An Arangetram with Passion and Perfection by Young Bharatanatyam Dancer Shradha Anand

 Dancing is like dreaming with your feet.  For every Bharatanatyam artist, Arangetram is a celebration of the art, trained over several years.

It is the public graduation of art and the artist.  Acceptance of the audience towards more professional aspirations.  Dance is one of the most beautiful forms of expression, inspiration, focus and perfection.  It needs a strong devotion and commitment to the art.  Focus on the intricacies of the art to the minute details.  It is a collaboration of the training from Guru, music that encompasses itself with the dance, the percussion that supports the rhythm on the stage, the sounds and lighting, the very stage of performance and catching the attention of the audience.  

Shradha Anand

Any Arangetram for that matter would be a successful one only when this collaboration is coupled with ardent love for art, support from family and friends, a perfect understanding between the guru and sishya, and selection of the right theme for dance that suits the dancer who is to perform.  When all of this come together with the blessings of Lord Nataraja coupled with songs of Thyagaraja, Annamacharya and many other musical gods, and full support of parents, mentoring every moment and supporting the artist to accomplish, the end result can only be a marvelous performance that is lauded by everyone. 

Yes, we are here talking about one such amazing arangetram showcasing the talents of SHRADHA ANAND,  disciple of Parvati Ravi Ghantasala and also daughter of devoted and amazing parents Mrs Geetha and Mr. Anand, student of Kala Pradarshini.   An summer evening, on a Saturday, 24 May 2014, Shradha astonished the audience with her enthralling performance of Bharathanatyam, at Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan, Mylapore, Chennai.

Smt Kalyani Rajaram started with a wonderful narration of the dance programme coupled with Nattuvangam by Smt. Parvati Ravi Ghantasala assisted by her accomplished disciple Divya Suresh.   Vocal by Sri Koushik Champakesan was an added bliss to the evening making it a memorable combination of dance and music.  Kesavan’s  mridangam and Kalaiarasan violin and and flute artist were pushing the audience to an transitional form of music.  We should give credit to makeup artist Sri Murugan who did an amazing appearance of Shrada and costumes were designed and made by one other than Shradha’s mother Geetha painfully and patiently over the last 3 years.   Capturing every moment of this ecstasy by photographer Dhilip and videography by Ayyapan and design by Vinayaka made the performance complete. 

Guru Parvati Ravi Ghantasala

The words of chief guest Sri. K.N.Ramaswami, Director of Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan and Smt. Prema Satish of Natyanjali, only made it a blissful acceptance of Shradha’s perfection of the art and her focus both in arts and academics.   Her whole family was there and friends jumped in joy watching her performing the toughest of dance moves with ease, thanks to her yoga guru who made her so flexible

Now let me write a bit about the evening that mesmerized for full 3 hours with her beautiful and electrifying performance.   Starting with Natrajar Anajali , Adi Talam, with Nattai ragam with a traditional compostion, Shradha started with her beautiful performance.  She looked bit nervous on the first song, however, as she started to perform Murugar Kauthuvam in Shanmughapriya ragam with adi talam, composed by Gangaimuthu nattuvnar, she was taking the stage and audience under her control.   The posture of muruga really made us for a minute raise in devotion to the Lord himself.   Then came the beautiful tanjore quartered composition in vasantha ragam with rupakam talam presenting Jathiswaram.    The best of the best was Amma Anandadayini  varanam with gambheeranattai ragam in adi talam composed by none other than the leend Dr Balamuralikrisna.  For a minute, as Koushik kept singing, I felt that Dr Balamurali himself is singing …and reminding us of the 3 beautiful hours of Balamurali we experienced in LA.   

The vibrant kalaingnarthanam made the audience not to blink even for a second, in a view not to miss the moments of joy that is displayed on the stage.  .  Sahana ragam bhajan on Sri Rama by Saint Thyagaraja brought the audience to a feeling of trance with her dance.   Shradha was felicitated by one and all along with her guru Parvati and parents.   Sri Muralidharan’s composition of punnagavareli ragam padam made Shradha dance in her beautiful peacock costume made by her mother specially for the occasion.   The last but not the least Thillana performace in Nattabhairavi ragam and adi talam composed by Veenai Krishnamachari was a perfect end to the blissful evening.  Shradha’s slowly but satisfyingly ended the arangetram by paying her due respects to Lord Natarajar,  her Guru Paravati Ravi Ghansala, her  stage and audience and to her parents.  

A standard tenth student of PSBBM Gerugambakkam with a score of 10CGPA, Shradha proved a talented youngster in both academics and arts.    Her parents ran from pillar to post to ensure that every single person in the audience is received and entertained with respect and thanks.   The Programme ended with a beautiful and mouth-watering food spread to the people whose hearts were already filled with joy watching young Shradha and not to forget the beautiful bags her mother made as mementoes to all with invitation and also the goodie bags with traditional coconuts and blouses.  It was so grand like a wedding with passion.  This wedding is between an artist and art in its purest form.

To us personally, it was an evening of bliss, happiness and joy as Shradha happens to be my daughter’s best friend as well.   We wished her with whole heart that she should achieve all her dreams and make her parents and family proud.   She is definitely a wonderful person with a great attitude and respect to elders and for sure will shine in life for the best of herself.   Love you Shradha and all the very best dear!