Anjana Mangalat, Apoorva Kumar, Bhavana Chalupadi, Mamtha Raj, Manasa Jayanthi,  Neha Kumar, Prashanthi Sivasithambaram, Pooja Gupta, Ramya Ramadurai, Ramya Ragupathy, Sahana Srinivasan, Vithusha Thiru, Sravya Chary, Swathi Madala, Tara Krishnan and Guru Jothi Raghavan presented an evening of traditional Bharatanatyam under the guidance of the renowned Guru Chandrasekar on August 1, 2010.

The orchestra was special for it featured local singer Vishnu Kannabiran, a medical student who was accompanied by leading dance Mridangist and Flautist T.K. Ramakrishnan and H.S. Venugopal. Guru Chandrasekar performed the Nattuvangam. The program was a final presentation of a training camp held by Guru Chandrasekar for the students of Jothi Raghavan and Sunanda Narayanan.

The program opened with a Pushpanjali is Nattai followed by Thiagaraja’s Sriganapathi in Ragam Sourashtram.  An unusual Jathiswaram in Yadukula Kambodi followed. Jothi Raghavan performed an unusual Varnam in ragam Nattakuriniji dedicated to Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam, which is the composition of Moolai Vettu Rangaswamy Nattuvanar.  It was nice to see the “squirrel helping Rama build the bridge story” as a Sanchari for the Varnam.  The Jathis were complex and required strong grasp of the rhythm.

“We would like to sing this in Bhajan form rather than Bhajanai form," said Guru Chandrsekar as he presented Sant Tulasidas’s Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Bhaja mana in Ragam Hamsadhvani. He showed his virtuosity in the Hindustani and Carnatic music Bani by presenting Ragam  Hamsadwani in  both styles.  A video presentation of a dance to a Kabir Das bhajan by Guru Chandrasekar followed. The grand finale was a Thillana composition by Guru Chandrasekar in Ragam Hamir Kalyani.

The program reflected the great musical knowledge of the Guru. Complex phrasings and strong handle on rhythm made items like Thillana and Jathiswaram shine.  Of note was the wonderful group choreography particularly in the Thillana. Guru Chandrasekar’s insightful comments clearly showed off his musical knowledge.

A nice evening of Bharatanatyam indeed.

The program was in support of AASAI which is doing phenomenal work in India with supporting old age homes, homes for mentally retarded and several other organizations. To learn more about AASAI check out their website, www.aasai.org.

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