Colourful dance forms and pulsating rhythms from across India enthralled the audience during the annual Cultural Day celebrations of the Inter Cultural Association of Pondicherry.
The evening got off with a Gujarati performance on ‘Dhol vagyo re’ by the duo Priyaben Patel and Maliniben Patel. A group show featuring eight dancers then performed a traditional Gujarati song set to live ‘dhol’ by Dharmesh Vasani. The presentation was under the auspices of the Gujarati Samaj of Pondicherry.
A graceful evocation of ‘Rasaleela’ in Bharatanatyam by students of the Bharathiar Palkalaikoodam was up next. What followed this portrayal of Lord Krishna’s mischief as a child, was a spectacular enactment of ‘Aigiri nandini...’, the stotra invocation to Durga — the goddess with ten arms, armed with weapons and riding a lion and who slayed the demon Mahishasura.
Rajasthan’s ‘Kalbelia’
The colours and sounds of Rajasthan came alive on the stage with members of the Rajasthani Association performing the Kalbelia dance, a folk form which has been declared part of Intangible Heritage List of UNESCO.
Members of the Rajasthani Association perform the Kalbelia.
The dancers also staged the popular ‘ghoomar’ featuring pirouetting performers weaving in and out of a circle. The city’s Telugu Association strengthened the classical flavour of the show with a Kuchipudi presentation.
The troupe from the Odisha Utkal Association showcased the rich repertoire of movement, expressions, gestures and signs in an Odissi performance. The ‘ghoomar’ is a staple at special events, including weddings, festivals and religious occasions.
The Kerala Samajam brought to the stage the ‘Keralanadanam’, an artform based on Kathakali credited to Guru Gopinath. The Vishwamitra Charitham performance fused elements of ‘Keralanadanam’ and the lasya-rich Mohiniyattam.
Artists performing ‘Keralanadanam’ at the Annual Cultural Day Celebrations in Puducherry.
The Bengali Association, which is among the more active communities in the city, had quite a few items up its sleeve including dance, poetry and Rabindra Sangeeth. A French group song and dance rounded off the evening.
Earlier, David Annoussamy, former judge of the Madras High Court opened the show. Dominic Goodall, head, Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient and V. Nallam, physician and patron of the Association also addressed the audience.
