Amal’s Arangetram Accomplishment

By Manasa Jayanthi

“Holy mackerel! I completed my Arangetram!” – Amal Balachundhar

On July 13, 2024, Amal Balachundhar completed his Bharatanatyam Arangetram under the tutelage of his mother, Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar. As always, the rasikas’s of the Greater Boston area came together to celebrate the magic of the arts and to see another youngster rise to the occasion of debuting their artistic journey thus far.

Amal commenced the recital with a dedication to Bhumi Devi, mother earth, by paying obeisance through a Bhumanjali. Amal leaped on to stage with great confidence and poise as if it was familiar territory. Masterfully transitioning between the nritta and nritya he covered the space of the stage and proclaimed he was ready to stun the audience with a lovely evening of music and dance curated by him and his guru, Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar.

The next item was a fast-paced Trimurti Kauthuvam, it is fairly uncommon to see multiple kauthuvams done in a katcheri, recital. Amal presented three such pieces together in the praise of Brahma – The creator, Vishnu– The preserver, and Shiva – The destroyer. Amal presented all three segments with great conviction and control. This was followed by a jathiswaram that showcased the prowess of both the guru and shishya’s sense of layam, rhythm as they seamlessly weaved through the intricate jathis and swara patterns of the composition through nattuvangam and nritta, sophisticated footwork. This composition was further enhanced by the singer’s (Smt. Bhuvana Ganesh) interpretation with the ornamentation of gamakas (emphasis) for the ragam Kannada evoking a sense of majesty and reverence. Bharatanatyam is known for its geometrical shapes and graceful movements, Amal showcased his mastery of symmetry, alignment, footwork, and the important postures of the form such as Aramandi (a half-seated posture that creates a shape of a diamond). A significant note to be made is that this did not only allow for the enhancement of visual appeal of Amal’s dance but also underscored the discipline, practice, and precision required in Bharatanatyam. 

A musical interlude followed this wonderful completion to the first third of the katcheri by the orchestra comprised of:

Nattuvangam: Guru Smt. Kalpana Balachundhar

Vocal: Smt. Bhuvana Ganesh

Mridangam: Shri Gaurishankar Chandrashekhar

Flute: Smt. Hema Balasubramanian

Violin: Shri Surya Sundararajan

Veena: Shri Dr. Ram Naidu

Amal opened the second third with the central item of the margam, the Varnam ‘Nee Manamirangi’ set to ragam Lathangi, talam Adi, and composed by Andavan picchai, taught to Amal by Guru Sarveshan and added sancharis by Guru Kalpana. This Varnam is in praise of Lord Muruga. A varnam tests the dancer’s ability to internalize the music and potently depict the essence of the composition through characterization and dynamic choreography. It tests the imaginative facilities of the dancer, teacher, and choreographer. The theatrics of a varnam and musical dimensions are what make it the central gem and most challenging item of a repertoire. Amal illustrated through his movements and facial expressions stories in praise of Lord Muruga, including the birth of Muruga, Muruga killing the demon Tarakasura with his holy spear, and Muruga coming together with Valli in wedlock. Amal’s exploration of the narrative elaborations, known as sancharis, displayed fleeting emotions that supported the main theme of the composition, bhakti or devotion. It also displayed Amal’s devotion to his craft. His understanding of abhinaya transcended beyond his ability to just retain choreography, but manifested in his emotional depth of artistic expression at a maturity level that held a rare conviction given his age and experience. Although Amal demonstrated his nritta abilities in the previous portion of the program, it is to be noted that from the Trikala jathi (opening rhythmic segment) to the very last swaram he held his energy, stamina, presence, and poise at a very high standard. Performing light as feather and spring like elevated leaps to executing the strength of his angashuddhi, to the exhibition of his agility and flexibility in the mandi adavus (sitting to standing movements) and the charis (circular or turning movements) and to his spatial awareness as he glided across the dais, he presented the composition with pure joy and liberation, a feeling and observation I generally make of dancers only when at a professional show. For being Amal’s maiden performance as a fellow dancer and teacher, I truly felt his attempt at conquering this challenging varnam deserved a standing ovation.

The last third of the performance started off with an ode to Guru Madurai R. Muralidharan starting with combined choreographies of both Guru Muralidharan and Guru Kalpana, Thandavam followed by Ardhanareeswaram. These were presented by Amal, as Shiva and his older sister Pavi, as Parvathi. The synergy between both of these dancers was a visual treat to the audience in addition to the genius of the music by Guru Madurai R. Muralidharan. Between these two pieces the acclaimed Guru Madurai R. Muralidharan, a mentor, well-wisher, and guru of Amal was welcomed to speak a few words about Amal and the performance. He praised Amal’s ability to study dance and to hold his own confidence as a male dancer.  Guru Muralidharan said, “Vladimir Naboko, a renowned author who is really famous for his poetic prose once theorized that the artist’s task is to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary to make the mundane magical. Yes, today I saw the magical transformation, (of) Amal Balachundar.” Guru Madurai R. Muralidharan is also known for his mastery of the poetic language tamil. He presented a framed poem in tamil edited by him and originally written by Amal, encouraging his artistic journey. Having known Amal from his childhood into his formative teen years, this opportunity to dedicate a portion of Amal’s arangetram in gratitude to the maestro and also receiving such immense praise from him are blessings and cherished memories for Amal’s lifetime as will his Arangetram as a whole.

Resuming the solo portion of the program, Amal presented a piece devoted to Lord Anjaneya. A lilting piece in the ragam Suddha Sarang and set to Kanda Eka talam, another composition of Guru Madurai R. Muralidharan. Amal demonstrated one of the primary emotions or “rasas” in Indian literature known as “Bhakti”, devotion, with great sincerity leading the audience into the bliss of divinity. Following this soothing piece was a fun filled item bringing out the playfulness of Amal’s personality in Maadu Meikkum Kanna. A piece on little Krishna and his antics. A special mention of Amal’s inspiration for this piece being drawn from his relationship with his guru, his Amma, Guru Smt. Kalpana Balachundar. Once again Amal displayed his proficiency of the storytelling aspect of the art form known as Abhinaya. He keenly used his charming nature, his eyes specifically in his facial expressions, body language, and mudras (known as codified hand gestures) to the modulations of the music, the shades of the characters and the situations described in the lyrical portions to bring further theatrical life into this already toe tapping number.

Last but not the least, Amal presented a thillana followed by a Mangalam to conclude his performance. Thillanas are comprised of highly complicated mathematical rhythmic portions that play with the structure of the musical structure making them vibrant and celebratory. This thillana was set to ragam Sindhubhairavi, tala Adi, composed by Sri. Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, and in praise of Amal’s ishta devam, Lord Muruga. Amal joyously danced the thillana with dynamic and graceful movements set to a brisk tempo, while showcasing the glory of Lord Muruga.

Amal concluded his program with a Mangalam that was an homage and veneration to the world, praising the earth, water, fire, wind, sky, sun, moon, planet, life, body, mind, spirit, and reflecting on how all these elements are blessed and will be blessed forever by the almighty, just as Amal will be and is blessed with the gift of art for a lifetime and many more to come.

On a personal note, I cannot help but become a bit emotional each time I listen and witness the Mangalam at the end of any type of concert. My interpretation of a Mangalam does not only reside in its solemn, devotional, and ceremonial divine nature but also in its representation of dedication, integrity, reflection, and connection within one’s self. As a fellow artist, a Mangalam is not a conclusion but a promise to myself in the witness of my loved ones, esteemed audience, and the almighty that I will stand true to my art as the guiding light for life, as I did yesterday, as I do today, and as I will tomorrow. I wish this for Amal Balachundhar as well in conclusion of his beautifully presented dance milestone, his Arangetram. To fulfill his life’s journey and purpose through the gift of Bharatanatyam and all other mediums of art that he wishes to explore.

 If there were any concluding words, I had to say about his performance it is that liberation is what Amal attained on the occasion of his Arangetram. He was completely at home throughout the performance making the stage his own with a mature stage presence, confidence, and great preparation for his big day. He also was authentically himself yet in all the while embodying the essence of all his gurus while slowly starting to chisel at his own artistry. Amal may you be showered with many opportunities to learn, explore, create, and showcase your art to your heart’s content. May you also use your art to help make this world a better place.  Best wishes and hearty congratulations on this momentous achievement of your Arangetram!

Below are also a few comments from other important teachers in Amal’s Artistic Journey who were also pivotal in making Amal’s Arangetram Accomplishment a grand success:

Quote from Smt. Bhuvana Ganesh’ speech (Amal’s Carnatic Music teacher):

“I just want to wish Amal the very best. One of the best student’s I have seen so far, very very very organized. He will do anything I ask him to do…today is my very memorable day my first music student for whom I am singing for dance. So, this definitely very memorable...I am very happy and emotional today and wish Amal the very best.” 7.13.24

Quote from Ronald Lowry’s speech (Amal’s Cello teacher):

“After seeing Amal’s performane today I understand where his musical expressiveness comes from. It’s evident in his dance and I hope that his music study has actually influenced his dance as well because I think there’ss this cross combination and his musical artistry that he’s been evolving with I’m sure has informed his dance as well. And I think all of this being here today just reaffirms my belief that art changes our life and let’s keep it going.” 7/13/24

Quote from Guru Sarvesh’s hand written note:

“Dear Amal, wishing you all the best as you prepare for your Arangetram. May this new phase of learning equip you with qualities that will help you overcome any challenge that you will be facing in the future. May you be blessed.”

Happy Dancing!

|