A unique audio-visual treat for friends of the Parulkar family was staged at the Littleton High School on June 17, 2006 by twin children of Drs. B.G Parulkar and Smita Parulkar. The occasion was high school graduation of Isha and Anshul from Worcester Academy. The unique celebration was very well attended and brought together the finest talents of the Boston community.

The program started at 4 p.m with invocation to Lord Ganesha, Shankar  and Vishnu by Smt. Madhavi Marathe, Dr. Ashish Nimgaonkar and Smt. Ashwini Hate accompanied by Anshul on tabla. Shekhar Gothoskar on harmonium and Abhijeet Modak on the keyboard provided additional accompaniment.

The stage decoration was simple and traditional, with offerings of flowers and fruits and lighted lamps to Lord Natraj as is customary in a Classical Dance performances. The unique aspect of the decoration was however, in creative background lighting of the stage in vivid and pleasing colors.  Dressed in a traditional cream and red costume, Isha presented several Bharatnatyam items such as  Pushpanjali/Ganesh Stuti, Padam and a unique Krithi about Goddess Parvati (alias Isha)  alternating between depicting Parvati as compassionate Durga and fearsome Kali. Precise footwork, good hasta-mudras and a range of expressions were the highlights of this performance. Smt. Sridevi Thirumalai, Isha’s teacher for 10 years spoke about the dedication and practice Bharatanatyam art form required and blessed Isha and Anshul.

Anshul took stage next with his tabla and accompanied well known local Hindustani vocalist Smt. Swati Panda.  2 compositions in Raga Yaman including the popular composition  “Aeri Aali Piya Bina” and a taraana were presented in teentaal and ektaal respectively. Anshul went on to present a  solo recital with harmonium accompaniment by Christopher Pereji. Anshul presented several aspects of solo tabla performance, the most enjoyable being the fast paced ‘rela’. Anshul has received training in tabla from tabla artists Pandit Arvind Mulgaokar, Nitin Mitta, Aditya Kalyanpur, Harshal Tole, and Mahesh Lachyankar.

After intermission, Anshul Parulkar accompanied two other celebrated local artists on tabla - Shri Nitin Pandit presented Raga Madhuwanti on Santoor and Dr. Suresh Mathur presented Raag Maand on Hindustani Bamboo flute. The Sawaal-Jawaab component of these recitals where Anshul presented his interpretation of note sequences played by the Santoor and Flute were commendable.

Folk dances in the Manipuri style and in Gujrati  language were presented by Isha with great grace with an introduction to the pieces by her teacher Smt. Jasmine Shah. The costumes were particularly colorful and appealing. A vocal “Laavni” presented by Smt. Madhavi Marathe and Smt. Ashwini Hate drew participation and applause from the audience while Anshul accompanied on Dholki. The final piece-de-resistance of the program was a rhythmic and  energetic dance by the twins Isha and Anshul to the song “Rangilo Mhara Dholna.”
 
Earlier, the Dean of Worcester Academy spoke about the merits and accomplishments of the twins and wondered how they made time to pursue arts in depth given their demanding academic needs. A slideshow showing pictures of the Parulkar family was very enjoyable taking the viewers through Isha and Anshul’s journey from childhood to High School Graduation. Parents, B.G Parulkar and Smita and the children, Isha and Anshul took turns in speaking and thanking several members of the audience.

The program ended at 10p.m. Elegance and good taste was in abundance and could be felt in several aspects of the event - from the choice of the auditorium, creative lighting, the hearty Indian dinner served by BAPS,Swami Narayan temple, the well researched commentary by Master of Ceremonies Dr. Pranoti Lachyankar and the performances by the Parulkar twins. Isha and Anshul proved to the younger generation how academic achievement can be balanced with love and pursuit for the arts and will undoubtedly be great role models for Boston area school children. Isha will be pursuing higher studies in  Columbia University, New York, while Anshul will be attending Brown University, Rhode Island.

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