His vitality was invigorating. Guru Kalyanasundaram, director of Sri Rajarajeswari Bharatanatya Kala Mandir, Mumbai, wielded the cymbals for disciple Meghna Pradeep, while son Harikrishna Kalyanasundaram complemented the Nattuvangam, daughter-in-law Vidya Harikrishna sang and grandson Chaitanya did the lighting. Meghna performed a traditional margam at the Mysore Association auditorium, Matunga, Mumbai. Guru Kalyanasundaram anchored his disciple’s catalogue with insight.
Meghna began her recital with Adi Sankara’s Ganesa Pancharatnam set in song format with jatis allowing scope for emoting and footwork. The Jatiswaram (rarely seen in repertoire nowadays) in Saveri, Tisra Ekam, was concise with compound sequences and hand movements which the dancer did justice to.
The first verse of Abhirami Andadi was judiciously essayed for devotional abhinaya. ‘Sami Ni,’ pada varnam of the Thanjavur Quartet in Khamas set to Adi tala, was an astute amalgamation of nritta, nritya and natya as announced by the guru. The sanchari detailed interesting episodes such as the amrit manthan and Meghna performed it with energy.
Gopalakrishna Bharati’s ‘Aadum Chidambaramo’ was presented with confidence by Megna, barring some hiccups in holding the poses.
Bharatiyar’s ‘Chinnanchiru Kiliye’ was absorbing and the audience was transported to a different plane by Vidya’s singing that brought out all the emotions in the ragamalika, which enhanced the dancer’s performance.
The Hamsanandi tillana was vibrant with the gethu section inciting spontaneous applause. The Tiruppugazh, ‘Eru Mayil Eri,’ which summarised the abodes of Muruga came as a fitting finale.
The ensemble also included Venkatesh (mridangam), Balasubramania Sarma (violin), Shekar (ghatam) and Kumar Krishnan (flute).
“I have been blessed with a great guru, a supportive family (parents and in-laws) and a husband, who keeps motivating me. I spent the past few weeks in class honing my movements,” said Meghna, proving that besides talent, practice and perseverance are the keys to a good performance.
