The 10-day Puthur Sreethirupurakkal Nritha Sangeethothsavam showcased dance and music recitals by stalwarts. The festival began with playback singer Kavitha Krishnamoorthy singing bhajans and popular songs in her mellifluous voice.
Later violinist L. Subramaniam, accompanied on the violin by his son Ambi Subramaniam, took to the stage. He started the concert with the raga Hamsadhwani. ‘Vathapiganapathim,' which was ornamented with fast paced and spirited swara passages. The maestro's virtuosity in handling the instrument, his nimble fingering and bowing, and lively notes that were characterised by precision and perfection, helped created a serene mood. He concluded with a ragamalika number, comprising of Kapi, Kalyani and Sindhubharavi, and received a standing ovation from the packed audience.
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Vineeth's spirited Bharatanatyam performance, which carried the legacy of the Travancore sisters and his guru Padma Subramaniam too, was marked by excellent technique and smooth execution. Vineeth filled the stage with his mercurial movements and was the embodiment of masculine charm. The invocatory Thodaya mangalam and Dikshitar's ‘Santhatham pahimam' in Western major scale (plain notes of Sankarabharanam) were on the Goddess.
A Sanskrit composition of Meenakshi Subramaniam, mother of Padma Subramaniam, in Bhairavi set to Adi tala and choreographed by Padma was an aesthetic delight. In the main item ‘Samee nanunthanatimai,' a varnam of Papanasam Sivan in Nattakkurinchi, Vineeth depicted Shiva as the lord of the Panchabhoothas (five elements).
He enacted the story of Kannappa, which provided ample opportunity for bhavabhinaya. The concluding item ‘Oreoru lakshyam Sabarimamala,' again choreographed brilliantly by Padma, delianated the hardships that the devotees overcome to reach the sanctum sanctorum and their great joy at getting a glimpse of Lord Ayyappa amid the hustle and bustle of the temple.
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Sushmitha Banerjee, a disciple of Pandit Briju Maharaj of the Lucknow gharana, wowed audiences with her Kathak recital that was marked by confidence, excellent rhythmic foot work and fine angikas.
Kathak recital
She opened the recital with a salutation to the Goddess in ‘Sarvamangala Mangalye.' She then moved on to a Shiva sthuti ‘Jaisankar Kailaspathe' and a Meera bhajan ‘Avanu Syam,' which showcased her flawless layakari, lucid mudras and aesthetic body movements.
With her soulful rendition filled with peity, vocalist Bombay Jayasree created a serene ambience. She was ably accompanied by Ganesh Prasad (violin), Manoj Siva (mridangam) and Gopalakrishnan (ganjira). She started off with ‘Sidhivinayaka arulpurivai' in Natta, which was appended with brilliant swarakalpana.
An apt and brisk Tyagaraja kriti ‘Sogasujoodatharama' (Kannadagoula), a ragalapana of Dwijavanti and the choukakala Dikshitar kriti ‘Akhilandeswari' followed. An erudite rendition of Mohanakalyani and Muthaiah Bhagavatar's kriti ‘Bhuvaneswariya' were embellished with spirited swarakalpana.
The main item, an elaborate exploration of Kharaharapriya with Tyagaraja's ‘Pakkalanilabati,' embellished with articulated niraval and crisp manodharmaswara at ‘Manasoona' was followed by an excellent tani.