I consider myself blessed to have attended such a captivating performance during my short stay in the US with my close friends Jeyanthi and Lakshmikanth Ghatraju.
 
It was purely a stroke of my luck to be present at such an occasion which was totally focused on raising funds for a temple. The event was organized by the Sarvadev Mandir in Oxford, MA as a fund raiser for their parking lot construction project on Sunday, August 7 at the SDM hall. Gurus Jeyanthi and Prafulla had put in a tremendous amount of effort in selecting time-tested and popular items that would be appealing to the wide audience.
 
The Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi performances by Team Jeyanthi and Team Prafulla respectively were truly enticing and captivating. Though I am not a professional, I would only like to convey the delight I experienced during the performance.
 
The opening item of the dance recital invoking the blessings of Lord Ganesha-Sri Vigna Rajam Bhaje, presented by Neha, Svetly, Nivedita and Jeyanthi, was well coordinated and eye catching. The dancers showed their expertise in their movements and mudras which were totally authentic. The Bharatanatyam sequences made the audience respond genuinely and heartily. Sri Vignarajam Bhaje was followed by Varnam, Devi Keerthanam and Thillana in ragam Dhanasri, highlighting the three major aspects of Bharatanatyam – Nritta (pure dance movements), Abhinaya or the dramatic art of story-telling and Nritya, (combination of abhinaya and nritta).

Of special mention was the Bhavayami varnam composed by Maharaja Swati Tirunal and presented by Jeyanthi. As she mentioned in her introduction, the composer has condensed the contents of 24000 slokams of Valmiki Ramayana into six beautiful charanams/verses representing the six kanda (books). Many of the phrases employed in the charanam are very long and winding, since each phrase accommodates an episode in the epic of rAmAyaNam in a concise form. Jeyanthi did ample justice to the treatment of the verses and kept the audience spell bound throughout the presentation. Many in the audience could relate to the well-known stories depicted and connected well with the episodes communicated by Jeyanthi.  Particularly, the swayamvaram scene, Kaikeyi’s reaction to the poisonous words of Mandhara, and the war between Rama and Ravana were all well choreographed and presented.
 
Parasakthi Janani, a padam in praise of goddess Parvathi was performed by Nivedita Ramesh next. Nivedita’s expressions were unique and her pleasant personality came through beautifully in this piece.

Thillana in ragam Dhanasri was performed by Jeyanthi, Neha and Svetly and the exchange between the mridangam, nattuvangam and the dancers was quite enjoyable.

Equally noteworthy was the Kuchipudi recital by Prafulla Velury, Krishna Sampada Velury, Rashi Gupta and Leela Menrillo, typically depicting the quick-silver, scintillating and fast footed movements, epitomizing the Kuchipudi dance form.

Brahmanjali, the traditional invocation item in a Kuchipudi recital was followed by Vedalera Vayyarulu. This is another popular number from the Vipranarayana Charitamu and Prafulla and Rashi did a fine job of describing the young ladies preparing themselves and setting out to a garden adjacent their favorite temple.  

Rukmini Pravesa dharuvu followed next in the form of Neela megha sareera, a composition of saint Narayana theertha. Here Rukmini’s arrival in her garden along with her maids and her role play as Krishna playing with the gopis were depicted beautifully by Krishna Sampada, Leela, Prafulla and Rashi. They continued on with an energetic tarangam (performing on a brass plate), the heart and breath of Kuchipudi dance repertoire which they artistically performed. Hari Om Ananda Narayana, a popular bhajan was done tastefully with dandiyas (decorated sticks) and added color to the program.

The collaborative efforts of Prafulla and Jeyanthi shone through in their jugalbandhi item, Ananda thandavam ade, describing the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva in Chidambaram. They were so well coordinated in their movements and highlighted the similarities between their chosen dance forms, it was a delight to watch.
 
I would like to make a special mention of Leela Menrillo and Svetly dePaula, who have adopted the Indian Classical dance forms quite well, thereby proving that art is purely and truly global.
 
Nivedita, Neha, Krishna Sampada, and Rashi Gupta - all of them had great stage presence and their talent looked very promising. Under the able tutelage of their gurus, I sincerely bless and hope that they reach greater heights in achieving excellence.
 
The program was auspiciously ended by Mangalam requesting the blessings of one and all.

Smt. Neelu Sharma, the coordinator of the program from the mandir was all praise for the efforts of these artists in bringing joy to all while raising funds for a worthy cause.  Many temple volunteers had to be thanked for all the arrangements that afternoon.

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