her in Madurai. Representing both Shiva and Shakti, Nannu highlighted their respective masculine and feminine qualities, while also emphasizing their oneness.  

The audience was transported to a realm of Bhakti during the third sanchari, wherein Nannu illustrated the story of an elderly woman who wanted to see Lord Shiva in the temple, as her last wish. She was carried by her son through a forest on their way to the temple when they came across a boy and his ox who offered to take her to the temple. The lady realized that Shiva himself had come to grant her darshan. This moment occurred with such distinct musical accompaniment, leaving the audience with goosebumps from such a moving revelation. With the incorporation of various rasas Nannu personified the relationship and affection shared between Lord Shiva and his devotees.

            After a brief intermission the second half of the margam began with “Keshaadi Paadham”, a Malayalam devotional song composed by B.A. Chidambaranath. In this piece choreographed by her Guru, Nannu took the audience in a lighthearted direction by portraying young Krishna, whose presence was to fulfill a widow’s prayer that Guruvayoor Appan comes to her as a child. With the reveal that the child was Krishna himself and that it be kept a secret, Nannu epitomized the cuteness and innocence of Lord Krishna.

Nannu continued her performance with “Kudajadriyil”, a Malayalam song set to Revathi, in praise of the Goddess Mookambika. Nannu portrayed the might and arrogance of a demon Mookasura, parading his power, only to have his voice taken away by Saraswathi and throw a tantrum on stage. Smt. Sripriya’s choreography of this entire segment, paired with an intense lighting cue and Nannu’s execution, kept the audience holding their breath, waiting to see how the asura would be put in his place. The combined abilities and energies of the Tridevi (Saraswathi, Lakshmi, and Parvathi) empowered Parvathi to destroy the demon Mookasura, hence the name Mookambika. This item was composed by K. Jayakumar, with lyrics by Raveendran. 

The audience was in for a unique treat with the next item, “Thulli Thulli Kudithu Varum”. While not a traditional folk song, Nannu drew from aspects of folk to present the loyal and playful relationship between humans and dogs. Emulating mischievous and naughty behaviors of a dog while also showing her “puppy dog eyes”, she joyfully emoted the bond that people have for their canine best friend. Choreographed by both student and teacher, this piece left the audience with smiles on their faces from laughing and enjoying the antics shared by dogs and their love for humans.

            A Thillana composed and choreographed by Madurai R. Muralidharan in the ragam Nasika Bhushani was the penultimate item of Nannu’s arangetram. With precise rhythmic movements, statuesque poses, and a charanam on Mother Kali, Nannu’s energy was upbeat and vibrant throughout. The high spiritedness transitioned into that of Shantham or peace as the program concluded the Mangalam. The family selected the devotional slokam, Harivaraasanam (attributed to Kambankudi Kulathu Iyer), often sung as a lullaby to Lord Ayappa, and heard during the pilgrimage to Sabari Mala. Ananya thanked and sought the blessings of all those who attended her arangetram, ending her performance on a serene but accomplished note.  

Following a well deserved standing ovation, the Chief Guest, Guru Madurai R. Muralidharan was welcomed on stage to give a few words on Nannu’s dynamic performance. Guru Muralidharan quoted Swami Vivekananda: “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life...”, aptly citing that both Guru Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy and Nannu have both taken the idea of dance and made it their life. Following the kind words and praise of the chief guest, Smt. Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy talked about Nannu and the very clear hard work that she put in throughout the years to flourish on stage for her big day, and presented her with a plaque to celebrate. The star of the show herself also thanked everyone, talking about her relationship with dance, yoga, and her teacher. The Guru-shishya relationship manifested on stage not only through their chemistry but through the carefully tailored and curated choreography.

It must be noted that the orchestra members and their presence on stage elevated the arangetram to another level. Whether it was the mesmerizing vocals of Sri. Srinivasan Raghuraman, the meticulous rhythm from mridangist Sri. Gaurish Chandrashekhar (mridhangam), the soulful notes of Smt. Hema Balasubramanian on the flute or the harmonious sounds of Sri Krishnan Parameshwaran on the violin, the musicians alongside the detailed nattuvangam by Smt. Sripriya Natarajan Moorthy created a playful aura for both Nannu and the audience to enjoy as she danced. The melody and rhythm sync of these esteemed artists further invoked rasa with each item that they performed. 

There is no doubt that many years of effort and pure dedication went into making this debut such a success, and under the tutelage of her guru, Nannu truly thrived on stage. Like me, any dancer that has completed their arangetram knows that this is merely the beginning of their journey, and I’m excited to see where Nannu’s love for this artform takes her. Congratulations on this fantastic milestone! 

|