“Kavitha, you delighted us, you charmed us and you beautified our lives.  It was an evening of poetry and pleasure, of entertainment and enchantment, and of learning and love” (Dr. G.K. from New York)

Sure, an arangetram is a solo Indian classical debut performance and literally means “ascending the stage”.  But, what was it about this performance witnessed by over 700 friends and family on August 11th that has people talking and sending e-mail wishes such as this?  The guests felt welcomed by friends of the Vijayasekars, marveled by the stage decoration and most importantly mesmerized by the performance.  Lynne Williamson, the director of the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program and Institute for Community Research said, “I was so impressed by everything – the first-rate musicians, the excellent technical presentation, the welcoming spirit. But most of all, the superb dancing and storytelling of your most accomplished daughter. She is mature beyond her years!”  

From the moment that the curtain opened and Kavitha emerged in her glimmering costume and enigmatic smile, until the final mangalam, it was a night to remember.  Kavitha truly glowed and her passion for dance shone forth.  Kavitha is a 14 year old Glastonbury High School honors student who is not only trained in the art of Bharatha Natyam, but also in the Kuchipidi style of dance.  She began her dance career at the age of 4 with the celebrated artist of the Tamil screen, the late Smt. Padmini Ramachandran.  She completed her intensive training during the past two years with Guru Smt. Kausalya Srinivasan of the Sunartaka School of Dance in Chennai, India.  

From its commencement with the Panchamoorthy Anjali to the finale with the Thillana and mangalam, each of the ten items presented during the next three and a half hours were carefully selected by the family.  In the 41 minute Varnam “Devar Munivar Thozhum” set in Shanmugapriya ragam and studded with six jathis, Kavitha, presented episodes exalting the virtues of Lord Vishnu namely Krishna’s vanquishing of the evil snake, Kaliya, the famous Gajendra Moksha, the Vamana Avatar (dwarf) for the purpose of quelling the arrogance of the great warrior Vali, and the beauty of Lord Vishnu and His incessant flow of worshippers at Thirupathi.

In the second half, besides an idyllic song on Lord Krishna, and a dynamic composition on Lord Shiva, the audience was treated to a 20 minute version of one of the great treasures of Hinduism, the Ramayana.  Choreographed as a lullaby, this dance included nine scenes from the cherished epic starting with the birth of Lord Rama to his patabishekam, Lord Rama being crowned as King.  Kavitha dominated the stage with her depiction of all 18 characters that appear in the song, Maasil Ayodhiyil set to Ragamalika.  Mr. Rajam Kumar of Middletown was compelled to speak in praise of the 14 year old artist and showered accolades by wondering if it was really a stage in Windsor, CT or perhaps he had been transported to Indra Sabha and was it really Kavitha or perhaps it was Rhamba, Oorvasi or Menaka who had delighted the audience for over three and a half hours.

Excellent orchestra support was provided by Guru Mrs. Kauasalya Srinivasan with her crisp nattuvangam and Mr. G. Srikanth with his melodious and heart wrenching vocal rendition. Accompanying them were Mrs. Bhooma Nambirajan as guest vocal in the second half, Mr. B. Ravishankar on mridangam, Mr. V.K. Raman on flute and Mr. Mysore Srikanth on violin.

The performance concluded with a scintillating Thillana in Kadanakuthuhalam by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna and a mangalam which was composed especially for Kavitha’s arangetram by guest vocalist, Mrs. Bhooma Nambirajan.  

Though it is clear that dance is one of her passions, many know that Kavitha is a carnatic and western music enthusiast as well.  She is a disciple of Smt. Kala Prasad and has participated in the Thiagaraja Festival at the Hindu Temple in Middletown for the past 7 years.  She is a flutist, member of the Key Club, the Debate Club and was recently elected vice-president of the India Club at Glastonbury High.  She is a member of the Youth Committee of the Connecticut Tamil Sangam and has written articles for the cultural publication, “Ponni”.  

In addition to her various academic and cultural talents, Kavitha is widely traveled in 6 continents and 38 countries around the world.  She is committed to celebrating her own cultural heritage and to learning about cultures around the world.  NECTFL’s (Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Board of Director Nancy Gadbois wrote, “WOW!  Jack and I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpse into Indian culture and religion yesterday. I just do not have enough superlatives.”

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